By reading till here, you would have come across various badminton strokes in the previous blog posts. But if there’s one stroke in badminton that is powerful, crowd pleasing and rally winning, all at once, that’s the smash. In a smash, the shuttle travels at speeds in excess of 400 km/hr before striking the opponent’s court or even the opponent for that matter!

The smash can be played from either rear court or mid court to the opponent’s mid court area, along the side lines or on the opponent’s body. This is very much an attacking stroke that can either win you a point or ensure a weak return from the opponent. The trick is to vary the depth, speed and angle of the smash to effectively displace your opponent. And in case of a weak, high mid court return from the opponent, this can be punished with a powerful smash.

Grip and Posture

Moving on to execution, let’s start with the grip and posture for a smash. Begin by holding the racquet with a V-grip. Step back to switch the load to your rear leg with a sideways stance. Push upwards and forward aggressively with the rear leg.

Position and Technique

Now jump in the air with your elbow facing upwards in a forward direction. Hit the shuttle hard at the highest point in front of the body and direct it downwards. Follow-through and finish the arm rotation before you land. There’s one important thing to note with regards to your grip. Keep your grip relaxed throughout the stroke, except for the point of impact with the shuttle.

Perfecting Your Smash

Knowing the technique behind the smash is only the first step. You need to practise this stroke in order to improve your accuracy and power. There are a few recommended exercises that can help in this. For the first one, you’ll need a sparring partner or coach to assist you. It involves a racquet feed with you smashing the shuttle each time as a return.

The next exercise focuses on improving your precision and accuracy. These are as important as power when it comes to a smash. To hone this, add targets near the side lines for you to aim at while smashing the shuttle. Coming to the final exercise, practise a 1 on 1 predictable rally with your sparring partner. The sequence of moves or routine is predetermined and involves a smash, block, lift and smash again. This will help improve your technique and make you quick on your feet.

The smash is no doubt a stroke that can be a game changer in any badminton match, helping you score more points and putting your opponent on the back foot. Use the exercises you have read up on to improve your control and power, so you can dominate the court. Keep reading to know all about the forehand drop shot in the next post.