I'd like to start this post by thanking all the readers who have come to give my blog a view. I started this blog wanting to share my passion for the sport and the many sorts of equipment and strategies out there.
From the start till now, I've purchased and traded a lot of rackets (the current number I've got stashed in my room stands at 53), and I do hope that I get to review all of them one day.
I thank all who take time to read my writing, all who have asked me questions, all who have given feedback, and for those who have said words of encouragement.
We've crossed 280,000 views, and I've never really expected to so many people come to the site. As we move onwards to explore the wonderful game I'd bed,I think please feel free to let me know if there's anything you'd like to see on this site.
Here's to more fun times! Arthur, out.
Sunday 30 June 2013
Friday 28 June 2013
New Hotness: Victor Meteor Jung Jae Sung
Yet another limited edition racket in my collection :)
Took a bite at an opportunity that arose from the BC Forums and got this one at a reasonable price. Thanks to the kind soul (come to think of it I never got your name) who passed this beauty on, and all the best for your driving lessons!
First Impressions and Review soon (I hope).
Took a bite at an opportunity that arose from the BC Forums and got this one at a reasonable price. Thanks to the kind soul (come to think of it I never got your name) who passed this beauty on, and all the best for your driving lessons!
First Impressions and Review soon (I hope).
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| Source: http://www.yumo.ca |
Wednesday 26 June 2013
Badminton Racket Review: Yonex Armortec 900 Technique
First impressions here.
This one has been sitting around for quite a bit because there's really too much rackets in my bag to want to bring this out for a test. I've also recently went back to the trusty old Yonex Nanogy 98 and have been putting the Armortec 900 Technique until I can get the strings replaced.
But I decided against it and took the racket out for a swing with its current string. Surprisingly this racket is probably one of the few rackets that can bring out a powerful smash from the NGB99. I had a very good impression of the racket, and didn't have to bring out my spare racket for the day until the grip gave way from too much smashing.
Note. This review is my opinion of the racket from my use. Take this with a pinch of salt since we all play the game differently. I'm here to tell you, in as much accuracy as I can, how my games went with this racket. Comments welcome!
Ok here goes.
Yonex Armortec 900 Technique
Est. Dry Weight: 97g (3U)
Grip Size: G5
Balance: Head-Heavy
Stiffness: Stiff
Strings: Yonex Nanogy 99 @ 25lbs
I recommend this racket for doubles play.
Defense
I rate defense above all in the game of badminton, and this racket does not disappoint. It's got a fast swing for a head-heavy racket, and the blocks that come off the racket are pretty good. I was able to take on most of the smashes coming at me, the Yonex Armortec 900 Technique providing enough power behind the lifts and stability off the blocks.
One thing I found really enjoyable with this racket was intercepting flat smashes with a drive defense. Those who play with me regularly will know is one of my favorite moves, and the AT900T really pulls this off well. It may not be as fast as the other lighter rackets I have, which makes blocking at the net a little more cumbersome, but it's fast enough to be lethal if you get yourself a flat enough smash to turn around.
Attack
Head-heavy racket, fast swing speed, the rest is up to your deduction.
Even at 25lbs, the racket was able to pack quite a punch to its smashes from the back court. I had a lot of fun thumping down the smashes and throwing in a few angles here and there.
Even with the overhead smashes the Armortec 900 Technique performs admirably. I could get quite a bit of power into the overheads, even more than my usual amount.
Drives with this racket are enjoyable as well, though not as brutal as those you get from the Voltrics. Taking aim at the body and whipping in a good one seems easy enough to want to do over and over.
Another thing I noticed, and I'm giving the strings quite a bit of the credit here, are the excellent level drop shots that I can get off this racket. The Yonex Armortec 900 Technique is able to take shuttles late enough and still keep it close enough to the net for a threatening soft shot.
I seldom write that much about a racket's attack, but the AT900T's really made it enjoyable to take the offensive with.
Control
This is one more for the strings since I think the NBG99 are really good for control (they're marketed that way to begin with - extra braided to get that extra grip on the shuttle).
Quite a number if higher-skill shots I performed today were pulled off without much punishment from the opponent. The weight transfer in the racket felt just right, whether I was going for the cross-court drop shot off a good serve return or if I was a little late in getting to that flat lift and I wanted to give a drop shot down the channel.
Lifts to the back court were done without a glitch, and the excellent defense from this racket made me feel confident that I could take on most smashes and drops.
Even with the long clears, there isn't much drag from the racket when performing an overhead, and that allows you to take to the next position quickly.
Good stuff.
Looks
White has always been a popular color with shuttlers, and the Yonex Armortec 900 Technique is no less classier. Alternating bands of white and grey line the base of the head frame, leading to the T-Joint where the boxy font of the Armortec series comes in.
The 3 and 9 o'clock for the head frame adds to the color with signature red and black, rounding up at the top with the customary "technique" typography right at the top against a silver-grey coat.
This one has been sitting around for quite a bit because there's really too much rackets in my bag to want to bring this out for a test. I've also recently went back to the trusty old Yonex Nanogy 98 and have been putting the Armortec 900 Technique until I can get the strings replaced.
But I decided against it and took the racket out for a swing with its current string. Surprisingly this racket is probably one of the few rackets that can bring out a powerful smash from the NGB99. I had a very good impression of the racket, and didn't have to bring out my spare racket for the day until the grip gave way from too much smashing.
Note. This review is my opinion of the racket from my use. Take this with a pinch of salt since we all play the game differently. I'm here to tell you, in as much accuracy as I can, how my games went with this racket. Comments welcome!
Ok here goes.
Yonex Armortec 900 Technique
Est. Dry Weight: 97g (3U)
Grip Size: G5
Balance: Head-Heavy
Stiffness: Stiff
Strings: Yonex Nanogy 99 @ 25lbs
I recommend this racket for doubles play.
Defense
I rate defense above all in the game of badminton, and this racket does not disappoint. It's got a fast swing for a head-heavy racket, and the blocks that come off the racket are pretty good. I was able to take on most of the smashes coming at me, the Yonex Armortec 900 Technique providing enough power behind the lifts and stability off the blocks.
One thing I found really enjoyable with this racket was intercepting flat smashes with a drive defense. Those who play with me regularly will know is one of my favorite moves, and the AT900T really pulls this off well. It may not be as fast as the other lighter rackets I have, which makes blocking at the net a little more cumbersome, but it's fast enough to be lethal if you get yourself a flat enough smash to turn around.
Attack
Head-heavy racket, fast swing speed, the rest is up to your deduction.
Even at 25lbs, the racket was able to pack quite a punch to its smashes from the back court. I had a lot of fun thumping down the smashes and throwing in a few angles here and there.
Even with the overhead smashes the Armortec 900 Technique performs admirably. I could get quite a bit of power into the overheads, even more than my usual amount.
Drives with this racket are enjoyable as well, though not as brutal as those you get from the Voltrics. Taking aim at the body and whipping in a good one seems easy enough to want to do over and over.
Another thing I noticed, and I'm giving the strings quite a bit of the credit here, are the excellent level drop shots that I can get off this racket. The Yonex Armortec 900 Technique is able to take shuttles late enough and still keep it close enough to the net for a threatening soft shot.
I seldom write that much about a racket's attack, but the AT900T's really made it enjoyable to take the offensive with.
Control
This is one more for the strings since I think the NBG99 are really good for control (they're marketed that way to begin with - extra braided to get that extra grip on the shuttle).
Quite a number if higher-skill shots I performed today were pulled off without much punishment from the opponent. The weight transfer in the racket felt just right, whether I was going for the cross-court drop shot off a good serve return or if I was a little late in getting to that flat lift and I wanted to give a drop shot down the channel.
Lifts to the back court were done without a glitch, and the excellent defense from this racket made me feel confident that I could take on most smashes and drops.
Even with the long clears, there isn't much drag from the racket when performing an overhead, and that allows you to take to the next position quickly.
Good stuff.
Looks
White has always been a popular color with shuttlers, and the Yonex Armortec 900 Technique is no less classier. Alternating bands of white and grey line the base of the head frame, leading to the T-Joint where the boxy font of the Armortec series comes in.
The 3 and 9 o'clock for the head frame adds to the color with signature red and black, rounding up at the top with the customary "technique" typography right at the top against a silver-grey coat.
Yonex Armortec 900 Technique
Defense: 9
Attack: 9
Control: 9
Looks: 8
Sunday 9 June 2013
K. Srikanth wins SCG Thailand Open 2013 badminton tournament
Promising young badminton player K. Srikanth of India, won his first ever major international title today, winning the gold medal in the men's singles event at the SCG Thailand Open-2013 Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament, held at the Nimibutr stadium at Bangkok in Thailand from 04-June-2013 to 09-June-2013.
Before the start of the men's singles final, not many would have expected such a surprising outcome. After all, the experienced Boonsak Ponsana is ranked no.7 in the world and was the top seed at this tournament. On top of that, playing at the Thai Open final, meant that he would get plenty of support from the home crowd.
On the other hand, Srikanth's world ranking was no.45 at the start of the tournament (and current ranking is no.61) and he was seeded 13th here at this tournament. A big difference, so to speak.
However as it eventually turned out, Kidambi Srikanth defeated Boonsak Ponsana in the finals in just 33 minutes and two straight games by a score of 21-16, 21-12 to clinch his first ever GP Gold title, and a well-deserved prize cheque worth 9000 US dollars, to go along with it.
20-year old Srikanth is from Hyderabad, represents Andhra Pradesh state at the domestic tournaments in India, and is currently ranked no.3 within India as per the rankings published by BAI (Badminton Association of India). On the international level, he has made rapid progress in the last 6 months, first breaking into the top 100 and then into the list of top 50 players in the world.
Women's Singles results:
Saina disappoints this time
Top seeded Saina Nehwal could not repeat her last year's performance this time around at the Thailand Open-2013. She was defeated in the quarter-finals by 8th seed Juan Gu of Singapore.
Last year Saina had done better at this tournament when she had went on to win the title defeating Ratchanok Inthanon in the finals. Here's the link to her previous year's performance at this tournament.
Saina wins Thailand Open 2012 badminton tournament.
Inthanon grabs the title at Thailand Open badminton 2013
The women's singles title at the Thailand Open 2013 was won by Ratchanok Inthanon of Thailand who defeated her own country-mate Busanan Ongbumrungpan in the tough final match that lasted for 3 games. Inthanon finally won by a score of 20-22, 21-19, 21-13.
So, she has done one step better this time. Last year it was Silver for her, and this time it's a Gold medal.
Monday 3 June 2013
Badminton Racket First Impressions: Yonex ArcSaber Flash Boost
This racket grew on me. The longer I looked at it the more I wanted to buy it. And now that I did, I'm glad to say that the Yonex ArcSaber Flash Boost has performed admirably in its first test.
With more of my singles game played using this racket, I was able to get a good feel of what the players on the forum were talking about.
There were mixed reviews on this racket - I had a friend telling me how this racket will seriously screw up our swing and hitting, what with the light weight of the racket and the slightly hollow feel. There were people on the forum who were raving about how wonderful this racket is.
And so now, after a good two-hour session of singles, I'm able to give a little comment on the nicely designed racket.
Dubbed Yonex's lightest racket to date, the Flash Boost comes in at a modest 76g unstrung. The people at the marketing department calls this weight category the F weight.
When you first hold the racket, it indeed felt like you ere holding nothing at all. I am familiar with this sensation however, of Karakal BN60 fame.
First swings with this racket produced quite satisfactory experience. The shuttle was able to come off nicely from the swing and the shots produced were solid and well-placed.
On to the games, and the feel actually got better. Smashes were nice and steep, requiring next to no energy to pull off. I found myself at ease quite bit throughout the matches.
Light weight rackets usually favour the backhand stroke, but the ArcSaber Flash Boost seemed to come of a little different. I had difficulty pulling off a good backhand clear, and I attribute it to the swing speed of the racket.
Defense was great, however, and I found myself taking a step back from being too anxious. It's a good thing, and the returns were of high calibre.
Another notable problem came through when I wanted to use the racket to block a smash. Often times the weight of the racket doesn't allow you to get decent energy into the hit, resulting in disappointing net hits.
But that won't spoil my mood. The Yonex ArcSaber Flash Boost gives me a good feel so far, and I'm going to try it out against a nice doubles to see how fast I can go with this.
Review eventually.
With more of my singles game played using this racket, I was able to get a good feel of what the players on the forum were talking about.
There were mixed reviews on this racket - I had a friend telling me how this racket will seriously screw up our swing and hitting, what with the light weight of the racket and the slightly hollow feel. There were people on the forum who were raving about how wonderful this racket is.
And so now, after a good two-hour session of singles, I'm able to give a little comment on the nicely designed racket.
Dubbed Yonex's lightest racket to date, the Flash Boost comes in at a modest 76g unstrung. The people at the marketing department calls this weight category the F weight.
When you first hold the racket, it indeed felt like you ere holding nothing at all. I am familiar with this sensation however, of Karakal BN60 fame.
First swings with this racket produced quite satisfactory experience. The shuttle was able to come off nicely from the swing and the shots produced were solid and well-placed.
On to the games, and the feel actually got better. Smashes were nice and steep, requiring next to no energy to pull off. I found myself at ease quite bit throughout the matches.
Light weight rackets usually favour the backhand stroke, but the ArcSaber Flash Boost seemed to come of a little different. I had difficulty pulling off a good backhand clear, and I attribute it to the swing speed of the racket.
Defense was great, however, and I found myself taking a step back from being too anxious. It's a good thing, and the returns were of high calibre.
Another notable problem came through when I wanted to use the racket to block a smash. Often times the weight of the racket doesn't allow you to get decent energy into the hit, resulting in disappointing net hits.
But that won't spoil my mood. The Yonex ArcSaber Flash Boost gives me a good feel so far, and I'm going to try it out against a nice doubles to see how fast I can go with this.
Review eventually.
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