Frederick Tang Weblog

Having recently broken my Yonex Nanospeed 6000 racquet, I purchased a Yonex Nanospeed 7000 racquet. I thought I would write a few random thoughts…

Disclaimer: I am certainly not a graded badminton player, and I play casually at my local club mainly doing doubles. The following thoughts are my own impressions, given my play style, experiences and skills (or lack thereof). Always consult experts when choosing your own racquet.

I have been reading badminton forums a lot about how to choose a racquet. I found that it was important to first understand my own play style – receive or control based, or smash based, and the speed of my racquet swing… etc. Secondly, it was really important to learn some of the terminology used to describe a badminton racquet like head light/heavy, extra-stiff/stiff/flex, grip size… etc, because it helps to establish some criteria to choose a racquet. If you are into the Yonex brand, make sure you take a look at their latest Yonex Racquet Chart (search google).

I read on some forum post that 95% of the game depends on techniques, and 5% on racquet. This is true because no matter how fancy is the racquet you are wielding, if you don’t have the skills to go with it, its power is not maximised. But I would add that choosing the wrong racquet that doesn’t suit your own style can actually worse your game.

NS6000:

• A head-light racquet, feels a bit funny at first but can get used to it at play time.
• I bought this racquet based on a local retail shop’s recommendation. I told them the majority of my game is doubles and received based.
• Sometimes I don’t feel the shuttle hitting the racquet, a bit too soft…
• Very easy to manoeuvre and defend smashes with… (but in the end, I thought to myself, something must be wrong with my game if I am always in a defensive position).
• Paints were chipping off quiet easily (or you may like to say I am very rough)…
• A flexible shaft racquet, plays well with whippy action. Clears are no problems if I *whip* it properly.
• A bit hard to smash with, really have to try hard.
• I can perform drops pretty well with this racquet (but not as good as the NS7000).
• My net game is quite poor, so I can’t comment on this.

NS7000:

• A head-light racquet, but I feel it is not as light as NS6000. It has a much more solid feel than NS6000.
• I bought this racquet based on what I read in the forums, tried a few swings in the shops. It was a decision between NS7000 and NS8000, but the NS8000 is classed as extra-stiff, which I was a bit weary of… I wanted to defend well, but be a bit more attacking when opportunities arise. I smash quite a bit…
• It has a stiff shaft, as opposed to a flexible shaft on a NS6000. Which I think a faster swing is required to generate the power. Not very good for *whippy* style… It took some getting used before I can hit the shuttle properly.
• Techniques and especially footwork has to be spot on with this racquet. Hitting without the right technique will likely result in lollypopping into opponent’s mid-court for a smash.
• Drops are much more accurate, and controlled.
• Smashes are more powerful, a little faster than what I can do with NS6000.

Head-heavy racquets are definitely not for me, I tried hitting with Arcsaber 10, it’s a bit too heavy for me to handle, maybe because of my weak wrist… In summary, I am quite happy with my new purchase…. now if only I can improve on my techniques and stamina on the court

Currently playing badminton regularly at Hornsby… so allow me to give them a plug here.
http://www.sydneybadmintonassoc.org/index.php?id=5

My missus and I decided to do a day trip to Jervis Bay, so here’s how our day planned out…

1. Started with a breakfast at the LMC Cafe Broadway. Omlette of the Day, Flat White and a Banana Honey Smoothe… Life doesn’t get any better when you are enjoying a morning coffee with your loved one.
2. Got lost a bit trying to get onto the Princes Highway… Pit stop at the Nan Tien Temple around about 1pm. Had a Fried Won Ton Noodle, Steamed Dumpling and a Lotus tea. The noodles are hand made and the soup is very lite. If you love a clean, lite meal in the quiet surroundings, Nan Tien Temple is a good place to spend an afternoon.
3. Arrived at Kiama, took a stroll at the blowhole.
4. Continued driving and finally arrived at the Boderee National Park, Jervis Bay. Park entry fee is $10. We drive to Murray’s Boat Ramp and took a stroll down to the beach. It was near sunset. View was beautiful, a few fishermen at the Boat Ramp. Unfortunately, I was too busy taking pictures, rather than enjoying the views.
5. Our stay was short.. started driving out of the National Park at 7pm. Indulged ourselves at the KFC at Engadine. I couldn’t get my missus interested in Pho at Cabramatta no matter what, oh well… maybe another time.

Recently, I had the honor to be the Best Man of a workmate’s wedding. Having completely clueless about what are the responsibilities, I searched websites and bought a book to read – “The Best Man’s Pocket Guide” by Steve Bryant. I would recommend this book to anyone.

I didn’t expect the book to provide me with every tip, but it’s intended as a guide – to know what to expect. It turned out that much of the day depended very much on thinking on the feet. I thought I would write a few paragraphs about my experiences, and things I wish I knew before the day… that the books or websites might not tell you.

Remember. Every wedding is different – these tips applied to me.

Just a bit about the background of the wedding. It was a church wedding in the afternoon, photo session after and reception in a function centre.

#1. Be prepared for a long day, and have plenty of energy for the day. You are going to tough it out – look after the families, bridesmaids, ushers and look good yourself.
#2. Arrive at the Groom’s house early. You might be expected to run errands just before heading for the church, e.g. shopping for some last minute stuff, last minute briefing on the wedding, dressing up… etc.
#3. Have plenty of ushers. After the service inside the church, we had a photo session – close families, extended families, work friends, uni friends… etc. Try to have ushers from both side of the family that actually knows their family. For example, when the photo call for aunts and uncles, these ushers would know exactly who the fetch. There should be enough ushers to keep lining up people for photos, this will ensure a time efficient photo session.
#4. Another thing I noticed about ushers on the day was, different families tend to ask these ushers for directions, and proceedings throughout the day. It would be good to arm these ushers with the necessary information. This adds to the last point, when some ushers are busy dispensing information to the crowd, there should still be enough ushers to assist in photo calls.
#5. Try to know exactly what’s going to happen on the day, and be confident when relaying information to other people. You know you can manage the wedding, but you got to convince other people that you know how to manage the wedding, within minutes of a conversation.
#6. Think on your feet. A plan is suppose to be a guide, things changes throughout the day, even in the space of an hour – roll with it.
#7. Think ahead of the schedule and act. I found it useful to start informing people for what’s going to happen next. This way they are prepared. For example, we had photos for each table during the Main course dinner. It was useful to inform the table they are up next (in a few minutes), so that they can finish chewing their food. This can also cater for elderly people.
#8. Track where your helpers are throughout the day. Helpers might be decorating the reception, getting the flowers, preparing music equipment, delivering props that might be used during the wedding to the reception venue. I found it useful to keep track where people are, so that they can coordinate with other helpers, or even help retrieve items if you (or others) forgotten about it.
#9. Delegate to your fellow groomsmen. You need all the trusty help you can get.
#10. Be prepared, be relaxed, be a gentlemen, be a joker (if it adds to the fun)!

Good luck to you.