Some recent research on string tension to ponder.

Discussion in 'Badminton String' started by eggroll, Mar 1, 2003.

  1. eggroll

    eggroll Regular Member

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    Last summer a test was done using top calibre players in tennis and golf to determine how much feel these people had. Raquets of various string tensions were provided with different types and composites of string construction. All raquets were the same weight within the sizes of frame head provided and there were different flex of raquets used as well. Key to this test was that players did the test under nomal playing conditions however two types of tests were done. In the first case the players hit with no altering of any condition. In the second the players had ear plugs that had a small amount of noise transmitted through them to completely eliminate the sound at the moment of contact with the ball. In the first case nearly all the players were able to identify the tighter strung raquets and the stiffer flexing raquets. In the second case a very small number of players in very extreme cases of flex, either very soft or very stiff, and string tension, very tight or soft, were able to correctly identify these factors.

    After the 100's of tests done the research engineers concluded from the data that 80% of feel comes from your ears or sound made at impact.

    If you feel the sound made by a raquet has that great pop when you smash it then the tough part would be convincing yourself to play with it when it's a medium flex at 20lbs. when you think you should be hitting a very stiff raquet strung at 26lbs.
     
  2. bigredlemon

    bigredlemon Regular Member

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    Maybe they are just using the tone of the vibration/sound of the racquet/club to determine the stiffness? That is they can't really tell the difference with their arm. Rather, they are using audio cues to determine the stiffness.
     
  3. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

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    eggroll, i find that test somewhat true but yet not enough to convince me though mainly because test results applied to tennis, and cannot be validated or extrapolated to badminton. Badminton is a much more finesse sport where as imo, tennis is less so. Just looking at the strings, average tennis strings are 15 to 17 gauge (1.45-1.2mm) where as badminton strings are 21 to 22 gauge (0.7 to 0.68mm), about 3.7X more cross sectional area than badminton.

    When i tumble shuttles at the net, i could tell (not the exact numerical tension) whether the strings is high or low tension, using bg66 or bg70. There is hardly any sound made during a tumble net shots so my judgement cannot be influenced by sound alone. I could even tell if blindfolded and ear plugged, whether i'm hitting (clearing and smashes) a plastic or feather shuttles, and even carlton plastic vs yonex plastic, or crappy feathers vs very expensive feathers, a very used feather vs a new feather of the same brand and grade. :p. I would challenge any tennis pros to tell the difference between, say, a new penn vs wilson tennis ball, if blindfolded and ear plugged.

    One other variable can throw off the tennis string/tension evaluation is that tennis string loses tension more quickly than badminton. A 60 lbs tension on the machine would result in 50 to 55lb tension measured by a stringmeter. So the difference between 60 and 50 lbs is not really 10 lbs in actuality.

    I'm not discrediting the point that we largely uses sound to gauge string performance. That is why so many posters here liked bg66 and bg85 because these strings make nice 'bang' or 'whap' sound upon smashes and thus make them feel powerful or think the shuttles go faster.

    My point is too many research results from tennis are been injected into badminton and this is not 100% right. The big difference is tennis ball compresses, cork shuttles don't (i didn't consider skirt compression as significant as it has little weight). Of course, other differences are that tennis racquets weigh 250 to 350 gram, tennis ball is 57 gram vs shuttle 4.9 gram (4.7 to 5.1)
     
    #3 cooler, Mar 1, 2003
    Last edited: Mar 1, 2003
  4. eggroll

    eggroll Regular Member

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    Cooler,

    I can appreciate your point of view that there could be some difference from tennis to badminton but the same results were observed in golf as well. The key point being sound is the key factor. At the net, when tumbling a shuttle, I doubt you could tell much difference from a 19 to 25 lb. string job. The string bed just can't flex enough for you to sense the diff. As for you being able to tell the diff from nylon to feather shuttle I think most of us could tell that difference. If you can do it blindfolded Swami I'd like to see that!:p
     
  5. eggroll

    eggroll Regular Member

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    I think you get the point exactly!
     
  6. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

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    quote:
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Originally posted by bigredlemon
    Maybe they are just using the tone of the vibration/sound of the racquet/club to determine the stiffness? That is they can't really tell the difference with their arm. Rather, they are using audio cues to determine the stiffness.
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    I think you get the point exactly!
    ----------------------------------------------

    I beg to differ. When i change from iso900SR or other flexy clone racquets to MP100 and MP99, i can surely feel the whipping response of the stiffer shaft of the mp100/99, and it is all from feeling from my fingers, wrist and arm, and not from sound. Yes, vibration cannot be use to tell stiffness.
     
  7. coops241180

    coops241180 Regular Member

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    my coach and i get our racquets strung by the same guy to the same tension - but i can tell the difference - he plays with karakal and i play with carlton. The flex in the shaft is easily felt through the grip.

    look at the physical differeces between tennis and badminton racquets, badminton racquets are lighter, have longer shafts. Granted the the ball is heavier in tennis but it does not travel as fast. hence the force on the head of a badminton racquet with relation to the weight is much higher for badminton. Coupled with the longer shaft i would deduce the the vibration through a badminton racquet is much greater - and hence this is easier to detect.

    Neil
     
  8. nSmash

    nSmash Regular Member

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    I beg to differ. Even 2 lbs makes a difference for me at the net. Same string,
    same racquet. Without adjustment in technique, the difference in bounce is
    enough to make the difference between a close net shot and a 'tap-able'
    one. I'm talking about a 2-inch height difference.
     
  9. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

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    One testimony from darryl yung, ex canadian national player (played in olympic too) had said he get shoulder pain if he play plastic shuttles but not from playing feather shuttles. Of course this is a long term cause and effect of plastic vs feather shuttles. I'm sure many poster here, with some trial and practice, can tell the differenet from hitting a plastic vs feather shuttle.
     
  10. nSmash

    nSmash Regular Member

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    I share Darryl's testimony. In addition, I feel more vibration in my
    wrist and sometimes pain in my wrist with plastic but not feather.
    I like to play with short, wristy (but very high swing speed) strokes
    with a slightly head-light racquet.
     

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