BADMINTON GUIDE

Badminton comes out to be the most played game after cricket. One can play badminton game within small area which makes it one of the most popular household game. There is no age limit and not only men but both women and kids can play. Depending on players’ experience, the player can choose racket ranging from beginner level to expert level. In this guide we will have a look on different features of badminton racket, types of shuttlecock used in game and the importance of string in badminton racket. At the end of this section, you can also read about the technologies used in Yonex rackets and Lining Rackets.

Badminton Rackets are the most important badminton equipment. It is also called shuttle. Each badminton player choose their shuttle racket based on their playing ability. A shuttle player can choose between power racket and control racket.

Sportskhel provides badminton rackets from authorized brands such as Yonex badminton rackets, Lining badminton rackets, Kason badminton rackets and Adidas badminton rackets.

Badminton Rackets are made up of 3 different parts namely

  • Frame
  • Shaft
  • Handle

Based on the Balance, badminton rackets can be divided into three categories such as Head-Heavy, Even-Balance and Head-Light.

Head-Heavy rackets have the mass shifted towards the head, resulting in a heavier head. Head-Heavy badminton rackets are used by players who like to play a powerful game from the back of the badminton court. Extra mass in the head provides them with increased power for their clears and smashes.

Head-Light rackets have the mass shifted towards the handle, resulting in a lighter head. Head-Light badminton rackets are more suitable for players who play doubles far more than singles. The advantage of using a head-light racket is that the head and frame have less mass and are much easier to manipulate and swing. Head light rackets provides much assistance when defending against opposing smashes. Head-Light rackets are also much more desirable if you look to finish off rallies at the front of the court. Head light rackets are preferred by players who has excellent technique and swing speed.

Even-Balance rackets have the mass distributed evenly throughout the racket. Even-Balance rackets are designed to offer the advantages of both Head-Heavy and Head-Light rackets. Even-Balance rackets gives you enough power from the back and enough control at the front. Even balance rackets will be suitable for all types of shots.

Based on the Shaft, badminton rackets can be distinguished whether they are flexible or stiff. A shaft can be made of different materials including Graphite racket shaft, Aluminium racket shaft, Carbon racket shaft and Steel racket shaft.

Stiffer shaft assist badminton players with quicker and more explosive wrist/arm speed. More advanced players tend to favour stiffer shafts as advanced players have much better technique. A stiffer shaft will bend and then unbend very quickly, ensuring the player has the maximum power and control possible.

Flexible shaft assist badminton players with slower and smoother wrist/arm speed. Beginners are far more likely to benefit from purchasing a racket with a flexible shaft. A more flexible shaft will bend and unbend much more easily, ensuring that players will get the badminton racket to bend and unbend to the required level.

Weight of badminton rackets play a vital role during purchase. A heavy badminton racket is considered a power racket. Heavier shuttle rackets accumulate more momentum during your badminton swing, hence giving you more power. To play a game of control, lighter badminton rackets are used.

The weight of a badminton rackets are classified into:

2U: 90-94g

3U: 85-89g

4U: 80-84g

5U: 75-79g

These weights do not include the weight of the badminton string and the grip. These weight change from brand to brand and each brand has their own weight convention.

Frame of badminton racket is the top part of the racket. There are two types of frame in badminton racket.

  • Isometric frame
  • Conventional frame

The difference between isometric and conventional frame is the sweet spot. The sweet spot is a specific area on the string bed of the racket. A shuttlecock will hit excellently if it lands on the sweet spot of the string bed.

Isometric frame has a larger sweet spot. Therefore there’s a much higher chance that you’ll perform more quality shots.

Conventional frames are rarely present in the marketplace today because most people prefer isometric shaped rackets. They have smaller sweet spot.

Grips are seen over the handle of the badminton rackets. Grips can be divided based on the type and size.

Types of badminton grips - towel grip and synthetic grip.

Towel grips are softer and absorbs sweat. Towel grips will require frequent replacement compared to synthetic grips.

Synthetic grips are slick and less messy. These grips have poor sweat absorption ability.

Based on Size of badminton grips, they can be divided into three sizes.

  • G3
  • G4
  • G5

Once again grip size convention is different for each brand.

Bigger grips are favoured by players who prefer a tighter feel to generate more power. Players who use deception in their games will prefer smaller grips as it allows for better manoeuvrability.

Shuttlecocks are the vital equipment of badminton sports. Shuttlecock shall have 16 feathers fixed in a cork base covered in kid leather. They are the balls used for playing badminton games. Shuttlecock comes in two different types.

Feather shuttlecocks are made from feathers of a goose or duck. Goose feather has better quality. The badminton player should train with feather shuttlecock, if the player wants to play in real sport or competition. Speed of a Feather shuttlecock determines how far and fast the shuttlecock will travel. Feather shuttlecocks speed is to be chosen differently for each season and region of play.

Types

Speed

Description

 

1

48-75

slow, for use in highland

2

 

49-76

slow, medium slow, for use in hotter area

 

3

 

50-77

slow, medium, most sea level area

 

4

 

51-78

slow, medium fast, cold area

 

5

 

52-79

slow, fast, cold area, below sea level

 

Sportskhel provides feather shuttlecock from authorized brands such as Yonex feather shuttlecocks, Li-ning feather shuttlecocks and Legend feather shuttlecocks.

Nylon shuttlecocks are made up of nylon or plastic material. Nylon shuttlecocks are used for beginner level or domestic level games. Compared to feather cock, nylon cocks are cheaper in price. The feel of hitting the nylon shuttlecock will differ much from hitting feather shuttlecock. The flight and feel of nylon shuttlecock is different from feather shuttlecock. Speed of nylon shuttlecock varies according to temperature and altitude.

Colour

Temperature(Celsius)

Speed

Green Label

22-32

slow speed

Blue Label

12-23

medium speed

Red Label

0- 13

High speed

 

The above table is for yonex shuttlecock. Different brands follow different conventions.

Sportskhel provides nylon shuttlecocks from authorized brands such as Yonex nylon shuttlecock.

String bed is the surface on the badminton racket where shuttlecock meets the racket. Sweet spot is an area on the string bed which will give you the most power. Good quality strings give more power to your technique along with better control and balance. To get more durability and improved control high tension strings are used in badminton racket. Higher the string tension you choose, the harder you will have to swing to get that power. Higher string tensions give much more control of the shuttle. Lower string tension gives much more power.

String tensions for various players.

  • Beginners: 20lbs – 22 lbs.
  • Intermediate player: 22lbs. - 24 lbs.
  • Advanced Player: 25 lbs and up.

Sportskhel provides badminton strings from authorized brands such as Yonex badminton strings and Lining badminton strings.

With this we come to conclusion of knowing about badminton rackets, shuttlecocks and badminton strings. You can now go about reading, “how to buy a Yonex or Lining badminton racket?” Both Yonex and Lining rackets have wide range of series with their own respective technologies. Now get an idea of racket suitable for you by reading our Yonex guide page and Lining guide page.

Sportskhel has an immense pleasure in sharing the indepth detail of all sports products. To get an understanding of other sports equipments, we have listed their guides below.

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