That is not the only reason they are lower, consider the fact that woman on average, are shorter then men. I think it should be obvious from a biomechanical perspective, that a woman is at disadvantage towards men. Woman are designed to give birth to a child, with that being said, a woman who competitively plays badminton deserves the upmost respect. Maybe this sort of belittlement is why there is like 10:1 ratio of male to female badminton players.
..a sound input..(read the other earlier post as well).. I, too, would think it has more to do with the women's physiological make up. Can they be trained to perform jump smashes like their male counterparts?..Or can training alone be enough for the female players to perform jump smashes like their male counterparts?..
There are definite physiological limitations that woman have to deal with, however, they are still capable of functioning in the same way. It's not as though woman don't have the capacity to jump and swing a racket in an efficient way. It's not as though these techniques are paramount. Also the conception generalised of this thread is very belittling and disrespectful towards all woman.
ok then im sorry if i offended you in any way. But if you automatically jumping to the conclusion of "EVERYONES BEING SEXIST AND UNFAIR TOWARDS WOMEN" that kinda ticks me off. As stated men have an advantage over woman in speed/agility and strength. Not because I THINK SO but because men are built differently. Im not in anyway stating women are worse than men or that men are the only people who should compete. I respect all female sporting people no matter what level. It just gets me upset when after a couple of comments, about women having different physical attributes and strength differences are made, its too far and crossed the line and should never happen again. Again im really sorry and dont mean to offend you. (even though i probably have.) But it is the internet....dont take things so seriously next time. Be confident in yourself and dont take notice of comments on an internet forum.
I appreciate the attempts at research and also the reasonable arguments regarding the jump smash. So far, we have ideas about height, and centre of gravity v bounding ability. I'm sure more theories will surface later. What I'd like to see (other than less sexist behaviour on and off court - by the way, I appreciate when members recognise offensive behaviour and can step up to the plate by saying such and such is not on - hopefully, this'll be the end of that discussion in this thread for the present) is, if jump smashing is desirable as part of a repertoire (for male and female players), that coaches consider developing a training method suitable for the individual player, either perhaps based on body type, height, upper body strength, style of play...whatever factors lead the player, with the end purpose of recognising that playing styles should be optimised for the individual, and not merely be a grab-all bag. In the larger scheme of things, such tailored programs may then filter through to the non-competitive ranks who, in turn, will pick up the developed ideas suitable for themselves. In the meantime, I hope that players who don't use the jump smash don't see it as lacking on their part, because as has been said, a jump smash is merely one of many strokes. And finally, before I'm off for the weekend, I hope the few of you who've understood my POV as a female player will continue to work with your XD partners or sisters and other female members who wish to improve their game.
i think a look at volleyball would answer this question. in volleyball, jump technique is an ESSENTIAL part of the sport (whereas, in badminton, jump smash is just one of the shots). I'm sure coaches for womens' volleyball teams are constantly trying to raise the vertical jump height of their hitters. However, in the end, we still notice that women are not able to attack down at the same height that men can (which is why women still play with a lowered net). I'm sure that ppl do studies to decide what is an appropriate net height for the women's game...and if they find that the game becomes too much attack (due to a significant increase in the average of women's jump height), then they would move the net up. But, this hasn't happened. So, I think I would answer no to both your questions. in regards to wombads comment about what if jump smash became a desirable part of the womens' game, and coaches started focusing on that, i dont' think it would make that big a difference. Nor in my opinion would it ever become that desirable in a woman's game (unless they lowered the net). A woman's jump smash...regardless of the training techniques, would not be as effective in a womens' game compared ot a man's jump smash in a men's game (considering that men dont' defend as well too). The volleyball gives a good example of this. In volleyball, jumping IS being focused on in the womens' game and it IS a desirable part of the game, but you still dont' see an equality with the men in terms of the jumping. I think this answers your point.
Pretty much undeniable.. ..add to that basketball or any athletic sports which involve jumping.. This link is somewhat similar to what's been discussed: http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/001/200ofapa.asp And i quote "There are physical differences between men and women that are fairly undeniable. Men are taller, weigh more, and are stronger and faster than women. And this includes even women at the peak of physical condition." And a few threads which have discussions similar, if not the same, to this thread: http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50006 http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22530 http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6226 http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10707
I didnt' account for this specifically, but i think it would only add to my point that the jump smash would not be as efficient for the women's game as it is for the men. A lower height means an even lower absolute jump height...meaning even less angle. In the case of volleyball...the net is lower by 18cm, so perhaps that is to account for the average height difference between men and women. But even if so, women's volleyball is still a lot more "defensive" than the men's version. Whereas even high school male players are able to hit the attack line on a spike, that rarely happens in the women's game.
