Racquet Advisory System - Final Year Project

I think its a pretty good idea.

 

Software wise it could be pretty good, but we would need some hardware as i couldn't tell you what my wrist strength was in newtons.

 

There would be a lot of factors you'ed have to consider, i know there is software out there to help you choose golf clubs.
Some variables i can think of right now are: Female/Male, weight, height, strength for sure(not sure how you would measure this) The length of your arms and legs. For rackets, there would be a lot of different things. Weight, grip thickness(+grip weight), strings(thickness, weight, and tension) Racket types, headheavy, balanced, and light. Racket flex also.

 

It sounds like a good idea, but there are problems.

A lot of the kind of numerical data you are talking about is very hard to measure.
For example, you need to quantify a player's technique (how "wristy" they are). I'm guessing you would compare the rate of forearm Vs shoulder rotation. I can't think of a way to calculate this without the use of sophisticated high-speed cameras, which very few people have access to.

I can't imagine recreational players going to such lengths in order to find a suitable racket anyway, and most more experienced players already have a pretty good idea of the kind of racket that suits them.

Also, I'm not sure you can accurately predict a player's preference based on numerical measurements. Take grip sizes - there's a thread here somewhere (search) telling you how to choose a grip size, based on measurements of your hand. However, a lot of people disagreed with these recommedations.

I think you really need to use far more qualititative data, of the kind a buyer can give off the top of their head (eg. Answers on a scale of 1-10).
Now the problem is you could easily construct a simple table to direct buyers to the correct combination of balance/weight/flex - making the software somewhat redundant.

You'd really need to make a database of actual racket models for it to be useful (and make it searchable by weight/balance/flex so it's useful to people who already know more or less what they want too).

It would be great if you could do that, but it would require a huge amount of research and data entry - especially if you take into account all the different combinations of weights and grips available in different regions.

Good luck though - I agree that the selection of rackets on the market is daunting.

 

I think it is a nice idea Wow sketchy , that is true.

I think finding the perfect racket would take a lot of research etc.

But it would be helpfull to badminton players.

What sketchy said was quite important to me.

Like how do you calculate someones technique .

You can measure wrist strenth with a test called the grip test , but I can get higher in the grip test than some people , but people with lower result in the grip test , with better technique could have more power.

So the effieciency of strokes etc.

Nice idea though!

 

just curious, are in in an engineering program or a computer science program? A real engineering student should know more than a 'rough' knowledge of racket physics and dynamics

 

To all those saying "how do you calculate technique" He specifically asked for "numerical inputs"

 

I think he clarified that when he said software engineer.

 

Great idea!!

Only one major flaw, a perfect racket today may not be the perfect racket tmrw..

non-quantifiable factors such as mood,desire and form will come into the picture. Not to mention newer racket models thats just been launched esp if it has received glowing reviews..

 

Yes but we were trying to say a different point.

Say if one person gets 50 in wrist strength and he puts it into the system , although this person might have realy bad technique , causing the player to loose effiecnecy thus swing speed . So maybe the player wouldn't get the racket they wanted because the racket calculated would be too stiff.
If you get the idea.

 

This is only if you wanted to be majorly exact , but each individual racket would need to be measured ,to find the "ideal" racket. Because they vary between 2 grams

 

Sorry, I didn't really explain at all, but what I was thinking is really something more like the kind of keys you use to identify a species.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dichotomous_key

They just happen to be presented in a kind of a table-like diagram quite often, so they look clearer / more appealling.

Eg. For ski bindings:
http://www.dinsetting.com/images/MarkerDinChart0708_sm.jpg

The first question might be something like "Do you play mainly singles or doubles?", and depending on your answer, it would rule out some rackets, and then following questions would further narrow down the list of possibilities. Eventually, you'd get left with one or two to choose from.

Anyway, I think you could come up with some kind of easy-to-follow, printable document that people could use.


As far as actual measurements go, I know my height and weight, and that's all (and all I have a means of finding out). I guess regular gym-goers know what they can bench etc, but probably not much that's going to be very relevant to badminton. And, like I said before, there are important factors such as technique, which are virtually impossible to quantify.
Personally, I think the ultra-vague system is probably a better way to go.


I'm not sure you can afford to restrict yourself to just novices / people who don't know much about badminton.
As far as I'm concerned, that would rule out all the high-end rackets, as they're just far too expensive to be worth a novice buying, and not even suitable, due to their stiffness. Actually, I personally would never recommend any Yonex racket to a novice, as you can do so much better for the money with other brands. That's why I think you should include at least a couple of other brands aswell. I guess if your system was hypothetically going to be on the Yonex website or something, then it would make sense to have only their rackets.


Cost is actually quite a big issue. I think a lot of people tend to choose a range (ARC / AT / NS) based on what that rackets are like, but the individual model based on price.
Eg. If they decide that they want a defensive racket, they will go with the Nanospeed series, and then pick the most expensive model within their budget.
You're always going to have a hard time convincing people that a cheaper racket is "better" than a more expensive one, and they'll always want the best they can afford.

Looking at that chart you posted, it's not really that ambiguous at all, once you rule out those rackets that are too expensive, and those that are too cheap (and therefore not as "good"). The only ambiguous parts are the mysterious "Repulsion" and "Hold" terms. I can only assume they don't translate well from Japanese.
If it were me, I'd have "Swingweight" (derived from weight and balance) on one axis, and "Stiffness" on the other. That basically tells people everything they need to know.

 

Good point, perhaps the system should recomend rackets of similar characteristics of different price ranges.

As for calculating technique, you could formulate a system that approximates the force generated of a persons height/weight. Of course the system wouldn't be 100% accurate but it could serve as a guideline. Regardless no two people are going to be exactly alike, but it is possible to determine the average swingspeed for a person of X-height/weight. Whether these variables are relevant in determining what racket a person should use is another thing entirely.

 

Why not do some research with the Bio-Physics department, I'm sure you can find something there. I believe there is a formula which you can input a human's weight and height and estimate the force that he or she can generate.

 

Take a look at the Prince racket selector. It's for tennis but it might give you some more ideas. It factors in how much power you generate by asking you what your swing is like - maybe you could have a question asking the user whether they think they have a fast, moderate or slow swing. That would help you decide what stiffness they would be looking for.

 

Gender is obviously a *very* important factor you missed. In mixed doubles, the woman has completely different requirements from the man. Women generally prefer lighter, more flexible rackets, and men generally prefer rackets that aren't pink (eg. Arc9).

You may also want to take it into account if the player is particularly young (<15?) or old (>50?).

Also, I agree with everything Dan says. You do need to ask about swing type (speed, length, amount of wrist). Animations, like in the Prince racket selector, would be *really* helpful here.

That should be enough to make a fairly reliable recommendation. If you can make it visually appealing, like the Prince one, then so much the better.

 

The gender idea is a very good one that I missed as well as the OP. Age could be another important one but then I do know some people who are 11-13 and still hit very well, probably better and maybe even harder than beginner level adults. It's the same with older people, think of how many badminton coaches and other advanced players that are more senior (although I guess advanced players aren't really the target for this application). Perhaps if the user's age was below a particular age (maybe 15, as you suggested, Sketchy) or over another age, you could ask them another question about what level they played at. If that level was less than advanced, you'd have to look at rackets that were easier to use than the "normal adult" rackets of the same skill level. That wasn't particularly clear but hopefully you get the idea.

Being visually appealing and easy is so important in all software these days but especially software like this that may be running on a terminal in a big sports shop like Decathlon or something. Make it look good and also interesting so people actually want to use it. Also, make it easy and possibly suitable for touchscreens so it could be used in sports shops and by people who may not be too good with computers.

Another one you might want to consider is whether the person has any underlying injuries. For example, tennis elbow sufferers, even if they are advanced players will certainly not want an extra stiff racket.

Also, once you've decided how it's going to work, if you want help categorising the vast lists of rackets you might want to add in to it, I'd be happy to give you some assistance.