Here is a quote I found at another site: "OK, by now you've probably developed your own style of hitting the shuttle, probably whatever you've found works for you. Now it's time to change your style. Most likely, if you came from the old school of training, you were told to use your wrist. Unfortunately that is not the right way to do it ." They go on to discuss how to use to use the forearm and not the wrist when playing a forehand smash. As a beginner trying to learn how to play, should I be trying to work on this or should I be concentrating on snapping the wrist as many of you advocate in here. I have checked out the other threads and can't seem to find a clear yes or no on the use of the forearm and no wrist I only started playing recreationally a few weeks ago and have learned pretty much all I know about the game from you guys. Graet site....great people!!!!
Some sites and coaches like to be very technical and expansive about the physical mechanics of hitting a good shot. They will tell you that most hitting power comes from the rotation of the forearm, and that the wrist provides almost no power. This is true. But, as is often the case with the truth, it does not help you understand. What you actually do, and what you feel that you do, are different things. If you use a good whip-like throwing action to hit a smash, it probably feels like you use your wrist for extra power. But in fact, you are using your forearm without knowing it. It is the forearm muscles and tendons that control the movement of the wrist. Often, you feel the effect of forearm rotation in your wrist. The reason that "wrist snap" coaching is so popular is that for many people it actually results in using the forearm well. But the "wrist snap" should be a rotational movement (like turning a key in a lock) not a flexion movement (like curling a weight). In terms of shot mechanics, the forearm provides power and the wrist can control the angle and steepness of a shot. But this may not be the most helpful way to think about it for you! I recommend focusing on developing a good whip-like throwing action, from which forearm pronation should arise naturally. Whatever you do, don't unlearn your throwing action in a misguided attempt to replace it with forearm movement.
Listen to this man. he knows what he is talking about. the confusion often comes from the terminology. the proper way is the rotation as Gollum says. some ppl call it the forearm, some ppl call it the rotation/twisting of the wrist. thus it is quite confusing.
