BIOMECHANICAL ANALYSIS OF SMASH ANGLE FOR OPTIMIZING PERFORMANCE IN BADMINTON

Abstract

Smash is a continuous series of movements involving coordination of the entire body.
Maximum force is needed, along with a complex movement supported by body parts like the
strength of the muscles in the hands, arms, legs, and abdomen. Therefore, this present study
sheds information on how the smash angle influences badminton players' performance to
outsmart their competition and can optimize body alignment to increase smash proficiency. A
total of 12 male national badminton players of the Manipur Badminton Association served as
the subject of the study. The subjects were all right-handed players, and their mean age was
14.83±1.58 years. Poole test Battery of Smash was assigned to analyze the angle of the standing
smash stroke. The standing Smash was recorded by using GoPro Hero 8. The camera captured
a sequence of badminton stroke movements, from the position one holds the racket to the stroke
motion. The stroke's contact phase was analyzed using Kinovea software 0.8.15. This study's
parameters focused on the angle of the elbow joint, shoulder joint, hip joint, knee joint and
ankle joint. The result of the study enhances the understanding of the biomechanics of
badminton and has beneficial implications for coaches and players striving to improve their
forehand smashes, particularly for beginners.