Simple Tips for Buying Rackets

As the sport of badminton become more popular than ever, more and more people are looking to buy a good racket in order to give themselves an edge during competition. When choosing a racket, people tend to look at the brand name, features, price, workmanship, quality, design, and aesthetics of a given racket. Afterwards, the buyer will take into consideration of how much money he/she can spend and their skill level before making the final decision.

The most important single factor in making a buying decision is undeniably the first impression. If a racket looks perfect at first glance, then all other factors can get thrown out of the window. After the first impression, word-of-mouth from fellow players and the brand name have the most influence on the decision. People are more likely to buy something if a lot of other people say that this thing is good. Finally people will look at the performance and features of the racket, and of course its price. The old saying “you get what you pay for” holds true for badminton rackets, but there are some good deals to be had if you spend the time and effort to shop around.

Here is some basic racket knowledge for those who don’t know: A badminton racket is split into three major sections: the head (hitting surface), the shaft, and the handle (grip). Older and really cheap rackets typically have two joints: one between the head and the shaft and another between the shaft and the handle. Most new rackets fuse the head and the shaft together and only have one joint, and there are even some single-piece rackets that don’t have any externally recognizable joints. The “features” of a racket usually refers the strength of the racket (ex how much tension can the strings have), the weight, the balancing point, the overall balance, the resistance to twisting and the “power” (effort required to hit the bird a certain distance/at a certain speed) and more, but the listed attributes are the most important ones to consider.

When you are in a store, holding a racket in your hands, you can’t really accurately test the features and performance of racket, but you can get a good feel for the racket by just using your hands. Here are some simple tests you can perform when you are trying out a new racket:

1) The Balance Point: The balance point for a typical badminton racket lies on the shaft. The point is usually shifted towards the head on models that are designed for offense, due to the heavier head of these rackets. To obtain the balance point, just try to balance the racket on one of your index fingers. Hold your finger out straight and place the shaft of the racket on to the finger. Move the racket left and right until the racket balances or almost balances on your finger. (Note that the gripping material on the handle can shift the balance point.)

2) The Overall Balance: Because of the differences in manufacturing techniques, different rackets have a different overall balance. The balance of the racket affects its ability to control the direction and speed of the bird during a hit, so a racket with a bad balance may cause a lot more misplaced shots. It’s easy to check a racket’s overall balance. You need to find a flat surface, like a table, and press the handle of the racket on to the surface near the edge. The head and shaft of the racket should be hanging over the edge. Place the racket so that the head is parallel to the floor. Now push down lightly on the head of the racket and then immediately let go. This will cause the racket to vibrate in the air (keep holding down the handle). A racket with good balance will vibrate only up and down. If the racket wobbles sideways a bit, then its overall balance is not very good.

3) The Flexibility of the Shaft: Hold the handle of the racket in one hand and hold the tip of the head in the other hand. Now slowly and gently exert a force to bend the racket slightly. Some rackets have very flexible shafts which bend very easily, while other rackets have very rigid shafts that are hard to bend. It’s usually best to get a racket that’s not too flexible or rigid.

4) Resistance to Twisting. Place your hands at both ends of the racket and slowly try to twist the racket. If the head flexes easily, then the racket is not very resistant to twisting, and that might effect the direction of the shots produced by the racket.

To determine the strength and weight of the racket, you can usually check the racket or on the web for the maximum tension that the racket can be strung. For other attributes such as power and ease of handling, you’ll have to actually use the racket during a game or warm-up session in order to determine them.

Overall, there are many things to consider and check when buying a badminton racket. If you know what to look for and how to determine the features of racket, then you shouldn’t have a hard time finding one that’s right for you.

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