Saturday 31 January 2009

Badminton strings

Badminton strings.

O.k choosing a good badminton racket is important. But if you have no strings you could only hit the shuttle with your frame , and that would be hard!. Badminton strings vary from company , gauge size , price and tension.

Many company's are starting to sell strings. But to be fair yonex strings are by far the most used and I prefer them.There are a few other brands which I like , like titan's badminton strings , ashaways bamdinton strings but my favourite has got to be yonex's strings.

Most International players use yonex's strings , but this should not effect your choice , just choose a string which suits you!

First of all tension.

Tension varies from players. Factory strings come in at around 18lbs , which is quite low. Most international players get 30lbs+. The string tension you decide to get will effect your badminton racket a lot! If you get your racket with factory strings , then change it to 30lbs - nearly every single player I have spoken to has said they can immediately sense a different feel. When playing with low string tensions , the strings are supposed to offer more power and less control , and on the other hand a badminton racket with high string tension offers more control and less power.

( This has given me an idea , I'm going to go into the science of badminton , and I still need to get the definitons of the techincal stuff and what it does.)

When you change from high to low tensions you can feel a considerable amount of change , power. If you play with a badminton racket that is strung at 30lbs for a week , then change to another badminton racket that is 21lbs - it feels like you have amazing power ,because when the strings are at higher tension - they offer less power.

O.k the other factor apart from string tension is string gauge.

String gauge or string thickness is the diameter of the string.

The thickness of the string does matter.

O.k in terms of durability , the thicker string offers more durability because there is more of it. Thin string is the opposite because there is less of it , so it will snap easier.

Thinner badminton strings should offer you mroe power and control because it bites into the shuttle base - this also gives the thin strings more power.

Theres also another reason why thinner strings offer more power. Thinner strings recieve less air resistance , making it easier for the person to swing there racket faster due to the decreased amount of air resistance. This decreased amount of air resistance offers the player to swing the racket faster than normal , thus resulting in increased power. Interesting huh? I was shocked when I learnt all this stuff , when I first started.

Thats really it , thinner strings are better , but not in terms of value for money. If you want your strings to last a lot longer , and save yourself quite a bit of time - then choose larger sized gauge strings.

Thats really all about badminton strings.

I don't know what else to write about.

If you want to contact me you can always email me at krisddon@hotmail.co.uk

about badminton.

Hope this helped everyone - now go choose your strings :-)

Friday 23 January 2009

Badminton Companies - Yonex

Yonex is the most recognised badminton brand in the world. It is massive and the most dominant badminton racket manufacturer in the world now. It is very expensive and there are many other racket companies which are cloning its ranges. It sponsors most of the best tournaments e.g the all england open , and other big opens. It also sponsors most of the best badminton players out there. 95% of the worlds best 100 players use yonex strings. Lin dan is sponsored by yonex. The all england open has been sponsored for 25 years. Yonex brought back 24 medals from the badminton in the olympics.

You get it really yonex is the biggest badminton brand at the moment. It does have lots of rivals but I don't think any are even close to defeating yonex's popularity. When I look at my badminton club 80% of the rackets they use are yonex even with there massive price tags.

Arcsaber series:

So the arcsaber is yonex's latest badminton racket. There are only 3 badminton rackets in this range so far the :
Arcsaber 7
Arcsaber 9
Arcsaber 10.

The Arcsaber 7 was released with the Arcsaber 10. The yonex later releaed the arcsaber 9.

First of all I will review the arcsaber rackets:

The arcsaber 7 :

The technical stuff :

Flex : Medium

Frame:H.M.Graphite

CS Carbon Nanotube

Shaft:H.M.Graphite

Weight/Grip size:3U (85-89.9g) G3

The arcsaber 7 is a very good racket indeed. The price tag is over £100. The Arcsaber 7 is technically not as good as the Arcsaber 10 , but I have seen many people play with both the rackets.

The arcsaber 7 is a very good badminton racket for an attacking singles player.

The arcsaber 9:


Flex: Medium

Frame:
HM Graphite
CS Carbon Nanotube
Light Feel Carbon

Shaft:
HM Graphite
New Built-in T-Joint

Weight / Grip Size:
3U (85.0-89.9g) / G3

This racket has been classed as a womens racket. The reason is , is that this racket is very flexible. And also the colour - which is pink. But I have seen men play with the racket. Overall this racket is a very good racket , a bit too flexible for me and the colour doesn't attract me too it. But anyway is a good racket.

The Arcsaber 10 :

Flex:Stiff
Frame:CS Carbon NanotubeSuper HMG.
Shaft:Ultra PEF H.M. Graphite
Weight/Grip size:3U (85-89.9g) G3

This is my favourite racket out of all the arcsabers - probabaly because it is more stiff than the Arcsaber 9 and 7. I enjoyed playing with this racket and it has lots of power and control. I did like this racket and it would be high on my list. But definitely not on the top! The racket has a very high price tag , just as the other Arcsaber 7 and 9 .

Conclusion:
To conclude the reviews for the Arcsaber 7 , Arcsaber 9 and Arcsaber 10 - All three rackets are very good and suited for different styles of play . I did enjoy testing these rackets but the price tag is very high. These rackets if cheaper would be very high on my best badminton rackets list but because it is £120+ it is not. I would say that there are other smaller brands which can offer a player the same technical abilities but for a smaller price tag.

The Nanospeed Series. The nanospeed series consists of very good badminon racets - but still at quite high price.

The nanospeed series contians 7(8)rackets.

These rackets are :
The Nanospeed 9000 X
(The Nanospeed 9000 S)
The Nanospeed 8000
The Nanospeed 7000
The Nanospeed 6000
The Nanospeed 4500
The Nanospeed 800
The Nanospeed 500.

Ok thats them.

The reviews and the technical stuff.

The Nanospeed 9000X:

The technical stuff :

FLEX: Extra Stiff

COMPOSITION FRAME:
H. M. Graphite / Elastic Titanium

SHAFT:
H. M. Graphite / Fullerene

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
3U (85-89.9g) G3

RECOMMENDED STRING TENSION:
20-25 lbs

When I tested this racket over the weekend it was very stiff. The X does stand for extra stiff. It is the most stiff badminton racket I have ever played with. They have however made a S version : The Nanospeed 9000 S - which is less stiff.
This racket did make my shoulder hurt in the end because my friend who gave it to me - who by the way I am very gratefull to for , gave it to me strung at 30lbs even though its recommended tension is only 20-25lbs. So I had to put a lot of power in and this made me really dislike this racket. And also to my bad luck - ironically - I came to my club on a day where there was only 16 people playing , we have 6 courts and the average amount of people who come is like 30-40 so I played lots of singles. Ofcourse I was at a disadvantage with a racket that I had never used , which was extra stiff and strung at 30lbs. This racket was an allrounder - although smashing was harder witht he high tension and extra stiffness. In my warm up - my shots were a bit off timed but I soon adjusted. I definitly think this racket will suit most players , and most styles - you just need to adjust to it.

Unfortunately I didn't have a Nanospeed 9000 S so I couldn't review it - because he broke it. But I heard you can feel the difference between the X and the S a lot. The person said he preffered the S but because it broke he started using his X.

Nanospeed 8000X:

Ok honestly my thoughts , were oh no not another very stiff racket when I saw the specifications.

FLEX: Extra Stiff

COMPOSITION FRAME:
H. M. Graphite / Fullerene

SHAFT:
H. M. Graphite / Fullerene

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
3U (85-89.9g) G3

RECOMMENDED STRING TENSION:
19-24 lbs

This racket is quite similiar to the Nanospeed 9000X due to its stiffness and its 'feel'. I prefer this racket to the Nanospeed 9000X . This racket is another allrounder , I did have lower tension compared to before so that was a good one.
Overall : I say that this racket is quite a good racket , I would take this racket over the Nanospeed 9000X.

The Nanospeed 7000:

The technical stuff :

FLEX: Stiff

COMPOSITION FRAME:
H. M. Graphite / Fullerene

SHAFT:
H. M. Graphite / Fullerene

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
3U (85-89.9g) G3

RECOMMENDED STRING TENSION:
19-24 lbs

The initonal start was that this racket was quite light.This racket was hard too perform smashes - and to get my normal power I would have to focus on it. On the other hand drops and net was much easier. This racket enhanced my play there and I was impressed with it. Overall : not good for smashing but good for a controlled player , who doesn't smash as much or a player who has got really good power and wants to focus on there controlled play.

The Nanospeed 6000:

My favourite out of all the Nanospeed rackets.

The technical stuff for this racket :

FLEX: Flexible

COMPOSITION FRAME:
Graphite / Fullerene / Elastomer

SHAFT:
H. M. Graphite / Fullerene

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
3U (85-89.9g) G3

RECOMMENDED STRING TENSION:
17-22 lbs

This racket was aimed towards women I think - the low tension boosting power and the flexibility.
I enjoyed playing with this racket and defending was a dream with it. I just has to focus on it not going out , the racket is very head light - and I really enjoyed it.

As I said before this racket is my favourite out of all the Nanospeeds. Everything was like usual and the enhanced defense was really usefull. I would recommend this racket I will try to find out a price for it , if this racket doesn't have a too high price tag then it is a good buy. But unfortunately the - ruthless yonex doesn't normally give low prices , but I can hope , can't I?

The Nanospeed 4500:

I had never seen a lot of people playing with this racket. But theres no harm in giving it a go , is there?
The technical stuff for this badminton racket :

FLEX: Medium

COMPOSITION FRAME:
Graphite

SHAFT:
H. M. Graphite / Fullerene

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
3U (85-89.9g) G3

A pretty much allrounder racket - I enjoyed playing with this racket , easy to get used to and good to play with. Smashed , I found slightly easier , and the defense was relatively easier.

I liked this racket a lot aswell. Yonex have released lots of good racket - I do see why they are the number 1 in this industry , but I still think that there are better rackets than Yonex's . Just look around people - don't go and splash your money. Tactic and Apacs are very good brands. Hopefully I can get some apacs products to review. I've played with quite a few and they feel amazing.( I am trying to contact them)

The next racket in my line up is the Nanospeed 800:

The rackets techincal stuff first :

FLEX: Stiff

COMPOSITION FRAME:
H. M. Graphite

SHAFT:
Carbon Nanotube Graphite

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
3U (85-89.9g) G3


This racket was pretty ordinary - another alrounder , good at everything. It had a strange 'feel' but yeah , other than that this racket was good. I would say that there are better rackets though.

The next racket in the review is The Nanospeed 500. The last one from the nanospeed series.

First of all the technical stuff for this racket :

FLEX: Medium

COMPOSITION FRAME:
Graphite

SHAFT:
Carbon Nanotube Graphite

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
3U (85-89.9g) G3

I like this racket a lot , especially the deign. Another pretty ordinary racket. Overall it was good - I'm not saying it was bad but not excelling in anything in particular although I did do a couple of flukey shots with this racket lol. So if its a bonus 'this racket is good for flukey shots'.

Overall for the Nanospeed series :

The Nanospeed series was very good I am impressed with the series . Nothing bad with any of the rackets and they are designed for different types of players. The nanospeed series is a very good series - and yonex deisgned very good rackets in this series. Although again being an 'elite' brand yonex still overcharges customers for these rackets.


O.k the next yonex series in there all dominant powerful badminton range - the armortec range:

The armortec series consists of 5 badminton rackets.

The 5 rackets are :

The Armortec 900 Technique
The Armortec 900 Power
The Armortec 700
The Armortec 250
The Armortec 150

O.k time for the reviews and techincal 'stuff' for each of these rackets.

The Armortec 900 Power :

The techincal stuff for this racket first :

FLEX: Stiff

COMPOSITION FRAME:
U.H.M. Graphite / Micro Ti / Elastic Ti

SHAFT:
H.M. Graphite / Elastic Ti

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
4U (80-84.9g) G4

RECOMMENDED STRING TENSION:
19-24 lbs

The first feeling I had of this racket , it felt good , it had a nice 'feel'. The racket surely did feel head heavy - but not as heavy as the armortec 700.
This racket is a good racket , It does provide the power that comes with its name . It has good power which you can implement in the game. On the other hand I found defending harder , just having to work harder to keep them in . So that is good and bad sort of . I didn't have a lot of time getting used to this racket so I don't want to blame the defense of this racket too much.The net touches and kills were slightly harder to do , but not too bad - just average.

Overall : The racket is a pleasure to smash with and people will love smashing with this racket , it just feels so nice to smash with this. Although the defense is slightly harder and the net shots were slighly harder. But overall this racket was a pleasure to play with - when smashing the racket just flew like a bird. I am delighted with this racket but still as normal again - THE PRICE!!!

The Armortec 900 Technique :

First of all the technical stuff for this racket :

FLEX: Stiff

COMPOSITION FRAME:
U.H.M. Graphite / Micro Ti / Elastic Ti

SHAFT:
H.M. Graphite / Elastic Ti


WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
4U (80-84.9g) G4

RECOMMENDED STRING TENSION:
19-24 lbs

This racket had a really good feel on first touch.
When playing with this racket I was amazed shocked. This racket was really good - I was always told by a couple of people that the Armortec 900 power was better but me I preferred the technique. Everything was good and this racket was truly a pleasure. My friend even said it maybe possible for me to get this racket. I was impressed and hopefully I will get the racket.I would rate this racket 9.5/10 - but still am disappointed about the price. These two rackets definitely remind me of the 800 defense and offense. I like the way yonex does this - and I think this is a very good idea - most people I have seen with one of these rackets has the other. So I am a bit of both for this advertising technique - buy buying both of these rackets its going to cost them £250 which is very expensive. So once again I would rate this racket 9.5/10.
This racket is my favourite out of the Yonex Armortec series.

The next racket to review is the Armortec 700.
This racket is the most head heavy racket possible in yonex's range and it is also VERY HEAD HEAVY!

The technical stuff for this racket:

FLEX: Extra Stiff

COMPOSITION FRAME:
U.H.M. Graphite / gForce Ti

SHAFT:
U.H.M. Graphite / Ultimum Ti

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
3U (85-89.9g) G3

RECOMMENDED STRING TENSION:
20-25 lbs

O.k I didn't have to borrow this racket from my friends shop because My brother has 2 of these rackets : the normal one and the limited version of the racket - released for the beijing olympics.

O.k so obviously I chose the beijing edition of the racket just to show off!
Too my pleasure another amazing racket - everything was a beuty , and this racket was marvellous. I enjoyed playing with this racket and would recommend to it - if it was a lower price. I still think there are other rackets and this racket doesn't beat my favourite racket. Whats my favourite racket ?

Well I'm not saying!

So this racket again 9.5/10 but again my usual commment for yonex rackets - the overpricing.

The next racket in my series is The armortec 250 :

The techincal stuff for this racket :

FLEX: Medium

COMPOSITION FRAME:
Graphite / gForce Ti

SHAFT:
H.M. Graphite

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
3U (85-89.9g) G3

RECOMMENDED STRING TENSION:
20-25 lbs

There is also an Armortec 250 limited edition version of this racket.

This racket was quite flexible , I didn't enjoy. This racket was good I did like it - but It didn't excell in anything , and average racket. The same for the Armoortec 150. I will still right the Techincal stuff for the racket though.

FLEX: Medium

COMPOSITION FRAME:
Graphite Super Alloy

SHAFT:
Graphite

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
3U (85-89.9g) G3

RECOMMENDED STRING TENSION:
20-25 lbs

This racket was an average racket aswell. I enjoyed playing with it but - it is an average racket. again. This racket is ok.

The next badminton rackets are the muscle power series.

The muscle power series consists of 6 rackets. Although the Muscle power 88 has been discontinued - so there are now only 5 rackets in this series.

I luckily enough have the muscle power 88 racket - so I can still review it.

The Muscle Power series consists of :

The Muscle Power 99
(The Muscle Power 88)
The Muscle Power 29 lt
The Muscle Power 19 lt
The Muscle Power 10
The Muscle Powe 7

O.k the first racket to be reviewed in the Muscle power racket series is the :
The Muscle Power 99:
The techincal stuff for this racket:

FLEX: Extra Stiff

COMPOSITION FRAME:
U.H.M. Graphite / Ultimum Ti

SHAFT:
H.M. Graphite / Ultimum Ti

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
3U (85-89.9g) G3

RECOMMENDED STRING TENSION:
17-22 lbs

O.k this racket I did use to have myself - but unfortunately it broke - :-( . R.I.P My beloved racket.

O.k this racket is a very nice racket. It is good for both smashing and defending. And it does have evry nice paintwork (just saying). The power part of this racket wasn't amazing , but the net play and drives were. The light racket enabled me to play quick and rapid reaction shots.
This racket is a 7.5/10. But other people I have asked said that I underated this racket and said I should put it up to an 8.

Muscle Power 88 :

O.k first of all I am slightly biased with this racket - because I play with it and it is my backup racket. Infact I have 2 of these as backup rackets. ( Hopefully I can make a backup racket post.
The racket because it has been taken away - I can't give accurate details of its material atc. So no technical stuff for this racket. O.k this racket is really good - Smahing is a pleasure , and even though this racket is head heavy - my racket still defends quite easily. This is the racket I play with , I would rate it 9.75/10. I think this racket suits everyones needs. Although the price is high - but I got my 2 rackets original for only £30 each - and they were real.

Unfortunately I don't have the other rackets. I am really sorry but I will try to get them.

The only thing I can do at the moment is give the technical stuff for each racket - if it helps in any way.

The next racket is the Muscle Power 22 LT.

The rackets technical stuff :

FLEX: Flexible

COMPOSITION FRAME:
Graphite

SHAFT:
Graphite

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
3U (85-89.9g) G3

The next racket to review is the Muscle Power 19 LT

The technical stuff for this racket is :

FLEX: Medium

COMPOSITION FRAME:
Graphite

SHAFT:
Graphite

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
3U (85-89.9g) G3

The next racket to review is the Muscle Power 10 :

The technical stuff for this racket is :

FLEX: Flexible

COMPOSITION FRAME:
Graphite

SHAFT:
Graphite

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
3U (85-89.9g) G3


The next racket to review is the muscle Power 7

The technical stuff for this racket is

FLEX: Medium

COMPOSITION FRAME:
Aluminium

SHAFT:
Graphite

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
2U (90-94.9g) G3

Overall the muscle power series: O.k I can only summarise this racket series shortly because I only reviewed 2 od the muscle power badminton rackets. Them 2 rackets were of high quality , and for £30 each for two Muscle Power 88 - I was impressed which lead me to buy them. Once again I am really sorry , thhat I couldn't review all the other rackets in the muscle power series. Also I believe that there are more muscle Power rackets that I havn't mentioned i.e the Muscle power 100 .

I also couldn't get a hand of the Other racket series, which is very unfprtunate , and I do apologise.

The next rackets is the isometric series , again I can't review these rackets. But wehn I can get the rackets and review the 2 rackets in this range - I will.

Although I cant review these rackets , I can share the technical stuff for them:

There are only 2 rackets in the isometric series the isometric 24 vf and the isometric 22 junior.

The technical stuff for the isometric 24 vf :

FLEX: Medium


COMPOSITION FRAME:
Aluminium

SHAFT:
Graphite

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
2U (90-94.9g) G3

The technical stuff for the isometric 22 Junior

FLEX: Medium


COMPOSITION FRAME:
Aluminium

SHAFT:
Steel

WEIGHT / GRIP SIZE:
2U (90-94.9g) G3

.

Again I can't really summarise these rackets lol. Why? I havn't tested them.

There is also one more series in the yonex rackets , which I can't review the basic rackets.

The basic series only consists of 2 rackets aswell : the b600 df , and the b500.

I cant review these rackets because I couldn't get them , but I can give the technical sutff for these rackets , although there is not much technical stuff for them.

The b600df :

COMPOSITION FRAME:
Aluminium

SHAFT:
Steel

The technical stuff for the nect racket - the b500 is :

COMPOSITION FRAME:
Steel

SHAFT:
Steel


Overall : After reviewing most of yonex's major racket series. I have felt the amazing brand. The major brand , which controls , almost all of the badmintons market of rackets , and sells them for very expensive.

The rackets were cleverly designed , and most rackets were designed for specific types of players , which would draw in every style of play. If yonex sold there rackets for cheap - then I would be happy , because cutsomers would get good rackets for a fair price. But I am still unhappy that yonex does veyr unfair trades on there rackets.

Thats Yonex summed up : My next post will be about what yonex's technical stuff means.

Thursday 22 January 2009

O.k more updates that I'm going to have in the future.
I have sort of done the badminton tactics and the badminton serve etc... It will be harder to explain the other shots because I will have to produce the images but maybe If I get enough time I will.
Im going to try to get a massive list as big as I can , all the badminton racket distributors I know , so people can look for them on the interent and compare them and look around for different rackets and possibly even get there dream racket for cheaper.
And after that list I am going to try and review all yonex's rackets. My friend who owns a shop has been kind enough to lend me some of his rackets for a bit. So It will be a delight to play with the main racket company of the world the dominant 'yonex'

Weight system of yonex's rackets

The weight system of yonex's rackets:

Every manufacturer is different and most of them measure there racket's weight differently.
Well I'm going to explain there rackets weight system.

U = the heaviest racket that is in yonex's range.
In yonex the u is : over 95 grams
In yonex the 2u is : 90-94 grams
In yonex the 3u is : 85-89 grams
In yonex the 4u is : 81-84 grams
In yonex the 5u is : 80 grams or less.

And normall you will see the 'G' sizes on all yonex's rackets. The G stands for a thick handle.
Getting better at badminton:

When people start playing badminton they want to get better. But the first thing they think of is buying a brand new badminton racket wasting lots of money.
In badminton you should focus on holding the racket the right way for all your strokes. A good back-hand grip and forehand grip.
If you are new to badminton , then you will probably want to learn the correct way too play the stokes . You can loose accuracy and power because your stroke is incorecct.
FOOTWORK!

Footwork is very big in badminton , I have done god knows how many amount of shadows , drills , training excercise and multifeeds. Footwork is very important in badminton. Rerember theres no point of having a good shot if you can't get to the shuttle quick enough or on balance or be ready for the next shot.

Don't focus on other things in bamdinton expensive rackets , cool crazy tricks etc... This is a big waste of time - and I've seen people with huge amount of talent waste it because they practice on trick shots when they could practice that time on other shots or footwork.

I think the key to badminton is practice on the basics. Having good shots and good footwork is the best place to start.

Wednesday 21 January 2009

Badminton help - singles tactics

O.k singles tactics - as I explained before tactics are really important in badminton , and probably not only in badminton in nearly every sport.

In singles - you should play your shots in the four corners.
In singles - you should play flat clears reducing the time your opponent has to return your shots.
In singles - you should play fast drops reducing the time your opponent has to return your shots.
In singles - stamina is a big thing.
In singles - you should try to only play smashes if your opponent plays a weak shot.
In singles - you should aim your smash on the right side (if you are a right handed player opposite if your a lefty) because the most likely shot is straight back to your forehand.
In singles - you should try to disguise your shots as much as possible to keep your opponent from anticipating your shots.

Thats really it - Im not sure what else to say... for once :D.

Badminton help - Doubles tactics

Tactis are very important in badminton , a clever shot is a good shot and normally either makes you win the point or mkaes the opponent play a weak shot after - which then you kill and win.

O.k doubles tactic:
Doubles , the person serving should be serving low so that you can stay attacking and eventually win the point whilst attacking.
When recieving the serve you should attack it , so that you can keep an attacking position.
Doubles is an attacking game , both pairs are fighting for attacking play - so that they can keep advantage - if your attacking you are most likely to win the point unless you hit the shot out/in the net/or a rubbish shot.
Flat shots are also good in doubles because they keep you attacking in doubles and might win a point.

Thats really doubles - Its hard to describe all the advanced play , but doubles is basically attacking play and completely different too singles.

Badminton help - The badminton doubles serve

O.k the first thing you do in a match is serve , serving is vital in badminton now due to the change of rules. Badminton now really relies on the serve and to become a good badminton player you need to know the serve.

Doubles serve - In standard club play the doubles serve should tend to be low to stay attacking.

The rules of the serve:The badminton serve should - be served diaganally.The badminton serve should - reach in court on the opponents side (pretty basic lol)The badminton serve should - be served whilst your opponent is ready and while part of your foot is touching the ground - you should be stationary.The badminton serve should - be struck in one clean motion.The badminton serve should - be struck with the cork of the shuttle being struck first.The badminton serve should - be struck below your lowest rib.The badminton serve should - be struck with your racket facing below 90 degress , meaning the racket has to face down.The badminton serve should - be in a straight motion , not changing the speeds while serving,The badminton serve should - be played on your first attempt e.g if you miss the shuttle on your first attempt then it is a fault.The badminton serve should - be a good one (not a rule by it is very important to me)(copy and pasted this from the singles section it is a bit distorted so check the "singles badminton serve"post I made if you want to see the serve's rules.

The badminton doubles serve:

The badminton doubles serve - should be as low as possible (without hitting the net lol)
The badminton doubles serve - is served low to keep attacking
The badminton doubles serve - is different to singles because the court is different , the sides are in and the back gallery is out (for service only)
The badminton doubles serve - is also very important to become a good standard player.
The badminton doubles serve - should skim over the net so it doesn't get attacked.
The badminton doubles serve - should be as close to the 'T' as possible.

Variations of the doubles serve:

Flick- the flick serve should be used when you are trying to decieve your opponent , so you can win a point , or put pressure on there return.
The drive: The drive serve is a quick rapid serve which should catch the opponnet out , this is a hard serve to master but is an excellent 'warning' serve.
The short side serve: This brings the opponent moving and keeps them guessing . It also means you and your partner should be ready for a most proabable return of a straight shot.

Thats it -just good luck on your serves. The service is really important now that badminton changed its rules.

Badminton help - The badminton singles serve

Ok I'm going to try and help as many people as I can in badminton. Although mainly I have only done badminton racket's , I also wanted to start a badminton guide.

Because really what matters is the actual game ,not the racket (the racket does matter but mainly the game). I always see people saying that the problem is there racket and that they want to buy a new brand of racket or a new flashy/expensive racket.

First things first when playing a game you serve - so i'll explain that first.

In singles , prodominently in club level people serve high. The serve should be high because it gives you time to react to there shot.If the serve is a good serve then the opponent should not be able to smash your shot and win the point.

Serving: Serving in badminton is really different to most of the other sports i've seen. The badminton serve is served 'under arm'.

The rules of the serve:

The badminton serve should - be served diaganally.
The badminton serve should - reach in court on the opponents side (pretty basic lol)
The badminton serve should - be served whilst your opponent is ready and while part of your foot is touching the ground - you should be stationary.
The badminton serve should - be struck in one clean motion.
The badminton serve should - be struck with the cork of the shuttle being struck first.
The badminton serve should - be struck below your lowest rib.
The badminton serve should - be struck with your racket facing below 90 degress , meaning the racket has to face down.
The badminton serve should - be in a straight motion , not changing the speeds while serving,
The badminton serve should - be played on your first attempt e.g if you miss the shuttle on your first attempt then it is a fault.
The badminton serve should - be a good one (not a rule by it is very important to me)

What I consider as a good singles serve:

The badminton singles serve should - be served high so that it reaches the back gallery otherwise your opponent could smash your serve.
The badminton singles serve should - be served as close to the 'T' as possible - this is because it reduces the angles for the opponent to play his/her shots.
(Thats it really don't really know what too say if you do both of them then you will have quite a good high serve.

Variations to the singles high serve:
-The low serve (try to use the same technique to trick your opponent to going back)
-the drive serve - this should suprise the opponent , and not give them enough time to react to this serve.
-The short corner serve , makes the opponent reach to a corner , when you have played this serve move to the side a bit because the most likely shot they are going to play is straight due to lack of timing.
-The high corner serve , same thing really ^ ^, just to keep your opponent guessing.

As I say - the singles serve at club level should mainly consist of high serves - these variaitons serves are to make your opponent keep guessing as to what you are going to do next.

Hopefully this has helped people.

Tuesday 20 January 2009

Tactic Arcstriker 7

O.k I wanted to review different racket brands , and I saw my friend who owns a shop and sells tactic rackets.He's selling his stock now ( sadly because he's going out of business) but I got the racket for free :D.

So the racket immediately felt similiar to my Yonex Muscle Power 88. It was really wuite head heavy because I didn't have enough time to add an overgrip too it then. Took it on court and it really did feel like my yonex muscle power 88. The racket had a really nice feel to it , and the sound the strings made were nice (don't know what strings they are though). Clears felt just like my muscle power. Although my timing was a bit off , took a bit of time to get used to the timing of this racket and I could also tell that the racket was more head heavy when compared to my muscle power 88.

Match time: this was an official league match , so it was risky using a brand new racket , but I felt that the racket offered me enough support in the warm up - although it was very brief.
O.k so the match , it was going really well , I adjusted to the timing of the racket , but the opponents realised I was struggling with the defense. My defense was quite poor purely because I wasn't used to the timing. I also struggled with this racket when trying to play net shots because I didn't have to use my wrist as much and was most of the time playing my shots at the wrong timing.

Overall: I feel that this racket was a very good racket , I did like it but it took a bit of time to adjust to its timing.
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This racket gets a rating of 8.5
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Only because of me not being able to adjust to the timing of it. But what can I say each racket is different in each and every aspect - hopefully one day I will find a racket that suits me perfectly (with a reasonable price tag) I also hope that these reviews will help other people to choose there rackets and might be able to displace the racket that they are playing with now. There are so many rackets to choose from , because The badminton racket business world has become massive there are new brands everywhere and even the ebay fake racket business is massive. I just want people to choose the right rackets for them.

- I would just like to say , I know all I have been talking about is rackets , rackets ,rackets, rackets, rackets and what? even more rackets. I am definitely going to try to review some shuttlecocks like the snowpeak ones , some victor ones , and some yonex ones and possibly some head shuttlecocks.

Monday 19 January 2009

Yonex Armortec 700

Ok so Yonex did release a new racket quite a while back - The yonex armortec 700. Well I have got the limited edition one - the yonex armortec 700 limited.

First things first - people always are impressed when they see the drags along it , the paint job is truly well done on this racket.

When playing with it , It does take some time to get used to the head heavyness. It is the most head heavy racket made in Yonex's range. This racket is stiff.

When smashing it felt like a dream , the racket just flew so quickly - and smashing was good for me. (I think the dragons that run along the side of the racket might make it better) But on the other hand defending was hard. The racket just felt so different when defending. Drives etc were all good , and I think this racket is a really good racket. The net play was average , but when going for a quick kill at the net took a bit longer.

I think this racket is more suitable for singles , because you get a lot of power and you can be a bit lazier than normal because clearing is easier.

Overall: I think the racket was quite a fantastic one. The smashing was great - almost magical.
But on the downside the defending was harder than normal. Also I felt that net kills did take quite a long time.
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Rating : 8.5
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Yonex Rackets

When you think of Rackets - this first thing you think of is Yonex? Yonex is the all dominant racket company selling badminton rackets. Yonex's sponsored players brought back 24 out of 24 medals. All the other badminton brands are in no way near comparison to the massive size of Yonex.
In my club about 80% of the rackets there are yonex - I do want a change.
All I see is yonex's rackets over and over again.
I'm going to review Yonex's rackets and maybe eventually all of its shuttles , bags , shoes etc...
I've been looking at Apacs , and I have tried a few of there rackets but not for very long - so I can't write a good review unles I've played with it for a couple of hours or so.

I will try too contact them soon.
But people please look around there are lots of other badminton rackets other than yonex's rackets.

All 3 Victor Rackets done!

Well thats all 3 Victor rackets done.

- I want to make this blog better and I'm going to buy

- Testing different brands etc...

-Make some sort of badminton help , e.g advice on serving , smashing.

-Maybe a grip reviews

-Maybe shuttlecock reviews.

If anyone knows any other ideas that could help them , or would be helpfull for others- please do tell me I will try my utter best to do it.

Also I am going to review some titan products ( a very little brand) , in the next 6 months some yang yang and karakal products. I'm going to finish off my yonex rackets , and all the other brand rackets I've got (I have got so many rackets its unbelievable). And maybe , just maybe I might get the Victor Ripple power 12 : to see how it compares to the ripple power 11 that I have already reviewed.

My Last Victor Racket - Dual Pipe 9000P

My last Victor Racket to review.

The rackets techincal stuff :

VICTOR dual pipe 9000
material: Hi-Fibre Magan Modulus Graphite
shape: isometric
weight: abt. 87gr
Balance: abt. 310mm
string: Ashaway Power Gut 65

The last of my VICTOR rackets - I was hoping this wouldn't disappoint the other two good rackets.

The Victor dual pipe 9000/vdp9000 is a very nice racket. Once again on first felling it did not feel 'hollow' like the Ripple power 11.

It is more head heavy than the other two rackets , which I like.
Although I couldn't get a lot of power. I felt this racket was an alrounder - it was good at everything , but nothing extremely good/bad at anything.

It is a nice looking racket and designed well , I give lots of credit to the makers of Victor rackets - they have been produced really well.

Overall: Yes this has been quite a short review , I don't really know what to say about it. It was good at everything - but not extremely good at anything in particular.
Some of the people critisied me for me not liking it as much as the other two rackets , but this is my particular view on it.
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Rating 6.5/10
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Super Inside Wave 32

My second of my 3 VICTOR rackets. The Super Inside wave 32

I had high hopes for this racket(Again not hatred for yonex - just want too see if other brands have a chance against all all dominating yonex). At first sight I was amazed , the beutiful golden racket was superb. :D . But that was only the paint job... Put it to the test shall we?

The technical stuff:

The current racket of badminton singles legend Cheng Hong. This Asian design racket is has our Inside Wave Technology in the head of the racket
Shape: Isometric
Weight: 88g
Flexibility: Stiff

As I picked up the racket - I could feel a distinct difference between it and my own yonex muscle power 88 racket. The super inside wave 32 was very light indeed. This time to my excitement I liked the feel to it , not like the other VICTOR racket I tested out - the Ripple Power 11. It actually felt really nice.

As I walked into my badminton club with a massive smile on my face - I couldn't help myself but boast about it. But in badminton words mean nothing -the racket does the speaking. :D

So I had all three of my victor rackets for a while , the first I tested was the Ripple Power 11 , now the Super Inside Wave 32 later on I would test the Victor Dual Pipe 9000P. After testing the Ripple power 11 on the monday , the day after - the tuesday I was back at my club with yet again another racket and eager to try it out. I got on court , warming up I could feel a lot more power. This time the strings were 25lbs and the feeling was amazing. My overgrip added a few grams , and I was clearing with ease.

Match time:

This was it , I was going too have my first match , It was a pleasure to play with this fine racket. Unlike the Ripple power 11 this racket had the deadly smash and the excellent drops. To me this racket was really good.

Overall:

Although this racket was quite light at the beginning , after my over grip - It felt to me the 'normal weight'. The power was good , due to the heady heavy balance. The racket overall is an attacking racket , I did find it slightly hard to defend against some opponents though. Overall I think this racket was amazing , and when I finished a point the glistening golden paint shined in there eyes. ;-)
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Rating - 9/10!
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It had to be 9 , I wanted to give it a 10 but a 10 is not easily given from me this is a very good racket but its price tag is still quite high at £90. I see why Chen Hong did use this racket. :D

VICTOR Ripple Power 11

This , is one of my 3 VICTOR badminton rackets.

There wasn't a lot of technical stuff - This is all I could find:

Rigid longbody racket with our ripple power technology.
Shape: Isometric
Weight: 95g
Flexibility: Stiff
Price:£60
Thats the technical stuff ^ ^ but it never makes a difference right? The only way to find out how good a racket is , is to play with it!
I really enjoyed playing with this racket. It has a head heavy balance. Clearing was reasonably easy.The normal racket I play with is a Muscle Power 88 (Which by the way I picked up for only £30 from one of my friends) because of this it took a couple minutes of back to back clears to get used to. My first match I played where I was surprised with the power it produced , even shocking the opponents. My net play was a bit weak with it although I did quite a few astonoshing cross courts with it. After finishing I showed the racket around to everyone - and got quite good feedback. The racket felt a bit "hollow" compared to my MP 88.

Overall - I like the racket and think that it has really good power. Lots of friends also tried it and I recieved quite good feedback from it , with one of the other players really liking it and wanted to buy one due to the reasonable price.The net play was hard to adjust. I still feel like the 'feel' of the racket was 'hollow' but it does vary from person to person.The strings were only 20lbs , my normal is 25lbs-27lbs so that did make a lot of difference also they were only factory strings.

I would rate this a 7/10 - the good things were its reasonably quick time to get used to the racket. The good power and if I have to say O.K looks. On the downside - the net play wasn't as good as I hoped it to be. And the 'feel' was a bit strange. My verdict : A good doubles racket with lots of power and with a reasonable price tag I think it is a good racket overall.

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7/10
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Amazing Counters
LL Bean Furniture

Why I'm Starting.

I've seen lots of websites which show Racket reviews. I too wanted to start a blog just to help people. Lots of people are buying really expensive badminton rackets e.g yonex. I have no problem with yonex just that I think that badminton players have other choices - and don't have to spend lots of money to buy a racket that suits them. I'm going to review the lots of rackets that I own - to and aid people to try a different brand.

Ok I just want to help people , everyone from people who have just started playing badminton , and never use to play it before. Too people who have been playing badminton all there lives.

Everyone has there own views on badminton - different playing styles different sting tensions. Some professioanly players get 30lbs plus , some people only get a tring tension of 20lbs but everyone is different there is no right or wrong , it just depends on the way you play your badminton.

Again some people play with really really light rackets like the karakal Sl 70 (which I own) and enjoy playing with , but some people play with racket which are 90 grams. It all does depend on the person playing.

Some people play with head heavy rackets , some with even balance and some people play with head ligh rackets , it just depends on your playing style.

Lots of people in my club add lead tape to there rackets to enhance the balance of there rackets - hopefully I can review this sometime soon.

So everyone plays with different everything , my style is gogin to be different to everyone elses probably - but I'll do my best to review the rackets.