Hi. I have gathered alot of information on swinging grips and techniques on this forum. Even posted videos of myself swinging and finally I got the pronation down. However I now notice that my thumb and pointer finger slips down. When I finish my swing, my thumb goes down and my grip looks like this: Except the pointer finger is pointing out. Is this normal? How long should the thumb remain at the designated area in an overhead clear and smash? What I notice more and more, is that it tends to move a bit forward and down as I pronate and contact. Even if I grip it as hard as I can. Thanks.
Your grip should change during the hit: start with a relaxed grip (with V shape), and end with a tight grip (possibly like the picture above). Depending on the shot, the thumb may remain somewhat straightened, or curl (as in the picture above). It tends to stay straight for medium-power shots (drives, half-smashes), and curl for full-power shots (clears, smashes). This isn't a hard-and-fast rule, however; there are many variations, and room for individual preference. The key point is that you must start with a relaxed grip and finish with a tight grip (for power shots). Check out the badminton grip principles page. I might edit the grips guide slightly to make this point clearer.
During full-power shots, all the five fingers should hold the grip tightly during the forehand pronation, right? Because I keep forgetting to tighten my middle finger to pinkie, which result in shots without power... However, after a short period of "tightening practice", I find that my thumb keep "rubbing" the grip during the pronation, which make my thumb not very comfortable or even painful, is there anything going wrong?
Hmm, not sure. If your thumb is painful, that's worrying. Don't let unexplained pain go on for too long before you see a doctor. If it's just chafing (the skin is sore), however, you might try a different grip surface. You might also experiment with a smaller or larger grip.
Definitely. I understand. Thanks for your replies all three of you! =D More questions. My thumb doesn't hurt because of the skin, but because when after I hit the racket tries to move into my thumb and it kind of like pushes onto the bone if you guys understand. Like at the part where the professional finishes the swing and stops. X_X
And one more. Is there a bit of bend from your racket side stomach? I tend to bend a bit down on that side then unleash up and forward to do overhead shots.
Hi all! Just to share a little bit of my experience. When I first started training, i was introduced to the importance of having a proper, relaxed grip. In order to facilitate myself in rotating, feeling the different bevels of the racket handle, and be conscious of how i was gripping it while playing, i switched from using two layers of racket grip (w bone) to a fairly thin one. Occasionally after practicing smashes and clears for a continuous period of time, I used to experience the same uncomfortable feeling on my thumb (as explanied by KazeCloud). I tried googling and searching through bc to see if anyone had similar experiences, but couldn't find any relevant posts. All I had found were posts concerning backhand strokes. This made me wonder whether i had executed my strokes wrongly. Subsequently, i realised that i could start loosening a bit of my grip after the grip-tightening-and-impact, while my forearm continues to pronate; instead of loosening my grip after the entire stroke has been made (i.e. lowered my arms). Also, I changed my racket grip to a slightly thicker and better-cushioned one. With the above changes and/or possibly after getting used to the new way of stroke, i stopped experiencing the discomfort about 3-4 weeks into training. Hope that helps
Good point. The grip can start to relax as soon as you've finished hitting the shuttle. That sounds a little worrying. I would check out this pain with a doctor, for your peace of mind.
Why of course! What a good point. I must try doing that. So simple fix. Thanks for the tip! Alright. *Sigh* I'm only 17 and my lower back hurts my shoulders hurt and my thumb hurts. I'm getting old.
Just a quick note to say I have updated the grips guide as a result of your feedback. Thanks for helping me develop the article, KazeCloud. It's only a small update, adding clarifications on these pages: Grip principles Basic grip
I think this can be due to the lack of follow-through in your swing. Are you practicing your swing on open air? It's really gonna hurt when your strings aren't hitting anything. The swing force applied to the racquet that should be transferred to the bird is instead transferred to the thumb bone.
OOOOH! Yes! I do practice without the birdie most of the time. Great point! Also I do have a bit of follow through. But as I've seen some professionals they don't have an exaggerated follow through do you? Then how much should you follow through?
I follow-through just enough to allow the force of my swing to diffuse gradually, instead of trying to stop it immediately. My racquet tends to end down (due to shoulder swing + elbow throw) and on the left side of my body (due to hip rotation). This is just when I do practice swings on open air. In an actual game, my follow-through is shorter because much of the force is imparted on the bird. It's definitely important to have a follow-through so that it doesn't impede your swing and reduce power.
Perfect OSFross! When I play in a game since theres actually a birdie I can actually stop shorter. While I need to diffuse my power when theres no birdie. Thanks for clearing this up!