The role of physical condition in the smash skills of guidance achievement badminton athletes

Novriady Novriady (Department of Sport Education, Universitas Negeri Padang)
Nurul Ihsan (Department of Sports Education, Universitas Negeri Padang)
Umar Umar (Department of Sports Coaching, Universitas Negeri Padang, Indonesia)
Ahmad Chaeroni (Department of Sports Science, Universitas Negeri Padang, Indonesia)
Andri Gemaini (Universitas Negeri Padang)

Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan Indonesia
Vol. 11 No. 4 (2025): JPPI (Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan Indonesia)

This study examines the direct and indirect effects of arm muscle explosive power, hand-eye coordination, and flexibility on smash ability among badminton players at PB Cahaya Pinang. Using a quantitative approach with path analysis, 14 male athletes were selected as participants. Data was collected through sport-specific tests: the two-hand medicine ball throw for explosive power, a tennis ball throw-and-catch test for hand-eye coordination, shoulder and wrist flexibility tests, and a smash performance test. The results revealed that flexibility had the strongest direct effect on smash ability (p = 0.906), followed by arm muscle explosive power (p = 0.270) and hand-eye coordination (p = 0.264). Flexibility also mediated the effects of arm muscle explosive power (64.4%) and hand-eye coordination (40.8%). Together, these variables accounted for 96.4% of the variance in smash ability, highlighting the integrated role of physical components in badminton performance.