my opinion is that racquets do make a difference. But it's not so simple as saying racquet X is better than racquet Y. Different racquets have different properties: weight length stiffness balance head-shape The racquet that most suits an individual will have a certain combination of those (and maybe more) properties. Even 2 people with exactly the same physical capabilities and skill might be suited to different racquets if they have different playing styles, i.e. attacking or defending neither. you get a coach
racket definitely makes a difference.this difference is easily felt if you compare low end rackets and the high end ones. but when it comes to high end racket comparisons- take mp99, at800, ti10 etc for example, there are all very good rackets and changing from from these to nanospeed or other 'better' racket isnt going to help you a lot. unless you are top class players that you have develop you technics and physique to tip top,thus the only way to gain more power is thru better equipment. each time a new racket appears, it will claim to generate 5-10% more power. this is not a lot and for most of us, the 10% can be obtained by better strokes or training for more wrist power or a better swing. i dare say that out of ten, only 1-2 have push their rackets to its limit to produce that kinda power. buying a at800 can give you more power on your same stroke simply becos the technology of the racket is better. but that will only mean you are underutilising this racket even more!! i use a ti10 and felt that for what i do, i have not even touch 3/4 potential of the racket.why? cos i have seen ppl who smashes with so much power with this racket that i can olny conclude that my strokes needs improvement, not a change of racket.
From personal experience, I had been a so so crap skills player.I have tried one after the other good Yonex rackets: MP99,MP100,Ti 10,AT500,AT800 OF (and budget decific ) and now I am still a so so crap skills player. At last, I returned to play with a CAB and "feel" suitableness from it! I cannot throw away my crap skills even when used good equipment. This is my sincere story, bad story!
Exaclty. Whether you get a coach or not, different racquets still affect your play. So what properties is there that a lower end racquet like Iso23 have that a higher end racquet doesn't have?
when i first started, i went to shop excited to buy a racket( in malaysia cos happened to be there for holiday and have the if overseas ust buy something symdrome). went into the shop looking for a good yonex racket but bought nothing. the shop guy was really sincere and ask me to show him my swing and told me so much about rackets that i realise then, even though i swing many different rackets i cant tell any difference between them! so bought nothing since i cant tell the difference. now i am slightly better and started to appreciate what he said that i good racket is one that makes you feel that the racket is an extension of your hand that you can feel the shuttle. if a racket is for you when you use it you wil play better. swing it, play with it, like it then use it to enjoy your game! spend the money joining different groups to play, you will improve much faster than buying any racket!
When people say use a racquet that suits you MOST. How can you determine these things anyway? Is there a possible chance that someone would choose a lower end racquet over a higher end one? I doubt it.
How can you determine if a racquet suit you or not? Play with it, test it. Like the feeling? Like the balance? The racquet gives you more confidence? The racquet suit your technique to give you enough power? There are tons of criteria to check if a racquet suit you or not. If there is a chance someone will choose lower end over higher end? Hell yeah!! While choosing a racquet, an expensive racquet or High end one doesn't necessarly mean it is better for you. I don't choose a racquet the manufacturer rating or the price. I know how I play, I know what I like what I don't like. Sure my taste are going to change but I just choose what suit me the best and I'm sure alot more other Bf'er think thsi way...
sorry i haven't really been following the thread the whole way through, but i have a good idea where it's going. anyways, i think im an intermediate player for my age, and from what i tried i conclude a few things: for one, even when i use really good rackets, some of my friends who are better than me can beat me with crappy rackets (including $10-$20 rackets, believe me). however, higher end rackets do give me an edge, and sometimes that little bit of extra performance can win you a game, whereas if i used a crappier racket, i might not win. so, although skill is very important, it's also important for us to realise that good rackets also give you that edge, and sometimes that edge is what you need to win or do better. when comparing high end racket models, however, it all comes to personal preferance and playing style. every high end racket are preferred by some, and hated by others, because each has a slightly different purpose. a smash player might love the MP100 or AT800OF because it gives them the extra power they need to beat their opponents, but a defensive player may choose an AT800DE over those rackets, because its fast and good for defensive play. each racket is suitable for a different playing style, so there is no absolute "best racket"
yes! not all pros use NS7k/NS8k/AT700/AT800, do they? some use Ti-6 (Hafiz Hashim, seems like he switched back to Ti-6 at the very recent thai open), MP88 (a few that i cannot remember), Ti-10 (Cai/Fu, Kim Dong Moon), etc.. etc..
You have to play with it to find out if it suits you. This is partly why I asked the question earlier about which was the best racquet out of my MP100 and Monsoon 3000. The Monsoon is something like either an MP25 or ISO75MFLT. The only time I've taken a game off one our county players is using the monsoon.
Easy, as already said play with it. I often chose to play with a "lower end" racket over a "higher end". Again a common mistake people do, confusing "lower/higher" to equal "worse/better". "Better/worse" will only have individual significance. It doesn't matter if Yonex by clinical testing has *proved* that TitaNanoCab 10000 will produce more power than my old Cab3, if *I* can't take advantage of that (poor skills). For *me* the "old" Cab3 might be the "better" racket if it suits my skill. What determines which racket I chose depends on what kind of play I intend to use, aggresive attacking or more slow and deceptive. Also differs between single/double. Why should I (or anyone) care about whether it is a "lower/higher" end model. /mats
well imho i think that some people do choose lower end rackets over higher end rackets, because of personal preference, but i wouldn't go as far as saying somebody would choose a Cab3 while it is important to realise that lower end rackets aren't plain horrible compared to higher end models and that personal preference is very important, it is also important for us to point out that higher end models are made to preform better, and that they're often-times better choices than lower end models.. HOWEVER, by lower end models in this sense i mean things like lower end MP's and AT's, and some of the better iso rackets, not $20 rackets you buy anywhere and lasts you 3 weeks (those imo are not really worth buying, unless you're just starting out and you only need a racket to play with)
Depending on how low end you get, you will find some horrible rackets. At $80 CDN or less, most Yonex rackets are certainly inferior. This include the lower end models of the Carbonex and Isometric series. Not that there aren't any useable rackets (Cab 8400 comes to mind), but a lot of these have aluminum heads, which give poor power and feel. Sure it's possible to do fairly hard smashes with them, but they require more energy put into the shot; they are not efficient at transfering energy from racket to the shuttle. Lower end MPs and ATs are probably good enough. But they cost up to $140 CDN. At that price point, one could almost move into the high-end rackets(just save some money from a few weeks of work), which may be a better investment in the long run. I recall that a lot of these rackets are made in Taiwan; I suspect the level of quality is not as good, having read a thread about grommets not lining up [http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17261&highlight=MP66] At $140 CDN or less, brands other than Yonex would provide better value. But if one insists on buying Yonex, then one should be buying a higher end model. A few words about power: At some point, a player should develop enough technique for baseline to baseline clears. But how easy to pack power into a shot depends on the racket. Yonex giving ratings out of 5 for power is probably good indication of the efficiency of transfering power to the shuttle. But where Yonex claims 5% more smash speed, that does not mean much because the shuttle will slow down very quickly from it's top speed, and so the difference is not noticeable. A few words about control: It is my opinion that control is not measurable for a racket. The meaning of control is really how skillful a person is at placing shuttles. The racket is a factor, but it should not be a factor after practicing with the racket. Strings influence control more than the racket, because strings determine whether spin can be put on the shuttle effectively, whether the shuttle bounces off the string bed too much for delicate shots.
thats what i meant about lower end vs higher end rackets we cant compare the really low end rackets to any of the better ones, but some of the lower AT and MP's are pretty good rackets too however, it is important to note that ALL of Yonex's mid to high end rackets are made in Japan, so there should be no concerns about that. another thing is, a lot of people dont buy rackets at Canadian price, for example, for CAD$140 in Canada you might only be able to get a AT300, and an AT800 will cost roughly CAD$300, but in asian countries like taiwan, AT800 may only cost CAD$160 or less, tax incl. canada sux when it comes to getting cheap badminton equipment
if you only have S$50-70 to spend. clone rackets gives better value. yonex rackets at these values are really their low end stuff but its already a medium to high end for a clone racket. my sis bought a MP23(or 24) for my niece and it feels terrible. end up i gave her my S$39 apacs 996 ans she can hit better and loves it. now she only uses that racket. she is 6 years old.
Not everyone have the preveliges *spelling* to try out different racquets. Maybe some of you have the money to buy a varity of yonex racquets and test them yourselves. But there are some of us who can't afford them. I have played with alot of lower end racquets. The first one I've played with are the elementry school ones. I believe they are called Carlton 313. They are heavy with no power at all. Definitly crap. I would die if someone tells me that racquet suits them. Then I played with a cheap wilson racquet. It's slightly lighter, so it's easier to move. This racquet is more expensive then the carlton one, and it improves from it. Then I bought the Iso23vf. Very very lowend of the yonex racquets. This beat the **** out of the wilson I've tried. Again, this is more expensive than the pervious one, it also preforms better. After that, I got myself a MP30. This time I got to try my first yonex string. This MP30 definitly beats all that I've tried before, not BECAUSE it is more expensive. But more expensive is a FACT. Although my english is bad, that's what I've been trying to say. But I still get posts saying I'm wrong.
you're right, good rackets are good not because they're expensive, but the fact that they can be pricey is a fact however, if you say good rackets are ALWAYS better than cheaper rackets, then people have a reason to disagree. also, come to think of it, if you can find a high end, good quality clonex racket, it can sometimes be better than the yonex rackets of the same price range (just my theory, never actually bought clonex before)
How often do school racquets get re-strung? I expect the strings were dead. I'll see if I can borrow my sister's Iso63MFLT and see if I can do as well with that as I can my Ti-10, MP100, or Monsoon. Is Iso63MFLT low end enough? Or should I look for a steel racquet?
Go look for steel ones But iso63 and MP100 SHOULD have a big difference. Anyways, are school racquets suppose to be restrung?
the rackets in my school are all yonex, B-460(costs about about S$9.90 each and weighs -2U) good for training you arm strength cos they are damn heavy. abouhte the tension, you can push the mains and the cross aside and pull a shuttle right through the center. thats how loose they are. i am glad that they are not useing those brandless low end stuff that uses fishing strings!
