Help with Racket choice for Junior player

[PRB]

HI,

I was about to bid on a Nanospeed 7000 on Ebay (went for £67) for my son however on reading some of your threads (i don't play) I realised it is not simply a case of buying the best (supposedly) that is available and so held back on clicking the bid button.

My son is 11, smaller than average and weighs in at a whopping 29kg. He has done really well in his first few competitions hence my reason for wanting to treat him to a new racket.

His net play is good and he can get a good bit of power into his smashes but could do with something to help him get a bit more length and power when playing against bigger kids.

His current racket is a Prince Hornet Ti

Any advice would be greatfully appreciated.

[smelly]

Hello,

I recommend that you go to a racket shop nearby (if you have one - if not then http://www.directsports-eshop.com/ used to do demos - they ship them to you you play with them then ship them back you will of course have to pay the postage) and getting a load of rackets for a demo. Most specialist shops (not the high street ones) will have a selection of demo rackets, usually of the current season. So your son can then play with them all and let you know which one he feels confident with.

Then you can bid on ebay (watch for fakes) or buy them online - usually better prices.

As start to discover when looking at rackets there is a huge range depending on style of play and ability. head weight, shaft flexibility, etc etc.

PS: you'll probably need to buy 2 rackets as well :) in case the string goes during competition

Hope this helps

[Phil McBride]

Couldn't agree more, please always try the racket out before you buy. Once you have hit a few shuttles with it you will feel if it is right or not, even at the factory tension settings which will probably be about 5lbs less than he would use anyway.

If he needs a bit more power I would suggest a more flexable racket to compensate for the lack at the moment but do bear in mind as he grows and the technique/strength develop he will probably need to move to more of a stiff racket.

The balance of the racket is also an issue, if you need more on a smash and attacking play then aim for head heavy but not too much since the smash at the moment is ok.

Please try as many different brands as you can get your hands on as well as they do play differently, another thing to bear in mind is that the iso frame is more forgiving whereas the oval one is not too tolerant of mistakes due to the smaller sweetspot.

[redkingjoe]

HI,

I was about to bid on a Nanospeed 7000 on Ebay (went for £67) for my son however on reading some of your threads (i don't play) I realised it is not simply a case of buying the best (supposedly) that is available and so held back on clicking the bid button.

My son is 11, smaller than average and weighs in at a whopping 29kg. He has done really well in his first few competitions hence my reason for wanting to treat him to a new racket.

His net play is good and he can get a good bit of power into his smashes but could do with something to help him get a bit more length and power when playing against bigger kids.

His current racket is a Prince Hornet Ti

Any advice would be greatfully appreciated.

welcome to badders.net
1 please be careful on the risk of buying a fake one from ebay.
2 the most important is to get the right one that is most suitable to your most treasuried beloved son and smelly and phil have given their excellent opinions.
3 the best way is to try as many as possible like borrowing from fellow guys before committing your money to a racket.
4 one key thing that's worth consideration is the string and tension that goes with the racket.
best regards

[PRB]

Thanks all for taking the time to respond, much appreciated.

There is no where we know of round here to try them out but advice like that you have given such as weight and flexibility etc. seemed to be met by the MP 66 and when tried out this evening he got on very well with it

Cheers

Paul