not since I stopped using high tensions As we should all know by now, technique is far more important than equipment. (N.B. I'm not trying to say I have great technique, but I (as a veteran) have beaten county players, junior and senior, and have lost to older players with better technique and lesser fitness - with my extra flexible racquet, my next goal is to do it with my Yonex Iso MF60) So what if the strings perform better at 26+ lb. How much better exactly? 1% better, 10% better. Which racquets perform better: head-heavy or head-light? stiff or flexible? 2U, 3U or 4U Why doesn't everyone just use the best racquet?
Well there is no better way to find out than the old fashion way-string one racquet at low tension and a similar one at 28/30.8lbs, both with Ashaway PG66. I can assure you the higher tensioned one will get the shuttle over to your opponent faster.
So do you believe higher tension always means more power? Would it be better to use 40lb on my Carlton AS1 then?
Not necessarily more powerful but faster. An artillery shell is more powerful but would be slower than a rifle shot. No, not 40lbs but the suggested 28/30.8lbs will be ideal. Try it, Neil, you have nothing to lose because all you could end up with is either a new discovery or an excuse to swear at me.
Artillery shell and rifle shot is a bad analogy. You're using different propelled items, rather than different propulsion. Some shells fired from tanks are faster than rifle rounds An ICBM can get up to 7km per second so is faster and more powerful than the rifle shot. replace "more power" with "shuttle flies faster" Do you mean the shuttle will be travelling faster, or that the shuttle spends less time in contact with the strings? Is 28/30.8lbs ideal for everybody? Is 28/30.8lbs ideal only for PG66 or for all string?
Nothing to loose and gains a tennis elbow . So, Eepak has nothing to loose by jumping smashing and gains total knees replacement (TKR) .
As an experiment I did string about 3 identical racquets with identical strings but at different tensions some months ago. The string used was PG66 Neon Green. The lowest was 23/25.25lbs, the next was 26/28.5lbs, and the third one was 28/30.8lbs. I had other players try these 3 racquets, starting with the lowest tension first and the highest tension last. Almost all preferred the highest tension racquet, and some of the players were beginners or advanced beginners. As a matter of fact you can use this progressive increase in tension when you string for others. When I string for others, the first time I would up the tension by 1.5lbs, the second time another 1.5lbs, and then finally going up to 30/33lbs if the feedback from them is positive.
So some people preferred lower tension. Why do that if 28/30.8 is ideal? Could you be suggesting that different people have different ideal tensions? P.S. Did you mean the shuttle will be travelling faster, or that the shuttle spends less time in contact with the strings when higher tension is used?
Higher tension will give your opponent less reaction time because your shot just reaches him before a shot hit with lower tension. The difference in the sound-a crispy sound-is noticeable. This is specially true for shots hit with a wrist snap-the backhand clear and smash.
Quote: Originally Posted by taneepak Almost all preferred the highest tension racquet Quote: Originally Posted by Neil Nicholls So some people preferred lower tension. Personally, i prefer the appropriate tension that match my swing.
How about finding out the old fashion way as I mentioned earlier. Pick out all the players you can get hold of and ask them to do a 'blindfold' test on 3 racquets, A, B, and C. All the theories about the pros and cons of high vs low tension are useless without a field test. I have done this a few times with players of all shades, most of them strangers to me until I "imposed" on them.
I don't care how other people play with high tension. We know some players actually do play better with high tension. Professionals being a case in point. If there was an ideal tension, why don't all the pros use the same tension? I might string one of my own racquets with PG66 at 28/31. Which of my racquets should I use? Which is ideal? I might use an oval, so is 28/30.8 ideal for both oval and isometric? I play in leagues where some clubs use plastic shuttles for matches Will it be ideal even with plastic shuttles?
1) Sample size of 3 is too small to be significant under any study. 2) Given every thing are the same except the string tension for those 3 racquets, the speed of shuttle will be less than 2 km/hr during a smash. It makes no difference for good player. However, the angle will be difference. 3) As many post here suggested, ideal tension are different for every player. Yes, as you progress in skill, you might prefer higher tension over time.
Not in all cases. The longer I play the lower tension I need. Last year I was using 16lbs, and this year I am using 15lbs. Maybe next year I will need 14 lbs.
A simple rule I use to determine the correct tension is look at a player's existing power. If the power is abundant, and not only when the player is fresh, then the player should be able to handle higher tension. I think practically anyone can play high tension for a few shots. But that would not be a good basis for people to claim high tension is good for everybody. The key to a good tension, high or low, is that sufficient power must be availble on tap irrespective of the circumstance - whether the player is tired or not, and whether the player can execute a shot in an ideal posture or not.
