Very weak smash

Could be a poor smashing technique. Most gains come from better technique and physical conditioning. Unless you're racket is very poor for smashing or the strings are dead it's probably not the real issue here.

Using a new racket may even give you more confidence to smash thus improving your shot! I haven't played with plastic shuttles in a long time so it's hard to remember their smashing performance but I'm sure it's not comparable to feathers so it's hard for me to judge.

Just make sure you're technique is solid before you go buying new rackets, if nothing but to be sure it's a worthwhile purchase

 

Yeah, definitely try a restring. 24 lbs sounds about right for plastic shuttles, you will probably start losing power at around 26. If the racquet is too head light, then the cheap and fast way to add power is with some lead tape. I personally hit harder with feather shuttles than plastic shuttles, so that might also be worth trying.

 

If I play plastic shuttles alot, I tend to get tennis elbow as well.

A good string would be BG65, as it is durable with plastic shuttles. You might want 25 lbs instead of 24 lbs, as it is a very soft string.

It's usually not the racquet that affects power. I hit about the same with everything, unless it's very lightweight.

 

Note that not everyone will smash harder/faster with a higher string tension. Some players will actually will produce more power/shuttle speed by reducing string tension. For tennis rackets, lower tensions tend to produce more power (faster ball speeds) whereas higher tensions yield less power (and more depth control). For badminton, it is not so straightforward. A lot of this will depend on your particular swing style/technique.

What grip are you using for your smashes and other overhead strokes? A panhandle grip may limit your ability to generate sufficient RHS (racket head speed). A suitable "smash grip" will allow you to start your upward swing with the racket "on edge" and then pronate the hand (forearm) as the racket approaches the shuttle to make contact with the shuttle. Note that forearm pronation is employed in conjunction with ESR (external shoulder rotation) to generate greater RHS.

If you are not employing forearm pronation (and ESR), you undoubtedly have the racket face open much too soon on the upward swing. In tennis, this is known at WTE (waiter's tray error). I've not been on the BC forums much in the past 9+ years -- is WTE a common terminology here?

There are other elements, like timing, that are needed to produce RHS. Some players find that they can produce faster shuttle speeds on overhead strokes by hitting higher in the stringbed (rather than the middle of the stringbed or lower).

 

Might also be worth considering getting some lead tape. The zf2 is head heavy, which personally helps me with smash power. My MD partner has a faster smash since switching to zf2.

 

It occurs to me that you might be gripping the racket handle too tightly. This will tend to tighten up too many muscles in the forearm and hand or tighten the proper muscles too early. This can be counterproductive to generating adequate RHS and may also fatigue the forearm/hand in a fairly short time.

Most of the time, while playing, you should employ a fairly relaxed grip. Some will refer to this as a "loose" grip but I prefer to refer to it as "relaxed". With a relaxed grip, as the racket head is accelerated, your hand (forearm muscles) should automatically increase finger pressure as needed. "Let this happen" rather than actively (or consciously) forcing the fingers to squeeze tightly.

If a finger pressure of "10" represents a death grip and a grip pressure of "0" or "1" results in the racket falling out of your hand, then it would probably be best to hold the racket, most of the time, with a pressure of "2 or "3". From this initial pressure, "allow" the grip pressure to increase, as needed, as racket head picks up speed.

Another way to look at this is that, with a relaxed grip, it it easier to generate RHS w/o "muscling" the racket. If the fingers tighten at the proper time, they can help to produce even greater RHS.

In my previous post, I mentioned a "suitable" grip for smashes or other overhead (forehand) strokes. You may find that the optimal grip might vary slightly from one elite player to the next. Some players will employ the "basic" grip while others will shift this slightly toward a full panhandle grip. Renowned UK/Korean coach, Lee Jae Bok, has advocated a modified panhandle grip IIRC. @Gollum (Michael Hopley) has a great primer on on various grips used in badminton:

https://www.badmintonbible.com/articles/grips-guide/grip-adjustments/smash-grip-adjustment

 

Great advice for the most part. However, this might vary with the individual or the racket. A head-heavier racket can result in greater shuttle speed for many players. OTOH, it might result in reduced RHS for some and produce less shuttle speed for other players or rackets.

Is swingweight (SW) ever discussed wrt to badminton rackets? SW is a measure of the Moment of Inertia (MOI) for a racket. SW can give us a clue on how heavy a racket "feels" as we swing it thru an arc. SW is often discussed with golf clubs, tennis rackets and baseball bats. Not certain if badminton players or manufacturers ever discuss this parameter.

 

Yep. "headweight". I'll have a look for the link started by @visor i think...
here we go: http://www.badmintoncentral.com/for...-simpler-appoximation-of-swing-weight.123622/
It really opened my eyes to measuring racquet specs as balance point can be hugely misleading. Sorry to carry this thread off on a tangent.

 

I'll have to take a closer look at that link later when I have more time. Yeah, weight and balance only tell us part of what is going on. The MOI or SW will give us more of an idea of how the racket "feels" depending on the distribution of the mass of the racket. 2 rackets can have the very same weight and balance point but will feel different when we swing it because the SW is not the same (ie, the mass is not distributed the quite same).

Note also that MOI (or SW specs) will change depending on where we grip the handle. If we hold the racket with a short grip, it will have a lower MOI than if we hold it with a long grip, I believe. SW specs are normally given for a specific axis of rotation (or exactly where the grip is held). For a tennis racket, I believe that the SW spec is given for an axis of rotation 10 cm from the butt of the racket. Not certain of that and don't know if the same criteria would be used for a badminton racket.

 

2g right at the top.

 

Generally, the lighter and more flexible racquet is better for avoiding tennis elbow. The better doubles racquet is the one that you like best, I play with a "singles" racquet in doubles because I prefer it. Every player is different, we can't tell you which one is better.

 

Try shadowing some strokes using a tenis racket or squash racket this will help to improve your strength then when you go back to your racket you can smash harder however try feathers or go to a club that uses feathered shuttles it will improve your game learning to play since personally plastics are not very stable during flight

 

Well nobody can comment on your technique when you state nothing about it.. But they might only be able to comment on your raquet, which seems to be what you are asking..

So you yourself can see when your smash gets much much better. That is really good and will help you solve this...

So here's an idea.

Well why don't you go with your friend , with your friend's racquet, to a person that sells and strings badminton racquets and knows all about them and ask him to give you a racquet the same as your friends, and then You try to smash with it and you yourself see that it worked, and then you can speak to the guy that knows about racquets and he can tell you exactly what he thinks the difference is.. and you'll hopefully have a racquet that smashes as well as your friends, can report back here with the info! note- I have heard that head heavy racquets help for a big smash.