"Hip hit horray" : I like that. That extra little bit of momentum transferred from body rotation thru the core muscles is very important for a powerful smash. Much like throwing a rock or baseball.
I feel that studying this kinda stuff is really rewarding after a few weeks of trying to get it right. During the last training session my club mates were amazed at how much my smash has improved.
Many people here said that at the moment you hit the birdie, you tighten your grip. This is also mentioned by xiong guo bao in other thread. This is different from what i do, my grip is about the same tightness from beginning to the end, some people also use this method. I interested to try to tighten my grip, in theory and from what i felt when doing a few stroke without birdie it should add explosiveness because the swing speed is increase in that few moment. I tried it in a game and it make my play worse, for several reason: - it make my arm tired faster. - i can not switch back to basic grip fast enough, so if the smash return is fast i will be caught off guard. - a lot of time energy transfer from forearm to the racket is lost because i can not syncronized it yet, so my smash is even worse. I hope someone can give some advice. I am now trying to take one step at a time by only tighten grip a little and later tighten more if i already capable of using it. If i still can not use it than i just going back to the way i ussually did it.
Going from a relaxed grip to a tight grip on strike contact is a continuum, not an off/on switch. Try it with some clears first in order to get used to it.
Ok now i have some question that a bit out of topic but still on the smash topic. How to generate power for smashing using only forearm?? I ask this because i have a few friends who can smash only with his forearm but their smash is quite powerfull. Offcourse this smash is not execute from the back /tram line but it is close to it.
How to hang in air?This isn't a mere hop or jump, to give one an illusion tht u r suspended in the air is the kick, yes the leg extension.How to jump?Use both arms, lift yr arms as if u want to pull or propell upwards. the combined weight of both arms will lift the whole body upwards, much higher than jumping with passive arms. How to create a steeper angle?Timing is crucial as well as shuttlecock position. In short the shuttle has to be in front of yr body in line with yr front shoulder. Timing is paramount, you may jump but if the timing is out then you r wasting yr energy. Smashing with both feet in the ground is easy but in a jump smash u need to change yr reception as the jumping will immediately shorten the distance between yr body and th shuttles. Lastly, u need to have a good upper core muscle, ie the abdominal and the serratus anterior muscles, the anterior oblique muscles to basically bend yr upper body. Anyone is capable of smashing with power, one needs to pay attention at the racket face, any slicing will cause u to lose power, so correct grip is important n thts why forearm probation is vital too, both to ensure good contact n energy transfer. If yr forearm is weak, u can borrow the power fr the power, make sure u rotate yr body on smashing.Hope this helps
Timing. Ie proper power execution ie max. Power at the moment of hitting not before or after. Apart from this, grip n racket face.
Thanks S.fusion. My friends also mention about the kick in jumping smash. But i still unable to do it. maybe someday..
Pay close attention to how his elbow and forearm rotation coincide at the top of the swing arc and how he pre loads his swing behind his head to get tons of rotation speed. Most players who complain about not having a big smash don't do this or are out of sync.
Yep, this "leading" with the elbow is very critical for forearm pronation in forehand clears and especially smashes. Same importance for supination in backhand clears.
Agree. When i read that smash power is come from pronation, i didn't believe it. But after watching a lot of smash clip and watched that the shuttle cock is always goes spinning, i tried to mimic the smash movement. After 2 weeks i could do it properly and my smash more powerfull than before. I still continue to improve my smash because i still feel that my smash is still not optimal.
The ideas of leading elbow n forearm pronation are not magical moves merely reminders or check points for proper execution ie maximising energy transfer. Leading elbow is to ensure upper body rotation. Forearm pronation is to ensure proper shuttlecock connection on racket face ie, no dispersion of energy through slicing action.
Disagree. You can still get good power with pronation alone, without upper body rotation. Whereas the reverse (upper body rotation without pronation) is not as powerful.
To get the maximum potential/ efficiency out of a smash, Everything has to work in synergy. You can't get the max power without body rotation. Yes you can get good power even with just simple a wrist flexion too n yes there are more than one way to hit a shuttlecock. Ps. The key word is 'max'
why i see some smashes is done with the left (racket) hand end up of the right foot. some smashes is done with the left (racket) hand end up on the left foot
"Wang Wang" means usually, most of the professional players usually had to retire because of getting their elbows hurt without a proper trainning. The power of smash is not so important for us amateur,try to do some slice smash,that is more effective
Do you mean the follow through of a smash? If the player is lefty, and smashes from his forehand rear court, then he will do the cross over(follow thru) to the right side. but if smashes from the backhand rear court, then he will do the outward follow thru to his left side. A good follow thru is about assisting court recovery and balance after a smash. cheers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwPTMLIBbTY&feature=youtube_gdata_player Here's an update with English translation and subs. His section starts at 16:00. [video=youtube;kwPTMLIBbTY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwPTMLIBbTY&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/video]