Hi all, Firstly congrats to Kwun for Badminton Gallery an excellent idea! At our club night I find myself changing my racquet for different games from my precious (not a lord of the rings reference!) MP100 to my MP99 or Cab 20 Ms when i play with certain people at my club (lefties or people i just know i'm going to have a major clash with)! I am wondering if i am strange and alone in this practice or if other people do this as well? Jim
I'm ok, don't usually clash too much but i do have a nice 100gram+ aluminium/steel racquet just in case
No I always use the same one all the time because it took me long enough to find one I'm comfortable with so I'm not switching in between games to have to go through the "getting used to" weights or flexes again part of the night.
If I'm playing with people I know are "racket breakers" then I change to a very solid aluminium racket. What better way to teach someone not to run in and take that smash once your already there (doing a nice dropshot) by using a racket that rips theirs to pieces when they clash with it?
I wish I had your foresight to do this! I now play with a Carlton Ti Lite. I once had a Superlite. May it rest in peace. Aleik.
I've had enough of expensive rackets breaking from clashes .. I'm declaring war on anyone who clashes rackets with me; my aluminum Cab7000 oughta win And I play just fine with it..except that it is pretty tiring to use because of the weight. I think it's inevitable intermediate level players are more prone to clashing; especially at the beginning of a term where they just get back into badminton. I don't that's the case with advanced players; they seem to be more cautious, (I do get the occasional chance to play with them) and I can expect that I'll stay in the intermediate level for some time to come..so I'll have to live with it I'm considering buying a nice light racket for playing singles..but I'm still undecided. Last night..I played against a player who keeps bragging about the MP100 he's using..and I totally whooped him . I'm trying to decide if I should spend about $50 for a pretty good racket or $125 for a really nice racket... Gonna go to the racket store later today..maybe I'll know by then.
I myself do change racquets to my backup ProKennex when I know I am playing with a potential newbie or just someone who seems to be all over the place and hogging every shot (Timeless, Cappy -> I'm thinking Mr. Unorthodox style) . I make sure I don't make a fuss out of it, and make it look like I'm changing racquets cuz my string was broken or something. All of this is motivated by expensive clashes before. RIP ISO 500 SX.
if i am playing with some beginners or someone who are prone to clashes, i do the same as you. switch to a more sturdy racket (in my case, a Iso600). it is usually easier with beginnners as they are usually slow and even when they are at full speed rushing to intercept my shots, i am able to dodge them and let them take the shot. there is no gain from fighting for the same shot. just relaxed and enjoy the game. i know a guy in my local gym who play badminton with full arm swings. very unorthodox technique but hey, works for him. his racket is like the face of the moon full of craters. when i play with him, i tend to hold back and let him take all the shots.
http://www.n4sports.com/ have quite the selection of £7 Carlton steel rackets... I suggest we each buy one and teach the racket breakers a lesson! Thing is it'd be a good idea if any of the people who break others rackets on a regular basis used an expensive one themselves. There's 2 or 3 people that come to mind that I just wouldn't go near with my main rackets and all of them use either very very old rackets, or just the first £15 one the came across. As far as I'm concerned no point is worth me breaking my racket over, if I think I'm going to clash I pull back (unless I don't see my partner), but people who just buy cheap rackets (or perhaps just have the money to replace as many expensive rackets as they want) will consider every point worth the risk because it doesn't cost them anything to get a new one. Grrrrrrrrr
haha, whenever i play with a leftie or a total beginner, i just take out my Blacken and hope they dont do something dumb and try to smash my racket muhahahhahahaha
I'm beginning to think you all have a nice idea. I never thought about switching racquets, but lately a newcomer to our regular badminton group is making me think about switching. She swings widely and always seems to want to take a big whack and anything she comes close to. She isn't necessary fast, so I end up covering alot of the court for her, but just when you think she doesn't/isn't running -- she does and it ends up a big clash! I think the next time I play with her I'm going to switch to my backup, backup racquet.
maybe you should get the racuqet she is using? more chance that in a clash either both will break or both won't break. if her's breaks in a clash...not very nice for her, and if yours breaks...not very good for you or just play less competitively?
Let your partner swing first..... hehe. I dont change rackets cause I am using a SOTX Woven2.. its really strong and its got over 10 chips on the frame from clashing with partners and still good to go.