acceleration point for smashes?

Discussion in 'Techniques / Training' started by arturosauce, Mar 8, 2009.

  1. arturosauce

    arturosauce Regular Member

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    i have a great smash but i've been trying to push my limits and get the most out of my technique. i play men's doubles and i can get behind the shuttle early enough to get in a jump smash. my contact point is high and out in front of me and i am proficient in wrist and forearm rotation along with the tightening of grip. i've also got the "scissor kick" down into a second nature habit and use it with all overhead strokes. basically, i have a good foundation of all the major and minor details and nuances down and practice them on a regular basis.

    but my question is, where is the perfect (or ideal) acceleration point of a smash? what i mean by acceleration point is the point where you focus almost all of your energy into the extreme acceleration of the COMBINED wrist snap/forearm rotation/grip tightening. do you get the most out of your power by waiting till the absolute last second to start accelerating? do you start your acceleration early so that by the time the shuttle enters your ideal contact point your stroke is just finishing? is it somewhere in the middle of the aforementioned points? help me BCers!
     
  2. hybridragon

    hybridragon Regular Member

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    Generally, I accelerate the snap after I wind up my racket to hit. That's probably as specific as I can get. I can't describe how fast I start to accelerate in units of time.

    Quick question though, are you using your body rotation as well and leaning into your smash with your body when you smash? This can also give you added power to your smash as well if you use it correctly with your shoulder/forearm rotation.
     
  3. Carbonlist

    Carbonlist Regular Member

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    the power comes from the torso
     
  4. krisss

    krisss Regular Member

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    Obviosuly all the power cant come from the torso , power is generated by everything ^^ ^^
     
  5. hhwoot

    hhwoot Regular Member

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    You asked this question at just the right time! I've just heard about a guy who has a great smash and has all the major and minor details and nuances down. Let me see if I can find his post for you.

    Okay, here it is, you should ask him about it, he sounds like he's really good.

     
  6. Danstevens

    Danstevens Regular Member

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    ^^LOL

    But it's true, if you have a great smash, then chances are all your acceleration points etc, etc are fine. If it works, why change it?
     
  7. Joseph

    Joseph Regular Member

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    Maybe cause his smash isn't as great as the next guy and wants something equivalent or faster? So I'm guessing its all about muscle development now...
     
  8. Danstevens

    Danstevens Regular Member

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    But if it's great, how can it not be at least good in comparison to the next guy?
     
  9. Joseph

    Joseph Regular Member

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    I never did say that it can't be good in comparison to the next guy. It just isn't as great as a better player by some degree. When I said the next guy, I implied someone with a better smash.
     
  10. hhwoot

    hhwoot Regular Member

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    The main point of my sarcasm post is to point out that there are better way to ask people on BC for help on technique. In arturosauce's original post, the entire first paragraph doesn't actually tell us his skill level, and really contributes nothing. His question is also a bit strange, almost contradicting his talk about how awesome his smash is.

    In a smash, you want the racket to be fastest at contact with the shuttle, this will give the most power. However control is just as important, so focusing everything on power isn't such a good idea. These are the basic concepts of a smash, even a beginner who doesn't know how to smash well can understand the logic.

    So arturosauce ask when to start racket acceleration, body rotation, etc.. But timing for everyone is different, depending on how high you can jump or how fast you can swing. If he is as good as he claims, then it's quite easy to practice different smash timings on court. There really isn't a need to ask other people what they do during a smash in a fraction of a second.
     
  11. Deathsticks

    Deathsticks Regular Member

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    i learned how to jump smash from jonas rasmussen :)
    he just told me to jump with your hands and place the birdie in your hands and smash!
     
  12. arturosauce

    arturosauce Regular Member

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    hhwoot,

    first of all my intentions aren't to brag about how high and mighty i am, because i'm not. all i said was i have a great smash. for some reason you interpreted that as "i have the best smash in the world" for you to make it seem like i'm boasting. i have no idea why you would even say something like that. i would appreciate it if you help out instead of trying to straw man me.

    the reason i mentioned all those details in the first paragraph is so that people wouldn't mention it to me in their replies. i didn't want people telling me to get far behind the birdie or use body rotation etc, because i already know how to do that.

    my goal is to get feedback on acceleration points for the wrist snap/forearm rotation/grip tightening. if you had read my second paragraph, i mentioned 3 different acceleration points for a smash. doesn't that make you think i've experimented with them already? like i said, i'm trying to get feedback from others so i can improve my game. if you aren't gonna contribute to this thread, don't bother replying.
    because i want to make it better.
    yes, this is something i practice whenever i'm practicing my smash.
     
    #12 arturosauce, Mar 9, 2009
    Last edited: Mar 9, 2009
  13. hhwoot

    hhwoot Regular Member

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    That's great that you've been experimenting, why not tell us what you've found out first? No one smashes the same way, if you're experimenting with what works for you, there is not need to know what works for us. Even if we try to describe our smash in words, it would not help you very much. It's better to play more and study professional games and look at how them smash.

    Sometimes I like to contribute humor to threads I read, if it doesn't offend people, great! If it offends people, great!
     
  14. Deathsticks

    Deathsticks Regular Member

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    well every one has there own way of jump smashing
    mine is jumping the way jonas r. dose but i turn my body about 40 degrees move my arm to where i will flick my wrist for the smash and it would land about 4-6 inches from the service line
     
  15. arturosauce

    arturosauce Regular Member

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    last post to the troll and then i'll stop :D

    by your logic, there would be no need for coaches.
    good job contradicting yourself.
    spoken by a true troll.
     
  16. hhwoot

    hhwoot Regular Member

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    I'm not sure if you're actually reading what I'm writing. I said that written accounts by amateurs may not be helpful, nothing about coaches.

    Suggesting that you should watch and study videos of professional matches does not contradict anything I wrote.

    You don't get this thing called humor, do you?
     
  17. hybridragon

    hybridragon Regular Member

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    Well since you are saying you're doing everything, the only way to even give advice is to actually see how you smash or jump smash. Seeing how you do it is better than any description of your smash.

    As stated by others, you should reach max acceleration by the time you hit the birdie. If you feel otherwise (which is maybe why you're asking the question), only experimentation can help. Or asking someone who smashes even better than you to see what advice they can give you after looking at you smash. I have maybe one question that you can ponder that might help:

    -Where does your smash usually hit (given that you smash from backcourt)? Mid-court? Near the back service line? Do your smashes usually barely pass over the net?

    You'll probably know what I'm getting at already. The angle of the smash. Is it steep? A steep smash with the same power increases the lethality of a killer smash. A flat smash of the same power may throw off the opponent once or twice, but it's not going to really pressure your opponent.
     
  18. arturosauce

    arturosauce Regular Member

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    well i usually have someone block or lift the smashes back to me, but i would say my smashes, if left, would normally hit around the mid court. i understand that the racket should be at max velocity at contact. i think i need to rephrase my question to "at what point during the acceleration phase does the racket head reach top speed?"

    i think the best way to describe what i'm asking would be with a picture, which unfortunately i don't have. i saw it in a book a long, long time ago which diagrammed a concept called the "zip area" but i forgot where this was during the swing. i also forgot the title and author of the book and i can't seem to find it at the library i saw it at, which sucks.

    thanks for the responses everyone. back to the drawing board i go!
     
  19. Deathsticks

    Deathsticks Regular Member

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    to me the current title means:
    where is the point were to flick your wrist for smash
     
  20. painkilla86

    painkilla86 Regular Member

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    a smash is never powerfull enough if your opponent can do a faster one :p
     

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