My coach was fine tuning my smashes and told me to switch to a slightly panhandle grip when smashing. Previously, I was using the basic grip for smashing. Overall, the power, steepness and angle isn't that bad, but coach suggested it could be better by adjusting the grip. We then tried some smashing drills. It was uncomfortable and felt unnatural that my grip simply changed back to the basic one after each smash, if not my hand would cramp from just gripping in that unnatural position. This made me wonder. Should I try and adjust the grip or stick to what works now? Or adjust until I feel that it's comfortable enough for me?
You could always post a video, which would give everyone more to go on. However, my honest advice is - stick with what works and what is comfortable. Many players find using a slight panhandle grip is easier, some players find that using a basic grip is more natural. Its all about personal preference. I suggest that you practice smashing another 2,000 times with good technique (think pronation, accuracy, body weight etc, rather than grip). You will probably find that either you have unconsciously shifted to the best possible grip OR you will be hitting brilliant smashes with the existing grip. Whats for certain - your smash will be very very good - just make sure you practice with good quality in mind. Try to do 50 smashes a day for the next 40 days. You will not be disappointed with the results. Good luck to you!
Hi there, Usually i use slightly panhandle grip for precise and powerful smashes, especially straight line ones. And basic grip for applying more variations into the smahes.
Accidentally heard what Misbun Sidek told to the new talents in his camp last week. There's 400 ways of holding a grip. The best grip is the one that made u comfortable enough. As long as ur technique is correct.
The idea of having a panhandle grip in generating more power is to ensure that at the point of contact your racquet is square with the shuttle. This is an important point as you loose a significant amount of power if your racquet face is even slightly angled. Again without seeing a video of you playing it is difficult to say, but the questions to ask is whether you are able to hit accurately all the angles? Smashing accurately with good variation is as important as generating good power. If you are slice the shuttle and thereby losing power and perhaps accuracy, your coach may be right in suggesting a change of grip. But if you are able to hit accurately and with good variety of angles, I would say just concentrate on hitting the shuttle square and cleanly on the sweetspot. Clearly I am assuming the rest of your technique is good too.
This is a very good post! A note: the grip slightly more towards panhandle can be more intuitive for some players and will slightly change the biomechanics of the swing. But the main point you have made is an excellent one: just get on with it and keep doing what is working! I think it is easy for students to forget sometimes, that what coaches recommend is, like all advice, only a suggestion. It may work, and it may not. If it does work, then great, if it doesn't work, then the coach often gives another suggestion... which could well be to stick with the original grip! The student needs to take the advice given, take the advantages and disadvantages into account and decide whether its what is best for them in the long term. If someone tries out a different grip, gives it a genuine chance, and then decides that its not quite right - then thats their choice to make! One should not change just because a coach says so - by all means give it a go and see if it works, but do not be afraid to tell your coach that it does not feel like the correct solution!
I think a slightly pandhandled grip allows for slightly more stability and rotation in the pronation segment of the smash? And might also be slightly less strenuous on the wrist radius. At least, that's what I've been experiencing.
A slight panhandle for smashes is quite acceptable. If it is only a small variation from your normal technique, your coach is experimenting with fine adjustment of your technique. Probably your hand is gripping too tightly before the actual striking of the shuttle. I guess this as you said your hand is cramping. You might be trying to force things a bit too quickly and your hand and forearm muscles tensing up when they they should be relaxed.
As long as you have the right technique and the shuttle goes where you want it to go, as mentioned by Matt above, it doesn't matter which grip variation you use. Same applies for backhand.
Cheung had mentioned the key point, "hand is gripping too tightly before the actual striking of the shuttle. I guess this as you said your hand is cramping." We had also read at http://www.badmintonbible.com/articles/grips-guide/grips/panhandle-grip.php that "Common errors for panhandle grip is Not spreading the fingers" Players often clump all their fingers together at the bottom of the badminton racket handle. This means they will have less control of the racket head. To correct the error, relax your grip and spread your fingers gently." Video our own training if allowed to do, so that we can clearly see our mistake made. Usually an experience coach should have noticed how their students grip their rackets.
Thanks all for the comments and advice. Currently, my smashing are decent. I am able to hit cleanly most of the time (not 100% yet, but 99% of the time). At this stage, my smashes have stabilized, so my coach has decided it's time to improve it and hence he wants me to adjust my grip. [HR][/HR] Cheung is right that I was gripping tightly. I kept reverting back to the basic grip and my coach was nagging, so it came to a point whereby I was consciously adjusting my grip and making sure that it stayed in the slight panhandle grip that my coach suggested. It tensed my muscles up and my racket hand didn't feel good. The slight panhandle grip also changed the way the racket was pointing which brought about other problems and gave me a lot of pressure as I need to pay attention to those issues as well. I am aware of the problems, but it being unnatural and uncomfortable, combined with a disastrous training result has turned me off. It's my first session using the adjusted grip though, so my coach was lenient. He said if I want a better smash, I need to resist the temptation to switch back to my basic grip, I need to try and adjust and break out of the plateau which I have hit. Right now, logic says I should give myself more time to see if I could be better (after all, I took so many sessions to achieve the current stage), but my heart is itching to just stay as it is as suggested. In short, undecided.
If you are struggling with the new grip, you should be trying to play more half smashes and 3/4 smashes than full smashes - to help you get used to it. However, I stand by what I said - if you practiced 50 smashes every day for a month or two, you would have an excellent smash. If YOU don't want to change grip, but your coach wants to see improvement, then simply practice smashing every day (including visualization). You will get good results.
Panhandle grip when smashing against basic grip:- Panhandle grip when smashing is much more powerful then basic grip. It can also produce "thunderous smashing sound" regardless of what string one uses For one who like loud smashing sound is will definitely like panhandle grip smashing Panhandle grip smashing is also harder for others to defense against it too.
It is not supposed to be full panhandle. Here is an example of the difference. Notice the forefinger also bends differently in the smash grip. It's how they teach it in China at least. It is not mandatory for power smash, but as other people say the grip can be useful if you slice the shuttle or if your smash seems weak.
Thanks MSeeley. I will do that. You mean to tap or kill from front to mid court? Using a full panhandle grip allows that. I don't think I can smash using a full panhandle grip. Thanks lordrogue for showing the difference. LOL... unheard of.