location of smash impact

Discussion in 'Techniques / Training' started by herk123, May 22, 2009.

  1. herk123

    herk123 Regular Member

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    hi, i am quite new to this whole badminton thing, I've been exploring the correct techniques for maximum results and right now the only thing left on the smash is the location of impact on the racket face, no matter how hard i try smashing it just doesn't seem to travel very fast at all, my arms aren't that big but some how i feel my smashes just don't seem to satisfy. Anyway to the point, i remember back when someone said for the clears the bird should meet the mid section of the racket and for smashes at the top for that cracking sensation. So i noticed that i do tend to wait until i have the bird right in the mid of the racket face before swinging, and the sound comes out really soft. So should i try hitting the bird at the upper section of the racket? and any other tips on the smash would be of great help, thanks
    sorry for the long post :p
     
  2. Gemcat

    Gemcat Regular Member

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    Smashing is not focused only on arm. Arm momentum is a catalyst for wrist action. Don't smash with your arm, smash with your wrist.
     
  3. herk123

    herk123 Regular Member

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    yes it took me quite sometime to finally figure that out but my problem right now is the sound not being crisp enough, is it because of me hitting it with the mid of the racket face?
     
  4. Gemcat

    Gemcat Regular Member

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    Before smashing, your grip should not be tight. Upon impact with the shuttle, you put all your wrist and arm action into one and force the shuttle forward. It's kinda hard for me to explain things fully in words. You have to ask someone with proper technique or a coach to teach you the proper way.
     
  5. herk123

    herk123 Regular Member

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    well thanks for your help
     
  6. Gemcat

    Gemcat Regular Member

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    Glad can be of help.
     
  7. gamepurpose

    gamepurpose Regular Member

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    tight up the stright might help with the sound =).
    you do not want to use like 22 lb? Well I mean like the tension that is not tight. You will not able to hear that sound.
    Then again I might be wrong.
     
  8. laivc

    laivc Regular Member

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    Think of flogging a whip when smashing. The theory is about the same, generate sufficent racket speed via your arm, just upon the your racket impacting on the shuttle at the highest point you can reach, snap your wrist downward as hard and fast as possible to generate the wrist power (finger power as well). Immediately after the racket touches the shuttle at the impact point, pull back your wrist backward fast (do it naturally). By doing so, you are consolidating all the powers generate by your arm swing and the snapping of your wrist downward at the impact point, and not waste much power on continuing the racket swing downward as the shuttle already left the racket.
     
  9. Sketchy

    Sketchy Regular Member

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    Not sure I agree with that. I believe you should follow through naturally.
    Your point of not wasting energy is clearly wrong, as the racket head is travelling very quickly at the point of impact, and has a lot of momentum. It takes much more energy to suddenly stop (not to mention reverse) it, than to allow it to continue. Plus, if you do it before the shuttle leaves the stringbed, you'll lose a lot of power that way.

    The whip analogy is useful though, in that it teaches you the order in which to start moving the different parts of your body - when you crack a whip, you are not moving your whole arm together, but different parts in sequence. A frisbee throw is also very similar.

    On the backswing you start by rotating your torso, then your shoulder (bringing your elbow backwards), then your forearm, then your wrist.
    On the actual stroke, you do everything in the same order - trunk, shoulder, forearm, wrist, then fingers.
    The aim is for all these to be rotating at their maximum speed, with the arm straightened, at the point of impact with the shuttle. The bigger movements (eg. rotating your torso), take longer than the smaller movements (eg. flicking the wrist), so they must be started earlier.

    The problem, is that coordinating all these movements perfectly is not easy - especially for beginners.
    I find when trying to teach someone, that it's usually better if they start out using just the smaller movements first. ie. Start hittinng with just the wrist/fingers, and barely moving the rest of their arm.
    Once they can time that well, I'd get them to start using their forearm as well as their wrist/fingers. Once they are able to coordinate those movements well, I'd get them to add in the shoulder rotation. Only after they have mastered that would I have them try full smashes/clears.

    I think it's much easier to learn if you break it down like this, rather than trying to "walk before you can crawl". It's also easier for the teacher to see where you're going wrong. Having said that, I'm not a coach, and they may know better.
     
  10. laivc

    laivc Regular Member

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    I don't know whether this method is right or wrong, I learn it from a video from Zhao Jianhua badminton lesson shown on the Chinese national TV channel, CCTV. Zhao Jianhua, being a former All England Champion and World Champion, I think he can't be too wrong about this.
     
  11. Sketchy

    Sketchy Regular Member

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    Maybe this is a good way to learn the shot, or maybe it helps if you have trouble with timing or something - I don't know.
    The instructional videos I've seen, featuring other top players such as Peter Gade and Nathan Robertson, all talk about using a full follow-through. Certainly if you actually watch players during competitive games, that's what they do.
    Net shots/kills are the only shots I can think of where you don't follow-through after contact.
     
  12. TIMO1

    TIMO1 Regular Member

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    Not true. Because his smash technique is not correct, he isn't hitting the shuttle right, probs not at the ideal sweetspot.

    I can make sounds with 22lbs :) 24lbs = even better!
     
  13. bradmyster

    bradmyster Regular Member

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    No matter what you do you will not be able to achieve the sound until you get your perfect technique aligned with comfortable power.
    Do not train to get the sound. Train to get your technique/accuracy/power/ every thing else which is more important working.
    Eventually as you get better/stronger you will achieve the sound.
    but seriously its not important....

    And all shots will give you optimum control and power hitting in the centre of the racket or the sweet spot dude....
    your only going to lose power and break strings hitting in the top section of the racket.
    Honestly its all in correct technique which is best learnt from practice and watching better players.
     
  14. neavalmi0421

    neavalmi0421 Regular Member

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    pronation and sweet spot

    i agree that the tension has nothing to do with that crisp sound we hear during a smash stroke. I would say that it has also something to do with the squareness of the racket head during impact ANd...the sweet spot.. Recently, i just have successfully made this sound after some experiment/trials in my shots. I always thought that my PRONATION is still poor that's why i can't hit some crisp sound. but alas when i adjust the impact of the shuttle, i mostly hear now that crisp sound when i clear and smash. I just realized now that before i am not hitting the sweet spot in my racket though the pronation is there. This is just my obeservation that works for me, i might be wrong or might not be the case for others.
     
  15. herk123

    herk123 Regular Member

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    ok thanks everyone for your helpful tips, i thought i had the technique corrected, but after paying attention in a game i noticed many mistakes, i tried to follow instructions, but i think i only do it right when i break it down and do it slow, i believe i will have to pick up the pace of the game to be able to apply everything quicker and more effective, i haven't played too many games and now that the season is over i guess I'll have to wait til next year to practice. Anyways thanks all once again
     
  16. spartansmasher

    spartansmasher Regular Member

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    Ok Herk,

    I don't think you're getting the replies you want. It seems to me that you're looking to get help on the point of impact between your racket and the shuttle when you smash (and maybe where the shuttle should be when you hit it) not how to smash properly.

    Well... There are tonnes of videos in youtube for that... But for a pointer or two... Many rackets nowadays have isometric or tappered head shape which will increase the size of the rackets' sweetspot so it would definitely help in maximizing all your shots especially the smashes and the backhands (coz u have less time and hard body position for those two shots correspondingly)

    Secondly, the shuttle should be above your head (how high? it depends on your racket length and the only way to get a perfect distance is by doing lots and lots of smashing until you get the feel) and slightly in front of you (about slightly less than a foot). Your arms need to be fully extended to get the maximum momentum and power while your wrist need to be relaxed before impact... right at the moment of impact, flick your wrist down quickly and powefully to generate acceleration of the shuttle

    Here's a diagram to help
    http://www.badminton-information.com/badminton_smash.html

    of course, when you're able to do jump smash, you can hit the shuttle further from you without fearing that it would hit the net...
     
  17. gamepurpose

    gamepurpose Regular Member

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    I know about sweet spot gonna gives you the crisp sound, but I do still think if you have a tighter tension it give you a BETTER sound =)
    I don't know, I found that after i put 30 or 31 lbs on mine.

    and by the way, it is depend on the measurement, yea i know the ideal of tension is 19 - 24, and of course u able to do that sound. But where i restring, they said oh no our machine 22 lb is low, if you want tight you must get 27
    and then there's very tight 31 =)
    and that's when i broke my racquet =(
    It just that it had a crack already, and i left it in the hot car for like weeks

    again this is just personal opinion, I might be wrong.
     
  18. spartansmasher

    spartansmasher Regular Member

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    hmmm I really don't know why most people like to string their rackets with such high tension. I hope you all know that the tighter the tension, the more power you have to exert to achieve the speed and acceleration you would if you were to string them at lower tensions. Sure... the cracking sound when you smash is louder... but what's the use of the cracking sound anyway? if your intention is to surprise your opponents... just shout "wachaa!!" when you smash and it'll do the same damage, haha =P
     
  19. herk123

    herk123 Regular Member

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    thanks spartan i found many errors in the way i smash, i think the one major problem i have now is as you've mentioned location of impact not on the racket but in the air, i tend to wait til the bird comes down closer assuring i won't miss, maybe this is actually why i feel the power from my swing just kind of not show.
     
  20. spartansmasher

    spartansmasher Regular Member

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    right... your arm and elbow need to be as extended as possible to get more power from your swing =) but remember... dont grip it too tight and dont let your wrist be stiff... just flick it down powerfully while you impact
     

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