I play badminton with a Gosen Aermet5300 racket. This racket is 68 cm long. Its balance point is 26 cm, measured from the end of the grip. Is this racket considered to be headheavy or lightheavy? I like to smash a lot, but at 75 years of age, I cannot generate a lot of power with my arm or shoulder. I am right-handed. I would like to sollicit comments of advanced players in this forum. Thank you!
A b/p of 26cm in a 68cm long racquet would indicate a light-head racquet, a short shaft and a rather long handle. The Aermet5300 should be very good for powerful clears and more than adequate for smashes. Try to cock and uncock your wrist when striking the shuttle with a whippy action. If that doesn't work, then you must generate more backswing. It is easy to generate more backswing : all you need to do is to raise your left hand up and point your racquet right arm at the incoming shuttle when taking high shots, and just hit it. Raising the left hand keeps you in balance and pointing the racquet at the shuttle with you racquet right hand actually forces you to increase your backswing without you being aware of it.
Thanks for your advice, Taneepak. I'll try to practice it in the future; in particular your advice about the left hand. Usually, I don't even think about my left hand.
In fact I own a piece of 5300. It is long in shaft and ordinary in grip length (quite an opposite to the the design of Yonex "Long Racket" and of most other brand names). It is a head light racket. For your case, I think the most important thing is to avoid injury. Head-light racket is a smart choice. I've been convincing my dad to use a head-light racket for years but in vain Gosen is quite a strange company. I got another model "Aermet 3600" which has never been found in her catalogue. Take care of your racket cos it's been wiped out in the latest catalogue
i own a 5300 also i dun find the racket headlight at all. It is rather head heavy I strung the racket at 23lbs bg66 U can feel virbration cos of the stiff shaft The racket is really strong juz need to practice proper stroke of hitting the shuttle
