I just bought my Z Force 4U, I couldn't hit as hard as my even balance Lethal 90. I find that Z Force is too head heavy, and my smash is very weak. Is this because my technique is not good enough to use the racket?
The racket may be too stiff. I have not used the apacs lethal 90 so cant comment on the difference in stiffness. It could even be the zf is too light for you if the l90 is 3u. Also check strings are the same and same tension as that could cause the loss of power. If this is the case try dropping the tension by few lbs.
Z Force is stiffer than Lethal 90, but l90 is a stiff racket, and when I hold Z force feel more heavier than L90 because of the head heavy. The tension is both 25, but with different string Ashway Zmax 70 and yonex Bg 80 (l90).
The ashaway zymax 70 is a slightly thicker string than bg80 but they are fairly similar. How long have you had the racket? You may just need a few weeks to adapt to the different stiffness and head heaviness.
well a lot of people like different things in rackets, i.e. stifness/tension/balance point, but in my own personal opinion going 4u with an extremely stiff racket is quite a bad idea, power/smashing wise. However yeah, ive used the zforce for quite some time now and i'd personally say its not the easiest racket to use, the smash "threshold" if u will is really difficult. For E.G. If you need 100 points of power to maximise your smash. say 100 points = 200km. however if ur only getting 90 points of power, your smash WONT be 180km. You need to hit that Smashing point before your going to notice how hard you smash. Hope this made sense? :/
its the problem of it being too stiff, you cannot swing it fast enough and hit hard enough bend the shaft. but once you bend the shaft, the power is immense.. with a more flexible shaft, you get some "spring back" or "snapback" from the bending that gives good power, but if you hit extremely hard, the flexible shaft will not transmit as well
z-force is definitely not suitable for a beginner, it's very demanding on good wrist power. so better put it away for some time and work on your technique and wrist strength. use less stiff and less head-heavy racket meanwhile. a lot of people are attracted by z-force since it's basically yonex's top of the range racket. i was on of them ) but using it won't make you smash like lcw, although you can gain some shoulder pain )
It is a very good racket, but also VERY STIFF AND DEMANDING to use. I had tried one game with this racket, and while the smashes and drives are excellent, you will feel pain in your arm and wrist almost immediately due to its stiffness. In short - if you don't have a powerful arm or good technique, I suggest you get better.... or sell the racket instead.
Coming from mx80, got a 4u z force. Hate it due to the heavy head. The head just continue to swing and tough to control. Took me at least 3 months to get used to it. It's abt 1 year now and it's my favourite toy, other than my jjs & mx80. Due to my shoulder pain., have been using jjs. Draw out the zforce at the end of the session. Wow... It changed my game. Really love it. Every dept seems to work better. I suggest to get the 4u and train your arm. The effort is worth for it. It did for me.
I can't use ZF well. The shaft bends back too much thus the precision is not good enough. This also created a catapult feel which I don't like. The power and shuttle speed is definitely good, but they are not the whole world.
Nah, it's not fake. I had one too, but it's extreme head heaviness does make the shaft feel mid flex.
I am currently using the 3U Z-Force, 4U Z-Force, and 3U MX-80. I am not a professional player, perhaps just a strong amateur - possibly one or two levels below national standard. Been using the 3U Z-Force for nearly a year, the 4U Z-Force for a couple of months, and the 3U MX-80 for a few weeks. I play about 2-3x a week. To be honest, I don't find a lot of difference in terms of overall effect between the 3 rackets. No shoulder/elbow/wrist pain at all from using any of them (and I'm not a "fitness freak"). In terms of character, the 4U Z-Force and 3U MX-80 feel lighter than the 3U Z-Force, but overall attack/defense/control is about the same with slight changes in technique/timing. My "go to" racket remains the 3U Z-Force, but I think that's only because I've been using it the longest. I suspect that once you get the right technique and are reasonably fit, you'll find there's no such thing as a "demanding" racket. Remember our "ancestors" used to play with wooden and steel rackets! We are using very light rackets now - if you find a racket "demanding" to use, it's almost certain that you have poor technique or are in sub-optimal (for want of a politically correct word) physical shape. My advice would be to improve your physical conditioning (including arm strength etc) and your technique. Then you'll find just about any racket good to use. Otherwise, you can superficially keep changing rackets until you're (psychologically) happy with your choice. Just my own opinion.
i love the way it feels because it's the vibration is not as dampened as my nanoray300 but not as much vibration as my victor superwave35. flexibility wise it depends on the person, i personally thinks it's stiff, but not super stiff, so when i swing i can still feel it flexing, but def not as crazy as a flexible zslash. if the racket is really too heavy, you might want to either strengthen your wrist/forearm or go with a lighter racket. if your smash is weak, the only thing is to improve your form so that you are more efficient, and just practice smashing so that your timing and angle is optimal, there's no way around it unfortunately. we will probably have to see a video of you playing to determine whether your technique is good enough or not. just based on the little info you've given us, it is still hard to determine exactly the reason why the zforce is not working for you.
Been using a 3u z-force for around 1 month. I am having a hard time with the stiffness due to back then I was using arc10/11. I don't felt it's that heavy to held. At first, I am so disappointed and was thinking to sell it off. But then I thought it might be the tension which was too high (28lbs which is the same with all my arcsabers). And furthermore the extra stiffness of the racket really make it difficult. But last night, somehow I got the hang of it and I can say 'wow'. Once I manage to time my hit right, clear, drop and drive are really effortless. Well, I managed to hit a couple of thunderous smash and it's really different feeling from my previous arcsabers. You just feel that you want to smash all day long. Conclusion is, it is not the easiest racket to use for most. Lowering the tension might help a little bit for some. Hard to use? Maybe getting a used 4u to try out yourself for some time then you'll know
28 is unknown to me mainly because i cannot generate that much power and in the back of my mind i always worry whether it will break tho i have strung rackets at that tension for others i would only go up to 26x27 only because i am using bg65. anyway, glad you found a way to enjoy the racket because it is a great racket. when i bought mine i had it strung at my usual 24x25 and it was awesome. just the fact that he's head heavy it made bending the shaft a bit easier and that's the feel i look for when i play.
Rackets have always been a personal choice so it's hard to tell. What can be told is that the ZF gives you one of the most solid feel I've ever had using a Yonex and I had a lot. What's unique about this racket is, that it is reasonably quick regarding to it's power. I've never experienced something like this before. Thing is, unlike using something like a NS9000 S you have to use your full body while smashing in order to make this racket kick as it is supposed to. If players are used to head light rackets that can be unleashed with a high speed, compact rotation technique... this racket will need some adjusting time since the swing has to be a tad less compact and you tend to put in your body more to generate the needed momentum for acceleration. Please take in mind that swing speed and acceleration aren't the same. Used 3 4Us for about one season, mainly with NBG95 @28 pounds. I'd say it is an demanding but exceptional racket that might let you feel a tad slow while defending aggressive drives or half court smashes playing advanced doubles. Usage: Humbly I'd say that if your skill isn't too good this racket strung tight with a hard feel string can give you excellent feedback thus letting you improve your technique easier. The head heaviness will help to train the wrist strength. However, you still might want to have additional rackets you're able to "kick" besides having the ZF for training purposes. If you are advanced this racket does have the potential to give you the edge in terms of power. In any case, trying is always necessary.
