The jump smash adds angle and speed but loads the knees. Learn how to build smash, jump and landing step by step instead of overreaching.
The honest answer: The jump smash is a smash you hit while jumping. You hit the shuttle higher, can hit it more steeply downward and often gain a bit of speed. It is spectacular, but it is not a beginner's stroke: it requires a secure smash, leg strength and above all a controlled landing.
Important up front, because it surprises many: more jump force does not automatically mean more speed. In a study with 19 elite players from Malaysia, ground force and rate of force development of the takeoff were not related to shuttle speed. Faster smashes instead had a particular arm position at contact: a more internally rotated shoulder, a less elevated shoulder and a less extended elbow [1]. So if you only jump higher, you do not automatically hit harder.
Then there is the risk. Landing after overhead strokes is among the most frequent injury situations in badminton. This guide is therefore deliberately designed around build-up and safety.
Test yourself honestly. Standing smash: seven of ten shuttles in court. Single-leg landing: ten clean landings after a small hop. If one of them does not work, stay there. The prerequisites are practice standard.
Milestone: Both passed, only then move on.
Jump only a few centimetres, hit the shuttle and land. At the start the jump is a hop, not a flight. Make sure your smash is as clean as on the ground.
Concentrate on arm position: elbow not fully straight, upper arm not yanked up [1]. The study authors recommend exactly that if you want to maximise speed. Jump height is secondary.
Milestone: Your smash from the jump is at least as accurate as standing.
This is the most important step. In a study with 21 junior players, the peak knee abduction angle (how far the knee collapses inward) was associated with knee rotation at touchdown and with landing time [2]. For you that means: watch knee rotation and landing time. Practise landing on one leg without a stroke, then with a stroke. The knee stays over the foot. In backhand landings another study showed that your body's balancing (trunk lean, hip abduction) loads more on landing on the backhand side [7].
Milestone: Ten landings without knee collapse, also with a stroke.
Play the jump smash at targets, not only in shadow play. In backhand jump smashes the landing differed when practising with a real shuttle and target [3][4]. Whoever practises only in shadow learns a different landing from the one in the game.
Do the landing check: film yourself from the front during ten jump smashes and check in the still frame at landing whether the knee stays over the foot. Mentally draw a line from hip over knee to foot. If the knee collapses inward, the build-up is not finished yet.
First secure the standing smash, then train landing on one leg, then build in small jumps. Pay attention to arm position and landing instead of height. A coach should film you. Time frames depend on you and cannot be promised seriously.
Not automatically. In a study with elite Malaysians, shuttle speed was not related to ground force but to arm position at contact [1]. More jump force alone therefore does not help.
It carries a risk, especially when landing on one leg. In a Danish registry the scissor-kick jump in the rear court preceded 19 % of cruciate ligament ruptures [5]. With build-up, landing training and warm-up the risk can be reduced.
When your standing smash is secure and you manage ten single-leg landings without the knee collapsing. These are practice criteria, not study values. If in doubt, ask a coach.
No. A clean standing smash is more than enough for almost any recreational game. The jump smash adds angle but also landing risk [5]. This is coaching practice. Build it only if your base is solid and a coach accompanies you.
The Backhand Grip in Badminton: The Thumb Grip for Clean Backhand Shots