I practice and play often doubles mainly. Me and my partner do fine when im in the front and hes taking care of the back, im proud of my net game. However when our opponents pressure me in the back for too long I feel like i cant do much to fight back. My drops make them move alot but later in the game they notice all i do is drop with some smashes, but my smashes are weak. I angle them pretty decently but after awhile they can block it easily, I end up getting tired or messing up after 4-5 smashes. So should I worry and practice my smashes more or am i just being paranoid?
practice is a continuos phenomena. Just keep on smashing, vary them with half smash an improve on other departments.
Vary the pace! (even if it is between slow & very slow ;-) & the angle. As long as the shuttle is going down you have the attack. Be patient and let your opponants make the first mistake. All you need is one weak lift that your partner can intercept and knock off. Once you win a few of these rallies & gain some confidence you will stop focussing on the speed of the smash. Hope this helps
While placement is very important, it can still help to get a bit more power into a smash. Good technique is very important for a good and powerful smash. If you have a coach you might ask him/her to watch your technique and see what you can improve on. You might ask some more advanced players aswell and ask how they do it. But a coach is still the best I think. Make sure you get your technique well first. When your technique improves you can add more power into your smash. But make sure that you don't ruin your technique by trying to hit as hard as possible.
First of all, when you're in the back, that's mean u and ur teammate is in a offensive mode,i think is good that if u just keep dropping the birdie close to the net,so that ur partner ( in the front) can perform a net kill , since in tournament, everyone are use to blocking smash,so improving ur smash wont be a really great idea yet
When your opponent begins to move forward and intercept your drops extremely early, a flat attack clear can catch them off position. However, if you are afraid of your slow smashes, then you may also have weak clears. If your smashes are easily blocked, make sure you have the correct technique.
My shots are all fine except my smash is not at the level I want it to be. These are tournament level players I'm talking about, high D to mid C. My swing speed is slower than I want it to be and I'm have a difficult time getting it faster even with weighted rackets. Right now I'm doing weight training maybe it will help. To get a steep angled smash I have to jump smash, which I dont mind but, in tournaments I just dont have the energy to do that point after point, game after game.
How tall are you? How early are you hitting the shuttle? Is your arm almost straight when you smash, or are you hitting with your elbow bent at the moment when you contact the shuttle?
i'm only about 5.6. Moment of contact my arm is straight at the highest point, unless its an out of position smash.
hi canti, I'm having similar situation like u with my smash. I'm just getting less confident and less comfortable after several smash attempts. One of the cause of my problem is that I am always rushing for a point winner, especially against player of the same level / higher level. Because of my impatience, I smash even when I am off position, which often results in weak smashing or mis-hitting. Another cause could be that I am not fast enough to be behind the shuttle (i.e the best position) to execute the smash at 10/11 o'clock. So if you are having similar situation like me, you can try the followings. a) be patient in your games. b) practise your footwork at backcourt to ensure you are always behind the shuttle before executing your smash. I'm working towards my problem, and hope the above will help u too..
I dont tend to go for the point winner unless I'm desperate or when I'm tired out. My problem is I'm in the back already in perfect to position to smash even have loads of time to jump smash over and over. No doubt I practice my backcourt cause I play mixed alot and sometimes singles. But in mixed I dont have to worry about the power of my smash, its more of angling it and aiming it so I can make the guy move and miss. But my situation is more focused on the power and swing speed. Sorry if i sound rude, the internet does that. I'll try and post a video of me playing as soon as I can to show you the speed of my smash and my form/technique. Might not be up till berkley's smashapalooza though.
Ok after reading all ur post there is a few question i want to ask you -how to you hold your racket ( u grip it hard or lose?) -do u increase swing speed just before moment of impact -do u use your hip when u smash? if u answer those maybe i can find your problems you dun really have to go intense with the weight training,everyone can get a good smash as long as they have a good swing
my grip is loose until the moment my racket touches the shuttle. My speed is as quick as I can make it following the pull back. I use my entire body to smash, transferring all my weight forward. Twist of my foot and hips to transfer the weight along with my arm and snap of my wrist.
According to your answer, your swing is pretty decent , is not possible that u get a weak smash, if u have time try this,Tighten ur grip when u're about to hit the birdie and start swinging off in decent speed then add speed all sudden.if is still not working, it mean that u didn't hit u the birdie with ur racket sweet spot
Hi j.j_chan, I would like to ask for your suggestions on what execise I can do at home/on court to improve on swing speed for smashing.
To Improve Swing Speed,u can take a squish racket and do overhead shot with it,if u dun have a squish racket,take weights and do overhead movement with it,hope this can help you
