Badminton Rackets

Badminton Rackets (also called racquets) are very light in weight compared to the rackets used in other sports such as Tennis or Squash. Most modern badminton rackets, do not weigh more than 100 gms.

Materials used:

Long ago people used to play badminton using well-polished wooden framed badminton rackets that were considerably heavy to swing around. Later on, as technological advancements were achieved, these wooden frames were soon replaced with stronger and lighter materials such as aluminum, steel, ceramic, boron, carbon fiber or a combination of these materials.

The badminton rackets that are used by professional players today, are usually made from Carbon fiber which is light-weight as well as being quite strong.

Standard Specifications for Badminton Rackets for professional levels of play is as below:

• Total length of the badminton racket should not exceed 680mm.
• Total Width (of the racket head) should not be more than 230 mm.

 

Things to consider when choosing and buying a badminton racket:

Experienced players say that you need not buy a very costly priced racket if you are just starting out in badminton. As your make progress in your game, and learn more about your own style of play, you can opt for better rackets at that point of time.

Weight of the Racket

Lower priced rackets may be generally a bit heavier than high priced rackets, but for beginners there is no harm in starting with it. Only ensure that the racket weight is within the rules specified i.e. less than 100 gm.The weight of a badminton racket is indicated by manufacturers using notations such as 1U, 2U, 3U, and 4U. The 1U indicates heaviest racket weight and 4U is the lightest. The weight of high quality badminton rackets generally ranges from 83 grams to 100 grams.

Grip Size

Alongwith notations for weight, manufacturers also provide notations for grip sizes of the badminton rackets. These usually range from G2, G3, G4 to G5 where G2 is the biggest size grip and G5 is the smallest size. Some brands simply call the grips as small, medium and big sizes. A smaller grip can aid in making the racket is easier to turn in players hands, which can be useful for players who prefer long rallies, and deceptive play.

Head Cover

A good quality badminton racket will also generally come with a head cover when you buy it. This head cover will help to keep your racket safe when it is not in use.

Stiffness and Flex

There are several other factors such as balance point, stiffness and flex of badminton rackets that make rackets different from each other. For finding a good racket for yourself, the best way to judge is to walk into a sports shop/store and try out the rackets yourself. One size does not fit all. And since all players have different physical attributes, hence one type of racket is not suitable for all players.

Whichever racket you ultimately decide to buy, remember that it is ultimately the players skill which matters most at most levels of play. Even badminton rackets that were tailor made to be used by world champions cannot help you win, if you cannot play well.

Improvement in badminton skills, comes more as a result of the badminton practice drills, physical and mental training, and actual match play, as compared to which badminton rackets are being used. Hence practice is more important. However having a good racket that suits you, is also a definite help.

Mentioned below are some of the popular brands of badminton rackets that players opt for.

1. Yonex

2. Li Ning
3. Carlton
4. Wilson
5. Victor

It is a difficult task to compare and review badminton rackets that are made by so many different brands, and to come to a definitive conclusion that a particular brand of racket is the best. This is because playing styles and playing strength varies from player to player and so do their perceptions of rackets.

In general many players consider buying rackets made by Yonex, not only because Yonex offers a wide variety of good quality badminton rackets that can suit players of different playing styles, but also because it has a very good brand name and market reputation. Furthermore the Yonex badminton rackets are easily available in most countries in all the major cities.

Buying Badminton Rackets online

You can also choose to buy badminton rackets online from websites of sports stores or speciality badminton stores or from shopping sites such as Amazon. If you have physically checked out a racket earlier, either with a fellow player or at some sports store, and have confirmed that it will suit you, then buying that racket online at discounted rates can also save on some cost.

Buying Used Badminton Rackets

If you are a beginner in badminton, and are not yet sure which racket will suit you, then it can be a good decision to buy a decent but cheaper used badminton racket that is for sale if it is in a good condition.

Generally fellow players who are going to buy a new badminton racket may want to sell their old one. This can save you on cost, and help you to decide whether that particular brand of racket suits your playing style. However it will be good to ensure that the used racket is in a good condition.

Later on when you are comfortable with a particular badminton racket brand then you can opt for buying  a new one off the shelf.

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