Does weight make you smash harder in badminton?

Discussion in 'Techniques / Training' started by john1994, Jan 9, 2015.

  1. john1994

    john1994 Regular Member

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    Does weight make you smash harder in badminton? Let say a 80kg guy would he smash harder than someone who is 50kg? I mean do you use your body weight and jump smash so does that mean it smash harder, I am not sure how science work in this situation, but please let me know.
     
  2. InvincibleAjay

    InvincibleAjay Regular Member

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    The power of the smash comes from various things... mostly the legs and rotation of the hips to propel the body weight forward, then the rest comes from the supination and pronation of the forearm before and after hitting the shot. Having the correct grip, staying relaxed, taking the shuttle as high as possible infront of you are all factors. Speed of movement is also important.

    So what I am talking about, the power of the smash comes from proper technique incorporating all of above. It doesn't matter if you are a muscular man or a thin chap, if you have bad technique, your smash will lack power and generally will be poor.

    Say both the 80kg and 50kg guys are of same standard in terms of technique etc, then perhaps the 80kg might generate more power as he probably would have stronger leg muscles etc to create more momentum but I doubt it would be a larger percentage than someone that is lighter. The top badminton players that are hard smashers are not considered 'heavy' they are nimble, agile and fast with great technique on the whole.

    There are some great explanations online on the science behind the various badminton shots but I tried to summarise in layman terms as best as I could. I hope this helps.

    Kindest regards,

    -Ajay-

    Quote of the Day
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  3. john1994

    john1994 Regular Member

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    THanks for the information, but what if both have same muscle mass, one of them is fat plus also have a lot muscle, compare to the other one who is skinny and also have same muscle mass, so does the fatty pig guy still smash harder?
     
  4. InvincibleAjay

    InvincibleAjay Regular Member

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    I love how you label the people, it made me laugh... anyhow I will stay on subject...

    Hard to call as my thinking would be the heavier guy is carrying more weight so it causes more effort to move the same way and at the same speed as someone that is lighter.

    Heavier person - moved slower + more momentum = X power generated
    Lighter person - moves faster + less momentum = X power generated

    So I would think it would cancel each other out and generate the same X power give or take a few percentage. This is just my thinking and I think others might have different opinions. Hope I have explained clearly. Against I stress the biggest factor to improve smash power is not to put on muscle mass and get heavier but to improve technique about all else.

    Kindest regards,

    -Ajay-

    Quote of the Day
    Some people drink from the fountain of knowledge, others just gargle.
     
  5. MSeeley

    MSeeley Regular Member

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    Power comes down to genetics. Some people have more fast twitch muscle fibres than others - these are the muscles used for explosive, powerful movements. If the skinny guy has a better type of muscles, and both have excellent technique, the skinny guy will be able to swing his racket faster (by using more powerful/explosive muscles) and hence hit harder. You can develop fast twitch muscles, but some people naturally have more potential for power than others.

    E.g. when it comes to running, Mo Farah is excellent at running and can run very long distances. Usain Bolt is also excellent at running, but has a different type of muscle, and so is very good at sprinting (but not good at long distance). Most people are somewhere in between.

    Its the same for badminton, some players have a lot of natural power, and others don't. You can always train to get more powerful (up to a point), but a naturally non powerful person will never have the same potential as someone with the "correct" genes. I am sure that, at lower levels of play, a bit of extra "weight" may help with smashing, but at high levels its not necessarily true.
     
  6. InvincibleAjay

    InvincibleAjay Regular Member

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    You also need to bear in mind that you need to get behind the shuttle and take is early, if someone is heavier and not as agile as someone that is faster around the court, they may not necessarily be in the optimal position to smash the shuttlecock.

    Kindest regards,

    -Ajay-

    Quote of the Day
    Some people drink from the fountain of knowledge, others just gargle.
     
  7. R20190

    R20190 Regular Member

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    I think aside from all the points made above, there is perhaps a little truth in being beefier when it comes to smashing and that is the transfer of momentum to the shuttle. On impacting the shuttle, there is a reaction from the racquet to your hand and in turn back into your shoulder and body. If you have a greater bulk mass in your arm and shoulder say, it is likely to be more stable during the impact and is therefore more efficient at transferring the energy to the shuttle.

    Having said that, this accounts for far less than the other points mentioned by others i.e. technique, timing and positioning as can be seen in the likes of Taufik Hidayat who is perhaps one of the hardest hitting singles players ever to play the game and looking at him he is not heavily built at all.
     
  8. MSeeley

    MSeeley Regular Member

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    Taufik is a great example! Massive massive massive power, but skinny as anything!
     
  9. Cloudx

    Cloudx Regular Member

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    Hmm how abt we lift weights to increase muscle mass on the arm, will that help in having harder smash as well?
     
  10. orangenetic

    orangenetic Regular Member

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    Yes lifting weights would help you play badminton.
    Lifting will lead to increased muscle strength and also muscle mass. But increased muscle strength will help you. Muscle mass won't help you much.
     
  11. TeddyC

    TeddyC Regular Member

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    IMO & IME, developing more muscles definitely helps in smashing better.

    Two things to note, however. First, while ur smash may get better, ur game techniques (eg: net play, drives, clear) will nd to b adjusted to accommodate the change in ur physique. This requires practice n time.

    Second, there's a trade-off between muscles n speed. Other things being equal, more muscles generally means less speed.
     
  12. john1994

    john1994 Regular Member

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    Ok so i eat a lot reach 1000kg then I become fatty pig but one smash is 1000kg = 1000 momentum, so basically I can finish my opponent in one smash or one hit KO right? isn't much better than speed haha?
     
  13. Shinichi

    Shinichi Regular Member

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    Basically you will destroy the shuttle
     
  14. TeddyC

    TeddyC Regular Member

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    Being obese doesnt equate to a hard smash... only heart attack...
    ( *.^)
     
  15. leongwaipak

    leongwaipak Regular Member

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    Fyi LCW only weighs around sixty kgs and he has a mean smash.

    I'm borderline obese BMI ~ 30 (92 kg and 175 cm) but I have a reasonably strong smash which uses mostly the forearm and a little bit of upper body. I don't jump very high for my smashes anyway.

    It's all about good technique and generating fast racquet head speed. I've seen really muscular guys who struggled to play badminton well because of their lack of flexibility and speed.

    And I don't play competition anymore because it probably will give me a heart attack.
     
  16. john1994

    john1994 Regular Member

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    i dont think lee chong wei 60kg, I think he is heavier now, that 60kg was taken long time ago.
     
  17. orangenetic

    orangenetic Regular Member

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    Most badminton players look like stick figures from far away, but if you look closely, they're like a stick figure built with muscles.

    They have compact muscles which are very strong but don't take a lot of mass. You can make these compact muscles by lifting light weights a for a long time. Not sure if players actually lift weights but from what i've seen, they use Rubber stretchers and jump ropes and stuff like that. Strengthens your muscles little by little so it doesn't give much mass.

    Mass can kinda get in your way if you want to move quickly and swing more easily.
     
  18. john1994

    john1994 Regular Member

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    yes but lee chong wei is not 60kg for sure, that was taken when he was around his early 20 years of age, back then he was really skinny, but now I bet is 70 kg and lin dan is 75kg. since weight is not important factor so wikipedia don't bother update it.
     
  19. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    First to have to reach the shuttle.. ;)

    Increased mass would help but the advantage for a sport would vary according to the sport. In Sumo, rugby and American Football, it's an advantage.

    A power game like tennis, mass is an advantage up to a point. But you can see the advantage diminishes with badminton and table tennis because speed of movement of body is an important factor at high levels.
     
  20. jug8man

    jug8man Regular Member

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    The mass rule does apply for badminton but not in the same way as boxing rugby .

    E= mc2
    C: acceleration n speed of the racket swing
    M: mass of the contact point (in this case the racket head)

    The badminton player acts as a pivot. E=mc2 does not apply to the pivot.

    Same rules seen in whipping. 60kg girl can whip as hard as 200kg guy.

    This theory is whipped :p
     

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