hey guys im just wondering, which leg do you jump off with when doing a round the head smash. the one where you jump vertically to your backhand side. im right handed, so im guessing i jump up to the side with my right foot? should i bend my body first then push up with my right foot? or should i use my left foot instead?
When jumping to your left, you'll need to push off with the right leg first, while your left leg is still on the ground. You then complete the start of the jump by bringing your left leg off the ground. So most of the force is going to come from your right leg, which jumps first; but immediately afterwards, you will use your left leg too.
alright thanks gollum! (loving badmintonbible by the way ) but... i have a couple more questions (itll be the last i promise!) does it matter how your legs are positioned prior to the jump? should I have my feet parallel to each other like this? "left right" or should i have my right foot slightly forward? right left and should the body rotate as you hit the shuttle? ***i tried looking for youtube videos regarding the proper technique for round the head shots but i cant find any :/
You might not find tutorials on the 'round-the-head smash, but you'll see plenty of good examples in just about any doubles match. eg. 3:43 into this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2hQ9nxtw3Q The most important thing you should be worrying about is maintaining your balance. To help with this, keep your feet wide apart and swing your non-racket arm back across your body.
Oh, I should mention that it depends on what kind of round-the-head jump you're doing. If you're jumping out sideways to intercept a shuttle on your left, then the jump is as I described (as in the example given by Sketchy). However, if you're moving sideways and backwards into the backhand corner, so that you've already turned your body before jumping (the "standard" round-the-head movement), then it should be more of a left-footed push off first. The general rule is that, if you're jumping in a certain direction, you keep the foot nearest your destination on the ground slightly longer (so you initially push off from the farther foot). Actually, it's probably best just to do whatever feels most "solid", balanced, and powerful. In any case, both legs should be used as much as you can. The distinction between one- and two-footed take-offs can get pretty narrow, as even in a so-called one-footed take-off the other leg leaves the ground only momentarily later. In other words, I'm saying that the theory gets pretty technical pretty quickly, and I don't want to accidentally tell you something wrong or misleading.
