Righto, been reading through, thought i'd better sign up, because i'm a bit lost. I started badders when I was probably 8 or 9, got to a decent standard (in my opinion of course) played a few tournaments, but generally I was 16 years old, playing in under 18 category due to lack of players, thus, I never actually won a game lol! Still, I did well in the local league, possibly capable of County, but who knows, never was that bothered, I'm much more competitive in my old(er) age. Anyway, enough of that, along came a woman at 17 and you know the rest (married, two children etc) I'm now 29 and although i've played probably twice a year on average in the interim period, i'm now back playing twice a week as I now have time. The standard is good, i'm playing some county kids, and some average adults, plus the odd useless twit like me, although I did have a good competitive knock around with a 14 year old who claimed to be previously ranked in the top 20 (uk) but sadly succumbed to illness of late. So, cut a long story shortish, my old Carlton, which cost about 100 nippers 10 years ago, isn't really a lot of cop now, it's been borrowed for extended periods, and in all honesty, the £9.99 dunlop I picked up off the wife felt better lol (well...not quite) So, i'm playing doubles, twice a week, two hours a time, my smash seems to have vanished, my reactions all but gone. It's there in flashes, but I suppose it's going to take time to come back, bloomin' frustrating though, shuttle up in the air, quick cursory glance to see what opponents are doing, and I miss the thing completely, so i've gone back to basics, concentrate on hitting it first.... So, budget around £50, prefer a lighter racket, anything to help with the poor anticipation/reactions, i'm also falling short with my drop shots a lot, god, everything is awful actually!!! If I keep it up, and things improve, i'm going to sell the TVR and buy a Z-Slash thingy! my how expensive things have got! Appreciate you reading my sob story, and hello.
A TVR at 29? Not bad going, mate Welcome to BadmintonCentral. There is no panacea racquet, and to be honest, practice and skill make a hell of a lot more difference than the racquet. For instance I have a Yonex Carbonex 8 from 1985 that still plays great in the hands of players better than I. Maybe you could spend the £50 on some coaching sessions to help you regain your form? One thing I can say is that don't expect too much of yourself. Exactly as you said, getting the shuttle back over is the main thing to focus on for now. Don't think that your skills have evaporated completely, you will gradually regain them and a new racquet isn't going to suddenly unearth them after all these years. However, if you're totally set on a new racquet, and you want something light, I would recommend a Karakal SL-70. It's probably the lightest racquet out there, and its head is oval-shaped which is presumably how your old Carlton is. http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000XG1J...ode=asn&creative=7974&creativeASIN=B000XG1JDS
I don't know that the Z-Slash is the best racket for you. It takes quite a bit of getting used to even for intermediate/good players. I'd look for an fairly light, evenly balanced racket.
Oh, don't worry, i'm fully aware that the racket makes little difference, but mine really is shot to pieces, how it's in one piece I don't know, I would have it restrung, but I doubt it would hold up, and it's currently well below 20lbs. Just a nice light all rounder is required, I think the Nanospeed 500 looks like a half decent prospect? Any thoughts? I'm sure the rest will come back to me sooner or later, i've improved ten fold in the last 5 weeks, but still, in my mind, woefully short of where I was. Just watching people, I'm thinking I should be beating them, then, on court, I'm not, well, not all the time.
I'd also suggest looking at the AT600 or arcsaber 7. Not sure on the pricing though. For non yonex I'd also suggest the VH1800, Lethal 70 or Tantrum 200/300 from apacs.
Want a light racket or a head light racket ? If light, look at the Karakal range or some of the Kasons. The latter may be found via a RELIABLE ebay seller (yes, they do occasionally exist ) called kason_rackets on ebay.co.uk. (look for rackets called Lepton, Spry). If you want head light, look at SOTX (sotx-sports.co.uk) for example.
Dear Dirty Boy, This is Dirty Oldman speaking. 1) Welcome to BCBF. 2) I was in your situation before I stop playing badminton for close to 10 years. Than I pick up again. I had my YY AR80 from 1988. I restrung it myself and start playing again. After that, I got a Cab20MS then Cab30MS. Both are great Oval racquets (not like your old Carlton) with newer technologies with old time feel. 3) So if you are looking for a all around racquet, I will suggest a Cab30ms if you can find one. May be Cab21 if you are a old timer who want the old feeling back. Other wise, NS500 is a very good beginner to intermediate racquet for you to get back into the game. May be a little more to get either AT600 (offensive) or NS6000 (defensive). 4) I would sell you my old Cab30ms or may be the new Cab35 if you live in US. However, including the s/h, it will be too expensive. However, please borrow or demo racquet to figure what you like before you buy. If you find something not major brand, post it, people can suggest a racquet similar to that. Good luck
Cheers for the responses guys. However, sadly, i'm putting it on hold until after Christmas, as at this moment, I am typing this looking through one eye! I had a nasty clash of heads last night at football, and Terry Butcher lost less blood than me! Lots of glue and stitches and four hours in A&E! lol. I look like i've done the championship rounds with Tyson! Still got a headache 12 hours later, but due to the clash, they said don't take any medication for 24 hours...what a nightmare... I will look at your recommendations guys, thanks, I appreciate it, perhaps i'll get a bargain in January now...
