There's no point in doing this. You're only changing the weight in the handle but the racquet will play exactly the same.
If it gets lighter in the handle, won't it feel a bit more head heavy? Since the balance point will shift a bit?
If you really want to change the head weight, its either you add weight to the racket head to make it heavier or shave/sand off some material to make it lighter. Playing with balance point by the handle is pointless. Its like wearing a lighter shoe will not make your head turn or move quicker
Theoretically this works. Reducing the weight in the handle will shift the balance point towards the head, but this doesn't mean the head is heavier, because the amount of material in the head stays the same. Since you will be holding the racquet by the handle, the reduced weight will not change how heavy the racquet swings. The only way to change a racquet's swing feel is by adjusting the head weight, either by using different strings, adding tape to the head, or somehow removing frame material from the head.
This is what i did to my bs12. But for sure it's not the heavier the better. I used the whole yonex tape but it was too heavy and feeling was just off, had to cut more than half.
Bought another 88D 4U as I couldn't get over my previous one(cracked at 12o clock). Feels heavier than my previous one, Dry head weight Old- 36.5gms New- 37.17gms Measurements are with stock grip removed One more on its way Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk
incase you dont know, that there is new color 88D but ofcourse its your color preference & you already buy another one. But if maybe you want to get the 3rd, you might want to look at the new color.
Yummy, best racket I've tried and owned. Speed, power, this racket has it all. Pair it with bg80, dayumm. Which string you have it paired with?
I know the new olympic colorway is available, but not here in India as of now. Hence got this, I like this one better than the olympic colorway, also because it is much cheaper Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk
I had let go of my 3u 88s to a friend since he want it badly. Any suggestion of racket that can rival the 88s in front-mid court? Thinking of getting 4u 88s if the price drops.. Nanoflare 700 is there too but the story of broken nanoflare is everywhere. Sent from my POCOPHONE F1 using Tapatalk
Context so that advice is catered towards me: I've been using a ZFII 3U [BG 65, 25lb] for years. I exclusively play doubles now, as badminton is my second sport so just play in a club [where everything is doubles]. I normally get to play with the top players there, that are reasonably strong [i.e. top 200 or top 300 in the country of NZ] and can certainly match them for touch and feel as I'm a top amateur table tennis player, so basically rely on placement, good reflexes and feel as I have a big advantage there cf most players. My power is atrocious. I cannot generate any racquet head speed for smashing however, and I've never been a strong guy. I really like the feel of my ZFII, as it feels like the racquet is an extension of my arm, which I find rare in racquets across different sports, hence why I stuck to it so long - to me it is the single most important thing, everything else could be perfect but it must feel 'right' and i must be able to assess the power very precisely [when warmed up] - TT, badminton or tennis, always the same. Technically, I'm sure my stroke isn't ideal either on my smash, which basically leads to a smash that lacks so much power, it basically becomes an advantage at times - opponents mistime or do not add power to guide their block over sufficiently to adjust to such a pitiful smash. However, the lack of power and handicapping my maneuverability when its my touch/reflexes that are my main advantage is probably not ideal - the fact it feels so good to hit the shuttle helps the touch, but at the expense of the things a physically weak man must suffer when wielding a 3U ZF2. One of these top players heavily recommended an 88s 4U, as he also owns a ZFII and 88s, he is technically better [very very strong technically], with similar touch and feel to me, but the dude has AMAZING power and explosivity... I'm in my mid 20's and now am finally at a good weight / gained muscle which has helped in this regard a lot, but my upper body strength especially is still [well] below par compared to the average badminton male whose 20-40 years old and of Asian or European descent...again, ZF2 3U is being hamstrung by such a physically weak fella. I tried his 88s for 15 mins, but he has it at like 29lb's [nanogy 98 or w/e]...it felt like an extension of my arm as well. But it was obviously a lot lighter and probably is easier to generate power for someone whose WAY too weak for a ZFII, let alone a 3u [only saving grace it's BG 65 @ 25]...so here I'm getting a lot more advantages - same great feeling, but probably access to more power as i can actually generate some racquet head speed, slightly less head heavy so i don't 'need' exceptional racquet head speed to make advantage of the HH, and finally a more flexible 'wand.' Question is, should I be going for a 3U or 4U 88S? I'm leaning towards 4U, but am coignisant of the fact I'm already making such a huge gear shift...and with my physicality becoming CLOSER to the median mid 20's badminton intermediate/advanced guy [definitely far away in strength, but speed/fitness is definitely getting there now]
Hi, I'd go for 88s 4u if i were you. Even if you get your physique more buffed, it won't give you that much power. It's the technique. So with your current build based on your post, i would suggest you put your desire for power aside and strengthen your control and maneuver first with a much easier to use racket. Power will come (well since it's much lighter, perhaps you can wield your smash better)
The simple thing that makes the biggest improvement might be to change the BG65 for a more repulsive string (li ning #1 etc). I wonder how much of that improvement you felt was with the improved string. If you have good hand-speed and aim, don't be afraid to go higher on tension, especially with a lighter racket. If you have good aim from table tennis, you might actually be better off with a small-framed racket. With decent tension and strings, and maybe light enough (like a js10 which is effectively a sort of zf2 5u), it comes down to fast hands/good finger timing and good contact on the shuttle, physique doesn't really come into it too much. Get some coaching on stick-smashing... Is your smash so weak that people just stand on the service line because of lack of respect for it? Or you want a fast enough smash to actually kill off people. Because I feel with amateur smash power there is only really 3 "levels", i.e. 1) so underpowered (for your level) the opponents rush the net, 2) normal (good result if you do some sneaky variation), or 3) BIG smash that just kills people. Realistically #3 might not be an option for you (or most people), so you just need to get over that margin between 1st and 2nd, so that with variations, persistence, and luck you will get through. As regards extension of arm, I think any racket you use long enough will have that, just keep using it. Maybe some things like flexy shaft might be harder to use. Edit: Actually are you looking for front court camping racket or a smash-power improver? If front court camping then 88s 4u sounds good, and try to find a giant smashy partner.
Hi, yes I will definitely be keen to change strings, its just after a 3-4 month lockdown, I was breaking a BG65 every 4-5 sessions..and that's the gold standard for durability. Yes, my control/aim is for sure one of my best traits [i call it feel]. I'd say my smash falls into 1) [very underpowered] however the other aspects of my game preventing the complete disrespect of rushing forward is that if you rush forward I will likely try to exploit your aggressive movement with a well placed clear or drop shot etc [variation], and if i do continue with the smash, it'll be very short or well placed [more variation] so it gets the job done in terms of maintaining a winning position or ending a point, but never through excessive speed. I definitely didn't have the same feeling of it being 'right' in the vast majority of racquets I've tried, even if they are of good quality. I don't know what a smash power improver is. I play 50-50 front/back court though, obviously with some variation depending on the partner. I just play plenty of precise drop shots from [i.e. from mid/deep court] and to different locations in any given point, and try exploit any small positioning errors if you attempt to move early or be predictive. A powerful smasher tries to exploit any poor quality [lack of depth or too much height] and exploit it using power.
