Analysis of the Perfect Smash!

Discussion in 'Techniques / Training' started by aheron147, Jan 30, 2008.

  1. aheron147

    aheron147 Regular Member

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    Can someone tell me about the smash?

    There are Smashes and there are !SMASHES!...

    I've been courtside with some high level players and every time they strike or hit the shuttle it sounds like a circus master cracking a whip (That cracking sound!) or like a explosive gunshot!..(That explosive sound!)

    At that moment when the racquet strikes the shuttle is it?


    Stringbed Tension that causes that sound ?

    Is it a Hit or a Whipping action that causes that sound?

    Is it pure power?

    Is it Wrist + Power?

    Is it Wrist + power + timing?

    Is it Wrist + power + timing + good footwork?

    Any thoughts on this? Any feedback from national /international players/coaches would be greatly appreciated ?

    PS You hear that sound when a good/strong player jump/smashes properly!

    and you know that 80% of the time if the opponent hasn't anticipated or read it.. it is not coming back!
     
  2. drifit

    drifit newbie

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    1. no need to double open thread
    2. same old question
    3. to your question, the answer is yes all the above......;)
     
  3. Smichz

    Smichz Regular Member

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    Badminton is preety different than the other sport.Power as in muscles n body size doesn't really matter in badminton smashes.As u can see,for example:LCW,PG,TH,etc..they have average body n some of them r even skinny,n none of them really has the bulk of muscles like any other sports atheletes.Somehow,their smashes r scary.Not just them.I have some friends,which is skinny,small arm,etc but their smashes r more powerful than other ppl that's bigger than him.Really,being big,muscular in this sport doesn't really help alot.

    As i know,perfect smash as in the "most powerful smash" done by a player,is when he got the best position,n he/she can tranfer his/her biggest power at that per second moment.Get urself into the best position to launch the smash,then combine the power transfer from lower to upper body part(esp when jump smashing),body rotation,wrist power,arm power,swinging speed,swinging angle n maintain a good distance between the racket n the shuttle,to transfer ur utmost power for that one hit at the per second moment,at the sweet spot point of ur racket,combined with the decent string tension..there u go,"boooommmm".
     
    #3 Smichz, Jan 30, 2008
    Last edited: Jan 30, 2008
  4. westwood_13

    westwood_13 Regular Member

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    Yep, the answer is all of the above. Plus one more.


    Years and years and years of rigorous practice.
     
  5. Athelete1234

    Athelete1234 Regular Member

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    Didn't I tell you to do a search before you start another thread? And to answer your question, it's all of that.
     
  6. vip_m

    vip_m Regular Member

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    The Perfect Smash

    The perfect smash (and Butch Oreta teaches this in "Advanced Badminton Techniques" which is available at http://instructoons.com/book) happens when you do the following:
    Wind-up:
    1. weight shifts to back foot, full shoulder turn, slight hip turn, arms form box
    2. wrist full cock (racket head points down)
    3. you can also slightly change racket grip clockwise (if you're right-handed) to avoid slicing the smash

    Smash:
    1. Hip unwinds and thrusts, shoulder unwinds, arm swings
    2. Elbow is thrown at shuttle, elbow locks, and forearm is thrown
    3. Forearm locks, wrist is thrown, racket head ends up pointing down again
    4. Arm follows through across the body because of the full swing arc produced by your smash.

    The result is "PHOOOM!!" A powerful, booming smash.

    This is easier to explain if you see all the pictures and illustrations in the book. Hope this helps.
     
  7. david14700

    david14700 Regular Member

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    ?

    Vip, I like the breakdown of the smash, but I don't get point 2 in the wind-up.

    The racket head points down? Most players have it pointing up at a diagonal, sort of 40 degrees from the vertical.

    Can you clarify please?

    Thanks :)
     
  8. Gollum

    Gollum Regular Member

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    Vip: that's a pretty good description, but I'm uncomfortable with phrases such as "elbow locks".

    In general, your joints should not lock during badminton strokes. If a joint is locking, then it is being forced to an extreme of its range of motion. This is a position where injuries are more likely to occur.

    There should at least be slight angles at the joints. For example, the elbow should be at a slight angle during hitting, and should never completely lock out.

    *waits for the silly arguments to begin again*
     
  9. extremenanopowe

    extremenanopowe Regular Member

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    The likes of Liem Swee King, Cheah Soon Kit and Hariyanto Arbi is a good one to analyze and follow. So, do the jumpin man...
     
  10. RichF

    RichF Regular Member

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    I totally agree with this.

    When I was a junior we were often encouraged to fully extend our arms at impact i.e. achieving a straight ("locked") elbow. When I was in my early teens I started to experience some pain in my elbow and by the age of sixteen it was pretty bad, basically the technique often resulted in hyperextension of the elbow and has caused permanent damage.

    I did go to a surgeon all those years ago but was told that there was nothing they could really do without risking not being able to play at all after the operation - guess which option I chose !
     
  11. Gollum

    Gollum Regular Member

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    Rich, I'm really sorry to hear that. :(

    Your story reaffirms to me the importance of safety in coaching. It's easy to become lazy and think, "well, yeah, maybe this could lead to injury, but it probably won't".

    As your experience demonstrates, even small mistakes in coaching can lead to permanent injury. It's essential that we get this stuff right; otherwise, the players suffer from our mistakes.

    I get really cross when I see coaches teaching something that is unsafe, such as teaching a toe-landing-first lunge technique (the heel should land first). Why are they ignorant of this? Is it their fault, or is it the education system?

    Personally I feel that my coaching education has been lacking on specific technical hazards. I don't remember being taught heel-first landing, for example. That's something I first picked up from Lee Jae Bok, and later from coaches conferences.

    I can only hope that the Badminton England syllabus has become more rigorous in this respect. I'll find out soon enough! I'd like to see a module/topic that summarises all the technical safety issues; there aren't many, but they are important. I'm thinking of knee/foot alignment on lunges, 90+ degree angle at the knee on lunges, not locking out the arm when hitting, and grip errors that lead to strain injuries.

    Actually, there should also be a core safety component on jumping. We need to teach better jumping skills to manage the high-impact nature of the sport.

    They do at least have a good coaching phrase now: "full relaxed reach".
     
    #11 Gollum, Feb 5, 2008
    Last edited: Feb 5, 2008
  12. vip_m

    vip_m Regular Member

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    Here's a pic from book explaining this

    Here's a pic from book explaining this.
     

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  13. stumblingfeet

    stumblingfeet Regular Member

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    The problem with suggesting specific technical safety issues is that sometimes (often?) recommended techniques can lead to a worsening of problems.

    For example, for years people recommended keeping the knees from bending more than 90 degrees when performing leg exercises. It turns out that this can seriously unbalance strength levels as the glutes don't fire properly with this type of squatting exercise.

    Personally, I don't think that the issue is coaching specific safety cues for preventing injury. Instead, it is the fact that many athletes have a poor foundation of movement skill, motor control and body awareness. This in turn results in injury when too much power or loading is channeled through an inefficient movement.

    For instance, a player can be told that a movement is "wrong" but unless he/she can feel that it is wrong, attempts to correct it will be futile. If the player can instinctively feel what movements feel good, and which ones don't feel good, then he/she can continually refine and optimize their technique to suit their body. However, if he/she is disconnected from their body, he/she might not even know that an injury is looming until it hits.
     
  14. david14700

    david14700 Regular Member

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    reply

    Hi Vip

    Thanks for the nice photos, get it now :)
     
  15. Gollum

    Gollum Regular Member

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    Strength training in a controlled environment is one thing; lunging in a badminton rally is another.

    Not necessarily. Sometimes it just takes practice, and awareness of what they are doing vs. what they should be doing.

    Instinct is sometimes a good guide to action, and sometimes not. Obviously it's nice when a player's instincts are accurate, but we have to recognise that they won't always be so.

    Good badminton hitting technique, for example, is something that few people acquire naturally. The natural, instinctive technique for most is panhandling! This feels right, and playing with a good grip/technique feels wrong.

    So what can you do? Hope that they will get it right by instinct? I don't think so.

    I do agree that a solid foundation of movement skills and body awareness is beneficial; but I don't think this negates the need for safety in technical coaching.
     
  16. Gollum

    Gollum Regular Member

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    Moreover, coaches can have a negative effect by teaching something wrong.

    For example, my first coach taught me to use a thumb grip for backhand clears. For years afterwards, I kept trying to make this method work, even though a basic grip or bevel grip felt instinctively better.

    I went against my instincts because I admired my coach. My instincts, however, turned out to be correct!

    Similarly, I've seen coaches teach unsafe techniques, such as a toe-first landing on lunges. This might feel unnatural, but many players will obey the coach nonetheless.
     
  17. varun.bits

    varun.bits Regular Member

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    i think that its not aal about power.. i ha ve seens players having a boom sound when they smash i think its all because good foot work and and grt timing that makes such a powerfull smash and lond bang....
     

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