Smashing Satwik: What it takes to send a shuttle rocketing at 565 kph

Days later, at the Korea Open Super 500 which he and Chirag Shetty went on to win, there was another 500 kph blinder. Receiving a high lift at 12-6 from the Japanese No. 5 Takuro Hoki (playing with Yugo Kobayashi) in the opening set, Satwik leapt in the back court and sent a scorcher down between Hoki’s squatting legs, setting a record for the fastest on-field smash in open play.

The last on-field record of 493 kph was set by Malaysia’s Tan Boon Heong in 2013. And since many on the circuit are built as sturdy as Satwik, it stands to reason that the fastest smash takes more than mere brute strength.

A steady wrist…

It is in his right wrist — the final flex point of contact with the racquet — that Satwik shows technical acumen and skill, the most underrated and almost unseen aspect of the Big Smash.

Former international Aravind Bhat explained: “When the racquet strikes the shuttle in that last instant, his wrist holds steady. The racquet is not shaking or vibrating in that final second so the power generation is steady when he hits.” The racquet speed generated equals how fast it hits the shuttle.

…And flat contact

Also, Satwik tends to hit it really flat — and when the contact is as flat as possible, the shuttle is struck that much harder. “Many people are well built. But Satwik is smart enough to know that the wrist holds the key to the eventual translating of power to the racquet,” Bhat said.

Body as machine

The anatomy of a smash is complex, and sees the body crank up power like a machine. It always starts with the brain. The head instructs the legs to get under the shuttle. The jump sees the transfer of power from the legs to the core and from the core to the hands — the elbow.

The shoulder blades swing, the triceps and biceps come into play. The final action over the forearm, which Satwik aces, comes to the wrist, which is unshaken, where within a fraction of a steady second, that rocket smash is born.

“Everything needs to be correct — the strength and technique at the last second to generate maximum power,” Bhat said. The jump translates the full weight of the body on to the shuttle only if the wrist too holds steady.

Perfect position…

Satwik’s talent also lies in being able to position himself perfectly under the shuttle to unleash the whipping action, and to strike the shuttle in a way that maximises the 2 feet of racquet length.

“You need a whipping action using the hips, core, rotation of the trunk, shoulder, elbow and wrist to move the racquet at a high speed with good length of the lever arm to generate the speed necessary for high smash speed,” sports science specialist Nikhil Latey said.

…Whipping action

The whipping action sees considerable flexion movement — rotation of the lumbar spine and thorax — before the body uncoils into the leaping smash. Satwik also gets the steep and sharp angle sending the shuttle in the downward direction, allowing gravity to get behind the shot.

Once into the jump, the body turns into a propeller-like long lever arm, above the bent knee, as Satwik strikes the shuttle at the highest point. Since the racquet and shuttle are both light, the bird travels fast if struck at the right spot. “Longer lever arms need more strength but generate a lot more whipping speed like the tip of a ceiling fan’s blade,” Latey explained.

Equipment aid

Yonex was looking for a spot of publicity through this record, and it handed the latest bludgeon — the NANOFLARE 1000 — to Satwik. The racquet’s EXBOLT 65 strings are claimed to generate high repulsion on impact while reducing air resistance. It comes with a connected grommet attached to the lower part of the frame containing highly rigid material that is resistant to warping, the subtle vibrating that could chomp into the speed.

Everything from the racquet grip to the string tensions (which could go up to 34-35 lbs), and the way the racquet buckles, matters in determining how fast the shuttle moves. One of the reasons Satwik hits those monster smashes is that he strikes the sweet spot, just above the middle of the racquet, oftener.

The shuttle needs to be fast too — sharper, more compactly streamlined feathers (not open like a flower) have better aerodynamics. Conditions, including a tailwind drift inside the court, would have been controlled to generate the record-smashing hit.

Power & placement

Badminton greatness though is seldom about hitting the fastest smash. The most effective smashes in a live match are those that don’t get retrieved. Satwik may boast of a world record now for speediest smash, but his true talent — and what makes him a winning shuttler — is his placement of those smashes, and the angles he imparts to them to find the gaps. The wrist that holds steady hitting the bazooka shots, knows power as well as placement.