http://www.badmintonsmashsecrets.com It seems to cover a lot of the smash techniques and really interested to purchase but not sure how good it is has anyone bought this book.
This "book" seems very questionable, for a number of reasons: There is no author listed or even ever mentioned. Most non-scam badminton books are written by sport scientists, coaches or players, none of whom would have a problem with their name being associated with a book they wrote. The domain is registered to Reuben Lau, a Canadian web developer with no significant badminton qualifications I could find. The testimonials are likely fake: None of them mention even first names. The style of language is quite similar overall. Smash secrets is something many beginners would look for, when more advanced players understand that badminton is more complex; an important part of a smash is the footwork. Therefore, most legitimate badminton books cover the whole technique. The first chapter seems to focus on rackets. This is a surprising start. Most actual badminton books don't have more than a small discussion about rackets. Chapter 3 covers jump smash - which seems sensible - but also backhand smash. The technique for a backhand smash is totally different than any forehand shot. This grouping seems rather strange. Most actual badminton books have one chapter for overhead forehand shots (clear/smash/drop) and one for overhand backhand shots (drop/clear/smash). It's self-published, which is not that rare but does not bolster legitimacy. Without having bought the book, these red flags would prevent me from buying it. Instead, better ask a local coach to do a smash-only session for you.
As always, @phihag's answer is so thorough that there is nothing left to add apart from nodding my head. Save that money and better invest it in something else. A technique-related book that starts with a comparison of (outdated) rackets is reason enough to stop taking it seriously. And anyway, learning certain techniques from a book is IMO only possible, if you have a coaching lessons in parallel in which you can try and discuss the things you have read. Simply reading a book and improve your badminton by that is nothing but a nice illusion. And -*spoiler alert!*- sadly, there are no secrets behind a good smash technique. It all comes down to developing a decent technique, starting from the correct footwork and positioning, to a fluid movement and engangement of the core muscles and ending with a powerful underarm rotation. You will find a lot of good video clips on Youtube that cover the topic. And for starters, if you want to see probably t h e best smash technique in ultra slow motion, just watch this... and watch it again... If you like to have someone explaining more theoretically the essential steps, I found the clips from this playlist to be interesting and covering the most important points (just noticed that she's also promising to reveal some "secrets"... ): And here we have another classic clip that covers the most essential things pretty well: And as said already, there is nothing that can replace some time spent with a coach, best in a one-on-one situation.
