Smash grip adjustment

In an ideal situation, the shuttlecock will be somewhat in front of you when you play a forehand smash.

In this case, it is natural to adjust the basic grip very slightly towards panhandle.

Smashing in front of the body

Bear in mind, however, that the adjustment should be small. A full panhandle is never good for forehand overheads. If the shuttlecock has dropped too low, however, you will need to shift even farther towards panhandle: your smash will, necessarily, be very flat—almost a drive.

This type of badminton grip adjustment will probably happen naturally. The difficulty is usually stopping players from shifting too much towards panhandle!

Also, remember that this will not work if the shuttlecock is level with or behind your body. Make sure that you don’t use this slight panhandle as a substitute for the basic grip: your clears, drop shots, and some of your smashes will suffer.

Key tip

Be careful! Overuse of this badminton grip will have disastrous consequences for your technique. Remember:

This only works when the shuttlecock is in front.
The shift towards panhandle is subtle.

Comparing the normal basic grip with the adjusted version

This is only an example of adjusting your badminton grip. How much you actually change the angle will depend on where the shuttlecock is.

Normal basic grip

Adjusted basic grip

Next: Background information (for beginners)
Next: Which badminton grip for each shot? (for intermediate players)
Next: Which badminton grip for each shot? (for advanced players)
Previous: Changing between badminton grips (for beginners)
Previous: Late backhand grip adjustment (for intermediate players)
Previous: Late backhand grip adjustment (for advanced players)

Sources

This grip adjustment is based on Lee Jae Bok’s teaching of the smash. Moving the grip towards panhandle is one of Lee’s key coaching points. My presentation here is less extreme than Lee’s: he shows a more dramatic shift towards panhandle, together with a tighter grip.

This grip adjustment does not appear in my Badminton England coaching manuals; in all their official materials that I have seen, Badminton England teach the use of a standard basic grip for forehand overheads, and do not suggest any smash-specific adjustment.

I have discussed the issue with a Badminton England coaching representative. I summarise his advice here:

During their consultation with elite coaches from successful badminton nations (such as China, Indonesia, and Korea), Badminton England were unable to find anyone who agreed with Lee’s grip or his recommended preparation for forehand overheads.
Most coaches agreed that, for a smash, there can be some slight turn towards panhandle; Rexy Mainaky was excellent at this.
Using this grip for all overheads causes a variety of pernicious technical problems.
Most elite juniors learn this grip instinctively, or are introduced to it subtly, perhaps by a process of problem solving.
Coaches must use great care when introducing this idea, because it can lead to players adopting a partial panhandle for all strokes.

This page was last updated on 14 July 2008 (article update log).

Comparing the normal basic grip with the adjusted version

Sources

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