What are the critical elements for overhead striking
The technical ‘must-haves’ for a badminton overhead
What would be on your list?
Are there specific themes that you can use in all your overhead coaching,
that save you time, reduce information, create more effective learning
A coach contacted me with a question
What they should encourage in all overheads?
They had read this post : “assessing a badminton overhead technique”
They were looking for information and suggestions that would help players establish a great overhead technique
They wanted to know if it was possible to prevent some of the most common technique faults.
Click on the image to read the post that triggered their question
My list is at the bottom of this page
Defining the critical elements for overhead striking
What would be on your list?
Are there elements that you would argue strongly should be present and therefore must be coached (introduced) at some stage in a player’s development?
Aspects that, when encouraged, will help to prevent ‘classic’ badminton overhead faults that hinder future development.
Plus, they must be easy for players to understand / copy, easy for coaches to demonstrate/encourage, and enhance all overhead hitting actions.
Could these critical aspects, if not present, make the technique less efficient?
These are the ones we are after
They are not tactical aspects and are only concerned with helping to develop
an effective overhead hitting action, you’ll need much more to win the rally 🙂
My list
“Get off the ground”
One or both feet will be off the ground when striking, and in many cases, it will be both feet.
This is not insisting on a vertical jump, but just being “off the ground” is sufficient.
Start by “loading the rear leg as you pull the elbow back”
“Prepare early”
Preparing early is essential.
How early and the exact position is open for discussion.
Be aware that the preparation position can vary from player to player and may change again as they develop and mature.
“Pull the elbow back”
Doing this will encourage a number of techniques/body positions and is essential for the preparation of power.
How far and when the elbow is ‘pulled back’ is another discussion.
Consider what this action does to the upper body, the feeling of “rediness for power”
“Throw”
As a basic, all novice/beginner overheads should be performed with a throw.
To do otherwise creates many issues that will hinder development.
The size and speed of the throw are another important and complementary discussion.
Do you agree that these are core, essential elements to all overheads?
Do you want a conversation?
I’d like to hear from you if you have a viewpoint on anything that you’ve read
We don’t need to agree, but explore viewpoints.
It would be great to hear from you, send me an email : contact@badmintonandy.com
This is part of a series of conversation starters.
Although not in detail, the posts are written to get you thinking and talking with others.
![Introducing the badminton overhead – Challenge No.3 - Duplicate - [#36874]](https://badmintonandy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Badminton-Forehand-Overhead-3-scaled-1.jpg)
![Introducing the badminton overhead – Challenge No.2 - Duplicate - [#36821]](https://badmintonandy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Badminton-Forehand-Overhead-2-scaled-1.jpg)
