If you know anything about how to train for power you would know that size has nothing to with power output. You need to be looking up about fast twitch muscle fiber recruitment, motor neurons and how muscles actually work. I can't be bother to go into detail as I could write pages and pages, but when a movement e.g smash is performed (for a normal person) you only use about a 1/3 of the fibers in your arm and the motor neuron firing pattern is sporadic. When one is powerful they use all their motor neurons a once and more like 2/3 of the muscle fibers in their arm. Types of muscle fibers - type 1 (slow twitch), type 2 slow/fast twitch interchangeable) and type 2b which are the ones which contract around 3 times faster than slow twitch ones You want to train the type 2b fibers. Think about basketball players, high / long jumpers, sprinters, javelin and most of all Olympic weightlifters. Men and women at 60kgs can lift like 180kg over their heads.
I want to point out that there is a lot of misconceptions about the wrist here. Wrist isn't what it defines if someone's smash is strong or not. If you want to confirm, just hold your racket by it's end and just swing it. The head of the racket turns by itself and the wrist doesn't force the way it turns. That's called pronation and it happens since when you have your arm completely extended when you hit the shuttle, the hand will forcefully have to turn if it wants to be natural. "Wrist" (more the forearm muscles) are the one used when you are late on the shuttle and you can't use your bigger muscles to lead the rest (like a whip). To come back about the full smash, it starts with the bigger muscles that will eventually make the muscles at the end move. Correct me if I am wrong since I am still a learner and still can't smash correctly. I need to know what type of grip Taufik is using. He holds the universal way most people learned? More in the palm of his hand or in the tip of his fingers.
I think a lot of people over emphasize the wrist as the point for power to the point where many beginners mistake the wrist as the PROVIDER most of the power. This is not true. Hit with only rotating your arm and your body (keeping your wrist stiff as your can) vs hitting with only flexing and rotating your wrist and I guarantee that you will hit harder and faster with your arm and body. Power comes mostly from your arm. Control comes from your wrist. Now if you combine the two, most people are able to generate alot of power from their arm, but to get the most out of the stroke, you need to add your wrist as well. This should give you a steeper smash as well as that extra boom at the end of your kinetic chain. Not saying that wrist don't give you power, just saying that the arm is where a MAJORITY of your power comes from and that some beginners will read "wrist" gives you power, and then try this wrist dominated stroke and hope for success and then they will fail. The wrist follows the ride given by the arm, not the other way around.
As a pro pianist I can tell you that pros do differ in their technical ability. There are a few top pianists out there who can do things technically that the rest of us are jealous of, no matter how much we practice. (Famous examples from the last century: Horowitz for octave playing, Glenn Gould for finger articulation.) I'm sure the same is true in badminton or any other sport.
Thanks for rejuvenating a 5 yrs old thread hahaha. No but seriously I think this thread is quite interesting.
You must not keep your wrist stiff, it will make your movement less natural and obviously, too stiff.
ive been trying to search for this kind of thing too. my observation shows that it lies in relaxing the body before smashing to the last second and then, bam! idk how to say this in words, try it out urself.
Hi..sory if my reply is very2 late. Physique = As you may know there are 2 type of muscles 1.the endurance muscles(last long but not so power) and 2.the power muscles(have lot amount of power but dont last long). The thing about the muscle is, it doesn't related to the shape of the body. The search for iron man competition(swim, run and ride, u should know), the winner and other competitor dont really have a very built body. Muscles and body build, they dont go parallel. Smash = To make a really fast smash u need to loosen the muscles. Tight muscles will move slow. Link:http://badmintondoubles.hubpages.com/hub/Badminton-Smash-How-to-Play-the-Shot Taufik smash: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r590F7mRTw Extra point for fast swing is smooth body movement/gesture. As for this there's no great example other than Taufik. Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woSj8x3hx3k&feature=related Initial power = This is an advantage for taufik. If you see closely Taufik take a shot with little room from racket to shuttle. This can save time. That also explained the phenomenon backhand smash. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ualwAwHjopU&feature=related Its not a surprised for someone to be amazed by the way he play.
The legendary badminton player: 1. Lin Dan (powerful smash n speed) 2. Lee chong wei (Great defence) 3. Taufik Hidayat (movement trick technique) 4. Peter Gade (the best european player ever)
Althou TH had that smash with him, his gameplay only changed when BWF decided to go 21pts. i saw him play in SG in 1999. he rarely uses any smashes. in comparison, he was playing like rudy hartono.. as highlighted by a few golden age uncles i was sitting with.. how he develop his smashes.. try looking at his backhand smashes.. natural talent wrist power + body movement timing face of racquet try looking @ his backhand smashes, and u will see it. cheers
