BackHand Smashing

Discussion in 'Techniques / Training' started by TourSpEdition, Oct 20, 2002.

  1. Hugo

    Hugo Regular Member

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    I think he is referring to a previous post by user Macs8703 who asked questions regarding the backhand smash.
     
  2. bluejeff

    bluejeff Regular Member

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    I don't understand what he is talking about, is he trying to reply someone's thread?
    :confused:
     
  3. Californian

    Californian Regular Member

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  4. bigredlemon

    bigredlemon Regular Member

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    Backhand smash:

    So far pretty much everyone feels that the backhand smash is overrated, and should be used only for easy kills. Since my backhand strength is much stronger than my forehand strength, I've come to rely on my backhand slash alot so I guess it's up to me to defend it.

    First off, there's two kinds of backhand smashes mentioned here. The one used for the easy net kill, in which you tap the bird down with your backhand. I don't consider that a smash at all. It wouldn't be a smash if you did it with your forehand... just a tap or fast drop or however you want to call it. Due to the akward angles and such I agree it's pretty much only good for net kills, and even then i'd prefer a forehand kill.

    The real backhand smash, and the one with the "cool factor", is in which you spin around behind you and smash the bird down. This shot is more analogous to the forehand smash in that there is a long stroke arc of around 180 degrees or more.

    [there's smoke in my room... forgot to shut off stove.. dinner burnt... argg!!!]

    Anyway there's a few situations in which you do not want to use the around-the-head smash.

    First, is if you are recieving in doubles. If you are standing at the front lines waiting to kill the serve and he flips it high down mid-court. If you try to use the around-the-head forearm smash, you'll have to jump very high or jump backwards as well as leaning towards the middle. You must also do that fast. It's difficult to pull off such a stunt. With a backhand smash, you spin around and thus do not need to lean left. Furthermore, your impact point is now 1.3 meters behind you, so you don't have to jump backwards. The bird there has already fallen some distance, so you don't have to jump high if at all. The bird has also slowed down, making the shot easier. In this position, it's very easy to smash the bird to the forecourt on the server's side. The server is just moving back to enter the defensive position but now he has to change momentum move forward again to intercept it. This is hard to do so he has to scramble. Furthermore, at the end of the spin your moment is forward, which makes it easy for you to get into the attacking position. THUS, you are in excellent position with the right momentum while the opponent is out of position with the wrong momentum. Had you use a forearm return, you be way in the back with momentum going away from the court, and hence easily out of position if you decided to clear and they smash it, or if you smash it and decide to drop it along the alley.

    Second situation in which you want to use the backhand smash and not an around the head return is if they lob the bird down the side alleys beside you, and you are a step and a half away. If you take that shot around-the-head, you have to take two cross-steps and lean and smash. Your momentum will still be moving away from the court, and it's impossible for you to get to the other side of the court if he returns the shot there. If you spin around to place a backhand smash, your momentum is towards the middle, which puts you back at base, and hence in position to cover any area of the court.

    These are just two situations in which I always try to use backhand smash if at all possible. I'm sure there are others that I have not discovered since I play only doubles.

    What I like about the backhand smash is that since you are spinning around, the opponents can't tell where you are going to hit it. It's the same stroke; only when the swing ends decide where the bird goes. In my experience, an ideal situation to use the backhand smash often yields a success against less skilled players or players caught off guard. Plus, as kwun says, it looks cool. :cool:

    Also, i think the shoes you wear has a hude impact on your backhand smash. You need a soft shoe with very very flexible soles for it to work best. Sometimes I wear my cross-trainers instead of badminton shoes (because it gets better grip on tile surfaces) and notice my backhand smash is horrible. It's hard to spin around fast with a stiff shoe since it's hard to point with the feet at the end of the stroke.
     
    #24 bigredlemon, May 24, 2003
    Last edited: May 24, 2003
  5. modious

    modious Regular Member

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    BRL, I understand what you're saying but the backhand smash should be used only if you can't do the overhead smash. It all depends on the situation.

    What Matt has said few posts above makes sense as well.
     
  6. TrunkZ69

    TrunkZ69 Regular Member

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    I talked to a ex-pro player and he told me he knew many pros who use to be able to smash with their backhands as fast as their forehands. He just told me its a matter of technique and practice. Too bad we weren't in a gym at that point in time :(
     
  7. Matt Ross

    Matt Ross Regular Member

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    Hi,

    Indeed, some people can do that. I for one am getting there with the power of my backhand smash. However, in singles you should hardly ever backhand smash because you leave too much open court for the opponent to play in.

    You usualy see backhand smashing more i doubles. This is usualy because it keeps the rally going and there is someone there to cover for you. However, if you backhand smash, another step or two and it can be taken on your forhand? People rely on the backhand too much. Like i say, if your playing a backhand smash, a little quicker and you could play a round the head smash. If the shuttle is too far to your side or too far behind you, why try to play a backhand smash anyway? You would need incredible wrist strength to play a smash that is a) too far to the side or b) too far behind you.

    The best thing to do is learn the movement from round the head. I suggest that you watch (if you can) game 3 of Budiarto / Wijaya against Chan / Chew in the Thomas Cup 2002 finals. At match point up for Sigit and Candra, there was an incredibly long rally and in one case, Candra smashed from the back left corner, and Chew defedned with a lift to the back right corner. Candra then side stepped over leaped and then played a smashed, hardly ever do you see these two play round the head. I'll see if i can get some freeze frames for you.

    My two cents worth
    Matt
     
  8. Neil Nicholls

    Neil Nicholls Regular Member

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    In the AE 2003 match between Chen Hong and Muhammed Roslin Hashim, Chen used a backhand smash.

    The situation, if I remember right, was that both players were mid-court-ish in the middle of some flat drives. Roslin hit a shot that was rising and going wide to Chen's backhand. Chen stepped across (turning backwards) and backhand smashed cross court for a winner.

    THat is the sort of situation when I think the backhand smash can be useful. In mid-court and the shuttle isn't high enough for an around the head shot.
    As BRL says, nearer the net you want a shorter stroke, like a tap.
    From the rear court, if the shuttle is high enough to backhand smash, you have probably got enough time to get into position to play a better shot like an around the head. If you can be facing forwards when playing your shot it must be the better choice.

    But outside top level play, if you can do it you can catch people out.

    It sounds like my backhand is similar to Matt's. All forearm supination. In theory for clears, drops and smash. But I'm not that good.

    As it happens, I thought of the Chen/Roslin match because only last night playing doubles I played a similar shot. It was a similar situation and I played the backhand smash without even thinking about it (which may be why I hit it so well). My opponents weren't expecting it because it's a shot I very rarely try because I am so inconsistent with it (but I practise it away fro the club now and then)
     
  9. Californian

    Californian Regular Member

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    I see kwun or somebody combined threads. Good. There's probably others, or posts contained within general "backhand" or "smash" threads.

    I'm with you, brl. Maybe it's because I'm kind of "old school." When I was first learning to play, strong backhands were taught as essential. Round-the-head shots were used to cover for a weak backhand. Today's quicker, more aggressive style of play has elevated the status of the RTH.

    Although I do use the RTH, mine is not as good as my backhand.
     
  10. bigredlemon

    bigredlemon Regular Member

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    The reason is momentum. If you need to hop/run to the left and smash it, your body has a lot of momentum going to the left and forwards. If they return it to the back right corner, it would be very difficult if not impossible to get in the time it takes to stop the momentum and change direction, you could have already been moving towards the next shot had a backhand smash been used. Thus I see a backhand smash as much defensive as offensive. For this reason I'd expect the backhand smash to be used more often in singles than doubles because there is someone to cover for you in doubles and doubles is more attacking oriented.

    Neil,
    I think in most situations, you are right to say that a better around-the-head shot could be put than a spinning backhand shot, but it's harder to get back into position after playing that around the head smash. Unless I can be sure that a forehand smash will end it (and i'm never sure) i'd prefer the shot that allows me to stay in position and respond to the return.

    If my personal experience is different from yours, perhaps it's because I'm not recovering from a forehand smash fast enough. I don't think this is the case though. I've some players run and lean backwards as though they were about to fall over (think of leaning-backward bullet doging in the Matrix) to return a smash. To recover they have to stop themselves, lean forwards again, then move forward. After a backhand smash, one only needs to take an extra step to get back into position.
     
    #30 bigredlemon, May 24, 2003
    Last edited: May 24, 2003
  11. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    Sorry, am I reading that last sentence correctly?

    In the end, the b/hand smash use 'depends' on the situation. But, in general, it is my impression that taller people use b/hand overheads, which includes b/hand smashes more than shorter people.

    Simply by nature of the game, a b/hand smash in singles may be used to either suddenly change the pace of the game, or seize a chance of an open area of he court.

    For doubles, rather than as a winning shot, it is used more to keep the shuttle going downwards in a rally. If people say that they keep winning points on b/hand smashes in a doubles game, I respectfully suggest they now look for more challenging games;)
     
  12. bigredlemon

    bigredlemon Regular Member

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    Yes you are reading the last sentence correctly... but I didn't write it correctly. :eek: Sould read "... because there isn't someone to cover for you..."

    As I said before the bhand useage does depend on the situation and used to keep the rally going. If the shot is going to be a winner then you might as well use forehand since your post-shot position and momentum would not matter.
     
  13. Azam Ali

    Azam Ali Regular Member

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    Backhand Smash

    Ah, the backhand smash...It's like riding a bike, once you find the technique, right generation of power, and racket speed then it is something you'll never forget. Also, it is one of the most fun shots to pull off in practice.

    So, how can you develop a good backhand smash?

    First of all, technique is the most important aspect of it. Once you have the technique down, practicing with a squash racket will hone the perfect efficiency in power generation (no wasted motions with the body).

    Understand that the perfect technique begins with the grip you have on the racket. I'm sure you all know about the thumb on the base of the grip during defense. For the backhand shots that we are concerned with, you need to turn your grip the other way so that you end up holding it like a frying pan with your thumb along the side of the grip. Although this may seem weird, believe me, it generates the most power and gives your backhand smash and clear a lot more control. (Observe any photos of world class players hitting backhands, and you'll see what I mean).

    Next, you need to develop the right swing. Just like a golf swing, to optimize your power with control and precision, your shift in body weight must lead and the final impact should be the last thing to follow through. Just watch how Taufik can generate so much power while keeping his racket almost touching the bird the whole time. IT IS ALL IN THE HIPS. In preparation for your backhand, follow the shuttle with your racket (the best technique needs no backswing), keep your elbow close to your hip, and hold the racket (with the grip discussed) very loosely. Although your racket is remaining steady you must slightly turn your hips away from the court. Once you gently place your racket leg on the floor, shift your hips quickly towards the court, this will naturally create potential energy for your final impact with the racket. I can't stress this enough, the real power of the backhand (or any backcourt shot for that matter) comes primarily from the hips. Learn to not let your arm swing release before your hip shift.

    As for the swing, at the same time as you shift your hips towards the direction of your shot, change your elbow position from tucked into your hip to completely perpendicular to the floor. Remember hips first, arms later, and wrist snap last. So your arms should allow you to contact the bird with an almost full extension of the arm during contact. Remember, due to the nature of the backhand, the true backhand power comes from stopping after the moment of impact. Unlike the follow through of a forehand shot, the backhand power comes from the whiplash effect. Imagine a whip, if you follow through there is not nearly as much power as if you quickly snap it back. The backhand is this exact concept. So approach the backhand contact with the intention of pulling back as quickly as possible.

    Ok enough theory, next time you are at practice...Use a squash racket and do backhand smashes. The beauty of the squash racket is that it is just heavy/light enough to allow you to make contact using only the most efficient techniques. If you use too much arm, you will miss the shot. If you don't use enough power generated from your hips, your shot simply will have no power. The trick to squash racket training is to hold your racket to the incoming bird as closely as possible, and generate the power from your hips and wrist to hit a smooth and clean shot. You'll see exactly what I mean. Note: Top players can use a squash racket and still hit near perfect badminton shots. That just goes to show you that it is the ultimate shot efficiency trainer.

    Good Luck :)

    Azam
     
  14. t3tsubo

    t3tsubo Regular Member

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    like kwun said in pg1, backhand smash as a shot is not needed in singles, but it is useful in doubles and ABSOLUTELY REQUIRED in mixed (for the guy). Hence, it is still a shot everyone should learn unless they are a singles specialist.
     
  15. SmashDude

    SmashDude Regular Member

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    the way i do it:

    1. wind up
    (now for the hitting part)
    2. extend your elbow so its near straight like you flick it
    3. think of where you want it to go
    4. snap your wrist

    Usually if i wanna practice without getting tired i hold my raquet as close to the top of the grip as possible to reduce weight =P but if you want to train your wrist then i guess grip it at the bottom.
     
  16. FlyingGorilla

    FlyingGorilla Regular Member

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    I think I prefer a backhand drive hard and low to the net as opposed to a backand smash, or the backcourt drop (doubles mostly) to set up a forehand smash or a return drop leading for my partner to netkill. The backhand smash is great when you have the opportunity to come across smooth, if not, then a good low drive is solid too.
     
  17. uncle_peanuts

    uncle_peanuts Regular Member

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    the backhand smash is overrated, you're much better off doing a backhand drive which is easier to execute and easier to hit.

    also, i regularly see people who want to backhand smash like taufik, as a piece of advice: do NOT use his form as a guide, it works for him but it doesnt work for the majority of people who try to incorporate it.
     
  18. FlyingGorilla

    FlyingGorilla Regular Member

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    I concur!
    Furthermore, Peanuts, we should have children...And then our children should go on to play badminton void of a backhand smash, completely and utterly champions of the backhand drive. They'd be beautiful you know. ;)
     
  19. Azam Ali

    Azam Ali Regular Member

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    Strategically, I agree. The backhand smash is not a very good shot to pull off too often in Singles OR Doubles.

    However, being able to do a backhand smash is the by-product of having a good form to your backhand in general. Therefore, I don't think that the technique should be avoided in practice. If you can hit a good backhand smash, then you can easily hit a solid backhand clear (an absolutely crucial shot).

    I honestly think that practicing the backhand smash, and striving for perfection will enable you to do any backhand shot you want. You need a backhand, there is no way around it. As fast as you are, someday you'll come across a deceptive player that will take away your first step quickness, in which case you'll need to be comfortable taking a backhand...otherwise you will expose a weakness which you can do nothing to counter.
     
  20. mettayogi

    mettayogi Regular Member

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    BH smash is an advanced technique that's useful occasionally, but coolness factor may tempt some to use it more often than optimal.

    An example of correct BH smash usage is Bay Badminton Championship 2009 MSF, Taufik vs. Houk Lee, game point for G1. Houk flick served flat to Taufik's BH corner, and TH intercepted mid-court with BH smash to end the rally. Even if RTH can be pulled off, TH will be too out of position for the next shot.

    For men in XD it's also a useful variation to have.
     
    #40 mettayogi, Jul 23, 2009
    Last edited: Jul 23, 2009

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