My overhead technique has improved a lot in the last 6 months. The shape generally looks decent but I lack consistency in power. Coach says I need to use my forearm more to generate greater racket head speed, however watching video back, when I try to use more forearm I also end up using way too much shoulder. Even when I'm making a conscious effort to stop using my should for power, I still use it. Is there another focus I can use to trick myself into using more forearm and less shoulder? I don't want to sound rude or like a know it all but I've received quite a bit of coaching from several coaches and have watched a billion videos on overhead technique as well as read these forums raw. I'm aware of correct grip, pronation, kinetic chain blah blah. In theory I know what a good overhead should be but in practice my body doesn't do what I tell it.
1. You may be too tense and thus rely on your shoulder for power. Relax your grip more. Having a thinner grip helps in that case. 2. You may not prepare your arm well enough. When the shuttle is coming right in front of you, prepare your racket arm 180° away from it (elbow behind you, like firing a bow). If you don't prepare it correctly (let's say 90°), you will tend to use a pushing motion with your elbow and shoulder, resulting in incorrect technique. 3. Pay attention to where your elbow is relative to your body. Using too much shoulder usually results in your elbow being way in front of you (see point 2), thus not having enough space to pronate correctly before contact. Same scenario, the shuttle is coming right in front of you, you prepare your elbow behind you (180° away). My tip is when you rotate your body and your elbow starts getting to that 90°, you should make to mental note to already start pronating. If you only start pronating when your elbow is past 90°, then it's too late, you are too much in a pushing motion.
The not using shoulder is baloney terminology some coaches use. When rotating the upper arm, eg as one would in proper technique, one would use their shoulder, and coaches have no issue with this use of the shoulder. What coaches mean by "don't use your shoulder" is don't Lower your arm to hit it, lower it after you hit it. And to lower it just let the arm drop rather than putting it down with force. Lowering and raising the arm uses the shoulder. And they also mean don't do some weird movement where you only use upper arm rotation and go too far and injure your rotator cuff in your shoulder. If when you shadow it with no shuttle , in front of a mirror, then your body keeps doing different to what you tell it then speak to your doctor and maybe get a psychiatrist and speak to them. You write "My overhead technique has improved a lot in the last 6 months". <-- And your body doesn't do what you tell it? Well lucky it doesn't listen to you then!! Maybe it knows better than you!
I am surprised that you can make such a definitive and confident statement without actually seeing the OP’s stroke beforehand.
I did not refer to the OP's stroke. I referred to the "too much shoulder" or "don't use the shoulder" type line that some coaches say, and what they mean by it.
To avoid excessive shoulder action, try thinking of your motion as pulling (instead of pushing) your racket face forward into the shuttle. A subtle difference but important in having a relaxed arm and avoiding the shoulder push. Sent from my SM-G988W using Tapatalk
Which is exactly why a video is required for context. The coaches in your country may be expressing their ideas differently to those in the OP’s country.
How can numerous coaches not have helped you fix the issue? Post the video here if you can, like cheung asked for
a video of you in action would help for sure. but in general terms, people who use more shoulder than forearm do not know how to use the wrist as the last fulcrum to accelerate the racket (despite knowing the idea of pronation and such). this video even ,without english subtitles, illustrates the idea quite well. also note the exaggerated loose grip and subsequent grip tightening, though that is not so relevant to your discussion. if done correctly now but not before, you might experience some new sensation such as having to hold your arm up and out (though not fully extended) until the racket has finished accelerating through the shuttle before bringing the arm/racket down towards your center/left hip.
