Can Your Badminton Smash Be 35 km/h Faster?

The shuttle rises just a little too high.

For a fraction of a second, everything slows down. You load your legs, rotate your hips, drive your body upward, and unleash everything you've got into one explosive swing.

The shuttle rockets towards your opponent.

Or at least... that's what you hoped would happen.

Instead, the smash lacks penetration. Your opponent reacts comfortably, blocks it back, and suddenly you're the one under pressure.

If you've ever experienced this, you're not alone.

Almost every badminton player has asked the same question at some point:

"How do elite players generate so much power while making it look effortless?"

Most people immediately point to strength. They assume stronger muscles automatically produce faster smashes, leading many players to spend countless hours lifting heavier weights in the gym.

But the truth is far more fascinating.

The hardest smash on the court isn't always produced by the strongest athlete. More often, it comes from the player who can transfer energy through their body with incredible efficiency. In badminton, power is not simply created—it is transferred.

Recent research published in Scientific Reports (2026) has challenged many long-held beliefs about strength training for badminton players. The findings suggest that the key to a faster smash may not be lifting heavier weights at all. Instead, the biggest improvements came from training methods designed to develop explosive movement, neuromuscular coordination, and efficient force production.

For players, coaches, and parents of young athletes, this research provides valuable insights into how modern sports science is reshaping badminton performance.

The Smash: The Most Explosive Shot in Badminton

Few sporting movements demand as much coordination as a badminton smash.

Although spectators often notice only the racket striking the shuttle, what they don't see is the extraordinary chain of movements taking place throughout the entire body. By the time the shuttle leaves the racket strings, almost every major muscle group has contributed to producing that explosive shot.

The process begins long before the racket reaches the shuttle.

Power starts from the ground. As your feet push forcefully against the court, the legs generate the initial force needed for the movement. That energy then travels upward through the knees, hips, pelvis, trunk, shoulder, arm, forearm, and finally into the racket.

This seamless transfer of energy is known as the kinetic chain, and it is one of the most important concepts in sports biomechanics.

Imagine trying to crack a whip.

The handle barely moves compared to the tip, yet the energy travels efficiently through each segment until the end accelerates dramatically. The human body functions in much the same way during a badminton smash. Each body segment passes energy to the next, creating enormous racket-head speed without requiring any single muscle to work excessively hard.

When this sequence is perfectly coordinated, the shuttle explodes off the racket.

When even one link is disrupted, valuable power is lost.

Why Some Players Hit Harder Without Looking Stronger

Have you ever noticed that some relatively smaller badminton players consistently produce harder smashes than athletes who appear much stronger?

At first glance, it doesn't seem to make sense.

However, sports biomechanics explains this phenomenon remarkably well.

Muscle strength is only one component of performance.

Elite badminton players possess several additional qualities that allow them to generate exceptional smash speeds. They produce force rapidly rather than slowly, coordinate multiple joints with incredible precision, maintain excellent mobility throughout the hips and shoulders, and time each movement so that energy flows smoothly through the kinetic chain.

In other words, they don't simply have bigger engines—they have better engineering.

This is why two athletes with similar physical strength can produce completely different smash velocities.

One player may lose energy because of poor hip rotation. Another may have limited thoracic mobility. Someone else may generate excellent lower-body power but fail to transfer it efficiently through the trunk and shoulder.

The difference is often hidden in movement quality rather than muscle size.

Understanding these hidden factors is where sports science becomes invaluable.

The Myth of "Just Lift Heavier"

Walk into almost any gym and you'll hear the same advice.

"If you want to smash harder, lift heavier."

While traditional strength training certainly has its place, this advice tells only part of the story.

Badminton is not a powerlifting competition.

During a smash, players don't have several seconds to slowly build force like they do while performing a heavy squat or deadlift. Instead, they have only fractions of a second to produce maximum power before making contact with the shuttle.

This ability is known as the Rate of Force Development (RFD)—the speed at which muscles can generate force.

For badminton players, producing force quickly is often more important than producing the highest possible force.

Imagine two athletes.

One can squat enormous weights but takes a relatively long time to develop force.

The other may not lift as heavily but can generate explosive force almost instantly.

On a badminton court, the second athlete often produces the faster smash.

This explains why many world-class players spend significant portions of their training performing explosive movements such as medicine ball throws, jump training, rotational exercises, and plyometric drills rather than relying solely on heavy resistance exercises.

Modern sports science is shifting the conversation from "How strong are you?" to "How quickly can you use your strength?"

That distinction changes everything.

Power Is More Than Muscle

Another common misconception is that smash power comes mainly from the arm.

In reality, the shoulder and arm are only the final pieces of a much larger puzzle.

Research consistently shows that explosive badminton performance depends on multiple physical qualities working together.

Leg strength creates the foundation for force production. Core muscles stabilise the body while transferring energy between the lower and upper body. Hip rotation accelerates the trunk, while the shoulder, elbow, forearm, and wrist work together to maximise racket speed at precisely the right moment.

If any one of these components is weak, stiff, or poorly coordinated, the entire movement becomes less efficient.

This explains why simply performing hundreds of shoulder exercises rarely transforms a player's smash.

The body functions as one integrated system, not as isolated muscles.

Elite athletes understand this instinctively.

Rather than chasing bigger muscles, they train better movement.

And that's exactly where the latest research begins to reveal something extraordinary.

A New Generation of Training Methods

For decades, heavy resistance training dominated strength and conditioning programmes across many sports. While it remains an effective tool, researchers have recently begun exploring whether alternative training methods may produce even greater improvements in explosive sporting movements like the badminton smash.

Could lighter loads performed explosively outperform heavy lifting?

Could athletes become stronger while placing less stress on developing joints?

Could new training methods produce faster racket speeds without increasing injury risk?

A landmark study published in Scientific Reports set out to answer these very questions.

The results surprised even experienced sports scientists and are beginning to influence how badminton players around the world approach performance training.

The Study That Could Change How Badminton Players Train

To understand which type of strength training truly improves badminton performance, researchers designed a four-week intervention involving 30 adolescent badminton players. Rather than assuming that heavier weights would automatically produce more powerful smashes, they compared three very different training approaches while allowing the athletes to continue their regular badminton practice.

The objective was straightforward but highly relevant to players and coaches around the world.

Which training method produces the greatest improvement in smash performance?

The answer, as it turned out, challenged many traditional beliefs about strength training.

Three Different Ways to Build Power

The athletes were divided into three groups, each following a different strength programme.

The first group performed Traditional Resistance Training (TRT), the approach most athletes are already familiar with. They trained using moderate to heavy weights, typically between 60% and 90% of their one-repetition maximum. Exercises included movements designed to increase overall muscular strength through progressively heavier loads.

The second group followed a Ballistic Training (BT) programme. Instead of focusing on lifting heavier weights, these athletes trained with explosive intent. Medicine ball throws, jump squats, overhead slams, and rotational exercises encouraged them to move as quickly as possible throughout every repetition. The emphasis shifted from producing maximum force to producing force at maximum speed.

The final group trained using Blood Flow Restriction Training (BFRT), one of the fastest-growing areas in modern sports science. Athletes exercised with very light loads—only about 20 to 30 percent of their maximum strength—while specialised cuffs partially restricted blood flow to the working muscles.

At first glance, BFRT seems almost too simple to work.

How could lifting such light weights produce meaningful improvements in performance?

The answer lies in how the body responds to metabolic stress.

Understanding Blood Flow Restriction Training

Blood Flow Restriction Training has gained significant attention over the past decade because it allows athletes to achieve remarkable strength adaptations while using much lighter loads than conventional resistance training.

During BFRT, specialised cuffs are placed around the upper arms or thighs. These cuffs are carefully inflated to partially reduce venous blood flow while allowing arterial blood to continue supplying oxygen to the muscles.

As exercise continues, metabolites such as lactate accumulate rapidly within the muscle.

The body interprets this as an intense training stimulus.

In response, fast-twitch muscle fibres are recruited earlier, anabolic signalling pathways become more active, and muscular adaptations begin to resemble those seen during much heavier resistance training.

For adolescent athletes, this has important implications.

Growing bones, joints, and connective tissues can sometimes be overloaded by excessive heavy lifting if training is poorly managed. BFRT offers a way to stimulate strength development while reducing the mechanical stress placed on these structures.

However, this does not mean BFRT should be attempted without professional supervision. Appropriate cuff pressures, exercise selection, duration, and athlete screening are essential to ensure both safety and effectiveness.

The Numbers That Surprised Researchers

After only four weeks, every group showed measurable improvements.

But one group stood well above the others.

The athletes performing Blood Flow Restriction Training increased their average smash velocity from approximately 166.8 km/h to 202.0 km/h.

An improvement of more than 35 km/h in such a short period is remarkable.

The Ballistic Training group also demonstrated significant gains, outperforming the Traditional Resistance Training group in several performance measures.

Although traditional strength training improved muscular strength, it was the training methods emphasising explosive movement and neuromuscular efficiency that produced the greatest improvements in racket speed.

The findings reinforce an important message:

In badminton, how quickly you can express strength often matters more than how much strength you possess.

Why Ballistic Training Works So Well

Imagine stretching a rubber band.

The faster and more efficiently you release it, the greater the force produced.

Your muscles and tendons behave in a similar way.

This natural mechanism is known as the stretch-shortening cycle, one of the most important contributors to explosive athletic performance.

During a jump smash, the muscles briefly lengthen before immediately shortening. This rapid transition allows stored elastic energy to be released, increasing force production without requiring additional muscular effort.

Ballistic training improves this process.

By repeatedly performing explosive movements, the nervous system becomes better at activating muscles rapidly, coordinating multiple joints, and transferring force through the body with greater efficiency.

Over time, athletes develop the ability to produce more power in less time.

For badminton players, this translates into:

• Faster take-off during jump smashes.

• More explosive trunk rotation.

• Increased racket-head speed.

• Quicker recovery after landing.

• Greater confidence attacking from the rear court.

Perhaps most importantly, ballistic exercises closely resemble the speed and movement patterns required during actual badminton play, making them highly specific to the sport.

The Nervous System: The Hidden Driver of Power

Many players think stronger muscles automatically create harder smashes.

In reality, your nervous system plays an equally important role.

Every explosive movement begins in the brain.

Within milliseconds, the brain sends electrical signals through the spinal cord to activate hundreds of muscle fibres in a carefully coordinated sequence.

Elite athletes don't simply possess stronger muscles.

They possess nervous systems that recruit those muscles faster, more efficiently, and in better synchronisation.

This explains why highly skilled players often appear effortless despite generating tremendous power.

Their bodies waste very little energy.

Every movement flows smoothly from one segment to the next.

Both Ballistic Training and Blood Flow Restriction Training appear to enhance these neuromuscular adaptations, helping athletes convert physical strength into sporting performance.

Strength Without Speed Isn't Enough

Consider two badminton players.

One spends months increasing their squat strength but rarely performs explosive movements.

The second focuses on developing explosive jumping ability, medicine ball throws, reactive footwork, and rotational power while maintaining adequate strength.

Although both athletes become stronger, the second player is often better prepared for the specific demands of badminton.

Why?

Because badminton rewards explosive force, not slow force.

The shuttle doesn't wait for you to finish building power.

Every rally demands rapid acceleration, quick deceleration, explosive changes of direction, and split-second reactions.

Training must reflect these demands.

Modern strength and conditioning has therefore shifted towards developing athletes who are not only stronger but also faster, more reactive, and better coordinated.

What Does This Mean for Young Badminton Players?

One of the most valuable aspects of this research is its relevance to adolescent athletes.

Young players are constantly developing physically. Their muscles, bones, tendons, and nervous systems are adapting at different rates, making appropriate training especially important.

The findings suggest that coaches should look beyond simply increasing gym loads.

Instead, programmes should include carefully planned explosive exercises, movement skill development, jumping mechanics, landing technique, rotational power, mobility training, and age-appropriate strength work.

This approach develops athleticism while helping reduce unnecessary stress on growing bodies.

It also encourages long-term performance rather than chasing short-term gains.

Ultimately, the goal is not simply to create stronger athletes.

It is to create better movers.

And better movers almost always become better badminton players.

But There Was One Unexpected Finding...

The researchers celebrated the dramatic improvements in smash speed, yet one result stood out for a completely different reason.

Despite hitting the shuttle significantly harder, the players did not become more accurate.

This finding highlights one of the most important lessons in sports science:

Power alone does not win rallies.

A 200 km/h smash that lands outside the court is worth exactly the same as a weak smash—it loses the point.

So why didn't accuracy improve? And what does this tell us about the relationship between biomechanics, skill acquisition, and technical coaching?

Power Without Precision Is Just Noise

One of the most fascinating discoveries from the study had nothing to do with strength.

Although the athletes generated significantly faster smashes after four weeks of training, their smash accuracy showed little improvement.

At first, this seems surprising. If players become stronger and their racket moves faster, shouldn't they naturally hit more accurate shots?

The answer is no.

Power and precision are controlled by different systems within the body. Strength training improves the muscles' ability to generate force, but accuracy depends on motor learning, timing, coordination, visual perception, and thousands of repetitions performed with excellent technique.

Imagine upgrading the engine of a sports car without improving its steering or brakes. The car becomes faster, but not necessarily easier to control.

The same principle applies in badminton.

An explosive smash is only valuable when the shuttle lands exactly where you intend it to.

Elite players understand this better than anyone. They don't simply chase higher smash speeds—they develop the ability to produce maximum power while maintaining exceptional control under pressure. That combination is what separates world-class players from everyone else.

The Biggest Mistake Most Players Make

Walk into almost any badminton academy and you'll notice a common pattern.

Players spend hours improving their technical skills on court, then head to the gym and follow generic strength programmes designed for bodybuilders or recreational fitness enthusiasts.

While these workouts certainly improve general fitness, they often fail to address the specific demands of badminton.

Badminton is one of the most explosive and multidirectional sports in the world. Every rally requires rapid acceleration, sudden braking, jumping, landing, lunging, rotating, and reacting—all within fractions of a second.

Training should reflect those demands.

Unfortunately, many athletes focus almost entirely on building muscle while overlooking the qualities that truly influence performance.

Limited hip mobility, poor trunk rotation, inadequate lower-limb power, inefficient landing mechanics, reduced shoulder mobility, weak core stability, and poor movement sequencing can all reduce smash speed—even in physically strong athletes.

Without identifying these limitations, players often spend months training hard without understanding why performance has plateaued.

The problem isn't always effort.

Often, it's direction.

Every Player Has a Different Limiting Factor

Two badminton players may produce identical smash speeds, yet for completely different reasons.

One athlete may possess excellent lower-body power but lose energy because of poor trunk rotation.

Another may have exceptional shoulder strength but struggle to generate force from the legs.

A third player may have outstanding physical capacity but poor timing, causing the kinetic chain to break down just before shuttle contact.

From the outside, all three players appear to have the same problem.

In reality, each requires a completely different solution.

This is why elite sport has moved away from one-size-fits-all training programmes.

Modern performance development begins with objective assessment.

Before deciding how an athlete should train, we first need to understand how they move.

Turning Sports Science Into Better Performance

Research papers provide valuable knowledge.

Assessments transform that knowledge into practical performance improvements.

At Sports2Science, our philosophy is simple:

Measure first. Train second.

Rather than guessing why an athlete isn't improving, we use objective assessments to identify exactly where performance is being lost.

Every recommendation is based on measurable data rather than assumptions.

Because no two athletes move the same way, no two performance programmes should be identical.

How Sports2Science Helps You Smash Harder

Imagine watching your own smash in slow motion—not from a phone camera, but through professional biomechanical analysis capable of revealing details invisible to the naked eye.

Instead of hearing, "Rotate more," or "Jump higher," you receive objective information about how your body generates power.

We analyse how force travels from the ground through the legs, hips, trunk, shoulder, arm, and racket. Even small inefficiencies in this sequence can reduce racket-head speed, and once identified, they can often be corrected through targeted training.

Our assessments don't simply measure performance—they explain why performance looks the way it does.

This allows athletes and coaches to make informed decisions rather than relying solely on observation.

Our Comprehensive Badminton Performance Assessment

At Sports2Science, every badminton assessment is designed to understand the athlete as a whole—not just the smash.

Depending on the player's age, competitive level, and goals, assessments may include movement screening, posture analysis, joint mobility evaluation, lower-limb power testing, jump and landing mechanics, balance assessment, agility testing, strength profiling, and badminton-specific biomechanical analysis.

Where appropriate, advanced technologies such as motion analysis, wearable sensors, force measurement, electromyography (EMG), and performance monitoring tools help provide deeper insights into movement quality.

This comprehensive approach enables us to identify hidden factors limiting performance before they become major obstacles or injuries.

Training That Fits the Athlete

Once the assessment is complete, the real work begins.

Instead of following generic online workouts, athletes receive an individualised programme designed around their own movement profile.

For one player, improving hip mobility may unlock greater trunk rotation and increase smash speed.

Another athlete may require explosive lower-body training to improve jump height.

Someone else may benefit from supervised Blood Flow Restriction Training during rehabilitation, while another requires ballistic exercises to enhance the rate of force development.

Every recommendation has a clear purpose supported by sports science.

The goal isn't simply to work harder.

The goal is to improve more efficiently.

Beyond Smash Power

While this article has focused on smashing, the same principles apply throughout badminton.

Better movement quality contributes to:

• Faster court coverage

• More efficient lunges

• Improved recovery between shots

• Greater jump height

• Better balance during deceptive movements

• Reduced injury risk

• Enhanced endurance throughout long matches

In other words, improving the kinetic chain doesn't just produce harder smashes.

It creates better badminton players.

The Future of Badminton Performance

Badminton is entering an exciting era.

Technology, biomechanics, artificial intelligence, wearable sensors, and movement science are transforming how athletes train and compete.

Rather than relying purely on intuition, today's players can use objective data to understand their strengths, identify weaknesses, monitor progress, and make smarter training decisions.

This is the future of athlete development.

And it's already happening.

At Sports2Science, our mission is to bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and practical performance, ensuring that athletes of every level benefit from the same scientific principles used in elite sport.

Whether you're a young player aiming to make your school team, a competitive athlete chasing national selection, or an academy committed to developing future champions, evidence-based assessment provides the foundation for long-term success.

Ready to Discover What's Limiting Your Smash?

Every badminton player wants a faster smash.

The better question is:

What's stopping yours from becoming faster?

• Is it strength?

• Mobility?

• Jump mechanics?

• Rotational power?

• Movement sequencing?

Or is your body simply not transferring energy as efficiently as it could?

Without assessment, these questions remain unanswered.

With assessment, they become opportunities for improvement.

At Sports2Science, we combine biomechanics, sports science, movement analysis, performance testing, and evidence-based training to help athletes unlock their true potential—not through guesswork, but through measurable data.

Because champions aren't built by training harder than everyone else.

They're built by understanding their bodies better than everyone else.

If you're ready to train smarter, improve faster, and maximise every watt of power your body can produce, book a Badminton Performance Assessment with Sports2Science.

Your next smash could be the fastest one you've ever hit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I increase my smash speed without lifting heavy weights?

Yes. Recent research suggests that explosive training methods such as Ballistic Training and supervised Blood Flow Restriction Training can significantly improve smash speed when incorporated into a well-designed programme. However, the best approach depends on your age, experience, and current physical condition.

Does wrist strength create a powerful smash?

The wrist contributes to racket positioning and the final stages of acceleration, but the majority of smash power comes from the kinetic chain, beginning with the legs and progressing through the hips, trunk, shoulder, and arm. A strong wrist cannot compensate for poor whole-body mechanics.

Is Blood Flow Restriction Training safe?

When prescribed and supervised by trained professionals using appropriate equipment, Blood Flow Restriction Training can be an effective method for improving strength with lighter loads. It should never be performed without proper screening and guidance.

How often should badminton players perform strength training?

Most competitive players benefit from two to three well-planned strength and power sessions each week. The exact frequency should be adjusted according to age, training load, tournament schedule, recovery, and individual goals.

Why should I get a biomechanical assessment?

A biomechanical assessment identifies movement inefficiencies that cannot always be seen during regular coaching. Understanding these limitations allows training to become more targeted, efficient, and personalised, helping athletes improve performance while reducing injury risk.

References

• Li, X., et al. (2026). Effects of blood flow restriction, ballistic, and traditional resistance training on smash velocity and accuracy in adolescent badminton players. Scientific Reports, 16, Article 23385.

• Bompa, T. O., & Buzzichelli, C. Periodization: Theory and Methodology of Training.

• Komi, P. V. Strength and Power in Sport.

• McGinnis, P. M. Biomechanics of Sport and Exercise.