Actually for me it discredits the theory. If his FB is actually a ZF then why would he switch between the 2? It makes no sense.
Yeah, it's not like anyone has ever used a racket painted to look like another one. Taufik always used the off-the-shelf Z-Slash, he only had it strung in a fashion that made the head look like an Arcsaber 10's....*endsarcasm* I mean it's not really common practice, most players actually use what it looks like, but there are always a couple exceptions that get custom versions or promote a new racket by getting their real equipment painted that way. In CM's case there is only a few guys like me doubting that he ever used the FB (for me, it's based on my experience with both racket, while the ZF was too heavy for me the FB was WAY too light and couldn't deliver anything dangerous overhead), but some other players have used repainted rackets with almost absolute certainty. dbswansea: Maybe he ran out of FB lookalikes? Always a possibility if you use customized equipment. He probably needs between 5 and 8 rackets for a tournament, and if he was down to 4 or 3 FBs he mightve been forced to break out the old Z-Forces. But I don't have a really strong opinion about this, in the end it doesn't really influence my choice of racket at all.....it's just fun to discuss
He has without doubt a stronger wrist than I do, but if both rackets fall so far out of my comfort zone, it's very unlikely someone would switch between them regularly. It's not about the rackets themselves being unplayable or something like that, although I maintain my point that only a few select players can actually attack decently with the FB. The point was that they're at the very ends of the spectrum, one being the lightest and one the heaviest racket in the whole Yonex line-up, and I find it unlikely that even a pro of Mogensen's caliber can switch between these extremes and not take one or two weeks just to readjust and find his range and timing again.
I really don't think these guys need that long to adjust, I mean they adjust to for example drift every game, up to 3 times in one match.
Yeah, because they play with one racket for hours on end, most over a year...and string at insane tensions. Changing between rackets with a 15g weight difference is a little extreme though. It changes your whole timing, and even the swing, while adjusting to the drift is 'just' about hitting it a little harder or softer.
The evidence we have is that the Victor BS12's that LYD uses are nothing like the stock ones, so just using that alone I think it's safe to say that a large chunk of the top 10 players in the world probably have the option to use whatever they like, made however they like, to whatever specs they like, painted however they like. Logically though, I don't think Mogensen uses a stock FB. I'd be very, very surprised.
Gosh, really surprised that people are making "a big deal" on different rackets - the racket is probably one of the smallest contributing factors to how a professional player performs. Just my opinion of course, and I'm not criticising anyone - I'm just genuinely surprised. Let's put it this way - if anyone can "adjust" to different rackets within a short time span, it's more likely to be a professional player than a non-professional. I would expect most people to agree with that. And then once you have that concept in your mind, you might suddenly realise that these professionals could have mastered BOTH the "Z-Forces" and "Flashboosts" in their training sessions, and therefore "adjusting" to the "different" rackets is no problem. I suppose it's akin to a professional musician being very competent at more than one instrument - say the piano and violin. Both are very "different", but they can "adjust" and perform well with either one without problems. Anyway, the culture on BadmintonCentral seems to over-emphasise the importance of the racket - while it makes for entertaining discussion at times, I think it can be incorrect in principle. Of course, this doesn't mean the culture needs to change - there's no "right or wrong" here.
^ So since you seem to know so much about pros and their rackets, can you please enlighten us as to why the KOR team uses the stiffer and head heavier KRP code BS12 instead of the regular version?
Latest Denmark/china open Lee Yong Dae partner Yoo Using Jetspeed PS blue. Ahmad. T using Jetspeed Blue.
Put it another way, if the pros can adapt very quickly to any racket specs (ie. wt, stiffness, swing wt, swing speed, even string tension), then why do they keep on preferring to play with the same racket model? Why doesn't LYD use MX80/JJS or SW35? Or JJS use BS12? Or Setiawan use VTZF? Or LCW use FB?
Don't be obtuse on purpose visor. They can adapt faster than us, and they can master 2 rackets simultaneously because they train a lot and have way better feelings. That doesn't mean they don't try to find rackets that give them an edge. If Koreans have an edge with more stiff & hh KPR rackets, they play with those. That doesn't mean they wouldn't have good results with the others. And suggesting LCW should use the FB in men's single just because he can is just plain retarded, what are you arguing there ??? Boe & CM have a peculiar MD style that really emphasizes on specific parts of the rally (service return, shuttle placement if the rally lasts, etc). And they really are tactical players, way more than many other pairs. So he could have wanted to master 2 different rackets to be able to target specific tactics depending on his opponents. I'm not saying he has, but it's totally possible. And he has enough training and inner capabilities to master 2 very different rackets simultaneously. The fact than none of us would be able to switch between the 2 doesn't prove anything.
Could be many reasons. But applying my point to your question, and again in my opinion, any of those pros would be able to play just as well with any racket you've mentioned. They'd certainly be able to thrash me or you just as easily hehe. I suppose "extremes" would make a difference - for example, I think I'd be able to beat LCW quite easily if he used a racket that was 10g total weight. But the way I see it, all Yonex/Victor/Li Ning etc high end rackets aren't "extreme" cases, and therefore any professional would be able to play well with any racket. Keep in mind I'm just replying/commenting with reference to why Mogensen is able to switch between VTZF and Flashboost. Without knowing absolute facts, all comments are pure speculation. Would be nice to interview the pros to see what they truly think about rackets. Being humans (and therefore being unique), I'm sure they too have "preferences" as to which racket to use. What I'm arguing is that these "preferences" do not result in better (or worse) play. And my "speculation" actually comes from personal experience. I'm not a pro, but I'm not a bad player either. Some rackets I've used are 3U VT80, 3U,4U VTZF, 3U MX80, 3U T300, 3U L60/70, and even a "6U" Apacs Lethal Light Special. At the end of the day, I was able to play just as well with any of them, although I found the 6U Apacs racket took quite a bit of adjustment to get a powerful smash (everything else was fine though). So if I can adjust pretty quickly to various rackets (from super head heavy, to super stiff, to super light etc), then I'd bet the pros can do it rather easily and quickly too. Make sense?
My 2 questions were to prove a point. If you think I'm being obtuse, that's your prerogative. According to ssj100's reply, he seems to understand where I'm trying to lead him...
And my point is that every little edge counts when you're amongst the best playing against the best in the world, so players would want at least their equipment to be a constant. Or at least if they want a change, they want it to be consistent with their swing and play styles. And that's why pros don't switch around rackets too much. And oh, btw, Mogensen's FB is a painted ZF. http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php/97612-Victor-fans-club?p=2168201#post2168201
I understand your point, but I disagree with it to a large extent. Pros don't switch around rackets too much (and going with your point, it would be difficult to explain if/when they do), but that doesn't mean they would play worse if they did: Finally, I also want to add that from personal experience, specific rackets have not made me play (significantly) better on a given day. In my opinion, my level of play fluctuates much more with what I've eaten (eg. it would be a lower level if I'd eaten lots of fatty food within the last 24 hours), how much sleep I got the night before (eg. it would be a lower level if I only had 3 hours sleep compared with 8 hours), and my health/physical condition (eg. it would be a lower level if I was having the flu).
And so I wouldn't be surprised if Mogensen was using a painted Apacs Lethal Light Special disguised as a VTZF hehe! On another note, I'd like to see what made Mogensen use a painted ZF (disguised as a FB) - Yonex must have given him a "bonus" package hehe.
