Recommendation for Lady's racket upgrade

Discussion in 'Racket Recommendation / Comparison' started by raymond, Nov 10, 2002.

  1. raymond

    raymond Regular Member

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    My wife only plays Mixed Doubles. She has been playing for 7 years so far,
    and has been using Carlton "airblade 1000". I've used her racket and found
    that it's too light to generate much power for smashes or clears.

    So I'm thinking of helping her to upgrade her gear. Here're the requirements:
    + Give some better support for power shots (smashes/clears). She
    needs this mostly for receiving serves
    + Support speedy racket works at the net and mid-court, which I take it
    means that it can't be too heavy (perhaps esp. head-heavy?).
    + Presumably reasonably good touch feel, as is required for net play.

    What're some of the good models we should be considering? What string
    tension would be good in this situation?

    Thanks,
    Raymond
     
  2. zero

    zero Regular Member

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    YONEX TISP SR!!!...
    That's what I used. I was upgraded from an AB1000. In terms of everything, the TISP SR is a better in everything except the price!!...:rolleyes:
    The TISP SR has better power generation and actually feels a little bit heavier than the AB1000 because SR is head heavier.
    Other candidates might be:
    MP88
    Winex's line of TISP
    Not sure about other brands or racquets....:p
     
  3. jwu

    jwu Regular Member

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    A lot of the female players at the clubs here use Ti-7 light and couple w/ Swing power 900 SR. They seem to have decent power and control. Another choice is Victor Ge Fei 2000 if you can find that.
     
  4. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    power ultimately comes from the muscles. GongZC used the SR (probably CN so heavier than normal). however, i suggest something a little bit heavier. the normal choice would be a SS. alternative would be a regular length Cab racket. a cab20 (muscle version is cheap and available) or something more flexy to help her gain some "whip" from the shaft. a racket that used to exist in the market and i used to recommend to beginners is the Aerotus44. flexy enough, and medium balance and weight.. oh well, not found anymore..

    you are right though, a heavier racket has more momentum and is more stable. so give her more time to swing it and follow through.
     
  5. LazyBuddy

    LazyBuddy Regular Member

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    Cab20 MS (mine: 2U, G4) is a good overall racket. Nice control with decent power. I consider it as a good racket for double. There is also 3U version available in some dealers.

    The only problem is, I am a guy... hhehehehhehehe...
     
  6. Winex West Can

    Winex West Can Regular Member

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    Well, talk about coincidences, RSX just posted up two Aerotus 44 (used) for sale. Raymond, you might be interested in checking out the thread.
     
  7. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    hm.. with more thoughts, now i think a Cab20MS will not be an appropriate choice. for beginner with little strength, a heavier and flexier racket is better.

    so my suggestion on a aerotus44 still holds. and any other cabs with more flex to it. or perhaps one of the new generation cab8?
     
  8. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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  9. NVIDIA256

    NVIDIA256 Regular Member

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    Not always, some people have weak wrists and I have found the flexiable light rackets work wonders?
     
  10. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    i don't understand. you mean it does work wonder or does not work wonders?
     
  11. raymond

    raymond Regular Member

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    Why's a heavier racket better only for beginners. Is flex not good at more adv. level because flex comes with a certain loss of control/accuracy (simply because, well, it
    flexes)?

    BTW, how do people contrast Yang Yang Tactic 9000, ISO Ti Swing (SS/SR),
    Muscle Power 88, and the Aerotus 44? What're the major pros and cons?
     
  12. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    Hi,

    i didn't say heavier only for beginners. but i was just echoing what you said that a heavier racket is good for beginners.

    flexy racket are too flexy if one hits hard. the racket deforms too much during hit, thus less feel...
     
  13. Winex West Can

    Winex West Can Regular Member

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    One thing to note. How do your wife feel about your assessment? Did she find the racquet too light? (actually, did she find it hard to do clears from the backline?)

    In mixed, most of the time, the lady is playing front and so do not really need to generate power but rather speed to put away easy returns.

    Based on your requirements, I would have the following observations (not knowing how your wife plays)
    - in receiving, she would want to either drive or smash the serve in order to put the other team on the defensive. Clearing would put her and partner on the defensive.
    - racquet should be head light for faster responses. Soft/Med flex racquets can give added power.
    - net play (touch) will depend on the string and tension. What is her current racquet strung at?

    Racquets that you might want to try includes the Ti Swing Power (Yonex, Winex, etc), the Winex Might Muscle 90, Yonex MP77 (Winex has lighter racquets - 4U but not sure if that would be suitable for your wife).

    Overall, she will have to find a racquet that she feels most comfortable with.
     
  14. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    on a side note. a point that i eluded on earlier but never elaborated is this... trying to have her buy a new racket and expect improvement in power is ok, but it will forever be marginal increase.

    if you want her to play better, then you should let her play regular doubles. don't make it too hard though, pick some easier opponents. let her do some work and have fun while she is at it.
     
  15. Tammy

    Tammy Regular Member

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    I don't know why the term "beginner" came up. The lady we're talking about has been playing for 7 years!

    raymond, I'd recommend Ti SP SS. My requirements are the same as your wife's when playing mixed. The SS gives me good power to return the flick serves with fast drops or smashes (weak smashes though. I still need to work on that). This racquet gives excellent control and feel (when strung with BG-85). I'd say the best out there. It's 3U and evenly balanced, so it's fast and very maneuverable. It may take some time to get used to this racquet because it's stiff (but the stiffness gives very good control for net play). It took me about a month, but I love this racquet now.

    I guess Ti SP SR may be faster and more maneuverable (for better defense and net shots). Although the SR is head-heavy, the overall weight is light (81g), so it's still fast. I'm tempted to get an SR to make a comparison with my SS ... well, my new hobby - badminton - is getting expensive :)

    For net play, the SS should be strung with BG-85, at 21-22 lbs for women like me :)

    I also have an MP-88, but I don't recommend it. It's more flexible than the SS and does not give as much power. It's a little bit faster and more maneuverable than the SS, but it's not as durable as the SS from what I heard (my MP-88 is still intact :))

    In any case, for a lady who plays at net, I think she should use 3U racquets. If it's 2U, it must be head light (like Ti-7?).

    I hope this helps.
     
  16. Tammy

    Tammy Regular Member

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    Re: Re: Recommendation for Lady's racket upgrade

    WWC, Thank you for the affirmation. This is what I'm doing now to deal with flick serves (high serves), using (weak) smashes or fast drops, because I can't clear far. My partner then covers the net for me for any return at the net. I was not sure if that was right way, but from what you said, it should be right.

    Should I also use drives to return high serves (in mixed doubles)?
     
  17. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    well, i have been playing for 15 yrs. and heck, i think i still suck at it. :) and besides, i have seen Mrs. raymond played before. (no offense, raymond... :) )

    i do like the recommendation of the SS though, however, as you said, it may be stiffer than desirable, but that will give her some room to grow. i do like the balance point of the racket.

    that's the racket i recommended to janet when she first started. she was trying out a few of my rackets, include the Iso900SR/SS/MP100/cab20, etc, and at the end, she picked the Iso900SS CN. well, i recommended the TiSP SS to her and she now has two of those............ plus one Iso900SS CN -- what can i say, she has good taste..

    Tammy, i have used both the Iso900SR/SS for extended amount of time, they are very similar to the TiSP SR/SS. i recommend sticking with the SS, the SR is light, and too light to be stable and offer less control over touch shots on the net.

    raymond, i am sure janet will be happy to let your wife hit a few shots with her TiSPSS. let me know when you guys are around.
     
  18. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    Re: Re: Re: Recommendation for Lady's racket upgrade

    either a smash/drive, or if you are really pressured, flick a cross court deep clear.

    most importantly, right after you are done with hitting it, run as fast as you can forward, this tells your partner that you got the net covered and as a result, the backcourt is un-guarded and he better do something about it. never ever leave it till the shuttle is over your head and then realize that you need to go front, by the time you start moving forward, the birdie will be 2 feet from the ground and 4 feet behind the guy. trust me, i get that a lot... ;)
     
  19. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    Guys,

    IMHO, I think you are concentrating on very small details unlikely to make big differences.

    TiSP SS is fine.

    If you get SR, that's gonna be a bit more fragile so may not last so long.

    And you are losing the direction of the thread. Mxd doubles tactics should be in Genral forum:p
     
  20. Yogi

    Yogi Regular Member

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    I ten dto agree with this. If u still find the Iso 900 Sr then i would suggest you to take that Over a SP SS. Try to find a G5 Sr 900 and u would do fine. I am sure your wife can take good care of teh racket.

    If not SP Ss woudl ideally suit her. if u are bent on Oval shaped rackets and just want to upgrade in carlton then u coudl try the Ab 900 or the Asti. They are good
     

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