How Professional Badminton Players Choose Their Racket

Choosing a racket that is suited to one’s style of play is crucial for improving badminton skills. Professional badminton players always look into certain factors that help them in stabilizing their course of action on the court, such as– how heavy/stiff/durable the racket is, whether the weight is balanced all around, or if it is a head-heavy badminton racket.

Likewise, there are various factors involved in the process of choosing the right racket. 

In this article, we will cover all those factors that professional badminton players consider in detail. 

Balance Point Of The Racket 

The ‘balance point’ of the racket refers to the distribution of the weight of the racket. It is detected by where the centre of balance lies starting from the base of the racket’s handle, and accordingly, they get classified into:

  • Head heavy:

These rackets feel heavier on the head side and yield more power in each smash. Professional badminton players choose these rackets for expert singles matches that demand lengthy rallies and power games. Some examples are Voltric 80, Voltric Z-force, etc.

  • Head light:

These rackets feel comparatively lighter and more manoeuvrable than head-heavy ones. Professional players choose these rackets for playing at the nets or during a doubles match. Some examples are: Yonex Nanoray 700RP, Nanoray 500, etc.

  • Even balanced:

The weight of these rackets is evenly distributed, which gives the professional players a good flexibility during doubles matches or when the previous two variants fall short in delivering good performance on the court. Some examples are Yonex Arcsaber 7, Arcsaber 11 etc. 

Weight Of The Racket

Professional players choose the correct weight of their badminton rackets depending upon their skills and individual technique.

Lightweight rackets which are less than 85 grams are more manoeuvrable and generate faster swing speed. That’s why professional players as well as many amateurs prefer these rackets. 

On the other hand, heavier rackets that weigh more than 88 grams generate greater momentum and deliver more speed to the shuttle. That’s why players who have strong shoulders and refined playing techniques prefer these rackets. 

Material Composition Of The Racket

Even though some rackets are made of Aluminium or Steel due to their cost-effectiveness, professional players prefer to invest in a racket that is made out of carbon or graphite.

The reason why all intermediate and advanced rackets are made of graphite or with their advanced composites (like Nanocarbon) is that they are more durable, lightweight, and yield better performance than steel or aluminium products.

Shape Of The Racket Head

Professional players prefer to use rackets that have an isometric-shaped head because they come with a wider top portion than the conventional rackets with an oval head. This isometric shape provides an enlarged area to hit the shuttle, whereas the conventional rackets feel more concentrated.

Shaft Stiffness Of The Racket

Professional players know how the stiffness of the shaft can make a lot of difference. They mainly choose rackets with stiff shafts, because of these match with their refined technique and offer powerful swings. 

Whereas, rackets with medium stiff and flexible shafts are suited for players with slower arm speed and developing techniques since they offer more power and are easy to control.

String & Its Tension

Although synthetic multifilament strings seem more popular, professional players prefer to use strings made out of the expensive natural gut. That’s because it helps in determining the tension at which the racket should be strung or how the racket string interacts with the shuttle.

Professional players have higher tension due to tighter stringing in their rackets. That means, their rackets will be in touch with the shuttle for a shorter duration of time and will transfer less power but more control to their shot. 

Whereas, lower tension in the rackets transfers more power to the shot since the shuttle is repelled from the string surface like a spring. 

You can examine it yourself after trying out strings with varying tensions to adjust with your power and your playing style. 

Hand Grip

The size and type are the two crucial factors that affect the hand grip of a racket, and it totally depends on the personal experience of the professional players.

Among the two types of grips (towel and synthetic), towel grips are softer and good for absorbing moisture, but require frequent replacement due to the accumulation of bacteria.

Whereas, synthetic grips are slick and less messy, but are less comfortable due to poor moisture absorption.
As far as sizes are concerned, most grips are available in four sizes. The bigger grips are used by players who like to have a tighter feel in order to ascertain more power. Where’s, Badminton players who like to use deception in their games prefer smaller grips since it allows better control.

Leave a Comment