Effect of racket-shuttlecock impact location on shot outcome for badminton smashes by elite players

Abstract

A logarithmic curve fitting methodology for the calculation of badminton racket-shuttlecock impact locations from three-dimensional motion capture data was presented and validated. Median absolute differences between calculated and measured impact locations were 3.6 [IQR: 4.4] and 3.5 [IQR: 3.5] mm medio-laterally and longitudinally on the racket face, respectively. Three-dimensional kinematic data of racket and shuttlecock were recorded for 2386 smashes performed by 65 international badminton players, with racket-shuttlecock impact location assessed against instantaneous post-impact shuttlecock speed and direction. Medio-lateral and longitudinal impact locations explained 26.2% (quadratic regression; 95% credible interval: 23.1%, 29.2%; BF10 = 1.3 × 10 131 , extreme; p < 0.001) of the variation in participant-specific shuttlecock speed. A meaningful (BF10 = ∞, extreme; p < 0.001) linear relationship was observed between medio-lateral impact location and shuttlecock horizontal direction relative to a line normal to the racket face at impact. Impact locations within one standard deviation of the pooled mean impact location predict reductions in post-impact shuttlecock speeds of up to 5.3% of the player's maximal speed and deviations in horizontal direction of up to 2.9° relative to a line normal to the racket face. These results highlight the margin for error available to elite badminton players during the smash.

Kinetic and kinematic determinants of shuttlecock speed in the forehand jump smash performed by elite male Malaysian badminton players

“…Badminton is a popular game with over 330 million participants worldwide (Badminton World Federation, 2020) and the fastest racket sport in the world with shuttlecock speeds reaching 118 m/s in competition (Guinness World Records, 2019). In the literature, racket head speeds of up to 65 m/s have been reported (King et al, 2020), along with shuttle speeds of up to 107 m/s (McErlain-Naylor et al, 2020). This is substantially higher for example than speeds reached in tennis where the world record for the tennis serve in competition is 73 m/s (Guinness World Records, 2019).…”

3D Kinematics Analysis of Overhead Backhand and Forehand Smash Techniques in Badminton

“…The average number of smashes executed in one match in the men's single category was 69 strokes, while for the women's singles category it was 51 strokes in All England Championship 2015 (5). The world record for smash speed is held by Fu Haifeng.…”

“…This speed was achieved by a Chinese player Tan Boon Heong while testing a new racket product (Yonex ArcSaber Z-Slash) in 2017 (7). Meanwhile, the fastest backhand smash was achieved by Taufik Hidayat, an Indonesian player who won a gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics; he achieved the shuttlecock speed of 206 km/h (5).…”

Relationship between impact characteristics and launch direction in softball hitting: A study involving elite players

“…The horizontal plane shows the oblique impact caused by the orientation of the bat’s long axis at ball impact, whereas the vertical plane shows the oblique impact along the cross-section of the bat’s short axis. It is important to identify the accurate ball (or shuttle)–bat (or racket) impact location because the bounce characteristics such as the post impact ball speed and angle are changed according to the impact location, and this does not apply only to baseball and softball [ 19 , 20 ].…”