This article (http://www.ashawayusa.com/pages/BadTip8.html) states that flexible raqckets provide more power. However, I recall at least two other articles I read indicated stiff raqckets provide more power. Who is correct?
More articles This article clearly indicates stiffer racquets generate more power: http://www.racquettech.com/basicfacts.html A more thorough search in the forum returned this thread, in which the consensus seemed to be the exact opposite: http://www.badmintonforum.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9042&highlight=flexible+and+stiff Any opinion/comment/suggestion to those distinctive points?
sounds like they are talking about tennis. For badminton, flexible racquets will more easily generate power, but some users get more power from stiffer racquets. A lot of it has to do with your swing speed, technique, and even string tension. In general, flexible racquets are more powerful for badminton... up to a point anyway (a noodle-soft shaft isn't going to be good at all.)
tennis and badminton are very different when it comes to strings. the structure and bounciness of the ball/shuttle are different as well as timing and speed.
I personally think it is almost all down to swing speed. (as has undoubtedly been mentioned elsewhere) Racquets and strings do not generate any power. It's all down to how fast the racquet head is moving when it hits the shuttle. An individual gets most power transmitted to the shuttle if the combination of shaft flexibility and string tension and balance point are ideally matched to his/her swing speed. A slow swing benefits from flexible shafts and/or lower tensions. A fast swing benefits from stiff shafts and/or higher tensions. and a myriad of combinations in-between
Overall, stiffness is just one of the many factors power generating. Other factors besides human factors (strength, technique, etc) including overall weight, head heaviness, string type, string tension, grip size, etc. Therefore, it's very hard to just simply state "good vs bad", "right vs wrong". To me, if possible, get the hand on racket (demo, borrow, rent, etc) before purchase. If not, study the spec (not necessary accurate) and ask for suggestions (don't have to believe or trust all), than take a "gamble".
