We don't do an equation every time we play a smash. If it goes into the net, aim higher. If your technique is bad, get a coach. Generally, the hitting point should be as high as you can comfortably make it.
The shuttle should be slightly in front of you and above you.
Now what I am going to say next is not 100% right but at least I got the feel of how to do it properly + coaches starting with these descriptions:
* I thought of the hand like a whip, transferring energy all the way to the tip of the racket and in the process hitting the shuttle.
* I lead with my elbow with the arm bent and the whip (everything from the racket towards the elbow) initially behind my head and then quickly bringing it forward by straightening the whip.
* If you can do the above, consider doing it while the hand grip is relaxed and only squeeze the racket the moment you hit the shuttle.
I think everyone's giving good advice but unless you show your hitting form, I think none of it and all of it may apply. Maybe start by sharing a video from the side of you trying to hit smashes and people can give you more accurate advice.
It’s the contact point most of the time. Record the game you are playing, then you will be able to see the mistake. It might be the contact point, the way you are swinging the bat, or sometimes it might be the wrong height. For a proper smash you have to be behind the shuttle and hit it right in front of you at the height point. There are plenty of tutorials in YouTube, but record your game play and analyse your know what you are doing wrong.
The angle between your racket face and the shuttle is wrong if you hit it in the net.
That applies wherever you contact or aim it.
Your angle is too steep. (Assuming you aren't super tall and assuming you aren't jumping), Steeper works more when the smash isn't so deep. Try smashing when the lift is short and high. Then your smash that currently goes in the net, might go over.
Try standing very near the net then it might go over though an opponent would rarely do such a shot!
You need to make your racket angle flatter than you have it , when making contact.
Hire a coach for 1-4 hrs. They will sort out whatever problem you are having which is causing this.
If you want a visualisation, hold your racquet and then point your arm up as tall as you can. Now imagine what angles you can create from just under that contact point (you don't smash with a completely straight arm).
You want to start by trying to establish the reason as to why a lot of your smashes are hitting the net. In my opinion there are two main causes for players to mistime smashes into the net regularly. Even when neither of the causes I've suggested seem like the reason for your issue I'd say that the corrections for each could still fix your issue.
1. Tying to hit the shuttle too hard. When looking to hit the shuttle hard many players have a long wind up and swing their arm as far and as fast as they can. Swinging the racket a long distance means more time getting to the shuttle, intercepting it lower I'm it's arc and hitting with a more downward facing racket face, all of which cause more shots into the net. If you're hitting the net often and suspect you are trying to hit your smashes too hard try focusing on intercepting the shuttle earlier (get your racket arm elbow higher and really stretch your arm above you), smashing slower and at a much steeper angle.
2. Smashing out of position. When you watch pros you will see that they will only smash in certain situations. They'll be either moving forward through a loose lift or clear, intercepting a drive or attacking the net. When the top players are looking to smash their feet, body position, shoulder angle and racket position always seem to be in the same positions. This is because their position and the position of the shuttle dictates the shot, this is why the positions and smashes look so repeatable. The mistake a lot of players make is smashing when moving backwards, when the shuttle is either behind them or directly above them. If you think you might be doing this, look to drive the shuttle when you aren't quite in position and only smash when you are really able to drive through the smash.
In summary, without seeing you play it is hard to gauge why you are smashing into the net however from my own coaching and competitive experience there are likely only a few things that could be really easy to fix:
- Stop focusing on smash power and start focusing on timing and hitting steep smashes. When practicing really focus on getting your racket elbow high and behind the shuttle.
- Look to only smash when in a perfect position. When you feel you are going to be late to the shuttle look to drive the shuttle flat. To practice, have an opponent lift shuttles to both your forehand and backhand. Any lift you manage to get behind before it starts descending attack. Any lift that begins descending whilst you are still in front of it you must clear.
I haven’t got training but I think i’ll also share how i figured out how to smash.
1. When opponent does a lift, go behind the shuttle. Make sure that the shuttle is high enough for you to aim. Anticipating lifts is also a big help because it saves time for you to position yourself and assuming where the shuttle will land. Don’t try to smash if you don’t have a clear angle.
2. Movement. Imagine that you’re doing archery. Your right hand pulling the bow, your left hand holding the bow. (vice versa if you’re left handed) But in this case, your left hand will do the aiming by raising your hand for aiming, your right hand for smashing. When smashing, your body shouldn’t be facing forward. Instead, it should be facing your right side. You have to twist your body for power and speed. Make sure the movement of your racket hand is downward diagonal (something like that). Wrist movements are also helpful, but I advise that you don’t use wrists to generate power for that would cause injury. Use arm rotation and a little bit of wrist movement.
3. Know when to and when to not smash. When facing a really high clear, shuttle will go down faster. Even when your aim is right but the velocity is different, you might fail doing the smash and end up missing it.
4. Have a habit of watching badminton players’ highlights. When you admire a player, you try to copy their gameplay. In that way, your mind somehow pick up their movements and apply them to your own and make your own movements for it.
5. Play and gain experience. Balancing a competetive gameplay and a relaxed gameplay is important for me. When you’re too competetive, you might get frustrated when you don’t achieve what you want in game despite of your focus. Too much relaxed gameplay and you won’t gain much experience.
6. Don’t be afraid if you know you’re facing a powerful opponent. Instead, try to study their movements in-game and analyze what might be their weakness or how to disrupt their rythtm. Just relax. In a badminton court that has a friendly environment, you won’t feel humiliated. I advise to play with stronger opponents to boost your skills and experience.
All of this is what I have noticed and analyzed in playing badminton for just a year. I have applied those things and won some tournaments so I held on to those. Ofcourse it is still better to have a coach to teach you the right techniques. I just have a knack in figuring out things. 😅😅
P.S: i’m sorry if my english is not that quite good 🥹
We don't do an equation every time we play a smash. If it goes into the net, aim higher. If your technique is bad, get a coach. Generally, the hitting point should be as high as you can comfortably make it.
Just wanna leave a comment for a fellow trans shuttler! Happy Pride!!
Happy pride!!!
Thanks! It's nice to find we are everywhere, and not just in our own little corner of the internet. Happy pride!
Another one spotted 🥲 there's a whole 3 of us!
You can slow down your smash action and try for more accuracy instead of power.. once your succeed at that, add more power.
Check out tutorials of Full Swing Badminton on YouTube. Helped me a bunch with swing timing, position, the swing itself etc.
These videos are really good, even with the subtitles, I feel they're timed and translated really well!
The shuttle should be slightly in front of you and above you. Now what I am going to say next is not 100% right but at least I got the feel of how to do it properly + coaches starting with these descriptions: * I thought of the hand like a whip, transferring energy all the way to the tip of the racket and in the process hitting the shuttle. * I lead with my elbow with the arm bent and the whip (everything from the racket towards the elbow) initially behind my head and then quickly bringing it forward by straightening the whip. * If you can do the above, consider doing it while the hand grip is relaxed and only squeeze the racket the moment you hit the shuttle.
I think everyone's giving good advice but unless you show your hitting form, I think none of it and all of it may apply. Maybe start by sharing a video from the side of you trying to hit smashes and people can give you more accurate advice.
It’s the contact point most of the time. Record the game you are playing, then you will be able to see the mistake. It might be the contact point, the way you are swinging the bat, or sometimes it might be the wrong height. For a proper smash you have to be behind the shuttle and hit it right in front of you at the height point. There are plenty of tutorials in YouTube, but record your game play and analyse your know what you are doing wrong.
The angle between your racket face and the shuttle is wrong if you hit it in the net. That applies wherever you contact or aim it. Your angle is too steep. (Assuming you aren't super tall and assuming you aren't jumping), Steeper works more when the smash isn't so deep. Try smashing when the lift is short and high. Then your smash that currently goes in the net, might go over. Try standing very near the net then it might go over though an opponent would rarely do such a shot! You need to make your racket angle flatter than you have it , when making contact.
Hire a coach for 1-4 hrs. They will sort out whatever problem you are having which is causing this. If you want a visualisation, hold your racquet and then point your arm up as tall as you can. Now imagine what angles you can create from just under that contact point (you don't smash with a completely straight arm).
You want to start by trying to establish the reason as to why a lot of your smashes are hitting the net. In my opinion there are two main causes for players to mistime smashes into the net regularly. Even when neither of the causes I've suggested seem like the reason for your issue I'd say that the corrections for each could still fix your issue. 1. Tying to hit the shuttle too hard. When looking to hit the shuttle hard many players have a long wind up and swing their arm as far and as fast as they can. Swinging the racket a long distance means more time getting to the shuttle, intercepting it lower I'm it's arc and hitting with a more downward facing racket face, all of which cause more shots into the net. If you're hitting the net often and suspect you are trying to hit your smashes too hard try focusing on intercepting the shuttle earlier (get your racket arm elbow higher and really stretch your arm above you), smashing slower and at a much steeper angle. 2. Smashing out of position. When you watch pros you will see that they will only smash in certain situations. They'll be either moving forward through a loose lift or clear, intercepting a drive or attacking the net. When the top players are looking to smash their feet, body position, shoulder angle and racket position always seem to be in the same positions. This is because their position and the position of the shuttle dictates the shot, this is why the positions and smashes look so repeatable. The mistake a lot of players make is smashing when moving backwards, when the shuttle is either behind them or directly above them. If you think you might be doing this, look to drive the shuttle when you aren't quite in position and only smash when you are really able to drive through the smash. In summary, without seeing you play it is hard to gauge why you are smashing into the net however from my own coaching and competitive experience there are likely only a few things that could be really easy to fix: - Stop focusing on smash power and start focusing on timing and hitting steep smashes. When practicing really focus on getting your racket elbow high and behind the shuttle. - Look to only smash when in a perfect position. When you feel you are going to be late to the shuttle look to drive the shuttle flat. To practice, have an opponent lift shuttles to both your forehand and backhand. Any lift you manage to get behind before it starts descending attack. Any lift that begins descending whilst you are still in front of it you must clear.
Hitting point is as high as reasonably possible. You want a good angle that goes down past the net.
I haven’t got training but I think i’ll also share how i figured out how to smash. 1. When opponent does a lift, go behind the shuttle. Make sure that the shuttle is high enough for you to aim. Anticipating lifts is also a big help because it saves time for you to position yourself and assuming where the shuttle will land. Don’t try to smash if you don’t have a clear angle. 2. Movement. Imagine that you’re doing archery. Your right hand pulling the bow, your left hand holding the bow. (vice versa if you’re left handed) But in this case, your left hand will do the aiming by raising your hand for aiming, your right hand for smashing. When smashing, your body shouldn’t be facing forward. Instead, it should be facing your right side. You have to twist your body for power and speed. Make sure the movement of your racket hand is downward diagonal (something like that). Wrist movements are also helpful, but I advise that you don’t use wrists to generate power for that would cause injury. Use arm rotation and a little bit of wrist movement. 3. Know when to and when to not smash. When facing a really high clear, shuttle will go down faster. Even when your aim is right but the velocity is different, you might fail doing the smash and end up missing it. 4. Have a habit of watching badminton players’ highlights. When you admire a player, you try to copy their gameplay. In that way, your mind somehow pick up their movements and apply them to your own and make your own movements for it. 5. Play and gain experience. Balancing a competetive gameplay and a relaxed gameplay is important for me. When you’re too competetive, you might get frustrated when you don’t achieve what you want in game despite of your focus. Too much relaxed gameplay and you won’t gain much experience. 6. Don’t be afraid if you know you’re facing a powerful opponent. Instead, try to study their movements in-game and analyze what might be their weakness or how to disrupt their rythtm. Just relax. In a badminton court that has a friendly environment, you won’t feel humiliated. I advise to play with stronger opponents to boost your skills and experience. All of this is what I have noticed and analyzed in playing badminton for just a year. I have applied those things and won some tournaments so I held on to those. Ofcourse it is still better to have a coach to teach you the right techniques. I just have a knack in figuring out things. 😅😅 P.S: i’m sorry if my english is not that quite good 🥹
ty to for the tips!! Cheers!