How annoying I just wrote a long, interesting and riveting thread only to find it didn't post so here I go again with a shorter version!

I'm a final year student studying Sports Technology at Loughborough Uni. For my final year project I am looking at the customisation of badminton racket handles.

However, I am struggling to find infomation on the technical aspects of a badminton racket. The racket sports field appears to be extremely biased to tennis with umpteen papers and books availiable on it. From the 67 badminton books at the library half are about coaching and the other half about the physiological aspects of the game. Also any papers i can find on the game again focus on the physiological aspect of the game. So i've turned here in the hope of finding some inspiration.

I am looking for infomation on the following of badminton rackets:

Impact Speed
Impact Forces
Forces on Subject -> eg Vibrations

If you know any good technical websites or know of where to get papers on the following it would be greatly appreciated.

The aim of the project is to hopefully produce a better handle that will outperform the current standard handles but one which will also suit the individual user better.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Ali

Someone must know something!!

my suggestion is to search through the filed patents on badminton rackets. i have done that before and they are highly educational.

all the patents are available online.

I don't think we have much in the way of cold hard facts.
We get a lot of debate and subjective opinion.

As you've seen, tennis gets more of the research.

From what I've read about tennis racquets and service speed, the racquet head needs to be going at about 100mph to get a 150mph serve.

I would expect a professional badminton player to get a racquet head speed in excess of 100mph on a smash.

I don't know any numbers about the impact forces.
Generally, the forces would be higher if the racquet is strung at higher tension, or with thinner string.

Forces on the subject (I assume you mean the player)
similar rules should apply as for tennis.
Heavy racquets send less shock to the player than light racquets.
Head-heavy racquets send more shock to the player than head-light racquets.


Have you tried contacting racquet manufacturers?

certain shots require different styles of stringing the racket in order to get best results. For instance if one is a offensive smasher, then there has to be 2 lbs + on the tension for the crosses than on the mains. That's because when you smash the bird, the birdy is pulling the crosses more.

On the other hand if one uses more slices, then you'd have to string the badminton racket with 2 lbs + on the mains than on the crosses. When you slice, then birdy is pulling the mains.

Of course I think everyone who strings here knows that :p

The aim of the project is to hopefully produce a better handle that will outperform the current standard handles but one which will also suit the individual user better.

Thanks in advance for your help.

AliHa, difficult!

I had a slightly similar idea previously but couldn't get it off the ground.

Before you design a 'better' handle, one point of view to take is to survey the characteristics of players. Put them into rough categories, and then take the physical characteristics of the players which would be most important. (probably hand size, arm length, height of player, preference of handle size, male/female, doubles/singles). Put them all into multiple regression analysis and try to see if you can come up with any associations. IF there are any associations with the handle size, then you can proceed.


Another way is the best guess design of handle, then do comparision tests -still difficult though.

Good luck!

Someone must know something!!1 I read your project topic some time ago. It sounds too aggressive to be accomplished.

2 I have very strong research background in Taxation, Social Science and Business even though I haven't studied for a PhD. From the perspective of doing a final year project, it would be better to first identify whether the project is "do-able".

3 Even for a PHD paper or International Professional Journal paper, they try to narrow down to "Control" and study some single variables.

4 From what you have written, it seems to me that this topic is in its initial stage and you might not have talked in great detail with your supervisor.

5 If I were you, I would first read a lot of Journal in Sports Tech and see what people are doing there and find one in Badminton that you want to do more.