The smash is hit fast, downward with force, and steep, to put away any bird that has been hit up and short. The smash can be hit only from the overhead position. The shuttle is hit with power, but you should get your timing and balance before trying to get excessive speed on your smash. The most important characteristic of a good overhead smash besides speed is the downward angle. The bird is contacted farther in front of the body than the clear or the drop shot. Your racket face is angled to direct the bird more downward. If your angle is steep enough, the smash may be unreturnable.
Several characteristics of the smash also pres- ent problems for the player doing the smashing.
If the smash is returned, you will have very little time to recover. The overhead smash requires a lot of energy and can quickly tire you out. Also, the farther you are from the net, the less steep your smash will be. Therefore, it is important for you to choose the correct opportunity to use your smash most effectively. The further you are from the net when you hit the smash, the more velocity the bird will lose as it travels to the op- ponent, thus making it easier to return.
The value of the overhead smash is that it gives your opponent very little time to prepare or return any shuttle that he or she hits up and short. The smash is used extensively in doubles.
High-speed motion cinematography has shown that the overhead smash loses approximately two-thirds of its initial velocity by the time it reaches the opponent on the other side of the net. The steeper the angle you can create, the less time your opponent will have to react. Also, the more accurate your smash, the more court your opponent has to cover.
A smash that is not angled downward is gen- erally less effective. The shuttle stays in the air longer and gives your opponent more time to potentially make a return. However, occasionally a hard flat smash can surprise an opponent who is crouched, ready to receive a steeply-angled smash, but is caught off-guard by an unintended high smash in which the shuttle reached the defender at shoulder height rather than below the waist. Because the defender is expecting a steep smash and his or her racket was low to the ground, he or she has little time to raise the racket to catch the shot, resulting in a miss-hit.
Smash
FOREHAND SMASH
body. Your racket head must move at a rapid rate as it goes out to meet the shuttle. Angle your racket face downward at contact (figure 6.1b). Keep your balance to achieve the maxi- mum power from your shoulders, racket arm, and wrist. After contact, your forearm pronates rapidly with follow-through down and in line with the flight of the shuttle (figure 6.1c). Your racket head finishes pointing downward. As you complete your weight shift from back to front, your nondominant shoulder and arm assist in completing a vigorous upper-body rotation, and the scissoring action of your legs propels you back toward centercourt.
The intention of the overhead forehand smash should be to suggest that an overhead clear or drop shot is about to be hit. The difference is pri- marily in racket speed. To execute a good fore- hand overhead smash, assume the handshake grip and move into waiting position behind and in line with the oncoming shuttle (figure 6.1a).
As you move into position, pivot at your waist and turn your shoulders sideways to the net.
Take your racket back and drop the racket head down behind your shoulder blades with your racket arm elbow pointing up.
Throw your racket up to meet the shuttle with your elbow leading. Take the overhead forehand smash as high as possible and in front of your
Figure 6.1 Forehand Smash
PREPARATION
1. Use the handshake grip
2. Recover into waiting or receiving stance 3. Turn your shoulders with feet up and
back
4. Hold your racket arm up with racket head pointed up
5. Distribute your weight evenly on the balls of your feet
(continued) a
EXECUTION
1. Put your weight on your rear foot
2. Hold your nondominant arm out for balance 3. Place your wrist in a cocked position with
your backswing
4. Swing forward and up to contact as high as possible
5. Throw your racket out and upward with your racket face down
6. Allow your nondominant arm to aid in speeding your upper-body rotation
7. Have your racket head follow the direction of the shuttle
FOLLOW-THROUGH
1. Swing down and across your body
2. Use scissoring action and push off with both feet
3. Use momentum of swing to return to cen- tercourt
Misstep
Your arm swing and resulting smash are poorly timed. You slush, or miss-hit, the shuttle and hit a weak return.
Correction
Spend more time on your smash and practice your stroking action so you make contact at the correct time.
Figure 6.1
(continued)b c
Smash
Misstep
You are off balance and unable to generate maximum speed and power on the smash and thus your smash is more easily returned.
Correction
Keep your nondominant arm extended for balance.
Even if the initial speed of your smash reaches 200 miles per hour or more, the shuttle loses speed quickly and angles down toward the floor after passing over the net. High-speed motion film analysis indicates that the shuttle loses ap- proximately two-thirds of its initial speed before getting to the opponent.
The powerful stroking action of the smash is similar to the overhead smash in tennis and is intended to put away any short return by an opponent. You may push the shuttle past the net player and force the backcourt player to hit his
or her return up, giving you or your partner an opportunity to smash. The smash is particularly effective in doubles play; it can cause some inde- cision as to which player should make the return.
The sooner and higher you contact the shuttle, the faster and steeper your smash returns will be. Another motive for using the smash or half- smash in doubles is to set up your partner for a kill near the net. The smash is often hit from deep in the backcourt, not to win the point since it likely will be returned, but so your partner can get to the net for the kill.