Many novice badminton players face a serious inventory problem. And if with a sports form difficulties, as a rule, do not arise, then with a basic set for badminton - almost always. Moreover, today's sports market is forgiven for its many options.
Professionals in this matter are well aware of how to choose a badminton racket and what to look for first. They look at the strings, their tension, the weight of the inventory and other equally important parameters.
We’ll just try to deal with all the critical characteristics and try to tell you how to choose a badminton racket and not lose money with the purchase. When drafting the article, the opinions of professionals in this field and user reviews of this sports equipment were taken into account.
Play style
Before choosing a badminton racket, the first thing you need to decide on the style of your game. Do you want to sweep your opponent with aggression and pressure, and maybe with precise and measured movements to achieve the goal? Or do you like to stand in defense and exhaust your opponent, and then make a decisive blow?
If you clarify for yourself the most comfortable style of play, choosing a badminton racket will become much easier. Of course, the behavior on the court can change and not least depends on your opponent, but then you will have to take care of an additional racket. Or - as an option - to buy immediately a rich set of badminton for all kinds of occasions.
Critical Racket Features
Any professional athlete at the time of purchase pays attention to these characteristics in the first place. Because how the quality of the game will depend on them, as well as the victory over the opponent.
Critical characteristics of rackets:
- length;
- tee;
- weight;
- materials used;
- stiffness of the rod;
- balancing.
Athletes rely precisely on these points, choosing professional badminton rackets. No priority here, absolutely all criteria are important. Consider each characteristic in more detail.
Length
A lot of novice athletes do not take into account the length and consider this parameter obvious and not worth attention. It fits in a badminton rack for racket, and okay. But because of this seemingly trifle serious problems can arise.
The standard length of a professional racket ranges from 665 to 675 mm. But on sale there are also children's, shorter options for 620 or even 540 mm. It often happens that a novice athlete buys such a "shorty" and learns about it only on the court from the coach. And if in offline realities you can still run to the store and change goods, then with online shopping everything is much more complicated.
It is also worth paying attention to the marking of inventory. For example, Yonex badminton rackets for children always have a distinct Junior mark, while other manufacturers for some reason prefer to keep silent about this fact and reflect it only in the paper specification, and not on the case. So here you need to be extremely careful and not buy yourself children's options.
The same goes for badminton shuttlecocks. On sale there are small models for children and adolescents, and there are professional ones for serious athletes. But badminton shuttlecocks are dozens of times cheaper than rackets, so the error here is not so critical.
Tee
In sports stores you can find tee and cast (without a tee) rackets. Tees are T-shaped and are an adapter between the shaft and the rim. Moreover, the cost of the product practically do not differ from each other.
But rackets with a tee are a professional solution, it’s better in terms of sports characteristics. Here we have high strength, and most importantly - excellent aerodynamic performance. Good badminton rackets without a tee are also found, but only with rare exceptions and at a very immodest cost.
Weight
The more massive the racket, the more kinetic energy it puts into the strike. The shuttlecock sent by such a heavy inventory is very difficult to accept. At the same time, such a strike is much more difficult. Here, more time is needed for preparation, as well as good physical endurance.
The average weight of a professional racket ranges from 60-70 grams. The mass of heavy models starts from 100 g. It is highly recommended that novice athletes not start with a lot of weight. This can lead to improper technique and deliberately erroneous staging. Later, with experience, the hand itself will “ask for” something heavier if you want to sweep the enemy off with shuttlecocks.
Materials
The venerable manufacturers can successfully combine up to several hundred materials in one racket. In a professional environment, the most popular designs are aluminum, titanium and carbon. From plastic and wood, good racquets are also made, but they are not as reliable and effective as the aforementioned ones.
Serious athletes prefer carbon fiber only. It is characterized by softness, flexibility and practically eliminates vibration. But the cost is noticeably increased. For example, carbon fiber racket for badminton Yonex cost from 10 thousand rubles.
Rod stiffness
Here a lot depends on the style of the game, as well as the subsequent advantages with disadvantages. A racket with a stiff rod has a more aggressive and strong blow, but control is noticeably lower. A flexible rod allows you to fully control the inventory, but at the same time, the impact force will be less.
Rackets have five degrees of rigidity - from very hard to very flexible: very stiff, stiff, medium, flexible, very flexible, respectively. So when choosing an inventory, be sure to pay special attention to this moment.
Balancing
Here we are talking about the center of gravity. Balance plays a significant role in choosing a racket. Your playing style will also largely depend on this. In addition, the convenience of using the inventory depends on the balance.
With the center of gravity shifted to the head, the blow will be noticeably stronger. Such balancing is suitable for aggressive players who prefer attack to defense. If the center of gravity is shifted to the handle, then the control points, as well as maneuverability, increase markedly. Machs in the end turn out to be sharper, making them easier, but the blow weakens. Such balancing found itself in defense, interception and finishing.
The existing center of gravity is designated as:
- Head Heavy (shifted to the head).
- Head Light (shifted to the handle).
- Even (balanced).
Some manufacturers indicate millimeters from the edge of the handle to a key point. For example, 295 mm, which is equivalent to balancing in the head.
Manufacturers
There are not so many manufacturers in this segment, but the key companies, as they say, ate the dog on the production of badminton rackets. Other brands include Yonex, Victor, RSL, Li Ning, Carlton and Wilson.
Professional athletes speak very positively about these manufacturers and in every possible way, including participating in promotions, recommend products of the company they like. There is no difference in specific models of the same class as such, so you can focus on cost and some visual qualities.
As for the inexpensive budget sporting equipment from little-known manufacturers, here the situation is like a cat in a poke. Sometimes you can find decent, and at the same time, inexpensive options, but most often you will purchase mediocre models for an amateur game somewhere on vacation in the forest. It’s not a pity to break such racquets (they will often break), and it’s not scary to lose because of their cheapness.
The same rule applies to sets. A manufacturer that respects itself and a customer will never allow itself marriage or shortcomings, because the competition in this specific market is quite fierce, the loss of the consumer is fraught with serious financial problems. In addition, sets (shuttlecocks, a pair of rackets) sometimes cost significantly less than equipment sold individually.
In any case, if you are going to seriously engage in this sport, it is best to ask your coach for help. It will be he who will make up your sports profile, according to which you will need to choose your equipment.