HomeThe Racket
The first thing you will need in order to play badminton is a racket! There are many options when it comes to badminton rackets. While the general style of a badminton racket has not changed much, the materials used in their construction have, like other things, evolved with technology. Early modern badminton rackets where made of wood and strung with natural fibers like animal gut. Now, badminton racket frames are generally made of either aluminum, steel, titanium, carbon, or some type of composition of metal and carbon.
As you can imagine, the material and technology used to construct a racket have a direct impact on the cost, with titanium and carbon costing up to 5x more than a steel or aluminum racket. This added cost is not without a benefit though. Titanium/carbon rackets are lighter, more efficient (energy transfer), and respond better to the speed and forces of quick badminton play. However, if you are just starting out, an aluminum racket from a name brand manufacturer will work just fine and will run you about $15-$20. In fact, some carbon rackets have become cheap enough that you can likely pick one up if you have a spare $30-$50 lying around.
Badminton rackets can cost anywhere from $15-$300 but an average, good quality racket will run you about $50-$100. There are a few mainstream racket manufacturers that I would recommend you purchase from. Yonex is by far the most popular manufacturer of badminton rackets and equipment. Most products in their line are of high quality and can trust purchasing their products (of course, this also means that they tend to me more expensive). Other good manufacturers include Hi-Qua, Wilson, Carlton, HL, and Head.
There are three basic parts of a badminton racket: head, shaft, and grip. The head is where the strings are and where all contact with the shuttle should occur. Some rackets have slightly different shaped heads in the sense that some are more squared rather than a basic oval (Yonex Isometric featured rackets are an example of this). This gives the advantage of increasing the “sweet-spot” of the racket allowing for an increased likelihood of a proper hit.
The shaft if basically a long tube that connects the head to the handle. The important thing to know about the shaft is how it is connected to the head. Some rackets use what is called a “T connector” to connect the head and the shaft. These types of connectors should be avoided as they have a tendency to be point of failure in the racket. These are generally found on lower-end rackets and can be identified by the obvious female “T” connection between the head and the shaft. Better quality rackets will have a seamless connection between the head and the shaft; in other words, as you run your hand along the shaft and onto the head, you will not notice any changes…it will all look and feel like one piece.
Another important thing to know about the shaft of a badminton racket is its stiffness or flexibility. Most quality rackets will tell you stiffness of the shaft which can range from flexible to ultra stiff. Generally speaking, more flexibility will give you more power while a stiffer shaft will give you more control. For the beginner, I generally recommend a slightly more flexible shaft since, when starting out, it is more important that you have enough power to get the shuttle over the net properly rather than placing it exactly where you want it…that skill comes later.
Next is the grip. Badminton grips are much like the grips on tennis rackets but are of course more narrow. They come in sizes generally ranging from G2-G5. The “G” value is simply a measure of the circumference of the grip and the value is relative to the manufacturer; meaning that a G3 from one manufacturer does not always equal a G3 from another manufacturer. When buying a racket, you should always try to handle it first to be sure the weight and grip are a good match for you. Though in reality, there are not many stores that sell quality badminton rackets locally so you may be forced to purchase online. If this is the case, keep in mind that a Yonex G3-G4 is generally the average grip size. If anything, I would err on the smaller size (G4) since you can always add over grips to thicken the handle to fit your hand.
Finally, we have racket weight. The weight of a badminton racket generally ranges between 75 and 94 grams and is measured in “U” units.
- 2U = 90-94g
- 3U = 85-89g
- 4U = 80-84g
- 5U = 75-79g
Just as with grip size, racket weight is personal preference but can also be determined by your playing style. Generally speaking, defensive players want a lighter racket that is quick and light for defending while offensive players want a heavier racket for more powerful shots. While this is a bit more of a concern for advanced players, beginners should still keep it in mind if they are investing a lot of money into a quality racket.
Strings
As a beginner, you shouldn’t worry too much about what kind of string your racket has. Just be sure that the strings have enough tension on them so that you can’t move the strings around too much (a little play in the strings is normal). However, as you advance, string selection and tension should become one of the most important things you consider on a continual basis. There are many different string selection you can choose from and each has strengths and weaknesses. For the sake of simplicity I will cover some of the general rules and ideas regarding strings and sting tension. Some people get incredibly serious when it comes to this aspect of badminton and the topic of strings is so complicated (with truth and fiction) that further research by you can and should be done.
With regard to string type, most people stick with the synthetic strings over gut (yes, natural gut is still an option). Strings vary by a number of criteria under the label of “playability.” Some strings are thicker or thinner, more flexible or more stiff, more durable or less. Most manufactures will tell you which types of strings are good what types of play. In general, thicker strings are more durable and last longer. Most beginners will stick with thicker strings simply because they are cheaper and don’t have to be changed (due to tension loss or breakage) as frequently. Unfortunately, thicker strings tend to not play as well and are not as responsive.
Conversely, thinner strings are more frequently used by more advanced players as they generally play better and are more responsive to the actions of quick and powerful play. Of course, these strings suffer from a greater likelihood of breakage and generally don’t last as long as the thicker more durable ones. They also tend to be slightly more expensive.
Finally, string tension is another important aspect of badminton rackets. Acceptable string tensions can range anywhere from 18 to nearly 30lbs. When looking at a strung racket, you will notice that the strings are woven across to create a pattern. The strings that run up and down are called the “main” strings while the ones that run side-to-side are called the “cross” strings. When stringing a racket, the cross strings should generally be strung about 2lbs heavier then the main’s. The median number between these two values is referred to as the weight of your strings. For instance, if you ask for your racket to be strung at 22lbs, the main’s will be strung at 21lbs while the crosses will be strung at 23lbs giving you an overall string tension of 22lbs.
String tension is, as usual, personal preference, but there are some generally accepted guidelines with regard to playing style and ability that can help you decide what tension to string your racket at. In general, higher string tensions will give you more control but less power (just like a stiffer racket) while lower tension will give you more power but less control (again, just like a flexible racket). With more flexibility, you can expect a sort of trampoline-like effect when you hit the shuttle, giving you a little extra energy transfered into the shuttle. Likewise, a stiffer, high tension racket will reduce the trampoline effect thus making your shots more accurate.
As you can imagine, combining racket stiffness/flexibility with string tension can lead to a wide range of playability options for your racket. If you are a beginner, it may take some time and experience to fully realize how each factor effects your game. However, it is important that you know about these things so that you can make the proper adjustments in your game when the time comes.
References and Further Research
1. http://www.mybadmintonstore.com/shop/pages.php?page=specification
2. http://www.ashawayusa.com/pages/BadTipINDEX.html
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