Few Points to Look Before Buying a Badminton Racquet

With so many options to choose from in the market, selecting a badminton racquet for yourself can be a daunting task sometimes. To simplify your selection process, we have prepared an in-depth guide for it. 

A common mistake most players make is buying a racquet by seeing using it by their favorite badminton player. Don’t do it! You have to choose a racquet that best suits YOU.

The first and foremost thing you need to do is ask yourself, what do you prefer: power or control. 

But if you like to have both, then many well-rounded racquets are designed to provide the right balance of both power and control. 

Just a side note, if you are a complete beginner, there is no point in relying heavily on one style as you aren’t experienced enough to know your abilities. In this situation, go for a lower-priced and beginner-friendly well-rounded racquet is perfect to understand what your playing style is.

While selecting your precious racquet, you should always take these 4 factors into account:

1. Balance Point

It is an essential factor because as you will gain more experience, you will realize your stronger and weaker areas more and more. So, you need to choose between two types of racquets, either head heavy or head light. If you think you are more of a power hitter, then buy a racquet where the balance point is lean towards the head area. The exact opposite will be the case if you want more control in your shots. 

In case you already bought one head light racquet and later found out that you prefer power over control. Here, instead of buying a brand new racket you can add some weight in the head area by wrapping it with a good light badminton grip. This way, you will have a heavier head racquet for more power. 

The same hack can be done for those who like control over power but already bought a heavy head racket. To add more weight to the handle, you can change your racket stringing with a lighter one and wrap 2-3 grip instead of one.

So, even if you already bought a racquet, it can be adjusted according to your own preference. 

You can click here to find a list of best badminton racquet to simplify your selection process even further. 

2. Weight

It is another factor that plays a major role. 

As you may know, there are different weight categories in the badminton racquet.

1. i) 2U approximately falls between 90-94gms.
2. ii) 3U roughly falls between 85-89gms.

iii) 4U is between 80-84gms

1. iv) Lastly, 5U is the lightest weight, which can be approximated around 75-79gms.

It’s simple, the heavier your racquet, the more power you will get out of it. 

The majority of racquets you will find in the market will either 3U or 4U. But, you can always adjust the heaviness of the racquet by applying the above-given tips. 

If you are a singles player, sticking with a 3U racquet will be a good option. 4U and 5U racquets are more lightweight and easy to maneuver, which performs better in doubles.

There is always a push-pull situation, whether you should go for more power or control. No one can answer this besides you. In this regard, you have to make the call yourself. 

But, we suggest you shouldn’t go for heavy racquets unless you are very skilled. In the beginning, it is always a better thing to work on your control than power. Read more at realifetennis.com to find the best badminton rackets for power.

3. Frame shape of the racquet

It is an essential thing to choose the right frame for your racquet. In the market, you will find two options: The Isometric frames and the regular oval shape frames. The main difference between the two frames resides in the sweet spot. 

Conventional oval shape racquets have a trickier sweet spot, required you to be a highly-skilled player to get a good connection with the racquet. Many professional players do use the racquets with these frames and had great success hitting excellent-quality shots. But, for beginners, this might not be the frame you should start with. 

On the other hand, by going with racquets that have isometric shape gives you higher chances of hitting the shuttle in the sweet spot. Even beginners will have a high success rate of getting a good connection with their racquets. 

4. The Shaft

The shaft of the racquet plays a significant role in how’s it going to perform. There are certain advantages and disadvantages in both stiff and flexible shafts. 

Almost all advanced players use stiff shaft racquet because of the less repulsion, more control, and the ability to generate powerful swing. But, if you are a beginner to an intermediate player, you will be more benefited with a flexible shaft. In the beginning stage of your badminton career, you will not have enough strength and technique to generate power from these racquets. It requires more arm strength, technique, and experience of handling racquets to get the full benefit. 

Flexible shaft racquets have more repulsion, which allows a beginner to generate more power from their swings. Due to more repulsion, it may hamper the control of a player, but in the end, you are more likely to benefit in terms of gaining more confidence and technique in your shots. 

Conclusion

For your next purchase, consider these points while choosing a badminton racquet. Always take your time before you decide to buy it. You can even borrow your friend’s racquet and play around to see what type of configuration suits you the best. By following this guide, you will definitely make an informed decision and save yourself from wasting money.