Should we use different Power Levels for Smashes? – Steve’s Badminton Blog and Website

We have had several discussions on the blog and a dedicated page on the power levels of a smash. Now, the question which I would like to address is when do we use the different power levels in an actual match? Let’s discuss.

The misconception for most players is that the harder the smash, the better it is. This is usually not true. In fact, the harder we smash in a match, it seems the opponent can still return it with ease. I am sure we all have that feeling before. And for most players, the answer appears to be to try and smash harder still. Unfortunately, that is not the answer, and this will usually lead to a mistake on the player doing the smash.

In badminton, the point is gained when the shuttle touches the floor on the opponent’s side of the court. That means the faster the shuttle touches the floor, the better. With this in mind, it just means the steeper the smash, the better. A more powerful smash has a straighter trajectory, and due to that, it stays in the air longer. Some might argue that the faster the shuttle goes, then the faster it reaches the other side and lands. Well, that is not true.

The force acting on a shuttle to pull it down is gravity. The feathers of the shuttle are aerodynamic, and is capable of flight. Flight can be achieved when the feather catches air, either by having the air move towards it, or the feather moving into the air. Aircraft flies when it reaches a liftoff speed. That is when the wings are able to support the weight of the aircraft when there is enough air under the wings to provide lift. Same thing with birds. They flap their wings faster and faster until they are able to lift off.

This is true for badminton as well. When the shuttle is flying fast, the feathers catch the air and is able to glide. When it looses speed, it stops gliding and starts falling. Observe the trajectory of lobs. This is trajectory “A” in the trajectory diagram I use extensively on the website.

The shuttle starts falls when it losses enough energy, which means it does not have enough speed to continue its flight. It starts falling to the ground. Attacking lobs shows a similar trajectory and the shuttle starts falling after it losses speed.

What this means is, the shuttle will not fall until it gets too slow. If a smash is hit with a lot of power, it will keep moving straight, until it losses enough speed and starts falling. This means, if the player does not hit the smash in a trajectory which is low enough, the hard smash has a much higher chance of going out.

Effective smashes are those which have a steep trajectory. Those used by Axelsen are not very powerful, but very steep as he uses his height to maximum effect. It is not the power in the smash which causes the damage, but the steep angle of its flight.

The picture above shows how Axelsen jumps up to get the shuttle as high as possible. This allows him to send the shuttle in the steepest angle possible. A tall man like Axelsen with a jump to add even more elevation, it just means he can send the shuttle in a very steep angle, and the shuttle will be in the air for a very short amount of time after his hit.

Most players are not as tall as Axelsen. and they are not able to reach that elevation for the smash. Usually, players will be hitting a smash at around the same height of them taking an overhead shot. This means the smash travels at a much flatter trajectory, like a lower attacking lob. This means the shuttle stays in the air almost as long as a lob.

Observe the trajectory for a slice. It flies straight, then starts to drop as it looses energy. It means the shuttle lands much quicker, closer to the net. And the shuttle stays in the air for a lot less time. That makes the slice a very dangerous weapon in badminton. In fact, it is arguable the most potent weapon in badminton due to those characteristics. The slice is extremely difficult to execute, and there is always a danger of a mishit. It would be much easier to use a smash to try and achieve the same results.

This is when playing with the power of the smash becomes important. BWF Commentators Jull Clarke and Steen Pedersen always talks about varying the power of the shots. Players who vary the power are much more difficult to play against.

Imagine hitting a smash, but using less power so that it flies like a slice. That becomes a half smash, or as some call it, “stick smash”. With Han Jian’s method, every smash which does not use all 5 power levels are called half smashes “点杀”.

Using just the wrist, 1 power level, would be a tap.

Just using the wrist and arm, 2 power levels, would generate decent power, making the smash fly like a slice drop.

Using 3 power levels, the wrist, arm and body turn, would make the half smash fly like a slice or reversed slice.

Using 4 power levels would make the smash trajectory like a slice smash.

All these different power levels allows for variations of the smash or any other shot. The different trajectories means the opponent has to adjust for the distance, height and speed of the shuttle. This increases the probability of making a mistake.

In our sparring sessions which I do not often post on YouTube, Fred finds the shots he can’t save are not the power smashes, but the ones where I use different power levels. Those are the ones which do the most damage. And, I am making him incorporate these variation into his game instead of relying on his power smash all the time.

That’s it for this entry.

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