Drop shot relying on racket head weight

Discussion in 'Techniques / Training' started by Hbmao, Jan 6, 2023.

  1. Hbmao

    Hbmao Regular Member

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    I always go back to my old racket, nanoray 800, when I break a string. Recently I found that when I switched to NR800, a big portion of my drop shot now fails to clear the net. Give NR800 is super head light, This must mean that I was relying on the weight of the racket head to play drop shot (like a soft “tap”). I suppose this is not the right technique? Any insight?
     
  2. Budi

    Budi Regular Member

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    What ur main racket? Is it HH racket?
    If its yes, then its simple. Playing HH & HL had different characteristic of play.
    Specificly for drop shot, on HH racket especially sledge hammer racket, just do little swing & let the head weight handle the rest. Ur racket head would fall forward byitself & did nice drop shot.
    But on less head weight especially HL racket, it require little help from finger push. The head fall to slow & carry less momentum thus little bit of push required for clean drop shot.
     
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  3. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    There are different ways of playing the dropshot so depends on your particular technique.
     
  4. BadmintonDave

    BadmintonDave Regular Member

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    What a funny coincidence, my main racquet is NR800. If you change from a Head heavy to a head light racquet, you will need to adjust things. When using my astrox 100zz, I need to be really careful with net shots and short serves because it is really easy to put them too high when I have been used to playing with my NR800 racquets.

    My technique for forehand drop shots is same preparation and body shape for a smash or clear, swing at the same speed, but just before the shuttle is hit you go "up and over" with your shoulder/elbow. Practice hitting at least 20 drops in a row with your replacement racquet if you know this is something you need practice with

    If you are trying to do a "reverse slice" or a backhand drop, techniques will be different.
     
  5. ralphz

    ralphz Regular Member

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    Not saying I disagree with all of that but what on earth.

    And you say that's your technique. Its not clear if you mean to say that is different from conventional techniques.

    Or even that your description of drop would be any different than your description of a smash. Whatever "up and over with your shoulder/elbow" means. Sounds like you mean a throwing action and hitting downwards. Which would apply to a smash or drop.

    If you want to state what technique you do for a drop then isn't there anybody on YouTube that does it like you? If you link to that video with a timeframe that'd be much clearer. Much clearer than a statement of "up and over with your shoulder/elbow". Really. Who on YouTube is hitting a drop or smash without going what you call "up and over with your shoulder/elbow"?

    Okay but that doesn't say whether you think a head heavy Vs not head heavy racket, makes a difference re drops and what difference
     
    #5 ralphz, Jan 18, 2023
    Last edited: Jan 18, 2023
  6. ralphz

    ralphz Regular Member

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    Cheung makes a good point about it depending on technique used but he didn't spell out the different techniques for a straight drop with no slice. And the difference between doing them with a head heavy racket or not.

    It's a good and interesting question and I will just put some ideas out there, I may be wrong.

    There are two or three different styles of straight drop, done without slice, that I'm aware of. One like a tap, or push, (pronation is stopped), and one like a lower paced downward overhead (pronation is same as for a smash).
    I have done both styles myself. Though I haven't tested them that much re different rackets.

    The racket being head heavy or not will probably make some difference. Whatever style.

    For the tap one or push one , you say you feel a difference, and you are probably right. Maybe the increased mass means it's more difficult to get them exactly how you want cos the racket head weight increase causes a magnification of force on the shuttle. So small increases or decreases in strength of tap/push from you, cause bigger differences. So the drop could feel less controlled. You could easily go too much or when you overcompensate from doing too much you could perhaps even do too little and hit the net. That would perhaps make sense. You would feel like you have more "touch" with the lighter racket. So for tighter drops. Interesting to hear what people think re that.

    With the pronation method, on any overheads, then what I heard many times is that the racket head comes through more on head heavy ones. Which echos what Budi said. That kind of drop isn't as tight to the net so any difference with drop would be the same as for any other overhead with pronation.

    There could be other differences too that the subconscious/unconscious is "aware" of. That your consciousness isn't.
     
    #6 ralphz, Jan 18, 2023
    Last edited: Jan 18, 2023
  7. BadmintonDave

    BadmintonDave Regular Member

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    I'm not going to spend time looking on youtube to satisfy your curiosity. If you must know, I think I saw a tidbit of knowledge from a Korean coach (full-swing) regarding smashing and reaching up to make the racquet head go down, or something to that effect. I applied this to my drop shots and it worked for me.

    You want drops falling as close to the net as possible. Definitely in the front court area. When I do a stop drop or a "push" like you mentioned, it's easily telegraphed and more often than not it falls near the service line.

    Maybe I didn't word it correctly. You make the racquet head go slightly up and over the top of the cork. Sortof like putting top spin on a snooker shot by hitting the topside of the object ball. So instead of the trajectory of the shuttle being a slow curve, it makes it fall nearer the net.

    Obviously it isn't as effective as a slice or reverse slice. But it's far easier for me to perform.

    Feel free to try it out next you play :)
     
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  8. BadmintonDave

    BadmintonDave Regular Member

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    I mostly use Nanoray800. I was sharing my technique
     
  9. ralphz

    ralphz Regular Member

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    Now it's much clearer what technique you are referring to. Very much a conventional technique.

    A remark on your phrase "reaching up".

    I don't know whether or not the "full swing badminton" guy uses the phrase "reaching up", but he does make a point though indicating that it's not about "reaching up" much, and to show that, he uses Leonardo DaVinci's drawing , "The Vitruvian Man".

    [​IMG]

    There's certainly something to that..image he shows at least for when the elbow is still fairly far back. And bearing that image in ,mind can help avoid shoulder injuries too..

    It is possible to do the throwing action and reach up , really reaching up, arm quite close to head, into a position that most would colloquially or technically consider to be "reaching up" but most of the time players aren't doing that reaching up, and the full swing badminton guy shows to not do that, and he shows that image also to indicate that.. Sometimes the point people want to make if they say "reach up" is about the arm being "reached out" so that it is almost to full extension on contact. Not really to reach up.

    I have noticed that with conventional overhead technique, one sees it in videos, the elbow is never going down at any point, it's always on an upwards trajectory. Forwards as well (Within reason, so it's still a throwing action), or sideways as well, But there's that upward element too.
     
    #9 ralphz, Jan 19, 2023
    Last edited: Jan 19, 2023

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