Hello, I recently bought a camcorder and started to tape myself. I am watching myself to see if I am doing the technique correctly. this one is the technique of how to do it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p18RzaW94j0 The next couple videos show me practicing them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPp7JrKX2Aw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msmOwvgusdc I am planning to make a series of drill videos of myself and post them. Hopefully people will benefit from it.
hey michael kwan, nice videos. maybe get behind the shuttle more and hit it further into your pronation? anyways you could just call this a clearing drill instead of a "forearm pronation" drill.
You should be using a more relaxed flowing swing with the pronation to make your clears more consistent, and less awkward.
Well, the pronation for the most part is correct, but the rest of your stroke is a bit off. You need to follow through more on your swing. It'll help you recover when you hit the shuttle. (Provided you work on your footwork a bit more) At this point, if you continue to pronate your arm like that and not follow through, there will be a lot of strain on your wrist.
Is it just the camera or when you clear it the birdie is behind you? Maybe its just the angled camera haha. It doesn't look like your putting much body into it. Is that apart of the drill? To not put as much body strength into it yet?
It's really nice that you're trying to benefit others But if I were you, I'd hold on a bit... From what's in the videos, you look extremely rigid in your action. It follows that the whole routine appears forced and awkward. There are so many things wrong with it that you'd be better off starting afresh. Don't be offended... I do mean well Your good intentions are indeed laudable but I'd gently suggest that you get a coach to help you before you post any more videos (unless it's going to be in the, er, "How Not To..." section )
From my point of view your elbow is waaay too much still - you should put it first ahead and only then start with forearm pronation (whiping action - elbow transition to the front and pointing up). Also your shoulders are not rotating at all. It looks like you intentionally don't want to activate the rest of the body but only the forearm. Is this true? If this is what you want then forget about my comments. And yes, you're hitting the ball behind your body, your legs are also without energy in the shot and don't forget to follow through. It's not the clear but anyway it may help: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIdXEtOt1JE&feature=related
Your hitting technique is basically sound. It looks much better in the final video, where your arm movement is faster and "explosive" rather than slow and smooth. I suggest that you now focus on your movement skills. Your movement appears lazy; you frequently hit from a bad position, despite being under little movement pressure. Your hitting technique can be improved by reducing the angle of the elbow in your side-on "prepared to hit" posture. Make your preparation sharper and faster; get yourself ready before the shuttle comes. I also recommend that, in preparation, the racket strings face towards the ground (and forwards), rather than out to the side. You can also work on turning your shoulders more. This is connected to your footwork: because you don't get your feet off the ground, your pelvis isn't turning; because your pelvis isn't turning, your shoulders are inhibited. When possible, remove the glove. You shouldn't be getting significant hand calluses from badminton; this is probably due to an over-tight grip. Using a glove reduces the sensitivity of your grip. Don't be disheartened. You really do have a good start. You have a good explosive hitting action, which is one of the hardest things for a beginner to get right.
Your footwork has no purpose to it. Don't bother mimicking stylized footwork patterns. If the bird is hit to you in a position where you do not need to move then why bother executing a scissor step just for the sake of it. You've been reading too much badmintoncentral; the purpose of footwork is not to "get behind the bird". 80% of the purpose of footwork is to hit the bird. If you focus on hitting the bird then the footwork follows naturally. Your forearm pronation has no purpose to it. Think about the concept of overpronation. You've been reading too much badmintoncentral; the main purpose of pronation is not to "generate power". 60% of the purpose of pronation is to square the racket at contact. If you use footwork to generate power, you will rarely need to exhibit pronounced pronation except in the cases of around-the-head shots, reverse slices and square-to-the-net standing smashes. These rare shots occur frequently at high levels of play (or low levels if footwork is too slow/poor leading to a large amount of around-the-head shots). At anything less than an advanced level of play, your goal should be to minimize the amount of pronation you need to use in order to make the shot you wish to make.
Because a scissor step/scissor jump gets your feet off the ground, allowing uninhibited body rotation (extra power). It also helps you to recover forwards for the next shot. The purpose of footwork is to move early to an effective hitting position. I disagree. Good badminton footwork comes naturally to few players; I've yet to coach a player who did not need specific footwork training. Incorrect. Arm rotation is essential for generating high racket head speed (power). One can easily square the racket at contact using a panhandle grip with no arm rotation, but this is feeble. What exactly do you mean by "use footwork to generate power"? I agree, however, that his arm rotation looks exaggerated. It's no big deal; he's got the idea, and can refine it through experience.
mkwanster, you are not using enough leverage to generate power. Try to clear with a more pronounced flex at the elbow, with the backswing starting with your hand holding the racquet almost touching your back shoulder blades and then extending your arm in a hittting action. Try to do this without too much strength and you will be surprised. Once you know how to use leverageyou can increase your power. This comes in very useful when you are fully stretched to make a clear.
thank you all for your advice. I admit my technique is still stinks. Good thing I have you and my coach to correct me.
Revised I should have said I will be making videos of myself and let you guys tell me where I should improve. thank you very much, much appreciated.
My coach was there when we did the drills. For now, he wanted me to work on my pronation (most important), then work on my body position, footwork , follow through,..., etc
the pronation is correct but you need to losen up your grip and hold your racket with two fingers(thumb and index) and tighten your other fingers on impact, also i wouldnt swing so hard in thin air for to long because their is no resistance on the muscles so you can injure yourself doing that. add: for footwork do exactly this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwuRHjmFkt0
Your footwork right now serves very little purpose in your overhead shots. It shouldn't be that way. The purpose of the scissor kick is to aid in your return to the movement back front, but also to initiate momentum in your body to give your arms and later, your swing, more kick to the shot. Currently, your footwork isn't linked to your swing, and thus, your motion seems a bit awkward. Use your body! Swing it! Not too much, but enough to generate more momentum and thus more speed for your shots. Also, your arm seems to be hampering the motion of your wrists: give your arm a little more freedom to follow through with your shots, your swing motion isn't too good for your arm right now: It might hurt in the long term if you keep your technique like that.
