What Makes a Good Badminton Rackets/Racquets

This might be the eternal question ever badminton player would ask. It is also safe to say that it is really a dream come true if you have the best badminton racket of their own, which helps to reach fastest speed, maximum power, and immeasurable techniques, best mistake tolerances and amazing durability. 

This is what every player is looking for a badminton racket when playing one of the most demanding sports in the world for a player that is really hooked into badminton it is even more difficult to select a good racket because there are a thousand of new models every year from giant badminton brands like Yonex, and etc.

Keep in mind that not expensive rackets does not necessarily equal to excellence, and having the good badminton rackets should have this qualities or features;

Balance

The balance of a racket is measured by a balance board. The badminton racket is presented in unit ‘mm’, which describes the distance between bottom and the balance point of a racket.

Normal Range: 280 – 300mm
Head Heavy: >288mm
Head Light: <288mm

Length

To know the length of a badminton racket the measurement is from bottom to top and most of the modern created badminton racket is 675mm. One of the longest badminton racket measured 680mm which BWF regulates a badminton racket. The additional 5% measurement length on a badminton rackets will increase 30% more hitting area. See table below;

Normal Range: 664 – 680mm
Standard Length: 664mm
Long Racket: 675mm
Offensive Racket: 675 – 680mm
Defensive Racket: 665 – 670mm

The badminton racket length can make a lot of difference and this is one reason how to make a badminton racket a good one.

Read also article: Things you need to check when buying badminton rackets.

Stiffness

Most of the badminton enthusiast know this secret that the shaft of the badminton racket is the secret ingredient to make such high flying speed of a feather shuttlecocks compare to other racket sports. All thanks to the modern technology that a lot of creative ideas could be realized with this factor.

The bigger the stiffness, the more flexible the shaft is. There are a lot of different descriptions of stiffness in different brands. Some of the rackets tell exactly the number, while some just tell hard, moderate soft or 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. If you are buying one it is best to always ask for the exact stiffness of the shaft before buying your badminton racket.

Stiffness:

8.0 – Hard
8.5 – Moderate Hard
9.0 – Moderate
9.5 – Moderate Soft

The duration of a shuttlecock stays on racket when smashing it is about 0.004-0.006 second, it is a must to make a very stiff frame so that it recovers as fast as possible right after every hit. For the shaft, it is time to change a bit the traditional mind set for the reason of new technology. Stiffness can make a lot of different when you are playing and it should be one of the sought after factor and reason why you should buy a badminton racket. 

Having a good shaft stiffness on your racket is one must have to make a racket really good.

Frames

So frames are also important because it dictates the sweet spot. Or the spot where you want the shuttle to hit to be able to control your shot more the larger the sweet spot the easier it is to return a shuttle.

There are three shapes of racket which are the most popular in the market;

Traditional: 330 cm2 (51 in2)
ISO: 340 cm2 (53 in2)
Extra-ISO: 370 cm2 (57 in2)

The bigger the sweet spot, the bigger the power, the less the control and accuracy. Which makes a good badminton racket also.

Materials

A good material is one of the main reason that makes a good badminton racket. A lot of experts recommend that you start with a 100% carbon graphite when you are still starting. There are aluminum alloyed badminton racket that is good for intermediate players. The simplest way to identify between graphite and aluminum alloy is to feel it with your bare hands and you’ll discover that aluminum alloy is clearly colder than graphite.

Material:

High Modulus Graphite – 8 Stiffness – 7 Strength – 4 Shock Absorb
Graphite – 5 Stiffness – 8 Strength – 4 Shock Absorb
Al, Alloy – 2 Stiffness – 4 Strength – 1 Shock Absorb
Wood – 1 Stiffness – 1 Strength – 10 Shock Absorb

Make sure that you know how materials affect your racket and how it can affect your game. Always keep in mind that yes the badminton racket or racquet is really important in the game of badminton but you need to help yourself and make yourself better with training and practice.

Read also article: Common badminton training mistakes and how to correct them.

So don’t you dare really on a good racket because what makes a good badminton racket is on the user itself if your skillset and you don’t train then whatever the cost or how good a badminton racket is will be bad if you can’t use them properly because of lack of training and practice.

Dominate The Game!