When someone talks about the "feel" of a racket, what does it mean? I understand it to be how and what the hand feels at the moment of shuttle striking, eg. solid feel during a clear or smash, or delicate feel during a net shot. That is, the racket provides feedback to the player what is happening at point of contact. I've tried some rackets that feel "numb", eg. Z-Slash, so I know feel is important for playing and judging how much power to put into the shot. But is it possible to have too much feel? And how important is it to have good feel in a racket? Just wondering.
Of course, I should clarify that we should leave strings out of the equation for now, as we know that (and grip type) can affect feel also.
IMHO, it is the feeling of picking up the racket and it becomes an extension of your arm. And of course whether you feel comfortable with it. Up to each player to like what best suit them. For example, a coach may recommend a flexible racket for his beginner trainee but the beginner trainee may prefer the feel of a stiff racket. The beginner trainee probably dun have the technique yet for a stiff racket too. Vice versatile for advanced players who use flexible rackets and still hammer me. Plus it also could be the player is so used to the same racket that he/she is using for years. Anyway just my 2 cents.
For me personally, that 'feel' that I would like to have in my racket is that positive feeling that whatever energy that i've put into my shots, are transferred to the shuttle. That feel of the high tension string biting into the shuttle upon impact, that positive feeling that the racket head is right on to the direction we're aiming, and as well as the unloading of the shaft..and all these without the presence of any vibration.
For me, it`s about my awareness of my racket head position. Too headlight/light and i might mishit it, too head heavy/heavy might tire me out quickly and can make me lose the "feel". some might say "why dont u get an even balance racket?" but I think everyone has their own comfort zone. my comfort zone is slightly head heavy because i noticed i play with more confidence and it minimize my mistakes. another thing is the crispness of the sound during impact with shuttle. your ear will tell u if the racket is crisp enough for your liking. Type of strings might be a factor but rackets do actually produce different sound.
