I believe it not only acts as a 'slip guard', but also add a little weight to the butt. This extra weight balances out the racquet slightly, without changing the characteristics of the racquet. A heavier butt, increases the sense of weight, and therefore you can feel the movements more when you move the racquet, that is what I think JR refers to, when he means increased control. Thirdly I believe the extra layer absorbs some of the vibrations. It is hard for me to describe, but for those who have worked in kitchens, you know why you prefer the heavier handled cleavers and knives
those are fat tips for racket ends. Reminds me of taping hockey sticks back in old school. I'll give it a try. Thx for the info
I made mine by folding a used replacement grip and sew it together (to form a rope shape). Then use a small nail to anchor it at the base of the wooden handle. Put on the replacement grip. Job completed.
Thanks, but it was already too late for that. Anywayz, I've already wrapped my racquet with "the big butt". I'd say it's kinda' decent. I'll post some pictures soon...
Good luck with it! I hope it works well for you too. If not, I guess it's to-each-his/her-own. If I'm seeing this picture correctly, Fu Haifeng doesn't use a handlock-big-butt-knob-slip-guard....dunno what to call it AND he has one of the fastest smashes right now. (not that it's only for smashing.....)
I believe Fu as well as some other members of the Chinese team uses a new method of gripping the racquet. A friend noticed in one tournament that they were fisting the racquet in the middle when they smash. The old method would be the pinky finger grip at the handle butt.
I think this "handlock, bigbutt" only apply for tower grip dince they more easy to slip when one swing realy hard.
Possibly... the switch between choking the cone for netshots and pinky grip for overhead is quite tedious during rallies. You might not have the additional leverage of holding the handle butt when you use the new method but you save so much time changing your grip. Besides, those pros have great timing and strength. They don't need the extra powerful hard shot when they're playing at a fast pace. Speed is of the essence as they need to squeeze out relatively fast smash without too much of a windup. Shorter transition would mean less time fumbling with the grip.
hmm i think i might give this a try... seems like i can smash my hardest without worrying about the racquet flying outta my hand and smacking someone in the face, let alone breaking it... gotta get some supergrap first
