Problem with clears & choice of racket

A restricted swing would point me towards a stiff racket - flexible rackets need larger swings to generate their power, while stiffer ones require a short, explosive action with little back-swing.

On the other hand, a flexible racket is more forgiving when your technique isn't perfect; a stiff one demands flawless form every time or you will lose power and accuracy. Given the situation with your back, this might come into play as well.

If it's deeper clears you're after, though, head-heavy is almost certainly the better way to go - they require much less effort if whatever swing you have is powerful. I would look at the AT500 through to the AT900P, as they are all head-heavy and have shafts of varying flexibility.

 

That is a tough question. If I were you, I would not be too concern about the shaft stiffness. Not sure what the spec of your old Pro Kennex and tension. But for easier overhead clears, especially you are having a stiff back, a balance racket plus moderate tension (say 22-23lb) would be a good starter. Probably with your injured back, the choice of racket is down to those that you should avoid rather than which one is better. Maybe some other people can tell you more about which type of rackets can compensate your lack of power from your limited swing angles. Personally, I would go for light and head heavy racket.

 

Oh yes, forgot to mention about the lightness. Yes, probably 3U is the best for you, 4U seems to be a bit too light to generate power. Your old ProKennex would probably be a 2U graded one. In fact, 3U rackets seems to be the most common weight nowadays. Anyway, you will find that most head heavy 3U or even 4U rackets acutally feel 'heavier' than some old 2U models.

About the stiffness issue, in my opinion, does not affect much. In the old days when the carbon fibre technology was first used in badminton shaft, flexibility seemed to be the selling point compared to the old, steel or wooden rackets. And nowadays people just opt for the stiffer options which I still find it rather difficult to understand. I haven't tried AT500 myself, so I shall leave it for the others to comment.

 

Yes i agree with previous posters, a stiff shaft should be required, cause more flexibles shafts needed greater swing distance to achieve the same power as a stiff shaft, HOWEVER it also depends on how much wrist power you have, cause if you can't flex the stiff shaft at all, it'd give you even less power.

 

Having tried the AT500, I'd say it was an excellent compromise: decent head weight with a not-too-stiff shaft. I think 3U is as light as these get, but that's not too heavy. I don't know of any racket outside the Yonex range that has this combination (Carlton, at least, always couples head weight with stiffness).

The AT700 is an alternative, but it's very far into attacking territory - stiffer than the AT500 and balanced like baseball bat. It's also a lot more expensive. You could also try an AT800 Offensive (if you can find one), as it's a tiny bit stiffer than the 700 but less head heavy. I have one as my backup racket, and its balance and 4U weight make it a good all-rounder.

When you're trying a racket, always keep in mind that you'll probably be swinging it for hours on end, so don't judge them on first impressions - a friend of mine got an AT900P after a few test-swings, but couldn't maintain the necessary wrist power for more than a few minutes on court.

 

I think Mark A is right, AT500 sounds indeed an excellent all-rounder. I don't think an ultra stiff racket should do you any good as well, since your old ProKennex is probably a flexible racket, it takes some time to get use to when switching to new rackets.

Just make sure you get some nice strings along with it.

 

I use the AT500 and have tried the AT700. The AT700 just felt dead to me and too heavy. I think I need a little bit of flexibility without going for a flexible racket (if that makes sense?). AT500 is an excellent all-rounder, I doubt that you'll be disappointed. Its also a good price too in NL.

 

So NS5000 should be a stiff racket where as the AT250 is a medium flex one, am I correct?

 

IMO, the NS5000 is dreadful. It has no specific attributes that can be taken advantage of by either attacking or defending players - the shaft is neither flexible nor stiff, and the balance doesn't seem to be either head light or head heavy. Again, only my opinion (I use an AT900P - there's no comparison with regards to attack), but the 5k just isn't "special".

For my money, players with 2yrs+ experience should have some idea of what game they play (attack or control), and so should choose a more "focussed" racket.

 

Hi Mark,

You say you play with the At900P. I'm looking for a new racket too. I'm an offensive player, used to play with head-light and like a bit of control. Could the AT900P be the racket for me?

 

Upquark, what kind of strings and tensions with your test rackets?

 

The key to effortless clears is your wrist, because the cocking and uncocking of the wrist will accelerate the shuttle that sheer power or a stiff/heavy racquet will find difficult, especially when the shuttle is shooting past your head.