When does the "need" to try new rackets begin to impede development?

Discussion in 'Badminton Rackets / Equipment' started by cycilver, Dec 1, 2012.

  1. latecomer

    latecomer Regular Member

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    @gundamzaku, have you ever dated a girl or anybody other than fall in love with your rackets.
     
  2. gundamzaku

    gundamzaku Regular Member

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    Uh yea! There's more to life than just badminton, photography, cycling, motorcycles, weight training! I'm saving money for a full carbon Mtn bike, and I've just collected enough pro Nikon lenses for my sisters wedding:)Just because I discuss badminton a lot doesn't mean I neglect other areas of my life! I also work 8hrs a day like every other normal adults :)To quote will smith, " don't hate the player hate the game!"
     
  3. maxout

    maxout Regular Member

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    WHAT !!!! :eek: Don't hang it - SELL IT TO ME !!! or we can exchange the Cab20 with some things that are designed for hanging ... CLOTHES HANGERS !! :p
     
  4. demolidor

    demolidor Regular Member

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    //HIJACK: which MTB you have in mind :p? Found out this year, supposed OEM frames from the Taiwan factories are available on eBay ... don't really recall the reviews since I can't justify going up to carbon anyway ... or fully even for that matter. No interesting terrain in this country ...
     
  5. gundamzaku

    gundamzaku Regular Member

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    well i have to find a copy first, hehehehehe and i took a look at the VT88LTD in person for the first time today and realized that it's a 3u head heavy racket, which i will never have enough strength to play well in, so that's another racket i'll be hanging on my racks :)

    i'm trying to buy either a santa cruz (don't have the model since my cousin has the same one i wanted...hehe) or a specialized carbon stumpjumper hardtail. i'm currently riding on a specialized aluminum epic comp full suspension :)

    i'm not a great rider, i just wanted the bike as stiff as i can get. i'm used to riding road, and i have one made out of steel, aluminum, and carbon. of course carbon is the stiffest, but i feel the most confident because i feel every bit of the road.

    i ride the mtns once in a while when i get a group going, but the terrain is pretty good, unfortunately my skill level is worst in mtn biking than i am in badminton :( not that i'm trying to buy expensive equipment to be like my friends, but i do feel more stability/control and communicate quite well on a carbon frame :)
     
  6. latecomer

    latecomer Regular Member

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    @gundamzaku, you said you are a normal adult, you date, cycling, motorbiking, weight lifting, photographing, play badminton and work 8 hours a day. plus you sleep at night too, I guess. Can you teach me how to manage all those activities without incidient since I only play badminton and golf and my wife still troubling me.
     
  7. gundamzaku

    gundamzaku Regular Member

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    to be honest, i truly believe that as soon as you get married, your priorities changes quite a bit, and by no means am i saying it's a bad thing, just different. and when you're married you don't just live a life thinking of just yourself. i think that's the difference, i can still be a selfish jerk and think "me me me" ALL THE TIME!!!

    i've only taken my motorcycles to the track a couple of times back when my buddies were single. now they're all married so i'm the only one left with bikes, so mostly commuting to work. weight lifting is a ritual of mine (since 1997) that goes right after work :) i do photography mainly in the weekend since i can get up before sunrise to shoot the sunrise and other early morning stuff. cycling, mainly road is always saturday morning.

    basically, if you look at my calendar, which i do mark down what i do each day, there's always some kind of sports activity. saturday is usually the most difficult day for me. an example, i wake up at a normal time, around 730, out with my road bike 8-10:30am. then back home, shower, rest a bit, go have dimsum with mother, then gym (weight train without cardio since i had cardio on my bike and will have cardio later with badminton)after 1:30pm till around 3pm. then back home and string a couple rackets, then small small dinner around 5pm, 6-10pm is badminton with father (for fun and noncompetitive).

    Mon and Wed are easier days with just badminton and gym without cardio. Sunday is my lazy day, i don't anything, let my muscles relax, but i attend church :). Tues and Thurs are badminton days from 11-2, lunch time :) then also gym at night but with cardio.

    dating...i can do it any night i feel like, just skip badminton, but still go to the gym at a later time.
     
  8. latecomer

    latecomer Regular Member

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    @gundamzaku, beside all the activities and you still have time roaming around in this forum spitting out long and logical sentences. I can say you are one of a kind.
     
  9. gundamzaku

    gundamzaku Regular Member

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    badminton is not just a sport like cycling, but a passion of mine. i was lucky to have friends who helped me when i needed guidance whether it be here or from my circle of friends. unfortunately knowledge on badminton requires lots of time to acquire so whatever i can do to help someone who's new to the sport i'm willing to do so :)

    besides, i'm still trying to find a racket that suits me...since 4th grade :(
     
  10. latecomer

    latecomer Regular Member

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    @gundamzaku, what would you think if you play golf instead of badminton since golfing allow one to carry 14 clubs at any given time. You will need at least 14 clubs to test instead of 1 racket. I tried but give up.
     
  11. gundamzaku

    gundamzaku Regular Member

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    In college I have a friend who played college golf and he taught me to customize my own clubs, I have a set where I pick my own handle, shaft, and head, so I'm good!!
     
  12. gundamzaku

    gundamzaku Regular Member

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    I also have a set of normal callaways and for someone who only goes to the driving range that more than enough
     
  13. maxout

    maxout Regular Member

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    Hahahaa .... be a good boy and LISTEN TO "OLD" UNCLE MAXOUT's advice here .... go get a Cab20 !! :D
     
  14. xzavire

    xzavire Regular Member

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    I'm glad I stumbled on this thread. I've been meaning to start a thread like this for years. My experience has been very similar to the original post. I have accumulated approximately 30-40 rackets in the past 5-6 years since I began to play. Changing rackets usually affected my play for a few months and I wondered if my case is a common phenomenon. I feel like I haven't developed in the last few years and I wonder if it's from age, lack of play or racket change.

    When I started playing in 3rd and 4th year of my undergrad I used 1 racket (MP 99) and focused mainly on training. I was fortunate enough to have friends on the varsity team and they were willing to teach me from the basics. During this time I was mostly a singles player and utilized long, slow rallies and power play to win points. The MP 99 was perfect for my needs. As I started playing more and more doubles I began to want a faster and stiffer racket. I got the NS8000 and developed more of a fast-paced game. I moved around the court a lot and relied on defense drives and net kills to get most of my points. My partner was blessed with a canon for an arm and camped at the back line most of the time.

    The partnership was great until we graduated and moved on. I enrolled in graduate studies, which had a negative impact on my playing time but positive impact on my wallet. I lost my regular partner and started to play at local clubs, which contained a wide range of skills and I had to play a wider range of positions. My skill level quickly dropped and since I stropped training I blamed the equipment and started experimenting. AT900 P/T, NS9000, MP100, Ti-10(s), Arc 8DX just to name a few. I had one racket for singles, doubles and mixed.

    I played at the same level until I met my girlfriend (now wife). Took a break from badminton for about 10 months and slowly got back into with my wife together as a way of exercising. I started focusing more on mixed doubles as I was teaching my wife how to play. We started like Ma Jin/Zheng Bo with me using the AT700 at the back hammering away at the opponent. My wife developed a midcourt to backcourt control game and now we play more like Zhang Nan/Zhao Yunlei. I currently use MX80 and BS LYD at the back and try to set her up as much as I can.

    Over these years I've accumulated 15 playing rackets and 15 collection rackets (Ti 10 1st/2nd, AT700 Gen 1, LN N50 Gen 1, MP 99, MP 100 etc.). The accumulation started after the NS8000 and my skill level has definitely been plateaued if not dropped. While I contribute some of this to my changing rackets but I do think the lack of training and changing style had something to do with it. I will also add that buying into advertisement and review also played a huge role in what I bought and how many.

    I believe that professional players or semi-pros could adapt to any racket and still improve/adjust their game. However, for most players the change would have some negative impacts. Constantly changing rackets would require constant adaptation to the swing weight, timing and technique, which won't help improve the game much. I'm sorry for the long post but I hope my 2 cents (or 20 bucks) provides some insight to how a racket change is natural/necessary but it comes with consequences. Retraining will be necessary to achieve the same level or to improve.
     
  15. j4ckie

    j4ckie Regular Member

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    Heh. Interesting thread. Recently one of my competition rackets broke in a match, and I didn't want to spend the money on more of the same model (and as of now, actually can't :D). First I went back to the model I used before (BS09), but then the strings broke and I was too lazy to re-string my own rackets. Next, I went to my BS10. Once the strings on them broke, I went on to my LI Ning rackets....and noticed problems. The Li Ning I can play with comfortably are more flexible than my other usual rackets, and while that improved certain parts of the game slightly (smashes and defence, mainly) it caused a loss of control in other aspects (high lifts and and sideways placement of the smash). Took me a week to get somewhat used to the N70, but still couldn't smash at more than 60% and place it accurately, but the rest was pretty well-controlled.
    Then - the strings broke. And despite the N50II being relatively close to the N70 in flexibility and speed, I couldn't put more than ~50% into a smash without risking it going out.
    Now I'm stuck re-stringing all my Braveswords at once since we have a club match on Sunday....not looking forward to my sore fingers and back!! :D

    To summarize - I think changing between really similar models that you play with often is not detrimental to your development (I can switch freely between the BS09, 10 and 12 and take only 3-4 rallies to get used to the different flex and timing).
    Switching to something noticeably different, however, will put a stop to your skills' development until you get used to it (excluding footwork and tactical understanding of the game, obviously).
    So, for anyone who still has the ambition and potential to actually improve and compete, I would not recommend switching rackets more often than once a season and always keep 3 of the same model and string setup.
     

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