Hi I am looking tp buy a badminton racket, well I just wanted to know about a few things that is mentioned on here a lot. Balance, so can someone tell me how it affects power etc? Some peope like a head heavy racket, some like a mid balance, its all confusing. As well as this, how important is stringing? How often must this be done? I curently use a carlton airblade, a cheap one I bought. Heavy head I guess, i can fel it, but i don't know what difference it actually makes to playing, does it add power? What do I look for? I tried the Forza 50000 today, very nice I can notice an obvious improvement but I thought I'd splash out on a higher end one? I am going to buy a forza racket as my club is sponsored by them and we get discount of like, 1/3 off the rrp I think http://forzabadminton.co.uk/rackets.asp Kevlar 15 N-Forze maybe.
A head heavy racquet is good for power, especially in overhand shots, such as clears, etc. A head-light racquet is best for finesse shots, and working around the net. A mid-weight racquet gives you a happy medium between these two. As far as the difference it will make, well, it's not particularly significant. The most important thing is comfort. I am definitely most comfortable with head-heavy racquets, so that's what I use. I haven't got much experience with Forza, but by all means, a discount is great. I personally am not a huge fan of their racquets, but hey, a lot of my friends use and love them. As for stringing, I'd recommend changing strings every 4-6 months. If you are very serious about competing you 'll probably break them more often than that anyway.
A headlight racquet will also be generally faster on defense that a head-heavy one. Players who are more on defense than offense will usually go for a headlight or even balanced racquet. Another thing to consider with racquets is shaft stiffness. Flexible or medium stiff racquets will be easier to handle than a stiff or extra stiff racquet. These types of racquet will be a good choice for beginners. Stiffer racquets are more accurate and allow you to generate more power IF you have the arm power and technique to handle them. Stringing is also very important, IMHO more than racquet choice since the string is what makes contact with the shuttle. If you are a beginner-beginner go no higher that 20 lbs tension. Low tension helps with power because of the string's trampoline effect. 21-23 lbs if you are a higher level beginner to intermediate player. Trial-and-error is the only true way to find out your optimum tension. If your clears start to go out all the time then it would be a good time to try 1-2 lbs higher tension. Hope this helps.
