How do you do it????? My friend can do a backhand smashing straight to where im standing(in my court)
If you can hit a backhand clear, you can hit a smash. It's just a difference in the angle of the racket head when it contacts the shuttle.
really? wow...... My backhand smashes are usually quite lucky..... I always remember my coach telling me to keep my elbow high and let the wrist do all the work. So i do, but usually i get the timing wrong it goes under the net..... Oh well, need more practise.....
Think about how you smash with your forehand. You move in a position such that the shuttle is in front of you, not directly above you like in clear shots. Then you swing your whole body and arm and lean into the smash. For backhand smash it is similar. You have to make sure the shuttle is not directly above you so you have a steeper angle down. Then you swing it just like you would a backhand clear. Ben
The idea of pointing the elbow up and the racket down in preparation for a backhand is commonly taught, but I believe it is incorrect for best results. For the power shots--like the clear or smash--the elbow should be pointed DOWN and the racket UP. At the beginning of the execution of the shot, the elbow should then be thrust upward with all the speed possible and the arm becomes a whip, with the racket snapping at the shuttle. Full extension and timing are important. Additional power is generated by rolling the wrist over. Of course, to be deceptive, drops must be hit with this same motion, and, with practice, a good slice can be applied to the shot. Hitting into the net means that the racket face was too far closed for your distance from the net, or not enough forward motion (i.e., in the direction of the shot) was used in the stroke.
i think the backhand smash is overrated. when you know how to do it, it may only work once or twice in a game, after that, your opponents won't be surprised anymore. afterall, it is a weaker shot than forehand. i can do one pretty effortlessly, at one point, i used to be able to do around the head backhand smash. yeah, that instead of forehand. the only place in which a backhand smash is very very useful is mixed doubles. in fact, if you are the guy and you don't have good backhand, you will really suffer in mixed. mixed is a game of placement and position, and the backhand is much more versatile in that dept.
I believe that keeping the elbow up is just a basic to built on. Each player has their individual style of play.
I think the most basic is to be able to maintain a stable stance, with the right leg crossing over the body towards the left if one is a right-hander and vice-versa if one is a left-hander. A strong anchoring of the legs to provide a strong and stable support to the upper body (something akin to Chinese martial arts for stability before executing a deadly blow) is essential and preliminary to a good backhand stroke, including the backhand smash. This movement must be done quickly, usually in advanced anticipation of a shot to one's backhand. Never allow the bird to fly too close to your body as you may be forced to hit it with a bent elbow or in rather constricting circumstances and this can result in a poorly executed shot - such as hitting into the net or hitting wild. As in the forehand smash, the bird should never be allowed to fly past you, it has to be hit as its highest point IN FRONT of you (as suggested by "Benfok"), depending on how far away you are from the net. I think one should never deliberately use the body to assist in hitting the stroke except as a follow-through momentum and for balance. I often witness many beginners trying to use their upper body to the extent of bending backwards thinking that they can hit the bird farther or harder. The unnecessary movements naturally resulted in one not being able to hit the bird correctly and accurately in terms of timing and precision. I subscribe to the view that the elbow and shoulder should more or less be pointing towards the bird before the final strike. The eyes must never leave the shuttle until it is hit. On contact with the bird, the elbow should be fully extended for maximum impact and this normally means hitting it at the highest point as earlier emphasized. The good player will use the wrist to snap at the bird at the last minute (for direction and additional power?) and this is usually evidenced by a whipping-like sound after impact. The timing must be perfect and here it must be stressed again that nothing like PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT!!! A perfectly executed backhand stroke is a joy to watch, but, unfortunately many players, including world-class ones, prefer the round-the-head forehand stroke instead of a more natural backhand stroke. I'm sure you must have seen players like Taufik Hidayat executing beautiful backhands, sometimes catching the opponent on the wrong foot and occasionally making clear winners! Admittedly, the forehand smash is a more powerful weapon. However, an over-reliance on the round- the- head stroke, especially with the jump smash, when players are sometimes seen to be doing acrobatic acts in the air instead of playing badminton, can result in serious injuries to the back and the spine. Such players cannot last long and it kind of coincides with today's young world-class players that many of them faded away from the internatinal scene rather prematurely.
Backhand Smash I have been searching the archives for a while dating back to last year and i could find nothing about technique on a backhand smash. I have been attempting backhand smashes since i started playing and i can't get it right, i either don't hit it at all and it falls to the ground or i hit it right into the net, or it goes too high and is an easy return for my opponent. If anyone knows how to do it effectively please post here. thx.
I can do it pretty good (I think), but it takes about half second to get ready The key points are: 1. keep your hitting point high 2. make sure your timing is right. both of them require a lot of practicing......so just take your time and you should be all right. Also, has anyone done a backhand smach at the back court? It's crazy!
my suggestion is mastering forehand before you start doing backhand, then it will be alot easier. Also, you might get lazy always trying to do backhand. In a thread here though it mentions that backhand shots should be like a whip, not a full swing.
i agree with chub. in most circumstances, i think it is still advisable to use around the head forehand instead of backhand. a lot of ppl like the coolness factor of having a backhand smash. but imho, the coolness comes at a very high cost. to learn the backhand smash, you are using a lot of muscles that aren't normally used and you will have to do weight training on your triceps and wrist for a few weeks (at least) to gain enough strength. and then there is the actual training of the stroke, that will add another few weeks. it took me two semesters of constant training to be able to do backhand smash. and imho, the only game in which a strong backhand is useful is if you are the guy in a mixed game, the guy need to cover a lot of court, and the backhand does make it easier. i asked the questoin if macs knows how to do clears. it is the same with forehand, if you can't do clears, forget about smashes. go home, practice more so that you can do 30 backhand clears comfortably before you should even start considering the smash. to master overhead backhand (clear or smash), aside from high contact point and timing that bluejeff mentioned, you also should remember to rotate your body so you're facing backwards, make sure your upper arm and elbow points up at the ceiling. the rest is just power from your muscles and timing them correctly, and then after a few weeks of focus training (+weight training), you may start to get the hang of it. to do the smash, it is the same stroke, but more power (ie. more weight training) on the wrist, and tighter and steeper angle using the wrist. much about the backhand clear you can find by searching, and there is an article in badmintoncentral.com on it too, good luck!
Hi, I have an effortless backhand clear due to wrist strength and clear back to back no problem. However, i never play, or hardly ever play a backhand smash. This is because i try to take most shots round the head no matter how far i have to lean. The only time i would play a backhand smash is for a high net kill. It's adviseable not to learn to play the backhand smash. Ok, have it there in case but do not rely on it. Theres really not alot of options with a backhand smash, no angle and you can find yourself in trouble as you turn back round. Playing the shot round the head give you much more options, down the line, slice, cross court smash etc. Without getting in trouble. My two cents worth Matt
y do it? OK Macs I have also wanted to muster that shot, untill I realised how pointless it is. I the high levles if u set up and take a backhand u will regret it. If u have the time to get into a decent position of the backhander then u will definitly have the time to come around onto your forehand and make a much more powerful and more controled smash. More over after hitting the shot u r often out of posisition and your footwork is off. But it is up to u
when it's matt's advice, i'd say it's worth a dollar i have NO backhand whatsoever, but i still get a long.... when i watched a match between second string denmark players against canadian players, there was a denmark singles player who did backhand smashes all the time... and they were very impressive.... unfortunately he lost the match (but he should've won... he stopped trying) but the point is, the backhand smash was ALWAYS received by the canadian player... and come on... it's CANADA we're talking about...
... Lol. Yea, mostly backhand smashes are usually more of a netkill, or a smash from midcourt, returning a weak low shot. However, I both see and do many more backhand drops than smashes, and I'd say they're a much more useful shot to practice, as they do not require as much power, and can be used as more desperate angles when u cannot position your body properly for either a forehand or good backhand power shot.
