Does equipment really matter?

Discussion in 'Badminton Rackets / Equipment' started by ptang777, Jan 25, 2004.

  1. Neosakai

    Neosakai Regular Member

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    My school is all messed up racquets of everybrand. Very very old.
     
  2. TheGr8Two

    TheGr8Two Regular Member

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    You can expect a huge difference with ISO 63 and MP100, especially if the ISO 63 has factory string and MP100 has nice string like BG68 Ti, and of course tension plays a factor too. You should find that the MP100 is easier for hitting powerful shots.



     
  3. ptang777

    ptang777 Regular Member

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    Just an update... He is now sponsored by Black Knight and is ranked #2 in the province (was #1 for a short time).
     
  4. Neosakai

    Neosakai Regular Member

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    Oo.... I know a guy who is sponsered by Yonex and he's #3 in my province... Well used to be, or maybe even now....




    I think your friend can be sponsered by yonex too, with his skills and all... Then he can tryout different equipments lol....:D
     
  5. Pball

    Pball Regular Member

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    IMHO - not much really, with players from beginner to advance.. but as you get to the very high levels, where you need absolute compliance from your equipment, the effect is bigger but still maybe less than say 1%. Could you imagine a world ranked number 10 beating the world number 1, REGULARLY, because of equipment? I don't think so. However this statement needs a qualification: Assuming the equipment being used is within acceptable standards of quality. Obviously, the world number 1, using a steel racket strung at 12 lbs will be seriously handicapped.

    what would be of more concern is using really lousy equipment. That would affect the outcome of a contest more.

    regards
     
  6. HBI1204

    HBI1204 Regular Member

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    IMO, well trained & professional players can always play just as well with any 'reasonable' quality equipment (as long it's not a really lousy crap equipment, hehe).. top-ranged equipment will definitely give these players an extra edge & slight increase in performance..
    BUT.. for a recreational player like me who plays twice a week amongst friends & family, better equipment certainly does matter.. every upgrade in equipment so far for me, really helps to better my skills cause i had no proper training & simply have no time to train/practice.. i just go out there and play, and try to better my skills while playing..

    Here's an example of an equipment (rackets) based on my experience:-

    i started off 2 years ago playing with a cheap prince racket, after 6 months i still find it very hard to clear with this racket no matter what i do..then i bought the powerful Gosen 3400 and my overhead clears are easier to execute & i got better at this, in fact my whole game is getting better cause instead of focusing on the strength of my every shot, now i have the luxury to focus on my techniques.. when i bought a MP77 not long after that, i found this racket is much more easier to play with than my Gosen but not as powerful.. with MP77 i develop my net play and my placing shots which skills i struggle to do with my gosen.. recently i bought a LF Ti500 and this racket helps me to develop my back-hand clears and jump smashes better than my MP77.. now that i'd develop these skills with my new equipments, i can go back to my cheap prince racket and do back-hand & overhead clears as good as i did with my new rackets.. so if before i cannot even dream playing a decent game with my crappy prince racket, now i can play a fairly good game with it..

    So for me equipment does not really matter as much now as it matters then... :rolleyes: but i guess everyone likes an upgrade now and then.. :p

    Cheers..
     
  7. TheGr8Two

    TheGr8Two Regular Member

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    Some equipment affects me more than others..

    Racket: as long as it is not too heavy (90 grams or less), the handle is small(G4 or smaller) then I can play well with it. The racket will have an impact on how easy it is for me to play well; some rackets are inherently more powerful, whereas the less powerful rackets, I can still do the power shots, but will need to spend more energy to do them. For control, it does not matter.

    String: I do not like string at less than 20 lbs. Type of string does not matter much, I usually go for cheap. Color(to match racket) is most important for me. Tension does not affect my play if it is between 20 to 24 lbs. That's why I won't go for higher tension like 26 to 30 lbs. Also, not all rackets can take such high tensions.

    Overgrip: very important; usually I find that the original grip on the racket not good because it becomes slippery, and is not soft enough. I prefer "cushiony" synthetic overgrips.

    Shoes: depends on the gym I'm playing at. For regular school gyms, I would say that badminton shoes do not benefit me much over cross trainers. For good badminton courts with the mats on them, I haven't actually tried cross-trainers on. Well I don't do dangerous moves, and I don't practice proper footwork. I'm still fast and efficient nonetheless.

    Shuttles: very important. I can't tolerate shuttles in poor condition, either nylon or feather. I don't like feather because the other players will tip the shuttle to however much they want, and different people will play tip it for different speeds. I prefer to just use the shuttle right out of the tube, speed is pretty consistent and at correct speed anyway(I do test them). As for nylon, we don't ever adjust it for speed.

    Off-topic:
    Lighting can affect me. In school gyms where there are windows, I can not see the shuttle well, and I have to play more conservately. And also during the day, not all the lights are on; this is very bad because badminton involves shuttles being very high in the air, whereas for other sports, it does not matter as much
     
  8. ahhs_1980

    ahhs_1980 Regular Member

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    Does the racket really matter?

    Hi, for those who are wondering, does the racket really matter?
    beggining of the season i noticed that there are two freshmans on my team. Both same height and weight. And i noticed one uses a Muscle Power 99 ($190 usd) and the other, a Wilson Match Point (about 9 bucks). They were the average noobs, but 6 weeks later i saw a dramatic:eek: improvement with the one with the Muscle power 99, he knew all the basic moves, clear, (with no problem) smash, and drop. i know there could be many minor variables in this that may cause him to be better than the other, but both have been doing the same excercises, condition and practices, and I amazed by the improvement of the guy with the muscle power 99. He reached all the way to singles number 3, while the other is just a floater. there are many other freshmans on my team with good rackets, and those who dont. what i noticed a few days earlier when i was working with them, is that the ones with the 100$+ rackets were dramatically better than the other ones with cheap rackets. i was very suprised. i know i sound silly, so i would like to read the opinions of you guys.:cool:
     
  9. HBI1204

    HBI1204 Regular Member

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    IMO, the more expensive rackets usually packs with greater power & maneuverability/playability than the cheaper ones... beginners should find the rackets easier to use hence they will struggle less to play the game & could concentrate more on improving their skills rather than struggling even to maneuver the racket and make decent clears etc.. I’m not at all surprise at your findings cause I’m a beginner too 2 years back and found that better racket makes a hell of a difference.. :)
     
  10. Sgt_Strider

    Sgt_Strider Regular Member

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    Worry more about developing your skills than a expensive racquet. I have a friend that is seriously lacking in skills, but invested in a high end racquet. Not that I'm saying it won't make a difference, I think it will. However, the rest will come from your ability to improve.
     
  11. napee

    napee Regular Member

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    it may not been the racket. it could simply have been the person himself is more talented than the other person. how do you ensure that? we're not talking about two exact human clone here.
     
  12. crosstrainer

    crosstrainer Regular Member

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    sometimes, getting a nice expesive racket can help... it may inspire you to practice/train harder to get the most out of it. :)
     
  13. HBI1204

    HBI1204 Regular Member

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    When u have no time to practice and have no proper training like me who only play once sometimes twice a week among friends, u need all the help u can get... sure the best way to improve is train, train & more training but if u dont have the luxury to train it's a different story altogether.. trust me when i say its very hard to improve with a lousy racket when u dont have the time to train, i've been there.. its very frustrated when i try to improve my skills while playing a game with friends & get whacked all the time cause it's hard to make a decent return of the birdie with a lousy racket.. i need extra help.. a better racket, strings at the right tension & better shoes always helps 4 me.. when i say a 'better' racket, i dont mean high end or top of the line rackets but a racket that have a reasonable maneuverability, playability and most importantly power, cause a beginner always lacking in power due to poor technique..

    Now with the help of these 'better' rackets, i've improved my basic skills significantly and now i can play with my old lousy racket and still win games.. :)
     
  14. HBI1204

    HBI1204 Regular Member

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    Totally agree with u crosstrainer :) ... this really works 4 me, every time i got a new racket i always try much harder to improve.. u never want to loose to a guy with a cheaper racket than yours :D :D :D
     
  15. oab729

    oab729 Regular Member

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    I don't really think so, i think u need a decent racket to begin with, but not something that can generate power because then you just focus on power and don't have to focus on learning proper strokes and so forth. Lots of people on my team have mp-99 but they're not very good, while a lot of other people have some crappy carltons and have a playing spot. Although if he's rich enough to get an mp 99 he's rich enough to get good shoes and a coach.
     
  16. GunBlade008

    GunBlade008 Regular Member

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    IMO, racquet makes little difference. The top player at my school can destroy me with any 150gram racquet, I use an Armortec700 btw. Although the racquets weight can make a difference, it's marginal. It could be that his reflexes and reaction is swifter because the MP99 is light and manoeverable whereas the other racquet is as heavy as a computer monitor.
     
  17. LazyBuddy

    LazyBuddy Regular Member

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    Racket does make a difference, but not as significant as many ppl think. I think the person who uses MP99 and improves faster, might because of the following:

    1. Same height and weight does not mean same physical condition.
    2. Work equally hard does not mean work equally smart.
    3. He bought MP99 might because he really knows it fits him, or simply because he has no idea, but just luck, or he makes "serious" investment to boost up his motivation.

    In your case, the comparision is a bit extreme, as the $9 racket could be hard to use for many ppl for competitive playing, as it's too heavy, and mostly with very bad and loose string.

    Personally, I think a decent graphite racket (from any reputable manufacture) should be good enough for newbies to start with. MP99 might be a bit too expensive and too stiff for a lot of students.
     
  18. SteveStanley

    SteveStanley Regular Member

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    If someone only spends $9 for the badminton racket, I really have doubts on his/her motivation for the game.

    A $9 badminton racket perhaps is like playing pingpong without rubbers on the paddle, you could play but you're very much limited if you want to improve.

    I used a very cheap racket when I first played badminton, but then my parents bought me a Cab-8, it was very popular back then. I improved a lot since then. :) So, yeah, the answer to the question is YES, racket does matter in this case.
     
  19. Javalina

    Javalina Regular Member

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    I think a good racquet can help you to a limited extend. Personal devotion and motivation are really the driving force to make a great player. I know someone who is beating everyone with just a $30.00 USD Wilson graphite racquet although he has been playing since he was little. I think working on your footwork, hitting mechanics and physical fittness is more important than spending $100 plus dollar to get a MP-99 racquet.
     
  20. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    yes. i do agree. there is a certain amount of difference between a $9 department store racket and the "proper" badminton racket.

    but i would argue that there is a diminishing return as you move from the US$40 up to the US$100+ rackets.

    a US$9 racket is hardly playable
    a US$40 racket is very much playable.
    a US$100 racket is also very much playable.

    will one see as much difference between the US$100 and US$40 racket as one see between US$40 and US$9?

    i argue that one may, or may not. it depends on whether the racket is suitable for the player. "better" isn't the proper word to use here, we should be using the work "suitability" instead.
     

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