Hello everybody, as electrical engineer I'm always interested in the science especially of racket development of my hobby. The grade of the graphite (UHM, 40t, japanese toray) Different materials (Nanopreme etc.), different aerodynamic shapes (Brave Sword etc.), string patterns (e.g. Forzas 96 holes ) and frame modifictions (inner waves, muscle power etc.) of the string run. It sounds such scientific and pompous, but does this really matter for you to choose such a racket, or do you think this only marketing and smart advertisement? Let's say you have the opportunity to build your own racket with the latest materials, the slimmest and stiffest shaft and the most aerodynamic head shape which comes with the narrowest stringbed. Will it perfom well? Does all technology matters? Some people stick with the most popular brand, with the brand of their idols, with the brand of country or any relationship. Other buy clones which look like and others don't care. But everyone has an aim and diffent focus like look alike in terms of paintwork and design, latest technology, hottest discussion at BC or good reviews, the leader in the market and beeing a fan of this national team or player. Some choose different rackets in terms of specs others try out and others don't mind. I know the racket is not important for your level of play and is not a magic stick which affect your games so much, but every human is struggling to get the best in many aspects. What do you think? I invite you to an exchange of all this parameters and attributes which a racket can have. Feel free to right down your opinion and minds. Lets start to discuss.
Currently using a gosen ryoga tenbu. I have a forza ti 550vs as well, proace ti dream and previously a bravesword 9 before I was conned out of it. To me, the most important thing is the feeling i get when i swing the racket and the string that i used with it. Honestly if there is a cheaper racket that feel exactly like the tenbu, i will use that too. Afterall I am just a recreational player.
I bought my very first Apacs Lethal 90, after hearing positive reviews from some folks, and also to replace the hand-me-down Yonex Graphlex 180.Paint job also looks nice, i'm particular on how the product is presented as well.As i slowly improved my level of play, the racket seemed less relevant to me, i needed something stiffer and head-heavier.That led me to the Yonex VT80, and when i wanted to get it, the Japan Open model was released, and again my obsession towards great design made me pay a little more for the limited edition model. I'm now happy with Yonex (again), never turning back.In a nutshell:- Good looks matters (for me)- I always read reviews and criticisms, esp. here in BC. Does a great deal of help- Tech specs don't matter much for me, it's a given. After all, you get what you pay- I get what goes great with my style of play- There are times that i get curious as to why pros use what they use, so i tend to lean to that.Of course, the racket does only so little in improving you, but it feels nice to sometimes gain the psychological advantage of having a great racket.
I just choose my rackets based on specification. When I first bought my SW35, I honestly couldn't tell you any technology that went into it (and still can't) When choosing a racket, I look mainly at the specs, and not the technology. What's quite important is the grip size for me, if it's too big I can't use it, so thin grip, is fairly important. In terms of racket specs, anything similar to a SW35 I'll take So for me, it's just racket specs, as opposed to technology and looks...
For me most important things : 1) Racket Spec (Grip Size/Balance/total weight) ...now matter how goods it design/technology but it wont suite your style of playing if your racket out of your regular/preferable spec.. 2) racket feel during shuttle contact.. maybe this related to material/technology used on the racket.. and also string setup.. will go for most solid feel combination string and racket material. 3) material durability... hope the material are able to stand high tension.. ..
When I look at rackets, I don't really care about what technology nor do I care about the specs. As ugly as the paint job on the Arc Z Slash is, it felt good to swing and felt like an extension of my arm That's all that really matters imo
I once broke a Yonex Nanospeed 8000 1stgen, right at the point the new nanofullerene was in the frame. I don't think it added anything to the frame what so ever! I took it out, I still have it and the racquet, it is a crumbling foam. How that was meant to add stability of whatever it didn't add any strength to the frame. Li-Ning Flame 360 - has 2 big holes at the bottom. My understanding of aerodynamics is that less surface area = less air resistance... so why have they added 2 thin holes? If they removed the inner part of the frame it may make sense, but I guess that part of the frame would then become too weak. I believe, a lot of technologies are just gimmicks designed to sell racquets.
When a player uses a racket that consistently out loading all the hits according to what he intended every time he plays, then most likely he will say that the racket that he's been using has done a good job. Such balance equation occurs since the racket that he's been using has all the SPECIFICATIONS that match and blend perfectly to his understanding as a player and style of game play hence, the outcome of all of his hits follows as what he desires. In another terms, the racket that he is currently using IS the preferred racket of choice for him. So, where does advancement in the technology in making a racket comes into the picture in this equation?. Assuming that a player has all the sound technique and knowledge about badminton, then when he starts searching for his preferred racket of choice from all the countless model of racket that currently exist out there in the market ,IMHO, he needs to go through the below steps: 1. Understand first himself as a player (technique, style of play etc), physical condition and constraint. 2. Match all the above understanding with the racket specifications that he wants it to exist in a racket. 3. Search for the racket brands that has that type of racket specifications 4. List down all the racket model that has that preferred racket specifications 5. Try and test it. 6. Decide which racket/s that suits him the best. From the above steps, the role of advancement in the technology in making a racket plays an important part in assisting the players understanding from step 1 into listing the specification that he specifically wants into a racket in step 2, in which this can facilitate him further to properly decide what racket suits him well. However, i always believe that how advance the material use in making a racket, how high tech the process involved, expensive or cheap it is, use by a world class players or not...at the end of the day, when you're on court playing, the racket won't even do for any millisecond amount of time by itself any of your smash, drop, defend etc because ultimately, you yourself, will need to do all the hard work the smash, drop, lift, drive or defend for the racket hence, all information given from any market hype for such racket, internet or any advice given from any individual can only be used as a reference point to guide you. The fact is, it is you at the end that will be the ultimate decision maker that eventually will decides what type of racket that you feel the ideal one that suits you well.
