hey everyone, I was wondering if your non racquet hand can add power to your stroke, smash or just clear. I know that it's for balance but is there a way to use your non racquet hand to add more power to your smashes??? not sure if something like this have been posted. thanks for your help!
i know in tennis that the non racket hand gives you more control on the racket but i wouldn't know if this applies to badminton as well. When i smash the shuttlecock, i tend to tense both arms. i might try only tensing the racket arm and see what happens.
Apparently drawing it close to your body (elbow close to your left hip) is supposed to help you with upper body rotation, which increases the power of your smash (clear). Flailing it around is probably not a good idea anyway.
yea, ive heard a few people talk about that. Thx alot carlo! ill try that the next time i play. didnt quite notice that. Who else draws their elbow?????
Too many players I have seen never used their non-racquet arms for anything else beside from service. Some don't even use it for counterbalance... their non-racquet arms basically dangled while the rest of their bodies are active. Kinda freaky when you see it. For defense and lunge, the arm has to be extended comfortably but not to the fullest. Yes, gotta tuck it in when you perform all kinds of overhead swings.
the non racket hand should balance the shoulder rotation. try the extreme side by taping it to the body and see how u play. i think being well balanced is more important when delivering power than shoulder swing or rotation. this is something that you should not sacrifice for power. if u want to increase ur smash power, do play with heavier racket and train ur muscle strength. your non-racquet arm should be freely move and naturally balancing the other.
Most good tennis servers used the non-dominant arm in this manner. The arm is tucked in, with the forearm across the mid-section (belly), as if giving oneself a hug. Many top badminton players, but not all, employ a similar action with the non-dom arm. This action serves to lower the rotational inertia (moment of inertia) of the torso in order to increase angular acceleration.
I believe LYB covered this pretty well in one of his vids, he states that many players raise their non-racket arm and just let it drop when they rotate. If you bring your NR arm down fast (and towards your body) you can actually add some power to your stroke. I think Bao Chun Lai does this very well/explicit...
No, it doesn't work like that. The forehand involves a substantial turn of the shoulders; the backhand does not. By tucking in the left arm (forehands), you prevent it from unbalancing your torso (if it were allowed to swing out behind you). At the start of the shoulder turn, however, the left arm should be used actively ("throw" it down towards the tuck-in position). For backhands, the left arm is also used for balance. As the racket arm swings out to your right and upwards, extend your non-racket arm to the left and downwards.
A lot of my power shots seem less powerful and confident if I don't tuck my left arm into my stomach like in this picture: Not only does it keep you in balance and help produce some power, but I think it can help you keep your body facing forward as opposed to facing sideways when playing a power shot.
I use my left arm for balance and one really long lunges at the net I'll push offt he floor with it to help with my recovery.
I'm not sure what I do with my left arm when playing forehand overheads, but for backhands I normally tuck it across my back. This was a bad habit I got into when I was about 14 and numerous coaches have tried to beat it out of me to no real avail. I guess I just don't like it hanging around. For nets shots it's normally perpendicular to my lunge to provide balance, and for defensive positions out in front (although saying this I really don't think this benefits me whatso-ever.). Hope that helps, Gordon
I've seen many pros using NR arm as if they are holding a vase of flower on their palm when they execute a smash or a normal forehand clear/drop. Is that sort of motion really necessary? I move my NR arm upwards as if I am superman about to launch too, but not the holding vase pose.
Agreed. I think it mostly applies to overhead shots, where the Non-racquet hand is raised up then the racquet shoulder will automatically drop, knees bend. It's an automatic biomechanics action when you throw something powerfully. It helps you to load up for a powerful throwing action kinda like when tennis players gears up for a powerful serve. references: http://badminton.choos.name/Beginner.html http://www.revolutionarytennis.com/step12-5contact.html
Here is Andy Roddick serving in slow motion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnfAxF5a8aE In badminton i think you are able to keep the non-racket arm tucked in the body but in tennis you have to release the arm after because of the size of the racket or else you might your arm.
