Hi, just to clarify a few points raised. 1. The racket is definitely genuine (purchased from authorised Yonex seller) 2. None of the rackets that broke had any major clashes. And definitely nothing to cause any excessive flex in the racket. 3. No one has ever flexed the racket in their hand and no one has ever used the rackets other than me. 4. I only play with feather shuttles (Yonex AS30) Here are the pictures of the broken racket from various angles: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/85vbbt7rggqr75x/AADV0sB_3XPZ_dpuDd0Oe61Ga?dl=0 After looking again myself, is the shaft actually broken? I assumed it was because I can see a ring thing in the broken handle but may be this isn't part of the shaft. The end of the shaft from the main racket doesn't look broken, it looks flat and clean so I'm wondering if the thing in the wooden handle might be some plastic tubing the same diameter as the shaft so the end of the shaft rests on this within the handle. (This is all guess work so happy to be corrected).
Ah ok, thank you for the help. I originally thought the shaft was broken because I could see what I thought was the other end of the shaft in the broken handle but after taking the photos, I then suspected it wasn't. As for DIY handle replacement, I saw this page: http://www.instructables.com/id/Fix-your-broken-badminton-racket-handle/ Looks good but where can I buy a ready made handle? I tried searching but nothing came up. I do not have the tools or expertise to create my own handle.
Also, are all handles equal? Could I take a handle from a low end Yonex racket and it'll be the same as a mid or high range handle? I'm thinking I might try to salvage a handle from someone's broken racket at my local club (assuming their racket is broken in an irreparable way).
As Visor said, easily repairable. With regards to why, are you holding the racket handle right near the bottom when you play for all shots? That could explain why it is breaking at that point, as you are not using the whole handle to grip and instead 'snapping' action using part of the handle, thus creating too much stress near the point the shaft is connected to the handle. Just my thoughts. Kindest regards, -Ajay- Quote of the Day I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.
Entirely possible, my technique is far from perfect so I guess this would explain why. So when smashing, where would be the better place to hold the racket on the grip? I guess my thinking has been that holding it at the bottom of the handle allows a faster racket head speed and thus more powerful smash. I can see how holding the racket higher up the handle for finer control shots would be better but I wouldn't have thought those type of shots putting the racket under too much stress if the handle was held lower down.
You're right, even holding the racket at the lowest point on the grip shouldn't result in a broken handle. Rackets are designed for people to hold it anywhere along the grip and still remain intact, there must be some external factor affecting these breaks.
Moisture? Admittedly, I do keep my rackets zipped up in my bag when not in use (something I'll change going forward from now on). I also believe I do hold my racket low down on the grip and probably don't change this between different shots. So maybe it's a combination of the two. The fact it's happened with 4 rackets does kind of point the figure at something specific to me. On the flip side, it happened on a racket that was 4.5 months old and 9 months old which seems unlikely that moisture would even factor in for such a short duration. I'm guessing that smashes and deep clears are probably the two most stressful shots on the racket, if holding the racket at the bottom of the handle isn't good for these two shots, where should I be holding the racket?
Ok, thanks for the help. Only one more thing to find out, are all racket handles equal? Are low end Yonex handles equivalent to the mid and high range rackets?
you dont have to speak of anything but the style of ur playing...do you always grip hard even after u done smashing? try loosen up after the execution to prevent the vibration coming back to the shaft. i used to have this problem just like you,right after i corrected my way of executing explosive smashes and not just grip it tight and swing... give it a try
Unlike the actual frames, which vary in materials and quality, with the handles, wood is really just wood, I've seen lots of badminton racket handles for sale at different prices, it is really just up to you and whether you are willing to fix it yourself and buy the handle from whereever you feel comfortable buying from or you can send it off to be repaired by someone else.
Friend who is a bigger lad has broken a few very similar. He tends to play off his front foot without following through. His backhand looks like he is flipping things our of a cast iron frying pan with his elbow down low. In order to try to clear he is putting so much pressure on the shaft in opposite directions he eventually over time cracks the wood and it becomes loose. Not pretty to watch him play as his feet are always backwards but he gets the job done and enjoys himself. I would have someone watch you on various shots and see if there is a movement that needs correcting which is really torquing the handle in comparison to shaft direction.
