I'm confused

silentlight · 10-09-2002, 09:12 PM

Man, I'm confused. I've been playing with a hiqua pro 3500 racquet for 1.5 years. The racquet is labelled as "ultra stiff". Now prior to buying this racquet I went to this tennis-badminton store and the guy there told me that if I was a strong player as in I'm able to hit cross court backhands from baseline to baseliine then I should get a stiff racquet like the Ti-10 or something like that whereas if I'm weak then I should get a more flexible racquet. I agree with him because from my experience stiff racquets usually require more effort to clear birds baseline to baseline. I feel that more flexible racquets don't require as much effort to send the bird long. But then I've also read on the Yonex website and from people all over the internet that stiff racquets are more powerful. Then I went to this store today and the guy who supposedly has been selling badminton racquets for 20 years also state that stiff racquets provide more power from repulsion whereas flexible racquets tend to absorb a lot of the force creating less power and distance in your shots. That makes sense except that it contradicts my experience and what the other store owner said. I know it depends on the player just as some baseball players perform better with heavier bats than others because of their strength but shouldn't there be a general guidline as in flexible racquets require less effort while stiff racquets require more effort to clear the bird? Who's right?

ivan · 10-10-2002, 03:33 AM

In my opinion, they are both right, one thing you got it right tho, it depends on the player. Flexible racquets are for novice and intermediate players because they need that flexible shaft to help them to deliever the energy, thus require less effort to clear birds baseline to baseline. Since the pros themsleves are the power sources, they don't need that flexability which tend to absorb powers they created to help them. They need more repulsion which means stiffer rackets for them (pros). If a novice or intermediate player use a very stiff racket, he or she can't master, that high repulsion equals nothing. The same theory can apply to the string tension. For novice and intermediate players, they need lower tension to create the power, but for pros they need that extream repulsion to create more power.

Sheldon · 10-15-2002, 01:02 PM

When we talk about pros do we talk about the ones on the circuit or just people who are extremely good amateurs?

10-09-2002, 09:12 PM	#1
silentlight Regular Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Montréal Posts: 264	I'm confused Man, I'm confused. I've been playing with a hiqua pro 3500 racquet for 1.5 years. The racquet is labelled as "ultra stiff". Now prior to buying this racquet I went to this tennis-badminton store and the guy there told me that if I was a strong player as in I'm able to hit cross court backhands from baseline to baseliine then I should get a stiff racquet like the Ti-10 or something like that whereas if I'm weak then I should get a more flexible racquet. I agree with him because from my experience stiff racquets usually require more effort to clear birds baseline to baseline. I feel that more flexible racquets don't require as much effort to send the bird long. But then I've also read on the Yonex website and from people all over the internet that stiff racquets are more powerful. Then I went to this store today and the guy who supposedly has been selling badminton racquets for 20 years also state that stiff racquets provide more power from repulsion whereas flexible racquets tend to absorb a lot of the force creating less power and distance in your shots. That makes sense except that it contradicts my experience and what the other store owner said. I know it depends on the player just as some baseball players perform better with heavier bats than others because of their strength but shouldn't there be a general guidline as in flexible racquets require less effort while stiff racquets require more effort to clear the bird? Who's right?

10-15-2002, 01:02 PM	#3
Sheldon Regular Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Cambridge, UK (heh..only a sixth form college tho) Posts: 54	Pros? When we talk about pros do we talk about the ones on the circuit or just people who are extremely good amateurs?

10-10-2002, 03:33 AM	#2
ivan Regular Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: USA Posts: 94	In my opinion, they are both right, one thing you got it right tho, it depends on the player. Flexible racquets are for novice and intermediate players because they need that flexible shaft to help them to deliever the energy, thus require less effort to clear birds baseline to baseline. Since the pros themsleves are the power sources, they don't need that flexability which tend to absorb powers they created to help them. They need more repulsion which means stiffer rackets for them (pros). If a novice or intermediate player use a very stiff racket, he or she can't master, that high repulsion equals nothing. The same theory can apply to the string tension. For novice and intermediate players, they need lower tension to create the power, but for pros they need that extream repulsion to create more power.