I play intermediate level doubles and I'm a very offensive oriented player. Right now I'm playing with a "Yonex Voltric 9 Neo" strung at 23 pounds. I love the racket except that it is too balanced and I want a more head heavy racket. My best shot is my smash and usually end rallies if given the chance to smash. My question is if a "Yonex Voltric Z Force ll" My question is if a Z Force ll is too heavy for doubles play and regardless of racket what is the best string weight for smashing power while maintaining control and not breaking strings too often. Thanks in advance.
It depends whether you're talking about the 4U or 3U version. Completely different racquets. The 4U is much easier to use than the 3U, but it doesn't hit harder than most other racquets. The 3U on the other hand is much different, and in the hands of a capable player truly represents the essence of the Z-Force series. In a sense, I don't regard the 4U versions as being true to the Z-Force concept. The solid feel, pinpoint control and overwhelming power just isn't there. However, the 3U will take a lot of getting used to, along with excellent physical strength. Personally, the 3U is one of my favourite racquets and I've played many of my best matches with it. The weight and balance is a real issue even for strong players. I have decent strength from other sports, but I still find the weight and balance to be *just* manageable. Using this racquet successfully means that you must overcome the obvious weakness in speed and defence. In order to benefit from it, I personally had to do loads of strength training in addition to playing on court. If you do all of that though, then this racquet is almost unstoppable. As for strings, I've found BG80P and BG65 to work well. Anything else breaks too quickly from my experience, and doesn't have that solid hitting feel. As a final note, head heavy racquets don't improve a player's smash much unless it was already quite good to begin with. I know many players that use them, despite the fact that they are obviously losing tons of power and risking injuries. Don't be that guy . The smash is not the be all, end all. Some players will be able to return almost each and every one of your smashes. Beware of Nanoray and Jetspeed users, they are not your friend
Thank you for the insight! I think I'll try and find someone at my local club with a 4u and 3u if possible and ask to hit around with them for a little while to see if it's way too much for me to handle. Thanks again!
I think what I'm wondering about the most is why the sudden jump? You should definitely first try the ZF II for an entire game at least before even thinking about buying it. While I'm a big fan, many aren't and feel like it's not their cup of tea. Not just the weight but the stiffness as well isn't to many people's liking especially when talking doubles. Agreed with Dave about the Bg80.
