How To Jump Smash Like Lin Dan

 

By Li Feng

Former NZ National Squad Coach and

Former NZ Rep and Member of the Chinese National Squad

 

One of the keys with Lin Dan's smash is it's angle.  He stands a bit more open about 75% side on rather than 100% side on. This allows him to hit cross court alot more easily.    In doing this he trades a little bit of speed for greater deception and angle.   This is because he has a much shorter preparation for this shot.  His arm moves straight up from the shoulder, but doesn't go as far back as some players.  He uses a lot of waist and body rotation.  This  means it is very hard to tell the difference between his smash, drop, clear, slice etc.  So you have less time to tell when the smash is coming.

He also uses his wrist very well so that he can change his choice of shot almost at the point of impact from say a smash to a drop.

 

He also often hops into the leap position on the smash but the smash is a series of very short movements and is very very consistent. 

 

His racket arm dips slightly at the start but almost goes straight up from his shoulder into the shot and the degree to which his arm moves back from the shoulder is a lot shorter than many players so there is less twisting of the elbow and it is much harder to read as the action is very fast and he is very very relaxed in his play.

 

To play this way you must be very strong especially in the body to get power into the shot with a short preparation.  But the a simple action means it is easier to reproduce consistently.

 

 

 

Here is also a 3D animated view of the jump smash.  Notice how the players get behind the shuttle early in order to do a good jump smash. 

 

Lin Dan At Olympics

Instructional Smash Video from Badminton England

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Yonex International

Picking the Right Badminton Racket For You

Satoshi Yuza from Yonex International and Brent Miller from Auckland Badminton Give You Tips About Racket Selection

 

What Should You Look For when Gauging If A Racket Is Right For You?

Satoshi: Weight, Balance and Stiffness are the three key areas.   If you are looking for control the Arcsaber series is the most suitable.  For power Armotec is best, for speed Nanospeed is best.  If a player is very strong a heavier racket is good for providing greater smashing speed.  But our rackets can also help players get a high smashing speed through the use of technology rather than weight.

 

If the player is strong enough and their swing speed is very fast, a racket that is too flexible will kill his swing speed because the racket head comes in later.  This means the racket bends too much and cannot transfer the swing power to the racket, so if the player is strong they should choose a stiff racket.

 

For players with less strength a flexible racket gives a snap back effect giving more power at impact than they would get from a stiffer racket..

 

Brent:

Weight: Weight is displayed on the handle cap of your racket.  There will be a little sticker saying 2U,3U or 4U.  2U is 90-95grams, 3U is 85-90grams (most common weight), 4U is 80 to 85 grams.

 

There is no right or wrong for people, its what you are comfortable with, but the heavier rackets offer a little more repulsion simply because the extra weight means once the racket is moving it has more momentum.

 

Balance: The weight of the racket in general is different from the balance.  A racket can feel very light but the difference in weights between rackets is actually quite small.  However differences in balance can be large and that can make a racket feel very different in terms of weight. 

 

a) Rackets With Heavy Head - In general head heavy rackets - such as the Armortec series - suit a power based player or someone who wants more power.

 

b) Rackets With Light Head - such as the Nanospeed suit the control based players as the head is generally aerodynamic and light so is very maneuverable and good in defense..  But because of the light head it doesn;t always offer the same solid feeling on impact as the Armortec rackets

 

c) Medium - not a light head but has a slim body so is very maneuverable and quick through the air - like the Arcsaber series

 

Stiffness: the stiffer the shaft of the racket the more repulsion you will get from it.

 

What are the most common causes of racket breakage?

Satoshi:  Rackets hitting each other during doubles, having string tension higher than recommended for the racket as this puts more stress on the frame.  It's important to have a good professional stringer and stringing machine to keep the racket in good shape and avoid putting imbalanced stresses on the frame.

 

Brent: Keeping your racket out of sunlight and out of the car boot as heat can get to the graphite and weaken it.  The best place is to keep it in a cupboard at home or in a cool place.

 

If a racket is not stringed by a professional and has uneven stress it may hold together for now but when you hit the shuttle it sends vibrations down the shaft and through the head, and any imperfections may eventually build up stress at that point and cause it to break.   It is the same if you have a collision in a game of doubles. It may survive the collision but in time you may be hitting and go up for a smash and come down with a broken frame. This is just you have slightly fractured the graphite and the vibrations traveling through the shaft eventually deteriorate the racket where it was previously damaged which causes to become weak and break.

 

When Would Yonex Replace A Racket.

Satoshi: When we recognize that the breakage is from our defective production - i.e only if there has been a manufacturing error.  Your local professional e.g. ABA Pro Shop can help assess this for you.

 

How easy Is It To Fix a Racket

Satoshi: At Yonex we do not fix rackets as it never keeps it's performance

Brent: It is possible to graphite some broken rackets but they will never perform as well as when they were new

 

What Are The Top Yonex Rackets and What  Players Use It?

 

 

Satoshi: We have three main series in our line up. Arcsaber, Nanospeed, Armortec. Each series is different in concept, technology and performance.  Pricewise the Arcsaber 10 and Nanospeed 9000 and Armotec 900 are the top models and are most used by the top players.

 

Brent: Armortec, Nanospeed,Aarcsaber series are all equal but within each series you get different rackets to suit different players.

 

Each series have slightly heavier or lighter rackets. Different stiffness within the shafts with different balances.

 

 

 

The more popular racket on the circuit are:

Armortec 700 which is used by: Lin Dan, Lee Wan Wah, Simon Santoso, Sony Dwi Kuncoro, Zheng Bo

Armortec 900 power which is used by: Lee Chong Wei, Nova Widianto, Markis Kido

Armortec 900 technique which is used by: Cai Yun, Przemyslaw Wacha, Kenichi Tago

Nanospeed 9000 which is used by: Jens Eriksen, Gao Ling, Park Sung Hwan

Arcsaber 9 which is used by: Xie Xingfang, Saina Newhal

Arcsaber 10 which is used by: Peter Gade, Bao Chunlai, Zhang Ning, Taufik Hidayat, Candra Wijaya, Tony Gunawan, Lee Yong Dae, Jung Jae Sung, Jin Chen

 

Check out the Yonex website at www.yonex.com

 

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5 Tips for Better Performance On and Off Court 

 

 

By Jose Macuja

Final Year Student of Bachelor of Science in Psychology

And Bachelor of Arts in Film, Television and Media Studies. 

Sporting background in Basketball, Tennis and Akido.

 

Performance can be affected by all sort of  influences, anxiety is one of the major ones.  however there may be other factors that affect our performance that do not solely revolve around anxiety which we might not be aware of. These factors are tied to common ways of thinking on and off the court that could have a negative impact on us if not regulated well. Here are five tips I collected from sports medicine guide Elizabeth Quinn, Organizational psychologist Leif H. Smith and my personal observations that may help you regulate and initiate new ways of thinking that can enhance your on court performance.

 

1)  Develop Rituals to Help You Step out of a Destructive Mindset.  

 

Photo of Henry Tam in action - courtesy of Soon Wong

You can develop rituals that can help you get into a positive state of mind.   Everyday sports players, for clubs, for schools utilize personalized rituals in order to help their performance whether they realize this or not.   A former MVP player for the Epsom Girls Grammar basketball team found that a pre-game motivation speech to herself in front of the mirror helps her performance  A former top NZ badminton player used to blow on her racket before each serve.   Henry Tam - Auckland and NZ rep (sponsored by Babolat) always wears the same set of gear in order to keep peace of mind during his games.

 

2)  Practice Positive Visualization

 

We all visualize imagined scenarios in our heads about certain events so take into account HOW you are visualizing for it can impact your performance. Quinn suggests positive visualization just before the game can help improve your performance. Picturing yourself returning every shot your opponent throws at you is an example imagining that of can get you into the zone of the positive mindset needed before a game. Seeing yourself making mistakes or losing can result in a downhill performance in a player, the importance remains in where one's focus is placed before a match.

 

3) Breaking Unhelpful Patterns

 

It is easy to fall into a poor performance pattern that makes things worse. 

 

For instance when you have missed several shots in a row and you start to feel that the game is going nowhere.

 

Quinn emphasizes the importance of doing something to break this pattern of thought and emotion. Here are just some examples but you can develop something that works for you that can change your focus and mood

 

Smile - Quinn suggests the simple act of smiling can help bring yourself into a positive mood and get you back into your game

 

Stand More Confidently - a change in body position can impact mood

 

Jump up and down on the spot - this can be a ritual during the game that can help you get into a more positive mood

 

Whatever ritual or routine it can be subtle as long as it works for you.

 

4) Control Your Focus

 

Steer clear away from focusing on the outcome of a game. Quinn suggests that staying focused in the present is an important contribution to your game performance. If you focus on the little things you can control and letting the game flow rather than focusing on the outcome which you cannot control you are more likely to play and perform with a clear mind

 

5) Accepting the loss and moving on

 

After losing a game, we may follow a general pattern of beating ourselves up, blaming the other person or direct our frustration onto the whole situation itself. Most people when confronted with the reality of "losing" linger onto the event more than they should which might negatively affect future performances.

 

Leif H. Smith suggests that we should adopt an attitude that puts a stop to this common but harmful way of thinking, and to start looking for ways in which these events may help us grow.

 

An example could be if you had just lost a doubles match, where instead of finding a scapegoat to unleash frustration upon, it might pay to re-evaluate the position you just played in. maybe you are stronger playing up frontcourt then back? What Smith wants to get across is that difficult as it may be to look for the good when faced with a bad situation, this way of approaching loss may in turn be reflected in enhanced game performances in the future.

 

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 How to Get More Comfortable on Court

 

Brent Miller

Manager of the Auckland Pro Shop,

and Leading Auckland Rep Player

 

Brent knows a bit about training having spent some time in China training several hours a day under intense conditions.  He advises people every day from beginners to top players on what to wear and use on court.  here are some tips from Brett on how to make your experience on court a bit more comfortable.

 

Socks - this is often underestimated but if you replace your socks during a series of games - say half way through if playing interclub - it can really help you reduce the chances of getting blisters. 

 

Shoes - having a spare set of shoes is a good idea especially if playing alot.  Swapping shoes can help make the shoe cushioning not only recover more completely after a game but also last longer.

 

Sweatbands - alot of players use these on their racket  hand only.  Stopping the sweat from reaching your grip can not only stop the grip from wearing out but also keep your grip on the racket more secure.  Also again helping prevent blisters

 

Clothing - there has been a huge increase in the amount of dry clothing gear on the market.  This is gear that is 100% polyester that takes sweat away from the body to keep you dry and cool.  There are a number of brands including Nike's "Dry Fit", Ashaway's "Tech Dry", Adidas "Climate Cool" and Yonex's "Very Cool".  The gear is usually in shirts and shorts.

 

Injuries - if injured one of the best ankle supports around is "McDavid" - stocked by Auckland Badminton's Pro Shop- we can order it in for you. It stops the ankle not only from moving from side to side but wraps around the front to gives really good support.

 

Wearing compression bands or "skins" can also help in recovery as well as if injured as they can boost circulation after a tough session or game as well as providing support.

 

Grips - having a soft grip is good for better grip