Badminton Jump Smash
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Introduction
A badminton jump smash is the most powerful OFFENSIVE SHOT in a badminton game.
As the name suggests, a jump smash is simply jumping to create a STEEPER angle for a smash. (see picture above)
But when should you REALLY do a jump smash? Well, not until you master the badminton smash. This is a very advanced offensive shot and it can only be mastered if you can perform a basic badminton smash correctly.
Without being able to perform a correct smash, you will not be able to do a badminton jump smash.
First, see how to do a powerful badminton smash to understand the nature of a badminton smash. Also, know the correct technique to perform a strong and powerful smash.
Next, understand that a badminton jump smash has disadvantages. Similar to the normal smash (performed on the ground), a jump smash is more dangerous to perform during a badminton game.
Since this requires you to jump and perform a smash in the air, it will affect your body balance and badminton footwork.
A normal badminton smash performed on the ground will already make you lose balance easily, what more a badminton jump smash?
When to do a jump smash?
This is NOT a shot that you can do all the time during a badminton game, unless your opponent returns a very weak and poor quality shot.
A poor quality shot means the shuttlecock is high in the air somewhere in the middle of the court. A decent opponent will hardly give you those kind of shots
So the key to performing a jump smash is to create a chance for yourself.
In order to create such a chance for yourself, disrupt your opponent's footwork. This can be done by doing a badminton clear, followed by a badminton drop shot simultaneously.
You'll also need time to prepare for a jumping smash. This means that you ONLY do a jump smash when you're prepared and when the shuttlecock is still high in the air.
By "being prepared", I mean standing at a VERY firm position and already prepared to smash the shuttlecock in mid-air.
There are a few ways in which you can do a badminton jump smash. There are no definite ways in executing this technique.
For example, you can jump backwards or forward to do a strong and steep angle smash. Or even jump sideways to smash.
However, you MUST:
- Be standing at a firm position before taking the shuttle
- Have good body balance before and after you do a jump smash
- Be VERY QUICK to return to your base.
As long as you can do the above, you are ready to use this technique!
And of course, don't run before you can walk. In order to perform the correct technique for a jumping smash, understand the badminton basics first.
Tutorial
In this tutorial, I'll show you the classic badminton jump smash, where you jump forward to do a smash. This classic jumping smash will generate the most power because as you jump forward, you'll be transferring your body's momentum into your racket and hence into your shot.
1. Preparation and Aiming Phase
Position yourself at a point where the shuttlecock is above and in front of your head (see the picture above) Stand firmly and have a good body balance.
DO NOT tense your body muscles. A common mistake among casual players is that they tend to subconsciously tense their body muscles while doing a badminton jump smash.
Tensing your muscles will restrict the mobility of the muscles. Therefore you won't be able to perform a maximum swing with your arm, wrist, and waist.
Click here to find out how to generate maximum power for a badminton jump smash.
2. Preloading Phase
Jump forward and lean your bodyweight to the front so that you'll be able to transfer this momentum into your smash. The preloading phase of the jump smash ends when you've jumped to your maximum height. At this point, perform the following:
Extend Your Non-Racket Arm When you're in the air and as you raise your racket arm for the smash, extend your non-racket arm forward to counter balance the weight of your racket arm.
Gently extend your non-racket arm forward. Do not swing it forward or you'll lose balance. Keep in mind that the purpose of your non-racket arm is to help you maintain body balance.
Again, DON'T tense the muscles on your non-racket arm. This helps improve your balance. Without good body balance, it's IMPOSSIBLE for you to perform a strong swing.
But remember to extend your non-racket arm ONLY when you're in the air.
- Lift Your Legs Lift your legs slightly to generate more power. You lift your legs because you want to enable your abs and waist muscles to move easily. Some experts say you'll also be able to transfer the power from the jump into your swing.
Same advice, DON'T tense your leg muscles and GENTLY lift your legs.
Believe me that you don't even need to think about lifting your legs up. When your body have full balance in the air (by extending your non-racket arm) and as long as your body muscles are relaxed, your legs will naturally lift up.
3. Execution
Perform a 'full arm swing'. The swing will naturally direct the shuttle downwards to your opponent's side of the court. With the extra height from your jump, there's a steeper angle compared to a normal badminton smash done from the ground.
As you swing your racket arm forward, move your non-racket arm to the side.
Also make sure you use your wrist action. Flick your wrist downwards JUST BEFORE your racket make contact with the shuttle.
In the pictures, take notice of my wrist. In the preloading phase, my wrist was pointing upwards. Whereas right after I hit the shuttle, my wrist is already pointing downwards.
Try to maintain body balance as you land onto the ground and then QUICKLY return to base.
Important Tips/Advice
This badminton skill requires a lot of practice. It's not easy to do a badminton smash in the middle of the air. It's very common to be inaccurate in hitting the shuttle in mid air as well as losing your balance as you land on the ground at the beginning.
Keep practising until you have the accuracy and body balance.Also make sure that you get the correct sequence. Aim - jump - extend your non-racket arm and lift your legs up at the same time - then swing!
At the start, don't jump too high to enable better body balance and focus on the correct technique.
If you want more power for your jump smash, read this page on generating maximum power for a jump smash.
Gradually increase your jump height over time as you get better at this technique. But make sure you have good balance.
You should possess strong badminton basics to perform this advanced shot.
If you're somehow not able to execute this technique well, review your badminton basics (whether you're holding the racquet wrongly, whether you're doing a full arm swing... etc).
Get Trained by a World Champion
This is a very complicated badminton technique. If you have any difficulties in mastering the technique or if you want to learn how to execute a perfect jump smash, I recommend Peter Rasmussen's badminton coaching DVD.
He was the 1997 badminton world champion and has produced a very good video on many important badminton techniques.
Click here if you want our review of Peter Rasmussen's DVD.
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