What should I be working on?

Discussion in 'Techniques / Training' started by pcho, Mar 29, 2019.

  1. pcho

    pcho Regular Member

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2017
    Messages:
    34
    Likes Received:
    6
    Location:
    Vancouver
    Hi, I just wanted to ask what I need to work on most, here is a video of me playing. I am the one in the grey t shirt.

    Some things I feel I need to work on:
    Minimalize movement for footwork
    Place racket head pointing down when defending.
    Backhand technique
    Turning to shuffle for receiving backhand overhead shots
    Less fade away jumping shots.


    Any criticism is welcomed!
     
  2. amleto

    amleto Regular Member

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2008
    Messages:
    2,890
    Likes Received:
    89
    Location:
    UK
    First things first, sort your grip out! You should then be able to improve your overhead action.
     
    pcho likes this.
  3. kwun

    kwun Administrator

    Joined:
    Apr 24, 2002
    Messages:
    41,044
    Likes Received:
    2,066
    Occupation:
    BC Janitor
    Location:
    Santa Clara, CA, USA
    your grip. the grip affects the rest of the chain (forearm, arm, shoulder, body, footwork), if your grip is wrong, no point working on anything else. if you try to fix anything else, you'd not get anywhere and just end up wasting your time.
     
    pcho likes this.
  4. kwun

    kwun Administrator

    Joined:
    Apr 24, 2002
    Messages:
    41,044
    Likes Received:
    2,066
    Occupation:
    BC Janitor
    Location:
    Santa Clara, CA, USA
    the good part is that you have good strong physique and good movement around the court.
     
    pcho likes this.
  5. pcho

    pcho Regular Member

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2017
    Messages:
    34
    Likes Received:
    6
    Location:
    Vancouver
    Sorry, can you tell me at which specific points you can tell I'm gripping the racket incorrectly so I can fix it
     
  6. pcho

    pcho Regular Member

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2017
    Messages:
    34
    Likes Received:
    6
    Location:
    Vancouver
    Are you talking about both my forehand and backhand grip?
     
  7. GingerCorslette

    GingerCorslette Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jan 29, 2017
    Messages:
    461
    Likes Received:
    126
    Location:
    Asia
    You're almost in what they call 'panhandle' grip. Right off the bat at that clear at 0:18, and that serve afterwards at 0:23. You can't get the most out of pronation/supination this way.
     
    pcho and Cheung like this.
  8. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2002
    Messages:
    23,818
    Likes Received:
    4,791
    Occupation:
    wannabe badminton phototaker
    Location:
    Outside the box
    Get that grip sorted out properly.
     
    pcho likes this.
  9. DarkHiatus

    DarkHiatus Regular Member

    Joined:
    Oct 11, 2015
    Messages:
    1,207
    Likes Received:
    778
    Location:
    Manchester
    This video is quite interesting, because @pcho doesn't always use a panhandle overhead! There's examples, especially in the second half of the video where he is using pronation/supination. 1:18, 1:26, 2:07 are some examples where there isn't as much panhandle going on. The backhands even show better technique than the examples at 0:18, 0:23.

    @pcho - are you aware of the differences, or are you trying something out that someone tried to teach you at the start of the video? e.g. wrist/finger power or something to that effect? It looks like you are trying to bring in a new technique in the early parts of your video, then you 'regress' back to a more pronations/arm based swing once you get warmer or more competitive.

    One thing that is very clear is that you panhandle and use a wrist 'snap' that risks injuring your wrist on your high serve every time. There is no stroke in badminton where you want to allow the power of the racquet to be stopped by the bending of your wrist. It should be dissipated by the rotation of you forearm.

    Echoing the others, your footwork and positioning is really strong compared to your overhead technique. If you adjust your grip away from panhandle (rotate it roughly 30-45 degrees clockwise in your hand), you should find you can get better angles (steepness and hitting to your left) that you currently struggle with. Your panhandle grip is leading to you necessarily taking the shuttle lower than you could (flatter shots), with less power, and more strain. This is a shame because you are regularly moving into a great position to hit as well!
     
    pcho likes this.
  10. GingerCorslette

    GingerCorslette Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jan 29, 2017
    Messages:
    461
    Likes Received:
    126
    Location:
    Asia
    The point I was trying to make is, and I'm being helpful really, he ought to sort out the right grips in each situation. I.e., panhandle on forehand deep serve = can't control, panhandle on a clear on said position = no room for disguise.
     
    pcho and DarkHiatus like this.
  11. pcho

    pcho Regular Member

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2017
    Messages:
    34
    Likes Received:
    6
    Location:
    Vancouver
    You're right, I didn't realize it before, I think the reason I have a panhandle grip is because when I am defending a shot I have a hard time switching grips fast enough so I try to cheat by having it inbetween forehand and backhand. Thanks alot!
     
  12. pcho

    pcho Regular Member

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2017
    Messages:
    34
    Likes Received:
    6
    Location:
    Vancouver
    Thank you for the through analysis @DarkHiatus! I think the reason is me tensing up too much when defending a shot. I will be working on my grip the next few practices. I've been focusing on footwork lately and have gone back to bad habits in other areas.
     
  13. kwun

    kwun Administrator

    Joined:
    Apr 24, 2002
    Messages:
    41,044
    Likes Received:
    2,066
    Occupation:
    BC Janitor
    Location:
    Santa Clara, CA, USA
    even your overhead shots are panhandled. if you look at your shots closely, you start with the correct grip, and then right when you prepare for overhead, you switch to panhandle. that's habit that you need to get rid of.
     
    pcho likes this.
  14. DarkHiatus

    DarkHiatus Regular Member

    Joined:
    Oct 11, 2015
    Messages:
    1,207
    Likes Received:
    778
    Location:
    Manchester
    Right - you defend with a panhandle.

    Wrong - panhandle is between backhand and forehand

    In terms of racquet angle, forehand grip is in between backhand grip and panhandle. So you're actually really far from the right grip if you wanted a backhand defence.

    At worst, you should defend with a backhand grip (thumb on the wide backhand side bevel of the racquet) not a panhandle (thumb on the thin bevel, side of the racquet). In singles it's still often better to defend with a forehand grip for better reach.

    Your panhandle is simply a bad habit - the only good use for panhandle grip is for short sharp drive on the forehand side, and net kills on the forehand side.
     
    pcho likes this.
  15. kwun

    kwun Administrator

    Joined:
    Apr 24, 2002
    Messages:
    41,044
    Likes Received:
    2,066
    Occupation:
    BC Janitor
    Location:
    Santa Clara, CA, USA
    As @DarkHiatus says, there is almost no time when a panhandle is the correct grip. and definitely not during defense.

    changing to proper grip is hard. coz the incorrect habit is so ingrained into your whole game. you will have to really work on it and commit to it 100% even when you game will become total crap for a while.

    one thing I heard from a local junior coach. she taped the kids hand to the grip so they can never change, so they have to use the correct grip until every other body mechanic adjust to it.
     
    #15 kwun, Apr 3, 2019
    Last edited: Apr 3, 2019
  16. pcho

    pcho Regular Member

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2017
    Messages:
    34
    Likes Received:
    6
    Location:
    Vancouver
    Can you tell its a panhandle grip by the way I'm contacting the bird? Do you think if i try to hit the bird at a higher point and closer to by body it will force me to use a forehand grip?

    This is me a few days ago before I read any of the advice from the forum yet.
     
  17. kwun

    kwun Administrator

    Joined:
    Apr 24, 2002
    Messages:
    41,044
    Likes Received:
    2,066
    Occupation:
    BC Janitor
    Location:
    Santa Clara, CA, USA
    as i mentioned before, the grip affects everything up the chain, the wrist/forearm/shoulder/body posture.

    we can tell you're using panhandle just by the way your body and arm move. it is great that you made videos of your matches. it is easy then to compare and correct.

    there are many youtube videos you can reference. this one is not bad:

     
    pcho likes this.
  18. pcho

    pcho Regular Member

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2017
    Messages:
    34
    Likes Received:
    6
    Location:
    Vancouver
    I just came across this video
    seems like i've been hitting it more like this but this shot should only be taken if I don't have enough time. The power is drastically reduce with a panhandle shot. I'll have to break this bad habit for sure.
     
    DarkHiatus likes this.
  19. kwun

    kwun Administrator

    Joined:
    Apr 24, 2002
    Messages:
    41,044
    Likes Received:
    2,066
    Occupation:
    BC Janitor
    Location:
    Santa Clara, CA, USA
    Just learn the proper grip. Don't make it complicated.
     
    GingerCorslette likes this.
  20. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2002
    Messages:
    23,818
    Likes Received:
    4,791
    Occupation:
    wannabe badminton phototaker
    Location:
    Outside the box
    We can tell it’s panhandle way before you even hit the shuttle!

    That taping the hand to the racquet in the correct grip is a good idea to start off with.
     

Share This Page