Hey board. Long time follower, first time poster. I would classify myself as somewhere between a beginner and intermediate player. The only place that I have to play is at the local badminton club, so I go every time there are players. I've never had my own racquet before, so I've used an extra that the club had for over a year now. As I have continued to play and develop, I think more and more that it may be time for me to buy one for myself. This is where it gets tricky. I have been diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), and a part of having that is having a low muscle tone and frequent subluxations/dislocations of various joints. The subluxations have not affected my play too much, but the low muscle tone is fairly conspicuous. The only real restraint I have is being able to really clear the shuttle if I am deep in my court. I almost always play doubles, and I have a partner who I think I compliment very well. He is more of a big hitter, I am more of a net/defensive player. I focus a lot on shot placement and frequently use drop shots from all over the court. Should I get a defensive racquet to improve my net game even more? Or should I try to find a racquet that will help me compensate for my inability to really drive the shuttle? Thank you all for reading my unnecessarily long post. This just isn't really a decision that I want to rush. I don't mind to spend a little bit of money, I just want your all's opinion about what I should do. Thanks again!
Maybe I can help. I don't exactly have EDS but I do have hyper flexible joints, eg. knees, fingers, elbows. And I've had my share of knee and ankle strains because of it. Knees worse, as I've had significant ligament and meniscal tears in both knees due to hyperextension injuries from not jumping but landing awkwardly. So, my advice to you is this. Make sure you have good technique. I can't stress enough the importance of this. Make full use of your wrist, ie pronation for forehand and supination for backhand shots. Make sure your contact point is crisp and short, with your power transferred in a short whipping action. Think of your racket as and extension from your arm in forming a whip. You want max speed at the tip of that whip, not necessarily power. The whipping action should come easily for us with flexible joints, so make use of it fully. Badminton is not about power, but about speed. Speed of your racket head, speed of your footwork, and speed of your reaction. To protect your joints, make sure you always keep your knees slightly bent, never fully straight. Same goes for elbows, slightly bent on hitting, never fully straight. You should pay attention to some of the better players in your club and learn to mimic their strokes, especially if they are both deadly and efficient. Or else get some coaching so that bad habits are broken and proper technique is learned. Racket wise: you should get one that is all around, so that you're not compromised in either defence or attack. You'll need a medium stiff, fast and light (but not too light) 83-85g racket with balance point around 288mm for doubles. This should be good for the whipping effect.
All of that makes a lot of sense. I had also meant to mention something about the weight of the racquet in my post, thinking that a lighter racquet would be safer on my joints. I also know that too little resistance is dangerous, too though. I really appreciate your advice. You've helped probably more than you realize. You've probably narrowed my options down far enough so that I can take it from here, but if you have any specific recommendations, I would be more than willing to take them. And as far as string tension goes, I'll probably want to keep it relatively low, correct? Thank you!
No problems. We're all here to help each other out. Racket choice, I'm not sure if you've heard of Panda Power rackets from DinkAlot on this forum. I've been using the Trinity 2 85g bp 288mm for past 9 months and have been very impressed by it. For a few reasons, like you get a racket that is exactly to your specs unlike other brands where you'll get a wide tolerance in classification, eg. 3U racket is 85g to 90g, which makes a huge difference. And other reasons, well made, not too expensive, and excellent reviews. Panda has a new racket coming out called the Precision in the next month. And this seems to be aimed at beginner to intermediates like you, with medium stiff shaft and fast racket head from thinner profile. Do a search. String tension: a good advice is to get it as low as you can and still be able to play controlled net touch shots and also place your normal shots accurately to where you aim. If you find that you can't do these shots, then it's time to up the tension, 1-2 lbs at a time.
Ummm... T2 is a slightly flexy racquet; lower tensions may result in a bit of frustration as well. Maybe start around 22 lbs with a .67mm string? If you're a YY fan, maybe you want to try out the Arc7.
Yes, 22lbs is a good start with 0.67mm strings. Personally I'm using Ashaway Zymax 67 @ 23x24 lbs. Medium feel, powerful, retains tension well. Yes the T2 is slightly flexy of compared to NS 9900 but I don't really feel it flex unless I really wail on it. Arc 7 is flexier than T2. It's ok, but slower and heavier than NS9900, which i consider the best doubles racket except for the extra stiffness.
maybe some clarification required on my part. I think a slightly flexy racquet is the best type for Hotsauce. The springboard effect will help with the clears as well as hard shots from the deep. Also, the T2 if strung properly has some great characteristics for drives and pushes and Hotsauce will be able to conerve a lot of energy in fast double play with this racquet. I'm not a particularly strong player and I've got a T2 at 83 gms and BP 284 mm unstrung, and I strung it with BG80 at 23/25.5 and I'm VERY pleased with the results. So far.
I have a T2 at 83grams & BP280mm and dam it's a super fast doubles racquet, perfect for net play and returning shuttles, however power is decent. I also have 2 T2's 82.7g BP285, 82.9g BP285, which I feel offer everything you need for doubles play. Fast defence and excellent power. I think you should start with a even balance racquet and 3U as suggested then work from there.
Mark of a good racket that playing with it is effortless in both offense and defense. T2 is still on top of the heap for doubles for me after many competitors. Even at 84g at 285 bp smashes are still good , very good in fact.
You mean 4U, albeit on the heavier end of 4U. The lighter end of 4U is excellent for defence, but compromises clears and smashes too much for me and for most people. Didn't mean this thread to be only about the T2, but it is an excellent racket... and dare I say, my racket skills have improved in the past 9 months because of it. Even though some may say that the racket doesn't make the player, but I say it sure helps!
After all of this feedback, I would definitely feel comfortable purchasing a T2 for myself. I emailed Panda to check on pricing and things, but I was told that T2's were fresh out. I was told, though, that Panda was currently working on the Precision, and it's scheduled to be released in less than 2 weeks. I did some research, and here's what DinkAlot has revealed about it: "Announcement: DC Badminton is producing a new racket called the Panda Power PRECISION. Why: with the change to 21-Points, rally scoring, the game of doubles and mixed doubles has changed dramatically. It's all about pushing and driving the shuttle and fast transitioning. It's much harder to to play a slow defensive game and target your opponents' fitness, technique and/or strategy. The serve and return of serve are now so essential as well. As a result, the Panda Power PRECISION is being developed. The PRECISION is positioned as a counter-attacking, defensive racket based on a combination of the AT800-DE, NS9000-S, and AT900-T, what Panda feels are the three best counter-attacking rackets in recent times. These three rackets all have their strengths and weaknesses and Panda wanted to harness their strengths while minimizing their weaknesses in the PRECISION. AT800-DE: Pros: the feel, the control, a true defensive, counter-attacking racket. A very precise racket. Cons: weak frame and finish, lacked power relatively speaking, weaker shaft NS9000-S: Pros: fast transitioning, strong frame Cons: impact feels a bit hollow, weak shaft AT900-T: Pros: solid frame, powerful for a 4U Cons: balance just not as good as it should be. It's not bad, just not as smooth as the 800-DE So, with the Precision, Panda's trying to get the 800-DE feel and precision. the 9000-S aerodynamics and frame strength and 900T power." And here is the attached picture: http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/9910/ppprecision.png What do you all think about the Precision? Should I hold off on my search for a T2 for now so I can get some reviews on the Precision first?
Cobalt, he's in Kentucky, so MJ Strings won't work. Hotsauce, I did mention the Precision in my 2nd post above. Knowing Panda and his meticulous testing, it will probably be an excellent racket too. However the specs that you choose are probably as important, if not more important, than choosing between the Trinity or the Precision.
My mistake on the weight, But if you have a light weight racquet you can always compromise it with a higher BP, Like Karkal's Mtec 70. It weighs 70grams but has a BP of 290 - 295mm so it still doesn't lose as much offensive power IMO. Anyways Hotsauce if you can't wait then AT900T 4U would be the next best thing to choosing your bp/weights. Otherwise the precision should be an excellent racquet. Can't wait to get my hands on that one also.
Well, the bloodwork came in today. I apparently tested "very positive" for mono, so I'm not allowed to exercise for two weeks. Perhaps this is a sign that I was meant to wait for the release of the Precision.
Hey guys, I know that this was a dead thread, and I hate to bring it back up to the top, but I just wanted to give you all a follow up. I did order a Precision, and it came in this weekend. I've had the pleasure of playing with it for a few hours now, and I just wanted to thank you all. My game has improved in literally every aspect. I was using a Yonex Ti-10, but now ALL of my shots are efficient and effective. Again, I just wanted to thank all of you all for your suggestions and support. And wish me luck. I'll be back on the court for a few more hours here shortly.
