Correlation between isometric shoulder strength and racket velocity during badminton forehand smash movements: study of valid clinical assessment methods.
Takenori Awatani, Ikuhiro Morikita, Tatsuya Urata and 2 others
PMID 29950779WHAT IT FOUND
In 14 collegiate badminton players, isometric shoulder internal rotator strength measured in the abducted position was moderately related to forehand smash racket velocity.
Shoulder extension strength and neutral-position internal rotator strength were not significantly related.
Key findings
01Isometric internal rotator torque measured in the abducted, externally rotated position was moderately correlated with racket velocity during the badminton forehand smash (r=0.652; p=0.046).
02Isometric shoulder extension torque measured in the maximum abducted position was not significantly correlated with racket velocity (r=0.612; p=0.06).
03Isometric internal rotator torque measured in the neutral shoulder position was not significantly correlated with racket velocity (r=0.23; p=0.429).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study included only 14 healthy collegiate badminton players with no recent shoulder pain or surgery, and the authors note limited competition levels, so it does not show what to expect in injured patients. The design was correlational, so it cannot show that improving shoulder strength increases racket velocity. The sample size was small; the authors calculated a target sample size of 11, and several correlations with racket velocity were not significant. The authors did not analyse characteristics of the smash motion, so differences in swing type were not examined.
Declared interests
This research did not receive a specific grant, and the authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that strengthening the shoulder internal rotators will increase badminton smash speed. The study measured 14 collegiate players and found correlations, not treatment effects, and the shoulder extension measures did not reach significance for racket velocity.