One of the hottest topics I’ll be covering in my online coaching program is increasing power to your badminton smash.

Wherever I travel to coach, there are always two major questions I’m asked

1. How to improve the backhand
2. 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 in the smash, so let’s get started…

Let’s Begin With Your Feet!

Why your feet? Simple. If you haven’t the speed to get behind the shuttle before you hit it, then there is no way you are going to hit a good powerful accurate smash. You need to be behind the shuttle so your bodyweight is ready to move in the direction of your smash. Adding your bodyweight to the smash provides more power.

How far behind the shuttle should you stand? Ideally, you need to be far enough that the shuttle would land slightly ahead of your non racket leg, but in alignment with your racket shoulder.

Exercise 1

You need to test whether you are moving fast enough to get behind the shuttle. Stand on the front service line and ask your feeder to lift the shuttle towards the back line. Now, with your racket in your hand, try to beat the shuttle. But, you mustn’t hit the shuttle! Instead, allow it to hit the floor and note the position it lands in relation to your body.

Where is the shuttle? Is it sufficiently in front of your body that you can hit it down, allowing your bodyweight to move forward? If not, you’ve just discovered one key element you need to improve that will add more power to your smash.

So try again, and this time move faster, going beyond where you would normally stop. Test again. Any better? If so, repeat this exercise until you are comfortable that you’ve got it right.

Finally, test again by moving back and this time hit the shuttle. Work it and it’s likely the first few shots will fall into the net!

Grip

There are so many club and league players I’ve seen that seem to move and hit with excessive tension in their bodies. This tension is caused by pressure getting to the shuttle on time, frustration from wanting to hit the shuttle better or score more points and most likely a host of minor reasons that are causing a major issue.

When the body is tense, it is unable to perform anywhere near its optimum capability. A tense body cannot move as fast, hit as fast or as powerfully as one that is free from tension. Think about it. If you were to go onto court to play against a player you know you can easily beat, why is it your shots are so much better and you appear to move so much faster? Yes, you’re not under pressure and therefore playing with a sense of freedom – freedom from tension.

One of the major adjustments I ask of most players is the way in which they grip their racket. I’m not talking about correct forehand or backhand grips here, although that does feature high on my list.

In this article I’m talking about the strength of your grip. If you grip your racket too tight, then your muscles are constantly under tension. This does not allow them to flow and carry out you instructions to move in a certain way in order to hit the shuttle. They are almost fighting to move in the right sequence.

A tight grip then restricts the amount of power available to these muscles, which only leads to a poor result and disappointment for the player. If you consistently grip the shuttle too tight, then you’re running the risk of injuring your elbow. Tennis or golfers elbow is extremely painful and is frequently caused by your grip being too tight, or your racket grip being too small for the size of your hand.

Exercise 2

Go on court and hit shuttles with a very relaxed grip. Grip the racket firm enough that it won’t slip out of your hand – you don’t want to see the whites of your knuckles or you’re gripping too tight! Play a few overhead shots and the second before your racket connects with the shuttle, squeeze a little tighter.

I expect you’ll find that you’re hitting the shuttle harder as your racket can accelerate quicker towards the shuttle without the tension to apply the brakes.

Your backswing can make all the difference

Looking back over the last 30 years or so, preparation for an overhead shot has changed. This is mainly due to the significant improvements in racket technology. No longer are we playing with steel framed rackets, weighing considerably more than the average 85g in todays rackets. The lightweight, one-piece carbon construction has meant that you can now prepare and hit in a second. There’s no need for a long backswing – an almost tennis-like serve in order to hit an overhead shot in badminton.

What I do see so often is almost a “corkscrew” action whereby the racket is moved with the shoulder turn. So why is this wrong?

Whenever you move a muscle, or series of muscles, they always want to return to a neutral position i.e. go back to where they started from.

A corkscrew action therefore usually creates a reverse action. This means that instead of the racket being thrown in a direct line at the shuttle, it’s almost moving across the path of the shuttle. Catch the shuttle at precisely the right point and you may hit a good smash.

But, this method is extremely unpredictable and inaccurate too.

Exercise 3

Stand in a space with sufficient clearance around you to swing your racket. From a defensive stance, place your non racket hand onto the front of your shoulder to feel the muscles move.

Now, with your non-racket hand still on your shoulder, prepare to hit an overhead and feel which way your arm and shoulder are moving. Got it? Now play the shot and pay attention to the follow through and where your racket finishes.

Do the same exercise again, but this time lift your racket straight over your shoulder as though you are scratching your back. Your elbow should be pointing virtually upright. Can you feel a difference? If you can, that suggests you’re more likely to be using a corkscrew action in your preparation.

If you didn’t feel a difference, turn your shoulders as though you are going to hit the shuttle. Your racket will move to its usual position.

When you throw the racket from here, watch the line of the racket. Is it going out in direct line to where you want to hit the shuttle, or is it falling across your body towards your non-racket leg?

If your racket is going in a straight line then you’ve got great technique and chances are you’re 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, then you may find that you hit stronger and more consistently cross court than you do straight. If you do, then the corkscrew action is a cause. Also, you may find that you pull most of your round-the-head shots out of court.

Quick Summary

OK, we’ve covered some basic ground here, but from what I continue to see in clubs, a huge percentage of players can improve the power of their badminton smashes by improving in one, two or all three of these key areas.

Have some fun testing these exercises out, and hopefully you’ll find the one area where you quickly find a little more focus makes a huge difference in the result of your smash.

This article is not meant to be a complete checklist of ways to improve the power of your badminton smash. I’ve chosen my “big three” because they are relatively easy for you to check for yourself when you haven’t the luxury of working with a coach.

During my travels and discussions with players, I’m amazed at the number of times I’m told stories of major defeats, with the only reason given was that they played on the opponents “home” court.

For most badminton tournaments or league matches there isn’t a huge crowd to cheer the locals to victory. This is what our international players have to play against. So, why should there be such a difference and what can you do to combat home advantage?

Here’s my top 5 tips to help you make a major breakthrough in your away matches

1 Court Dimension

Most court measurements are the same to meet International Badminton regulations. However, you should not take it for granted that they are. Pace your existing court so you know the dimensions. When you get to the away match, a quick check should confirm you’re playing on a court with the same measurements.

Believe it or not, I’ve been caught out by this in the past. I played at an old church hall and the court was short, although the club had painted the lines so it looked fine. As a result, my serves were long and I struggled to keep the shuttle in. On this occasion, I averaged a loss of 7 points per game which turned the eventual result into my opponents favour.

Here’s what you must do…

First of all you need to check which dimensions are incorrect prior to adjusting your game. If it’s just the back line that is shorter then the simple action is to test hitting “short” and asking your partner to allow the shuttle to drop so you can gauge where it’s landing in relation to the line. You can then get a feel for the length you need to hit.

Practice both short and flick serves prior to the commencement of the game to get your eye in.

Ask your partner to short serve and flick serve you so that you can count your steps to the back service line to ensure you are clear when the shuttle is in.

Check you have sufficient room to run around your backhand without crashing into obstacles.

2 Ceiling Height

This is the usual difference and one that catches many players out. Why? Simply, the height of the ceiling can dictate the pace of the game. Teams that play in low ceiling halls tend to play a faster flatter game. They punch clear and try to attack more frequently knowing that a lift from you may hit the ceiling and be called a fault. They also play a faster pace as they are used to the speed of play in their particular hall.

Consequently, teams that play in halls with high ceilings tend to use the height to their advantage and play at a slower pace. They can vary the pace a little more and are not as fast and eager to get on the attack compared to my example above. They know that they can use height to get out of trouble and therefore are prepared to take a few more risks in order to out manoeuvre the opposition.

Here’s what you must do…

If you know ahead of time what your opponent’s home court is like, then create similar conditions whenever you can at your club and play the game to these conditions. This is easier if you play at a club with a high ceiling as you can practice punch clears, playing fast, getting on the attack quickly.

Remember also to practice your serves, both low and flick serves, but especially your low serves. If you can continue to serve well in these conditions, then your opposition is under pressure.

Work with your partner regarding their presence at the net. You need to threaten any net return from the serve from the outset so your opponents are backing off this tactical stronghold. The more you control the serve and restrict your opponent’s returns, the more points you will win. Controlling the net is always a winning tactic.

Sadly, if you play in a hall with a low ceiling, you cannot create the height to practice. However, it is easier to hire a court at such places to get some practice in.

But, if you can copy my recommendations above regarding serving and return of serve, the same tactic will work for you too. By putting pressure on your opponents in this key area may rush them into a pace of game they’re not used to. This could lead to errors and more points for you. They are then playing your normal pace which you should be better equipped to handle.

Continue to keep the shuttle low and try to play to your strengths in terms of pace and shot repertoire rather than succumbing to your opponents pace. Speed the game up at every opportunity and keep attacking.

3 Know Your Back Line

Whenever I visit a badminton club or sports centre, one of the first things I do is get to know my back line. You see, whilst the dimensions on court may be the same, it’s amazing how many times a player can be disorientated by their new surroundings. This means they leave far too many shuttles that land in, costing them dearly. Has this happened to you?

Here’s what to do about it…

Stand at the back line and look up at the ceiling. Make a mental note of any overhangs, girders etc that are there. Now judge whether the shuttle would be out if they past this point or not. Ask your partner to send a few shuttles towards the target area and see what happens. Usually, you can quickly find the spot on or near this target that allows you to make the right decision.

Make sure you do this for both sides of the court! You’d be amazed how many times players forget this and you then don’t have the time to test your target area.

Use this same target to practice your lifts from the net and ask your partner to let the shuttle fall so that you know how close to the back line you’re lifts are getting.

4 Slippery Floor

Some places you’re asked to play are deadly. They have extremely slippery floors, which means that you can hardly move your feet to retrieve the shuttle. But, your opponents seem to be fine and they’re chasing around winning point after point easily.

Here’s what you must do…

Take a spare damp towel with you in your bag. Try wiping your feet on your towel and testing the floor again. Usually, the damp towel trick does the job and suddenly you have grip. If this is the answer for you, then leave the towel by the side of your court and frequently wipe your feet in between points to maintain the best traction on your shoes.

There are sprays you can buy to help you grip. Yonex sell such a spray and I’m sure there are others too. Keep the spray in your bag for such occasions and use sparingly. Too much moisture on your sole can be just as deadly.

5 Shuttle Speeds

This is a subject readers of my blog know I am very passionate about. Players seems to think that they must accept whatever shuttle the opposition gives them as the right one for the game. No!

You already know that playing with incorrect speed shuttles can have a detrimental effect on your game. If they’re too slow , you’re struggling to reach the back line for length, or can’t finish off the point as your smash is ineffective. Or, too fast and you’re hitting shuttles out of the back on serve and wherever you are on court, giving your opponent so many easy points.

Here’s what you must do…

Stand your ground, you are in the right. Test the shuttle as I’ve shown you in an earlier video and article. If the speed does not meet the guidelines, then either change the shuttle or alter the feather until it does. This may mean tipping the feather either outwards to slow it down, or inwards to speed it up.

Never settle for a poor speed feather when you have the capability to do something about it.

Summary

No matter what conditions you are met with, there is a way in which you can prepare for them ahead of the match and be ready to face the opposition with a game plan to win.

Many of the elements I have mentioned in this article are external and can be managed if you are prepared. Certainly, there is no reason why you should lose so many points over such things if you are prepared.

These “home advantage” elements can easily dissipate with the right preparation, and instead of losing so many cheap points to your opponent, you could be turning the tables on them and winning the match.

As always, I encourage comments to my articles and if you feel there are other areas I haven’t mentioned, then please let me know. I’ll include them on a future article.

To your success.

Paul