Too flat smashes

Discussion in 'Techniques / Training' started by Abdullah Ahmad AAK, Dec 25, 2021.

  1. Abdullah Ahmad AAK

    Abdullah Ahmad AAK Regular Member

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    yes by wrist angle I mean that.

    this is how I hold my racket subconsciously for any forehand overhead without having to think about it. is this the correct forehand grip or is there some deviation?

    1- my fingers are wrapped loosely around the handle
    2- my index finger's middle section is in contact with racket handle
    3- the middle-section of my thumb's side and bottom is in contact with the handle

    while swinging and tightening grip, it often feels that my index finger is useless as it slides off from the handle, leading to a tight grip on racket but the index finger is now making contact with handle at base of the finger.

    I tried swinging with just 3 fingers, completely detaching index and thumb from the handle and honestly i feel no difference in the swing at all. It always feels like these 3 fingers are doing all the work.
     

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    #21 Abdullah Ahmad AAK, Jan 17, 2022
    Last edited: Jan 17, 2022
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  2. Abdullah Ahmad AAK

    Abdullah Ahmad AAK Regular Member

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    This is a pic from another angle.

    In a few days I'll try to a get someone to make a clear video of me from the front or back while performing a clear. Currently injured so on rest.
     

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  3. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    The video looks like panhandle to me and different to your picture. Honestly speaking, you’re doing quite ok with the smash and can now get it steeper.
     
  4. Ffly

    Ffly Regular Member

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    Agree with Cheung & Mason, the picture you show is different from the video.

    [​IMG]

    In a neutral position your racket is clearly pointing to the ground. To do that with a proper V-grip, you'd have to bend your wrist perpendicular 90 degrees to the outside.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Here you are right inbetween 2 smashs, racket clearly pointing to the ground again, sign of a panhandle grip
     
  5. ralphz

    ralphz Regular Member

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    His racket face is facing the floor, yes. His racket is pointing forward. . and that , racket face facing floor is more common in panhandle, but re what you say regarding bending the wrist, What on earth.. you don't mean bend your wrist do you? Do you mean rotate the forearm 90 degrees?

    Given rotation of the forearm in that position with V grip, it is possible for the two to look somewhat alike

    Changing grip is like if you imagine the racket being twirled in the hand of a player, in the axis of its shaft.. So bending the wrist is not going to make one grip look like another.

    (There are cases where a change of grip means that to do a shot you'd have to bend the wrist a bit more or a bit less.. but that's something else).

    If you hold your arm out with racket in panhandle grip, like he might have in that image you show, and then switch to V grip and bend your wrist however you want, it's not going to make it look like panhandle. Bending the wrist while having a V grip is going to make the racket shaft point left or right instead of towards the opponent!
     
  6. Ffly

    Ffly Regular Member

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    Take your racket, hold it in a standard V grip.

    Now try to reproduce exactly the position he is in the screenshot I took. Remember he is in a neutral position, racket down. Look at your wrist, it is bent. You can try whatever finger/wrist/forearm combination that you want, you cannot achieve his position (racket pointing to the ground) without a panhandle grip. end of story.

    If you manage to find a way to make it work, then post pics, it probably isn't a standard V grip.
     
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  7. ralphz

    ralphz Regular Member

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    When you say "racket pointing to the ground" I suppose you mean racket face facing the ground. The shaft of his racket could be said to point, but is not pointing to the ground.

    You write "Remember he is in a neutral position" How do you know he is in a neutral position? Don't you think it's possible that his forearm might be very pronated e.g. could be a bit stiff there?
     
  8. NanoBatien

    NanoBatien Regular Member

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    I think its a panhandle grip, but anyway the smash quality looks vastly improved and ok for now. Still worth changing to the proper technique though if you intend to play badminton in the long term.

    I think you should also start to learn to observe the opponent. (I presume here you are trying to win the point and not practice smashing).

    The opponent is standing blatantly favouring the backhand defence, a smash (even a bad one) to the forehand is far more likely to win. Actually on your fourth shot you drifted to his forehand a bit more and that forced the error because he ran out of space.

    Furthermore, he looks pretty far back and very dug in. If you throw in a drop he will likely have some trouble getting it, and then when hes off balance recovering back to his position you can smash and you will have a good chance to win.

    Sent from my Mi 9 Lite using Tapatalk
     
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  9. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    It’s a panhandle grip. Clearly panhandle despite trying to argue with someone’s exact wording. It definitely isn’t V grip when he plays on court and in a game.

    The OP smashes pretty well with the panhandle grip and has adjusted the steepness of his smash. Whether it’s worth changing the grip just because it’s panhandle is something for OP to experiment with.

    BTW, a slight panhandle grip is fine for smashes.
     
    #29 Cheung, Jan 19, 2022
    Last edited: Jan 19, 2022
  10. Simeon

    Simeon Regular Member

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    A slight panhandle is also more comfortable for windshield wiper slices
     
  11. Simeon

    Simeon Regular Member

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    A lot of players smash with panhandle, and have no intention to change it after 20-30 years playing. Why?
    1. They smash with decent speed. And amateur opponents are not too good at lifting or counter striking
    2. In order to smash with v-grip you need to lead with your elbow and pronate heavily. That can hurt you, and you want to avoid pain.
    I have noticed that 39 amateur players of 40 don't warm up at all. The after effects you can see when watch them playing. Especially legs are not sharp at all, if I may use that expression.
     
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  12. viver

    viver Regular Member

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    Your point #1 is very interesting. My (former) coach mentioned that in the 80's, China WD tried the panhandle grip for smash and that resulted in more powerful smashes in the order of 20 to 30%. They did not continue with the panhandle option as it did not work well with flat returns.
     
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  13. gaurifor

    gaurifor New Member

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    When you change your grip to the "proper grip" for overhead forehands, conventional forehand grip, then the swing will look different and that's a huge change.
     
  14. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    Quite a few players are starting to use slight panhandle preparation. Maybe it’s not such a disadvantage as it used to be with the modern racquet technology.
     
  15. ralphz

    ralphz Regular Member

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    Are you talking about full panhandle, or partially panhandle?

    And when you say it did not work well with flat returns, what do you mean?

    Do you mean their smash was too flat leading to the shuttle returning to them too flat?
     
  16. ralphz

    ralphz Regular Member

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    If somebody smashes panhandle can it usually be defended in a "crouching defense" kind of way? So racket pointing up and panhandle.

    Hurt where?

    Do you think it can hurt the wrist?

    (And moreso than panhandle could).

    Why might you think that is?

    Note, panhandle also involves the elbow following an upwards outwards forwards trajectory. Though with panhandle maybe the elbow's trajectory might come down a bit and in a bit as one nears contact. Whereas with conventional / pro technique the elbow won't come down even a bit.

    The "lead with the elbow" thing is totally wrong and the kind of thing one might hear in badminton. It's a throwing action. Throwing doesn't involve leading with the elbow.

    People that talk about throwing specifically.. will emphasise not leading with the elbow.

    Badminton instructors demonstrating on YouTube often make the mistake of "leading with the elbow" when demonstrating. Sticking their elbow in front of their face. But when they do the shot they won't do any such thing.

    Here are some people talking purely about throwing. See they talk about the importance of not "leading with the elbow"

    Leading with the elbow is what a throw looks like if somebody stereotypically looks like they can't throw. / Don't know how to throw.

     
    #36 ralphz, Jan 4, 2023
    Last edited: Jan 4, 2023
  17. gaurifor

    gaurifor New Member

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    if your wrist is bent back, your strings will be flat. and that could be what's happening causing your shots to go flat
    forpc.onl streaming apps
     
  18. ralphz

    ralphz Regular Member

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    There can be other causes eg a person can smash flat with a forehand grip too and without it being to do with wrist being bent back. Also with a panhandle grip it might be flatter relative to a conventional grip, so even without the wrist bent back in panhandle it could be too flat in panhandle.
     
  19. viver

    viver Regular Member

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    Well, I don't know the answer to this with the new racquet technology. There will always be players that find innovative ways to hit the shuttle.

    I remember when I was told to try the panhandle for smashing (multi-shuttle drill) I found more challenging directing the placement of the smashes after the first smash, and then switching grips for the flat exchanges. My coach did encourage using different grips for attack/defence, but panhandle was never encouraged or recommended for smash.
     
  20. Simeon

    Simeon Regular Member

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    Nice slow motion:

     
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