Help with choosing racket

Discussion in 'Racket Recommendation / Comparison' started by Bolzzi, Oct 31, 2013.

  1. Bolzzi

    Bolzzi Regular Member

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    Hello,
    I would appreciate some help choosing right racket for me.


    Background: 26 years, 186cm, 75kg, (taller/thin), playing 5 years.
    Level intermediate, racket Head Metalix 10000 (2009, top in class, technical, medium shaft, head light (in hand)). I think its time to get a better racket with newer technologies. Im playing 1-2 week, my style is that i bet more for technical shots around the court then just smash after smash and pure aggressiveness.
    I think my racket is good for pure technical style, but doesnt give me enough durability for atleast intermediate smashes and pressure oponent with strenght. My weakness is, if someone keeps pushing me back on court, sooner or later i wont have enough power to hit his back court as well and he smashes me from center of the court.
    So i think if i get little more agressive racket (stiffer maybe?) i wont lack of power from back of court and still be able to play technical shots, becouse i do smashes just when i create an oppurtunity to have perfect chance, becouse opponent is in trouble.So racket for technical play but with decent agressive smashing power i guess.
    Budget is around 100-160$ and i prefer Yonnex.
    I found voltric 9 or 70 could be more suitable for me, but im not sure if i would feel good about head-heavy racket. Nanospeed9900 looks like good all around racket and Nanoray 800 seems nice too.


    I know its best to try to play with racket, but i ll have oppurtunity try them just in shop, so i try your reccomendations.


    Thank you for any opinion.
     
  2. yeahehehehe

    yeahehehehe Regular Member

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    What youre saying about losing power when the opponent keeps pushing you to the back of the court is probably because of poor footwork . Poor footwork drains you more energy . Another thing probably is your racket , youre using a headlight one and using it for power smashing , but headlight rackets arent made for smashing , more of defending (except the ZSPeed). 9900 and 800 are gonna be out of the list since they cost $200 .

    If you really love headlight rackets then should you adjust your playstyle from offense to defense . If you dont want to give up your playstyle then should you get a headheavy/evenbalanced racket (To solve your problem). Voltrics are good choices but try to look for other brands like victor . Their MX / TK series are also good picks.
     
  3. Bolzzi

    Bolzzi Regular Member

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    Well that would make sense, but even if i stand in the back of the court ready for ball and shot as hard as possible, it gets just barely behind the court line, so most of the time im just shooting as hard as possible and yes - if i dont have perfect stance for shot over the court, it end up on the centre of court and i get smashed.
    My racket is somewhere between center and "in hand" to be precise and i use smash about 10 times per set, which isnt that much in my opinion. But its mostly becouse i know it wont do much. Thats why my playing style is more technical/defensive then offensive.
    And honestly i dont know if i love head light rackets, i just havent played with other ones, but i believe massive head heavy would not do good for me, so maybe slight head heavy (not sure).
    About price range, 200$ is still ok, VT70 is somewhere there.
    Can you recommend me specific racket type which fits to me please, so i know what to look for? Past few days i ve been reading reviews about plenty of Yonnex rackets but could use help :)
     
  4. amleto

    amleto Regular Member

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    This racket is the stiffest of the head line up, I believe, so it is not a medium flex racket. It will be mid stiff or stiff. The way you are describing your problem with clearing to the back means you have a technique issue that needs to be addressed. I would definitely not advise going for a stiffer racket. I wouldn't say the racket plays head-light either, more medium balance.

    If you are expecting a new racket to give a big boost in power, I think you will be disappointed.
     
  5. gundamzaku

    gundamzaku Regular Member

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    i have all the rackets you've mentioned except the Head(i only have the metallix 8000) and to be honest, it's a very tough decision if i put myself in your shoes.

    the voltric 70 is a wonderful racket and if i don't have as much power as i liked i would go with the voltric 70, the shaft is going to be a bit more flexible than the nano9900 and nr800. your power will increase a bit because of the "more" flexible shaft and a bit of head heaviness. you will need "more" time to readjust your swing, however, for you're switching from a semi head light racket to a head heavy racket.

    the nanospeed9900 and nanoray800 is very similar, at least to me, except that the nanoray800 is even balance(to me) whereas the nanospeed9900 is head light. they both have decently stiff shaft but because of the even balance of the nr800, i can generate a tad bit more power when i hit clears, smashes, and drives.

    because of the stiffness in the nanospeed and nanoray, i have to remind myself from time to time to use more of my wrist and forearm and less of my whole arm so i don't whip it. after so many head heavy rackets i finally realized that i don't particularly like head heavy rackets, and am drawn toward even balance or head light rackets, but with some weight to it :)

    price range isn't a problem because you can always order it from online stores from HK and they ship internationally. a voltric 70 for example, will run you around 150USD and so will the nanos.


    hopes this helps!
     
    #5 gundamzaku, Oct 31, 2013
    Last edited: Oct 31, 2013
  6. gundamzaku

    gundamzaku Regular Member

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    this is absolutely true when it comes to technique and form. that and footwork is the most important.
     
  7. visor

    visor Regular Member

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    As others mentioned, technique is the problem, not the racket. Also you may need to reduce your string tension if it's too high.
     
  8. yeahehehehe

    yeahehehehe Regular Member

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    VT70 is a good choice , but a VT80 or a ZForce would be better IMO . You can check the thread Nanoray Z Speed vs Voltric Z Force if you want to see some ZForce reviews and comparisons . As for the nanoray 800 , as i heard it was too stiff and headlight , Hard to generate power with it , mainly built for doubles . The Nanospeed9900 is a fantastic all rounder ive heard . You can always check reviews by searching at the search bar at the topright
     
  9. amleto

    amleto Regular Member

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    disagree with your suggestions because they are all stiff/very stiff rackets and the OP has stated he can barely clear back-to-back with the head 10000.
     
  10. visor

    visor Regular Member

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    And so far we don't know what his string tension is either... could be 28 lbs.
     
  11. yeahehehehe

    yeahehehehe Regular Member

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    It's because of his depleting energy , it should be "Better for smashing " . Sorry , but me myself dont have any problem clearing with a stiff racket.
     
  12. Bolzzi

    Bolzzi Regular Member

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    Thank you guys for comments.

    Technique and footwork is the key, no doubt about it, but i still feel that shooting could be little easier if i would have little bit more agressive racket (btw i read my racket is recommended even for women/junior). I should probably mention that my "badminton shoulder" is after surgery (few years back), so it can be little bit weaker, but dont believe its significant. I thought, if string tension is higher, then it generates more power, so im kinda suprised that you recommend me less stiffer racket. Obviously i thought it wrong.
    I checked again specifications about my racket and it has Medium Stiff (5/7), Strings: Head Super Power 69 (0.69 mm), racket weight is 85g + 10g strings and balancing the racket is 304mm (suppose to be slightly in hand). Im not sure about my string tension. There is a thread about my strings and someone is satisfied, someone said its not durable enough, but keep in mind that i have same string about 4 years.
     
  13. yeahehehehe

    yeahehehehe Regular Member

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    Woah bro , stringing to a high tension is a bad move for you .Yes , a higher tension has more power , but it can cause you shoulder injuries and yours might get worse . Stay about 23 - 24 lbs. You might want to change your strings now . They might break during a game . .69mm doesnt really break fast , in fact it is one of the toughest strings in the market now IMO .



    So , youre going for the VT70?
     
  14. gundamzaku

    gundamzaku Regular Member

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    some people do gain power with higher tension, but that also goes hand in hand with the technique.

    if you drop your tension a bit and have a medium stiff racket or even a flexible racket, you'll be able to generate more power, or at least hit from back court to back court even when you are tired.

    when i trained under a coach, i asked him about racket stiffnes and string tension. his recommendation was very simple, make sure that when i'm tired, i can still backhand clear from backcourt to backcourt. so i started playing with a flexible yonex arc002 at 22lbs. his reasoning is that when i'm full of energy, i can hit all the shots i want and retrieve shuttles without problem. but when i'm tired, then my footwork gets a bit messy, so i can't get there as quickly as i would hope, then my shot selection drops, and a lot of times i'm forced to hit a particular shot. so if i can still hit a backhand clear from baseline to baseline, then at least the racket is easy enough for me to use :)


    hope this helps.
     
  15. Bolzzi

    Bolzzi Regular Member

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    Thanks guys again for clarification.

    I will focus more on proper technique and footwork to make sure, i play it right.

    About picking right racket, Nanospeed 9900 and Nanoray 800 as well as suggested VT80 or ZForce isnt best choice for me(as you told me), because they are stiff or extra stiff. Only racket from our pool, which has medium stiff is Voltric 70 and i dont have another suggestions from you . If it wont feel right i would try nanospeed 9900 which has also good ratings but its extra stiff, so i guess its not recomended for me. Is there any alternative for me if i dont like VT70 to try? Some Arcsaber maybe?
    Also checked some HK stores as suggested and found VT70 about 180USD. In my homeshop i can have VT70 with strings Yonex BG80 (0.68mm), 23-24lbs, 3U, G4 for about 165USD. Do i get approval? :)

    gundamzaku: Your coaches advice sounds good, unfortunatelly i cannot borrow racket before buying, so i figure this out after buying :)
     
  16. gundamzaku

    gundamzaku Regular Member

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    i understand your problem and it is a big one not being able to demo rackets before buying, it's like picking a pair of shoes being blindfolded. if you can get a vt70 for around 165, that's a pretty decent price in my opinion. what i meant by demo is that the next time you go play badminton. check out other people's rackets. and if they seemed to be cool, asked them if you can just hit a few shots with him using their racket, at least get a feel of how it feels and how it swings. of course their string type/tension will affect the feel as well, but at least get a very very general sense of what each racket is about before you buy it. even for the vt70, check to see if anyone has it so you can borrow it for a minute just to hit a few. :)

    regarding arcsabers, i do see the arc7 as a medium flex racket. and it quite a forgiving racket. i have the arc100 which is basically a repainted arc7 and i loved playing with it. it really is sorta the racket "in the middle"...in regards to flexibility, weight, balance. oh and the specs should be 3u, even balance, medium flex...in case you haven't checked it out yet :)
     
  17. ucantseeme

    ucantseeme Regular Member

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    Don't care about good or bad ratings, because you never know the level of play, liking and abilities of the tester. IMHO clearing back to back is a technique and footwork issues combined. I wouldn't suggest a different racket or high tension. It will make your problems bigger. Hitting a clear much behind the body is possible especially if you are under pressure but needs good technique. Maybe your problem is also caused of bad positioning on court, lacking explosiveness, ineffective footwork and the missing to anticipate the next shot. From my experience many intermediate singles player stay to much infront of the court regardless of the possible returns and can't estimate their needed time to reach every corner. This time and possible returns determine your position on the court.
    I would recommend more training which means proper swing technique, proper footwork and learn to anticipate and estimate the time to be in optimal position. Maybe it's you who create this bad moments. Take 4-6 weeks and if you can't improve you can also buy a new racket. :)
    You can also try one layer of athletic tape on the head.
     
  18. ronny108

    ronny108 Regular Member

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    don't try vt70, weak in smashing power. try the latest vt iforce, smashing fantastic, string use nanogy 98 recommended by yonex. (I tested 21lb only,can go higher) the high clear is fantastic . defense is good due to light weight 5u.
     
  19. ronny108

    ronny108 Regular Member

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    remember string and tension play a big role.
     
  20. ronny108

    ronny108 Regular Member

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    high clear use nanogy 98 , darn good.
     

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