Yes I would say that it would be a significant improvement if you can start to look like you do in the garage practice swings on court. The key to having really nice high level technique is also linked to actually looking like you have really nice technique when you play. That sentence might sound a bit obvious, but it really makes a difference: what does your upper body look like as you move towards and prepare to hit the shuttle? If its good, and you are using the correct grip, and reaching up sufficiently high, the odds are you will have a nice stroke. If the stroke is "good" but the body positioning looks rubbish, you are already at a disadvantage (because good technique requires a good starting point).
So I was watching my singles game from last Wednesday ( I pretty much never play singles ) and I noticed that my weight transfer on many of my shots looked better. I feel like my right leg Ian moving forward along with my swing thus giving me a better shot. Am I correct in my thinking that this moment here is on the right track ? If so why cannot I not emulate this in my doubles games and my general practice?? Any thoughts or feedback would be appreciated !
Have a look at where your feet position is before you hit the shot. Your opponent is weaker at singles and the lifts/clears don’t go all the way to the back. On some where he does hit it full length, you have the same problem where you almost fall backwards. To get good forward weight transfer, you need to move fully behind the shuttle before you start your stroke. In doubles videos, the lifts go further back, and you also stand further back due to your partner in the front.
yes I see that I am not getting behind the shuttle on these strokes enough but I was wondering if my weight transfer movement was correct? (right leg moving forward along with my swing) To me , although I am not behind the shuttle enough it appears that i am transferring my weight better than in my doubles strokes?? I think i need to make my left to right leg step on my strokes much longer?? Maybe adding another foot of distance between these steps??
Week 3 of trying to use more pronation and the proper grip. Here are the things that I noticed from my shots 1.) I need to start my stroke more consistently with my racket higher (per your recommendation) 2.) I can't seem to get my footwork right to get my lower body more involved in my stroke Please let me know if you notice that I am using the correct grip along with more consistent pronation on all my strokes.
You seem to take your shots behind your body very frequently. If it's the case you can't go back fast enough, take your right foot backwards as you make the shot. That's really impressive for 3 weeks of playing otherwise.
You need to be a lot further behind the shuttle - the goal is to mimic what you did in your garage - so the shuttle contact point should be another 2 or 3 feet closer to the net relative to you (you probably need to move backwards another metre). Also, your contact point is quite low on many of your drops and smashes - even when you jump upwards for your jump smash, your contact point isn't really any higher than could have been done standing. Forget about the lower body and the legs for now (apart from trying to get into a good position). Honestly, it just doesn't help to think about it... as an example: if you move backwards and bend your leg at all, and then straighten as you reach up to hit the shuttle? Then you are already utilising the lower body. The slight bend and straightening of the leg is what you're aiming for, and its the most natural thing in the world assuming you: 1. move low with legs bent 2. hit high by pushing upwards with the legs for a high contact point You are already doing it to some degree. But all of your work on all of your stroke will be wasted if you don't get the contact with the shuttle right (including grip, pronation, preparation, contact point etc etc). So i'd focus on that and that only. In short: focus on what you look like prior to hitting the shot, and one how high you take the shuttle. Those are so basic, but so crucial, and most players never get it right. You can be the first of many! Good luck!
Thank you for the suggestions and the encouragement!! I’ve set a reminder app on my cell phone for my next badminton session to remind me to “start higher and back” on my strokes. The reminder is set to go off every minute. That app feeds my Fitbit and will slightly buzz every minute now and constantly display that reminder. I’m hoping it will be a sort of coaching tool to remind me on court to have a better starting position.
Good progress, Mason. I can't recall if this has been mentioned already, but you have a habit of following through on the right (racket) side of your body. This is okay for a weaker (clip) smash, but often you do this with full-power smashes too. Not all the time, but quite often. This kind of follow through is very dangerous. You are a strong guy, but your rotator cuff doesn't care about that. Indeed, your physical strength may put you at greater risk, because you are able to generate greater forces to damage your shoulder. Please work on fixing this habit ASAP. The arm should be allowed to relax naturally across your body in the latter part of the follow through. See my video about follow-through errors for a better explanation. This is more urgent than any other advice you're getting about technique, because it affects your long-term health as a player.
Thank you for the feedback. This is actually someone that i personally have noticed being a problem. Others have told me that if i start my stroke properly and use proper pronation and grip then my follow through will also be proper. Which also seems to be what you are saying in the link you provided "it’s caused by players trying to force power, rather than using a proper overhead throwing action. Correct the problem by relaxing during the stroke and allowing the arm to come across your body. You can also try some throwing practice." You will notice that follow through properly way more consistently now compared to months ago, i am getting better.
Yes, definitely an improvement. Well done. But it's still an area of significant concern and risk. The simplest thing you could do, which would also help your technique a lot, is to stop trying to hit so damn hard.
I agree , my technique is not good enough to try to use all my strength. All of my life growing up playing sports (basketball , football) I have been able to use all of my speed and strength and always go "all out" , especially when running and jumping. Its hard for me mentally to not do that in badminton even though i know i should at my level of technique.
Honestly, I think it's hard at any level of play. Certainly it's hard for me! It's so easy to get tense and try to force power too much. Mostly this leads to weaker shots.
This is what makes badminton quite intriguing. In many sports, adding more speed and strength would correlate with improvement of performance, but not in badminton. I noticed you prepare the racquet differently in the garage to on court when you raise the racquet. Most times on court, your racquet stringbed is facing the opponent. In the garage, it faces outwards. Technique wise, try to have it facing outwards or inwards. That will help pronation. Have a look at slow motion of top players and watch how they prepare - their racquets are hardly ever face on to the opponent when raising the racquet.
6 sets of 40 swings today in the garage. My focus was of course prosper grip / pronation and starting with my racket high and strings facing inward. Please let me know if these strokes look ok so that I can continue practicing
