Aggressive Attacking player using 275 BP racket, recommendations?

Discussion in 'Badminton Rackets / Equipment' started by vipjun, Sep 22, 2010.

  1. vipjun

    vipjun Regular Member

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    Aggressive doubles player
    Seem to prefer 275BP
    currently using very light racket medium flex
    BG80 @ 26lbs , haven't restrung for over 6months and string still okay.

    issues -
    smash seems to lack sting / stopping power
    mid court drives seem to decelerate a little to earlier than most people
    sometimes when blocking a smash or intercepting a drive at net, i feel like my racket head is being pushed backwards. A lot of times this leads to a weird and weak reply.

    I'm not sure if its my technique, something else , or if its the racket.

    If its the racket should I
    buy a heavier 3U racket but keep the same (275) BP. or
    a 4U but head heavier.
    Stiff or medium stiff Shaft(currently using medium stiff)

    I am quite uncomfortable playing with rackets over 280 BP, but am willing to give it a try if this is recommended for my play style, I understand that there may be an adjustment phase.
    Any tips would be helpful.

    More information regarding my exp / play below.

    I've only played 1 year(about 2 times a week). Having come from Racketball and Tennis background, I've made progress pretty quick. I think i have a decently fast swing (most probably due to the light racket) and my smash is probably the strongest part of my game. , but i feel that it lacks a sting compared to other rackets.

    I play mostly doubles and prefer the attacking game, smash, pushes, risky interceptions, and only clear if there is no other shot available, I mostly use drop shot if the opponent is cheating on defense by standing too far back.
    , to the defensive game clears, net shots, defense.

    Recently i measured the BP of my racket and it is at ~275 which is considered head light. i feel this is the most comfortable for swinging. Actually, i tried taking off a overgrip and the bp became 282. My smash didn't seem to go any faster and I felt like i needed to hit my smashes with more strength to get the same effect. Maybe i'm just not use to it ? Also with the 282 BP all the other parts of my game were somewhat worse.

    My racket is actually quite light, Karakal M-tec 70. which I hear is more like a light 4U. I have swong other rackets like AT900 P and Nanospeed 9000S. It seems even as i go up in weight to 3U i still prefer that 275ish BP.
     
  2. visor

    visor Regular Member

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    With such a light and medium flex racket that you have, you're inevitably going to compromise your attack (ie. smash) at the expense of speed, maneuverability, power.

    You'll want a slightly heavier racket (ie. high end of 4U) and slighly heavier head.

    To start off with, why don't you do something very easy and simple to your racket and see if it helps you.

    Get a roll of 3/4 inch black fabric-type hockey tape, divide it down the middle and tape about 3-4 inches on each side of the racket head at 2 and 10 o'clock positions. This will increase your racket head by 1-2g in weight and 5-6mm in bp. See if that will add some ooomph to your attack, and also see if your swing speed is still acceptable to you.

    Easy to do and won't cost you more than $2.
     
  3. roy b

    roy b Regular Member

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    As Visor says, if you want more ummph with your smashes but don't want to change the bp, the only solution is to get a heavier racket.

    Beware though, if you get an heavier version of the same racket the bp MAY NOT be the same as your original racket. There can sometimes (or should I say often) be variations - you need to measure and check.
     
  4. vipjun

    vipjun Regular Member

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    I have a question.

    It is stated that a head heavy racket is for attacking.
    If I take the same head heavy racket and say add an overgrip or some weight to the bottom to make it more head light balance, does it now have less attack ability?

    I'm only asking because, it seems i have no trouble using a 3U or even 2U racket as long as the balance is ~275.
    however even a 4U or lighter racket who's balance is 285 or higher will feel extremely heavy to me.

    Is this normal?
     
  5. vipjun

    vipjun Regular Member

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    visor,

    I've taken your suggestion and moved the BP to 280 which seems to be my optimum, before shot recovery starts suffering. My smash and drives seem to have extra sting. Net play has gotten better (i think this is because of the extra weight not change in bp), and i've gotten extra feel of the shuttle when it touches the racket now.

    I've been experimenting a little bit more. and it seems once i past 280, to 283 or so the results start going downhill. I've replaced the initial electric tape with lead tape hoping to improve the aerodynamics by using less tape. So I've added about 5-6 Grams more to my racket. Haven't weighted it yet, but i think its probably in the mid to heavier 4U category.
     

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