Beginner’s Guide to Choosing the Perfect Badminton Racket
Badminton is one of the fastest-growing racket sports in the world. Indians and their love for badminton is immense, with legends like Prakash Padukone and PV Sindhu to look up to. It is a sport that requires quick reflexes, agility, and strategic thinking.
As the sport continues to grow globally, more and more people are picking up a racket for the first time. Especially young Indians, who are looking forward to representing their country at a global level. Hence, the foundational techniques of such individuals have to be solid, and it can come down to one thing in particular - choosing the right racket.
When you have the right racket customized to your needs as a beginner, you can enhance your control, learn good stroke mechanics, and enjoy the sport more during your early sessions.
However, it is an overwhelming decision for many badminton players, especially beginners. With so many options available, how do you determine which is the right fit for honing your skills? With this beginner’s guide, The Hundred Brand brings you a comprehensive walkthrough on how to buy the right racket. Let’s get started!
Determining Your Playing Style
The first step to choosing a beginner badminton racket is to identify your preferred playing style and tendencies on the court. Playing style determines the kind of racket that best suits your preferred style of play.
It is not to imply that you have played a lot of badminton. However, you can choose your ideal racket only when you know the type of player you want to be. Maybe you have used your uncle’s old racket to play with him during winter or borrowed one from your friend to play in school.
These encounters can significantly determine what kind of a badminton player you can be with the right racket.
Here are some crucial points to remember on that note:
Playing Style
You might be someone who likes to powerful shots to put pressure on their opponent. Or you can be more akin to playing on the defensive. Aggressive players require a controllable mid-air racket and heavier on the head side. However, the precision and consistency of keeping the shuttle in play is the primary goal of defensive players.
Singles or Doubles
Players, akin to playing one-on-one matches, need a racket with quick racket head speed to cover the entire court. Playing doubles requires covering less area on the court. Therefore, players akin to playing doubles need a racket that can deliver more power.
Stroke Technique
Choose a lightweight, flexible racket if you use your wrists for better maneuverability. However, if you use your arms more for movement, select a stiffer racket for stability.
As a beginner, choosing between a control-focused and a power-focused racket will depend on where you fall on these spectrums. When testing different rackets, consider your natural playing style to determine which will fit you the best.
Choosing the Right Racket Weight and Balance Point
Choosing the right racket weight and balance point is quintessential for a foundational breakthrough on the court. You can easily dominate your opponents with the right racket weight suitable to your playing style.
While lighter rackets allow for more maneuverability and rapid racket head speed, heavier rackets offer more power and stability on strokes. The balance point also affects handling since head-heavy rackets provide power while head-light rackets provide speed.
There are three classifications for rackets based on balance point:
Head Heavy
The head of the racket is the part where its strings are tied. Head-heavy rackets are heavier on the head and are suitable for attacking. These are used to play shots like smashes and clear tosses.
As mentioned earlier, the balance point in these rackets is such that extra weight is concentrated on the racket’s head. These rackets are best used for playing powerful strokes from the back of the court.
Head Light
These rackets are suitable for players inclined towards playing doubles. These rackets are lighter on the head and heavier on the grip and are used for their versatility.
Head Balance
Head balance rackets are known for their weight equilibrium on the head and the tail (grip).
These are suitable for doubles and players who are more into defensive plays.
While the balance point determines a racket’s capabilities, its body weight is another factor to consider. Rackets are categorized into various classes depending on their weight class. The 4U (80 to 85 grams) and 5U (75 to 80 grams) are the lightest weights.
Lighter weight rackets provide enough stability to help you control and direct shots as you learn. The Hundred Brand’s Flutter FF series - Flutter FF ATTK and Flutter FF Zoom, are great examples of lightweight attacking rackets.
Shaft Flexibility
Shaft Flexibility is another vital parameter to consider while buying rackets apart from the balance point and the overall weight. It determines the rate at which your racket unbends in the air after you play a smash shot to recuperate for the next shot coming your way.
When you play shots on the court, your racket bends a little to accommodate the power required to play that shot. The more the bending, the more the power generated. There are three types of rackets classified based on flexibility:
Stiff
Needs more power to bend.
Best suited for a professional environment.
Flexible
Takes less power to bend.
Best suited for beginners and amateurs.
Medium Flexible
Used by Intermediate players.
Flexible rackets provide better maneuverability, creating faster racket head speed and allowing more wrist action on shots.
Finding the Right Grip
When selecting your first racket, it’s essential to consider the grip’s influence on comfort, control, and stroke technique. The following advice can help you choose the ideal grip size:
From the base of your palm to the tip of your ring finger, determine the size of your hand. This provides a ballpark estimation of the grip size.
Your middle and ring fingers should rest comfortably on the handle seam when you have the ideal grip size.
Consider how a racket feels in your hand while demonstrating it. Verify that your palm and fingers feel steady without applying too much pressure.
Getting the ideal grip size enables your hand and racket to cooperate naturally. You get improved touch, wrist motion, and shot execution. Badminton rackets are manufactured with a universal grip size. For beginners, the ideal grip size would be “G6”.
Choosing the Right String Tension
The power and control you’ll have on shots depends on the string tension you select for your first racket. Depending on the level of expertise, here are some basic rules regarding string tension:
Beginners:
Recommendation: Use low string tension (less than 24lbs)
Low string tension increases shot power but may also cause a loss of control. With less effort, the shuttle will fly farther.
Intermediate:
Recommendation: Use medium string tension (24lbs to 26 lbs)
Medium string tension provides a balanced performance by combining power and control. For most intermediate players, this range of tension is ideal.
Professional:
Recommendation: Use high string tension (27lbs to 32 lbs)
Provides more control and accuracy for learning proper technique and precision.
When assessing rackets, observe how the tension of the strings impacts the shuttle’s bounce off the strings. Higher tensions frequently have a crisper, more responsive feel. More shuttle “pocketing” occurs with lower tensions.
Pro tip: Do check the racket tension range before buying. That way, depending on your skill level and enhancement, you can go from lower to higher string levels.
Shuttling Off
Making your first badminton racket purchase is crucial in learning to play this exciting and quick-paced sport. You may improve your stroke technique, court coverage, and confidence in your game by using the appropriate racket, which should be customized to your specific needs as a beginner.
Choose a grip size that matches your hand, consider your natural playing style, determine the ideal weight and balance for control, and pick a string tension appropriate for beginners. Now that these elements are taken care of, you’ll be equipped to perform at your highest level right off the bat (or should we say racket?).
FAQs
Q: How do I choose my first badminton racket as a beginner?
For beginners, it is best to choose a badminton racket to help them evolve as players and enhance their playing style. Generally, a 4U, head-heavy, or even-balanced racket with a flexible shaft is best suited for beginners like the Flutter FF series.
Q: Does higher string tension generate more power in the racket?
A higher string tension gives more control over the shuttle. However, it shows decreased repulsion from the strings, meaning the player must work much harder to generate power.
Q: What is better for beginners - head heavy or head light rackets?
Head-heavy rackets generate a good amount of power. However, using them requires good technique and shoulder strength. Hence, beginners must start with a head-light racket to polish their skills. You can make a head-heavy racket into a head-light one by adding extra layers of grip.
