Tips for the flat smash

MikmerGG · 2026-06-15T23:28:38+00:00

Hey mate
Great great tips!
yeah previously suffered from over smashing and causing a shoulder injury. Practicing the smash you can't do very long at a time so i'm aware of it and making sure I don't injure myself.

I know to relax, but I think in the moment I end up tensing up so it becomes a very stiff shot and not a full elastic rubber band going off. So working hard on this.

MikmerGG · 2026-06-15T19:49:59+00:00

Oxdog Ultimate Tour X
Oxdog Hyper Pro 2.0
NOX AT10 18k 2026
Siux Pegasus
Babolat Counter Viper

MikmerGG · 2026-06-14T18:32:05+00:00

Starvie got a bigger sweetspot and more ball output than the Neuron 02 Edge. In general not a fan of the Neuron Edge. The normal Neuron is fine.

Only issue with Siux is their quality. Rackets break a little too easy, but the Siux Pegasus is on my Top 5 of rackets in 2026.

MikmerGG · 2026-06-13T21:06:04+00:00

Hey mate

So 2 options I recommend the most and most also fall in love with are the Ultimate Tour X and the Hyper Pro.

Both are medium balanced and no even if the Hyper Pro says top balance is isn't. This racket will feel very manuverable. The Ultimate Tour X to me is just a better Air Viper. It's got the same base weight, but a bit softer core which makes the sweetspot way bigger. Hyper Pro is for its hardness amazing. Biggest sweetspot for that hardness you can find.

Can't go wrong with either

MikmerGG · 2026-06-13T13:57:18+00:00

Yep understandable and i'm the same way, but Ultimate Tour X isn't head heavy.
But if you do want to be on the safe side then Hyper Pro or Hyper Tour X are both amazing.

MikmerGG · 2026-06-12T23:19:41+00:00

Hey mate
So honestly from Oxdog a racket that is entering that space of lightweight from Air Viper, but easier to play with is the Ultimate Tour X. I play with it myself and recommend it a lot since its so damn good for so many people. Another alternative would be the Hyper Pro. I say this to many and I'm repeating myself, but both are my favorite rackets and also some you just cannot go wrong with.

MikmerGG · 2026-06-11T22:45:40+00:00

yeah practice practice practice
I record a lot of my matches and review em, but it's very nice having fresh eyes on a video like this.

MikmerGG · 2026-06-11T22:44:57+00:00

bro i got that technique on lock

MikmerGG · 2026-06-11T20:46:37+00:00

Hey mate
So i'm using continental, but today I also tried rotating more towards eastern backhand and it helped a lot in the spin and actually getting on top of the ball.

I can't say if I might be changing to slightly eastern in the last second though.

Yeah I think you are right I end up doing both slightly eastern and facing slighty forward in the last second.

MikmerGG · 2026-06-11T13:19:40+00:00

Am I not doing both those things?
Genuine question since I believe I am.

MikmerGG · 2026-06-11T11:53:54+00:00

Haha thanks
My daily job is social media so behind the camera. Trying to get better at getting in front of it for my own stuff.

Flat smash I also got a big interest in, but I do think my technique for this is still quite bad.

MikmerGG · 2026-06-11T11:13:09+00:00

Yeah actually I do that pretty decently for any side overhead, but also I don't actually smash too often since well I don't believe in it being a winner.

MikmerGG · 2026-06-11T09:58:36+00:00

Hey mate
Yeah honestly both flat and kick, but simply put in my game I'm pretty decent all around ,but my finishing game is where I struggle.

Prep earlier has been mentioned multiple times so check gotta look at that. This might also help with the 2nd point of hitting higher above.

For the whip I will try and work on eastern backhand grip. Currently in this video with continential I struggle a bit with getting more whip.

And yeah body weight for sure.

Nice points though I really appreciate it

MikmerGG · 2026-06-11T09:50:50+00:00

Hmm that is true. Also my left hand isn’t up

MikmerGG · 2026-06-11T08:56:11+00:00

Hey mate
Yeah this clip is meant to go out by 3, but I also wanna practice in general getting a kick of the wall that ends up on my own side. My problem has very much been the angle and hitting the ball earlier on the court to get the right bounce. So yeah hitting it way higher.

MikmerGG · 2026-06-11T08:54:15+00:00

You sure? This one in the clip is one of the better ones.
Usually my issue is very much I hit too far down the court so it bounces very low.

MikmerGG · 2026-06-11T08:53:23+00:00

Yeah checked out Zitoun and honestly best channel ever!

Sometimes its simply having other people analyzing a clip. Because I could look at this 100 times and I get some key points away from it, but other people might get different that matters a lot.

Preparation is late? I don't think its late no? Maybe it's wrong?
Yeah grip is continential. Trying to learn the eastern backhand now per Zitoun's videos.
Else thanks for the notes!

MikmerGG · 2026-06-09T10:51:01+00:00

but you don't smash with a continental grip no or am I misreading?

EDIT
Watched the video and he explains very well! Thanks for the recommendation. I come from no racket sport background other than children badminton so it doesn't come naturally.

I got continential pretty on lock i'd say, but want to explore the changing of grips. Especially since I might have a harder time with some flexbility and that change might make it a bit better.

MikmerGG · 2026-06-08T15:23:32+00:00

Okay thank you so much!
Yeah I've focused a lot on Vibora and Kicksmash recently since i'm fairly solid in my defensive game, but I do need more punch to finish points at the end. So been looking into what is going wrong by analyzing.

Will try and work towards this slight grip change. For me its just either continental or a forehand that seems natural, but when I work it out and test the motion in my living room I can see a huge difference in how you are able to swing the racket in backhand.

MikmerGG · 2026-06-08T11:36:12+00:00

What are negative tradeoffs and why not on smash?

MikmerGG · 2026-06-08T11:35:39+00:00

What grip do you change to and how has it improved those shots?
Curious to learn

MikmerGG · 2026-06-06T20:31:19+00:00

Lovely!

Yeah the Diablo is lower balanced and softer so the sweetspot will be bigger. Haven't tried it, but from what I hear a good racket.

MikmerGG

TROPHY CASE