Racket Kick Point

[Lefty23]

Could anyone explain how the kick point of a racket influences how to use it? In golf, a lower kick point (one located near the head) makes the arc of the ball's flight higher, while a higher kick point (one near the middle of the shaft) makes the arc flatter.

Does that mean that when using a racket with a kick point near the head of the shaft, (such as the RSL M7 Series, RSL 6800 and 6900, La Fleche and Gosens) that the shuttle must be hit earlier and higher to minimize hitting the net when smashing? And does the kickpoint help generate power at all?

I hope I'm making sense.

 

[colekwok]

Several rackets have these kind of emphasis on kickpoint as the selling point. According to Yonex, the kick point of AT900 power is located at the base of the frame, which gives more power. Others, like the Carlton rackets with the special cone design, have low kick points.

It definitely affects the feel of the rackets, but to what extend? Golf clubs have long shafts compared to badminton rackets, espcially the woods. The motion needed for a golf swing is simple, it is just about the power and the angle. But for badminton rackets, you do not smash all the time, so it may not be very critical to have precise kick point. A uniform flex shaft plus kick point at either end is common I guess.

 

[Mark A]

The way I understand it, shafts contain variances in flexibility, with the most flexible part being called the kick point. When such a kick point is near the handle of the racket, more momentum - and, therefore, more power - is produced at the head thanks to this bigger "bending arc" (and vice versa).

For me this phenomenon manifests itself as a head that moves with more "inertia" when the racket is swung hard - my 900P takes effort to decelerate out of a smash, since the head wants to keep moving in the large arc generated by the low kick.

I hope I've made some sense.

 

[colekwok]

Oh yes, you are correct Mark. But I guess the overall stiffness of badminton racket is more important than position of the kick point itself, unlike in golf.

 

[Lefty23]

Well here's the thing...RSL markets its high kickpoint, tapered shaft rackets as having "more power". Yonex markets its AT900P the same way, but unlike the RSL 6900 for example, the kickpoint is near the handle!

Which is correct?

 

[Mark A]

But I guess the overall stiffness of badminton racket is more important than position of the kick point itself, unlike in golf.

Yep, this makes perfect sense:

1. A badminton racket's shaft is a lot shorter than a golf club's and yet is roughly the same thickness, so flexion arc differences are less noticeable;

2. The balance of a badminton racket is nowhere near as extreme as that of a golf club, so the head end has less tendency to want to keep moving once the stroke is complete.

As to which of the high/low gives more power, in my experience low wins every time. If I smash with a racket that is as difficult to stop as it is to get moving (and so has a low kick, regardless of balance), the power is very much improved over high kickers.

Your mileage my vary.