Badminton is one of the popular sports. Badminton racquets are the important things that you need to play badminton, along with the shuttle that has to be passed over to the opponent on the other side of the field. If you don't have a good quality racket, then you can't win the game.
Planning to buy the best racquets for your upcoming badminton game? If yes, then the following buyer's guide is going to help you in making the right purchase:
What Are Different Types of Racquets?
First, we are going to look at the different types of racquets that you can buy from the market according to your use:
Lightweight Racquets
You should get a lightweight racquet because they are easy to handle. They also minimize the strain that is felt by the muscle due to continuous use. It is going to reduce the chance of injury as well in the game. Ideally, a racket should weigh 85g to 90g. The lightweight racket will allow you to do the swift strokes and return to position instantly.
Heavyweight Racquets
Most of the seasoned layers are going to pick the heavy rackets that come with higher balance points. The balance point will be a point where the racket can be balanced horizontally on your index finger. When the balance point is high, this means the head of the racket is heavy. Remember, you will have to use a lot of power to play with heavy racquets.
Towel Grip
When picking the racket, do consider the grip as well. The players mostly prefer the towel grip racquets because they are great for absorbing sweat while playing. But this is going to accumulate more bacteria, so they should be replaced frequently.
Synthetic Grip
This does not like frequent replacement similar to towel grips. They are very smooth and get less dirty in comparison to towel grip racquets. But note that they don't absorb sweat so that they might get uncomfortable after some time.
High Tension Racket
For testing the string tension, you should sink your palm into the racket string. In an ideal case, the strings will sink 1mm. Moreover, the players who will hit hard shots need racquets with high tensions. If you are a beginner, start your game with a regular tension string.
What Are Different Materials Used In A Badminton Racket?
The different types of material used in the construction of badminton racquets are as follows:
Graphite and Aluminum
The racket frame is mostly made with lightweight materials like aluminum or graphite. The reason is that most of the players use lightweight rackets for easy handling during the game. The standard weight of a badminton racket is 80g to 100g.
Nylon
This material is used to make the strings of a badminton racket. This synthetic material is cheap in production, and it is very strong as well. The gauge number designates the nylon-string sizes. The low gauge value means that the string will be thicker. Thick nylon strings provide control and durability, but you have to compromise on power.
Cotton And Elastic
Note that badminton towel grips are made from cotton and elastic. The players widely use them as they absorb the sweat quickly. The cotton content in the grip absorbs the body moisture and provides a strong grip to the player as the grip is made with cotton, so it can be dyed in different colors. You can easily place them on rubber grips as well due to their elasticity.
Natural Animal Gut
Some badminton players still like animal gut strings as they provide more control and power. They absorb the shock and minimize the vibration on the playing arm of the user. The natural animal gut is expensive, and it will not last long as the synthetic strings.
How Should You Choose A Badminton Racket?
The selection of the right badminton racket is very much important to play the game well. When buying, you should keep the following things in your mind:
Weight of Racket The weight is represented by "U." If the U number is smaller, the racket's weight will be higher. A good racket weighs 80 g to 100g.
4U: 80 to 84g
3U: 85 to 89g
2U: 90 to 94g
1U: 95 to 100g
Balance Point
Other than weight, the racket is also divided depending on the balancing point. To identify the type of balance, just place a finger below the racket's head to see in which way the racket tilts. There are three categories of balance:
Head-heavy balance:
In this, the mass is more toward the head of the racket.
Head-light balance:
It has less weight toward the head of the racket.
Even balance:
As the name suggests, it is designed to provide the middle ground between head-heavy and head-light balanced racket.
String Tension
If you want to use more force in your strokes while playing, you will need high tension for your racket strings. For beginners, 22 to 23lbs is a good tension to kick start the game. Note that temperature also affects this. High-racket tension is needed by people living in the tropics as a string will expand in hot places.
What Is The Price For Badminton Racquets?
The price of a badminton racket can vary from $19 to $80. The variation can be caused depending on the brand you are going to use and the number of racquets in the package. To buy a racket from a brand like Yonex, you should expect to pay a price of $60 or more. However, some brands are also providing the racket in pairs, and they offer shuttle as well. Such bundles will cost you more in comparison to a single racket.
FAQs
What is the ideal weight for a badminton racket?
The ideal weight will be 80 to 95g. Some skillful players will prefer to use heavy rackets as they have more momentum and effectively transfer more speed and power to the shuttlecock.
What are U and G in badminton?
The weight is represented by the U. The smaller the U value, the heavier the racket's weight. G is used to represent the grip size. The small G value means a larger handle size.
Which grip size is best for badminton?
There are different grip sizes that you can choose from:
- The X-small grip is G5: 83mm
- The small grip is G4: 86mm
- The medium grip is G3: 89mm
- The large grip is G2: 92mm
- The X-Large grip is G1: 95mm.