Leaning forward after the smash – why do it – Steve’s Badminton Blog and Website

Today, I am going to discuss the classic badminton finishing move, the smash with the follow up to tap. Top players always follow up to the smash so that they can attack any returns by the opponent and gain a point.

Han Jian trains us in this every session by forcing us to move forward to execute a tap after a smash. The objective of the training is not to hit a powerful smash to gain the point outright, but it is to train us in having the mobility to move forward quickly to attack, and then to reverse back quickly to get ready to launch the next attack.

This move is used all the time by top players, and for this blog entry, I am going to be using the classic rivalry between Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei. I am mostly showcasing Lin Dan as an example simply because Lee Chong Wei does lean forward after the smash. This is the match from 2013.

Lee Chong Wei is naturally athletic, so he has incredible speed and is able to run after his smash even when he lands in perfect balance. Normal humans such as me are not able to do that. I have to rely on technique in order to achieve the same results, and this is the technique to do it.

Clip 1

In the first clip above, we can see Lin Dan doing the classic net shot to force Lee Chong Wei into a lift. And when Lee Chong Wei lifts it, Lin Dan executes his smash. As he lands, Lin Dan leans forward. He does this by pushing his legs behind him during the turn after his jump. And when he lands with his legs behind him, he bends his left knee, so that he leans forward slightly. That lean forwards helps him initiate his run forward, and in an instant after he lands, he is already running forward.

In this instance, Lin Dan managed to get the point from his smash as Lee Chong Wei did not manage to return the shuttle. Even if Lee Chong Wei was able to do so, Lin Dan was in a very good position to tap the return as he was already running forward immediately after his smash, before Lee Chong Wei got to the shuttle.

Clip 2

In the second clip above, Lin Dan send his lift to Lee Chong Wei’s backhand side at the end of the court. Lee Chong Wei decides to use his backhand to hit a return. It was something which Lin Dan was hunting for. Lin Dan took a position closer to the right hand side of the court, anticipating Lee Chong Wei to hit a straight lob with his backhand. When Lee Chong Wei hit the backhand return, Lin Dan was there to smash it down. And after the smash, Lin Dan was ready to move forward.

Backhand lobs are usually much lower powered than forehand lobs. For Lee Chong Wei, it could be observed that he hit the backhand lob without a body turn. It was just a swing with the racquet without a full follow through of his arm. From the video, we could see that the backhand lob from Lee Chong Wei was flying much lower than usual, and this allowed Lin Dan to intercept the shot earlier.

Lin Dan got the point from the smash, but he was ready to move forward quickly after the smash. When hitting a smash right over the head at the backhand side, it is not possible to lean forward after the hit. And Lin Dan landed with in balance, and he quickly turned his body and shifted his balance forward in order to lean forward and run towards the net.

Clip 3

In the third clip above, Lin Dan sends a flick to Lee Chong Wei’s forehand. When Lee Chong moves into return it, he does not get enough height onto his cross court clear. Lin Dan sees that opportunity and promptly attacks the shot by launching a smash from his backhand side. Lin Dan lands in balance, and he quickly adjusts his balance to move forward immediately. When Lee Chong Wei blocks the smash high over the net, Lin Dan is there to hit another one and gain the point.

In this case, Lin Dan sees a return which is lower than usual, and this would allow him to launch an attack. He takes the opportunity and hits a straight smash. Without even waiting to see if Lee Chong Wei is getting the shot or not, Lin Dan already starts moving forward the moment he lands. He lands and shift his balance so that he leans forward, and with that he is able to run forward. And due to that, he is able to get the point.

Clip 4

In the final clip above, Lin Dan draws Lee Chong Wei into a long rally. During the rally, Lin Dan keeps probing for areas to attack. When Lee Chong Wei sends the shuttle not far enough to the rear of the court, Lin Dan sees an opportunity and launches a straight smash from his backhand side. This time, Lin Dan is able to lean forward after the smash. Leaning forward allows him to move to the net even quicker than before, and when Lee Chong Wei blocks the smash, Lin Dan is already there, hitting it down.

In this case, Lin Dan took the smash almost in a standing position. Lee Chong Wei’s return was high and slow. This allowed Lin Dan to move into a position to launch a smash. When Lin Dan found the shuttle to be not as far to the back as the other shots, he could attack it. And he jumped and turned to smash. When he landed, he pushed his legs behind his body so that he is leaning forward. And with that he could initiate his run forward very quickly. And that allowed him to attack the return from Lee Chong Wei and gain a point.

Conclusion

There have been many doubters on the YouTube channel who left unflattering or downright rude comments. I suppose it is human nature to ridicule what they do not understand, or something which looks different, or someone who looks different. Throughout human history, this has always been the case.

This is definitely not the usual case. Not many players do this, simply because it is so hard to do. Only the best players out there do this. This is the reason why they are the best. What I am writing about here is from the knowledge of one of the best in the history of badminton.

And, it is fine to disagree with the knowledge shared by someone who has won most of the major trophies out there in his time. But, have you ever stop to wonder why the top players are what they are: top players? What are they doing differently which makes them top players?

Well, this is one of the many things which they do differently, and that is why they are top players. Granted, some top players do not do this. Shi Yuqi does not do this. Chen Long does not do this. Lee Chong Wei does not do this.

Momota does this. Lin Dan does this. Han Jian does this. Zhao Jianhua does this.

There is no right or wrong with badminton. You do what is right for you. The players will do what is right for them. It so happens some of the best of the best do this.

That’s it for this entry.

Until the next entry, eat well, get plenty of rest and keep the badminton going!