Correlation Between Shoulder and Wrist Muscle Flexibility, Hand Muscle Strength, and Smash Accuracy in Sub-elite Badminton Players

Background Badminton is an intense racket sport that requires a variety of physical fitness, technical proficiency, and neuromuscular coordination. The smash is regarded as the most powerful offensive stroke in badminton, and its effectiveness depends on several physical factors, including upper-extremity flexibility and strength. Although shoulder and wrist flexibility, as well as hand muscle strength, are believed to influence stroke performance, there is little information available about their relationship with smash accuracy in sub-elite badminton players. Methods A cross-sectional correlational study was carried out among 28 sub-elite badminton players aged 18-24 years recruited from badminton academies and sports training centers in Karad, Maharashtra, India. Convenience sampling was used to choose participants based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Shoulder and wrist muscle flexibility were evaluated using the Prone Stick Test, hand muscle strength was assessed with the Maximum Push-Up Test, and smash accuracy was measured using a standardized Smash Accuracy Test. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was utilized to analyze the association between variables, with the degree of importance set at p < 0.05. Results The average age of participants was 21.07 ± 1.82 years, with a mean playing experience of 3.96 ± 1.47 years. A somewhat favorable association was discovered between shoulder flexibility and smash accuracy (r=0.58, p=0.001). Wrist flexibility demonstrated a fair positive correlation with smash accuracy (r = 0.41, p = 0.030). Hand muscle strength showed a strong positive correlation with smash accuracy (r=0.69, p<0.001), demonstrating that individuals with higher upper-extremity strength tended to demonstrate better smash accuracy. Among the variables studied, hand muscle strength exhibited the strongest association with smash accuracy. Conclusion Shoulder flexibility, wrist flexibility, and hand muscle power were substantially correlated with smash accuracy in sub-elite badminton players. Hand muscle strength demonstrated the strongest relationship with smash accuracy, followed by shoulder flexibility and wrist flexibility. These findings suggest that upper-extremity flexibility and strength are significant physical characteristics connected to badminton smash performance. Incorporating flexibility and strengthening exercises into training programs may help improve smash accuracy and overall playing performance in sub-elite badminton players.