One of the hottest topics that I will cover in my online training program is increasing the power of your badminton stroke.
Wherever I travel to train, I am always asked two important questions.
- How to improve the backhand
- How to get more power in the smash
There are a number of simple adjustments you can make that will help you increase power and improve your accuracy on your badminton stroke, so let’s get started…
Let’s start with your feet!
Why your feet? Simple. If you don’t have the speed to get behind the badminton shuttle before you hit it, then there’s no way you can hit hard and accurately. You have to be behind the wheel so that your body weight is ready to move in the direction of the shot. Adding your body weight to the punch provides more power.
How far behind the shuttle should he stop? Ideally, it should be far enough away that the shuttle lands slightly in front of the non-racket leg, but in line with the racket shoulder.
Exercise 1
You need to check if you are moving fast enough to get behind the shuttle. Stand at the front service line and ask your feeder to raise the shuttle toward the back line. Now, racket in hand, try to beat him behind the wheel. But you must not hit the shuttle! Instead, let it hit the ground and notice where it lands in relation to your body.
Where is the shuttle? Is it far enough in front of your body that you can punch it down, allowing your body weight to shift forward? If not, you’ve just discovered a key item to upgrade that will add more power to your smash.
So try again, and this time move faster, going further than where you would normally stop. Try again. Something better? If so, repeat this exercise until you are comfortable that you have done it correctly.
Finally, try backing up again and this time hit the wheel. Work it up and the first few shots are likely to hit the net!
grip
There are so many badminton club and league players that I have seen who seem to move and hit with excessive tension in their bodies. This tension is caused by the pressure to get behind the wheel on time, the frustration of wanting to hit the wheel better or score more points, and most likely a number of minor reasons that are causing a major problem.
When the body is tense, it cannot function anywhere near its optimal capacity. A tense body cannot move as fast, hit as fast, or hit as hard as one that is free of tension. Think about it. If you were to go on the court to play against a player that you know you can easily beat, why are your shots so much better and you seem to move so much faster? Yes, you are not under pressure and therefore you play with a feeling of freedom, free of tension.
One of the main adjustments I ask of most players is how they grip the racket. I’m not talking about correct forehand or backhand holds here, although that is high on my list.
In this article I am talking about the strength of your grip. If you grip the racket too tightly, your muscles will be constantly under tension. This doesn’t allow them to flow and carry out your instructions to move a certain way in order to hit the shuttle. They are almost struggling to move in the correct sequence.
A tight grip restricts the amount of power available to these muscles, which only leads to a poor result and disappointment for the player. If you constantly grip the steering wheel too tightly, you risk injuring your elbow. Tennis or golfer’s elbow is extremely painful and is often caused by your grip being too tight or your racket grip being too small for the size of your hand.
Exercise 2
Take to the court and hit the shuttles with a very relaxed grip. Hold the racket firmly enough so that it doesn’t slip out of your hand. You don’t want to see the whites of your knuckles or you’re gripping it too tight! Play a few overhead shots and the second before your racket connects with the shuttle, squeeze a little harder.
I hope you find that you are hitting the shuttle harder as your racket can accelerate faster towards the shuttle without the strain to apply the brakes.
Your backswing can make all the difference
Looking back over the last 30 years or so, the preparation for a shot from above has changed. This is mainly due to significant improvements in racket technology. We no longer play with steel-framed racquets, which weigh considerably more than the 85g average for today’s racquets. The lightweight one-piece carbon construction means you can now set up and hit in a second. There’s no need for a long backswing, almost tennis-like serve to hit an overhead shot in badminton.
What I do see so often is almost a “corkscrew” action where the racket moves with the turn of the shoulder. So why is this wrong?
Every time you move a muscle, or a series of muscles, they always want to return to a neutral position, that is, to return to the starting point.
Therefore, a corkscrew action usually creates a reverse action. This means that instead of the racket being launched in a direct line towards the shuttle, it almost moves along the path of the shuttle. Catch the shuttle at precisely the right spot and you might land a good hit on it.
But, this method is extremely unpredictable and too inaccurate.
Exercise 3 (There is a video explanation available)
Stand in a space with enough clearance around you to swing your racket. From a defensive position, place your non-racquet hand on the front of your shoulder to feel the muscles move.
Now, with your non-racquet hand still on your shoulder, prepare to hit overhead and feel which way your arm and shoulder are moving. I understand? Now play the shot and pay attention to the follow through and where your racket ends up.
Do the same exercise again, but this time lift the racket over your shoulder as if you were scratching your back. His elbow should point almost up. Can you feel the difference? If you can, that suggests you’re more likely to use a corkscrew action in your preparation.
If you didn’t feel a difference, roll your shoulders as if you were going to hit the shuttlecock. Your racket will move to its usual position.
When you launch the racket from here, look at the racket line. Is it coming out in a direct line toward where you want to hit the shuttle, or is it falling over your body toward your non-racket leg?
If your racket is going in a straight line, then you have great technique and are probably already hitting the shuttle pretty hard. Focus on exercises 1 and 2 to see if you can improve in these areas.
If your racket is somewhere near your non-racket foot, you may find that you hit harder and more consistently on the cross court than straight up. If it does, then the action of the corkscrew is a cause. Also, you may find that you take most of your round head shots off the court.
quick summary
Ok, so we’ve covered some basics here, but from what I keep seeing in clubs, a large percentage of players can improve the power of their badminton strokes by improving in one, two or all three key areas.
Have fun trying these exercises out and hopefully you’ll find the area where quickly finding a little more focus makes a world of difference to the outcome of your success.
This article is not intended to be a complete list of ways to improve the power of your badminton stroke. I’ve chosen my “big three” because they’re relatively easy to see for yourself when you don’t have the luxury of working with a trainer.