hitting style

[tanleefan]

i have been playing badminton for a couple of years now. over the years many people have been saying that when im ready to hit the shuttle im too tense. then i was watching badminton on tv and one of the commentators was saying about how the indonesians have such a relaxed hitting style. i was hoping that someone could clarify this for me does it just mean that they are really loose before they play a shot, or what?? when i play a shot i used to feel the shoulder blades almost touching (really used to pull back my racket arm), wondering if it is my technique that is wrong, but i never bothered too much about it because i could generate enough power - but now i am wondering whether addressing the shuttle in a relaxed style will give me more power.
bit of an odd question lol, so any replies would be surprising but also helpful.
thanks

[s0nnay]

It's more about technique, and whether you can play a consistent game throughout. With a good technique, your relaxed shots with good wrist technique can compensate for your power game. If you're too tense and go for too much power, it will ruin your overall game. It's the same principle at the nets, people approaching the net and clearing, some players tend to lounge and swing to get power which is wrong technique when you can do it with your wrist and eliminate swing. As for the indonesians (Maria Yulianti and TH), they are just lazy but they are skillful enough to know what they're doing!

[Gollum]

Actually, the best technique gives a relaxed appearance. Even at the top level, it's easy to get tense; and once that happens, you will lose power because your muscles are no longer operating fluidly (tension blocks transfer of power along the kinetic chain).

[Addict123]

"Tense" usually mean isometric tension. For example: as you sit in front of your PC now, let your arm flop down next to you. Then, *without moving the hand*, tense up all muscles on it. If you loosen up the muscles again, the arm will still not move, but everything will be relaxed.

Same for when you're doing any sports... you can stiffen up yourself, but this will make you worse in about any activity.

That's why we're supposed to grip the racket just lightly all the time, just to make sure it does not fly away, and tighten the grip right at the moment of impact.

Or... a boxer will usually have lose stomach muscles and only tighten then when he receives a punch there.

An archer will, even when the string is drawn back (which uses lots of force) not be "tense"...

A guitar player with tense fingers will not play long...

Etc.