Apparel

Having the right apparel is important for a good play experience. As you might suspect, there is really not much to say about what to wear. There are no real conventions on clothing in the badminton world (with the major exception of shoes, which will be addressed later). You should wear comfortable fitting clothing, not too tight but definitely not baggy or too loose. Tight clothing can restrict your movements while too loose clothing can also get you “tangled” and restrict your movements. I tent to see baggy clothing in younger players who are tying to look “cool.” Fortunately, there are many types athletic clothing that are both functional and stylish; even for you young ones!

Shirts

There is a bit of a tradition during badminton competitions that badminton jerseys or uniforms tend to be collared cotton or sweat-wicking materials. However during practice, many people simply wear a cotton T. Recently, some national teams (specifically China) have been having their players wear sleeveless or one-armed sweat-wicking shirts. These are definitely specialized and probably a littler harder to find for most people.

Shoes

The most important piece of badminton equipment/apparel are shoes. It is very important that if you are playing serious, competitive badminton that you play with the proper footwear. Not only are there often court policies regarding this (so you don’t mark up the floor) but it is also a serious safety issue. If you can afford quality badminton shoes then that is what I recommend. Badminton shoes will be light-weight and have a wider sole to advert rolled ankles. I understand that badminton specific shoes are likely very hard to find (basically impossible) in local footwear or sporting good stores. You may be able to find badminton shoes in specialty tennis shops though. Call around but in the end you may have to order them online. If you are uncomfortable ordering shoes online (there are a number of online badminton suppliers that sell good shoes), then the next best option I would recommend is to find a light-weight pair of volleyball shoes. They will share some of the same features as badminton shoes and are definitely better than basketball or tennis shoes/sneakers.

Shorts

If you look at most professional badminton players, you will notice that most wear shorts that are, well, short. This is because short and stretchy shorts allow for the widest range of motion and play when lunging for shots. Now, for most guys (girls, this is usually not a problem with), we don’t really like wearing really short shorts! Understandable, but I would recommend that you do not wear basketball shorts or any large and baggy short for playing badminton. There are plenty of “just above the knee” shorts that would be both stylish and comfortable.