How do I choose the correct badminton racket?

If you are going to buy a badminton racket then there are a few things that you must take into consideration. First of all, the shape of the racket head is very important. This can be either isometric or oval. The flexibility of the badminton racket determines the playing style the racket was created for. Furthermore, you must pay attention to the the balance of the racket. The balance of a badminton racket has to do with the weight distribution. With some badminton rackets the head is heavier than the shaft and with others it is the other way around. These characteristics are further explained below.

An isometric or oval shaped racket head

A badminton racket can have an isometric or oval shaped head. The oval shape is often referred to as the 'classic'. A classic oval racket head shape has a 'sweet spot' that concentrates a great deal of force. The sweet spot is the place on the racket head where you can hit the shuttle the best. An isometric racket head also has an oval shape but a flatter upper and lower side. An isometric racket head also has a bigger sweet spot. This allows you to make a good swing even if you hit the shuttle less precisely. An isometric racket head has a little less power because of this. Beginners will benefit greatly from choosing an isometric racket.

The flexibility of a badminton racket.

The flexibility (malleability) of badminton rackets is designated with the terms, stiff, medium and flexible. A stiff racket is not very flexible, and therefore offers good control. A stiff badminton racket will require more strength to produce powerful hits. If you however naturally have a powerful stroke you will discover that you can hit harder with a stiff racket than with a flexible racket. Thanks to these properties stiff badminton rackets are better suited for a more aggressive playing style. This produces a sort of launching effect causing the strokes to easily travel further. The strikes are slightly less accurate then. Flex badminton rackets are primarily suited for a more defensive style of playing. A medium badminton racket is situated in between stiff and flex in terms of flexibility.

The balance of a racket

The balance of the racket gives an indication of the weight distribution. There are badminton rackets that have a racket head that is heavier than the rest of the racket and badminton rackets where the head is lighter than the rest of the racket. A 'head heavy'racket has more weight in the head. This allows for more powerful strokes. Defense with a a head heavy badmintonracket is more difficult however because the racket is less agile. This causes you to react slightly slower to powerful strokes of your adversary. Head light rackets have a head that is lighter than the rest of the racket. Head light badminton rackets are ideal for a defensive playing style. Such rackets are particularly agile and allow for quick actions and reactions. You do need more wrist power however in order to be able to hit hard.