Badminton Racket Guide: What You Need To Start
Choosing A Badminton Racket For Lessons
Most people arrive at their first lesson with a badminton racket they already own, and in nine cases out of ten it is fine to learn on.
The question we get asked is which badminton racket to buy. The more useful question is which one will stop you learning badly, and that has a much shorter answer.
For lessons, a light, evenly balanced badminton racket with a flexible shaft is the right choice for almost every beginner. Weight class 4U, around 83 grams, is the standard starting point. Spend under a hundred dollars, get the grip size right, and put the rest of your budget into restringing it properly.
The Racket You Own Is Probably Good Enough
If you have a badminton racket already, bring it. We will tell you in the first ten minutes whether it is holding you back.
What usually needs changing is not the frame. It is the string, which has almost always gone soft, and the grip, which is usually too thin or too worn to hold under pressure.
Weight Is The One Spec Worth Getting Right
Manufacturers mark weight with a U code, and a higher number means a lighter frame. Yonex lists its ASTROX NEXTAGE as 4U, around 83 grams, which is the class most adults should start in.
A heavier badminton racket does not give you a harder smash. It gives you a slower arm, and a slower arm is what beginners cannot afford while they are still learning to meet the shuttle in front of them.
Balance, In Plain Terms
Hold the badminton racket flat across one finger near the top of the handle. If the head drops, it is head-heavy. If the handle drops, it is head-light. If it sits level, it is even.
Even balance is what we recommend for lessons. Head-heavy frames reward a swing you have not built yet and punish a late one, which is most of them in the first term.
Shaft Flex, And Why Beginners Want Give
A flexible shaft bends further and springs back on its own, so the frame does some of the work your technique cannot do yet.
A stiff shaft only returns what you put into it. That suits a fast, well-timed arm and does nothing at all for a slow one. Choose flexible while you are learning and revisit it when your clears reach the back line without effort.
Grip Size Matters More Than Anyone Expects
Grip size is marked with a G code, and the numbering runs the opposite way to what most people assume, so check the maker’s chart rather than guessing.
The practical test is simpler. Hold the badminton racket as you would to play. If your fingers dig into your palm, the grip is too thin. If you cannot wrap them round comfortably, it is too thick. A wrap of overgrip fixes thin; nothing fixes thick.
Our guide on how to hold a badminton racket covers how the hand actually changes between shots, which is the thing grip size either helps or gets in the way of.
What To Spend
Under a hundred dollars buys a badminton racket that will take you through a beginner course and well past it. Above that you are paying for stiffness and balance profiles built for players who already have a swing.
Spend the difference on strings instead. A cheap frame with fresh string plays better than an expensive frame with dead string, every time.
Strings Go Before Frames Do
Strings lose tension from the day they go on, whether you play or not. Most club players leave them far too long and blame the frame for what the string is doing.
If your shots feel dull, if the strings have started to move out of line when you press them, or if you cannot remember the last restring, that is your answer. Our guide to badminton racket tension covers how to pick a number, and our badminton stringing service is where to get it done.
Buying For a Child
Buy light, buy short, and buy cheap enough that a dented frame is not a disaster. Children grow out of a badminton racket the way they grow out of shoes.
The common mistake is buying an adult frame for a child to grow into. It teaches a two-handed swing and a dropped elbow, and both take longer to unlearn than the racket cost to buy. Our kids badminton lessons page covers what else changes for younger players.
Which Model, Specifically
That is the one question we deliberately do not answer on this page, because the honest answer depends on a swing we have not seen yet.
What we can tell you is that the frame matters less than the string in it, and that looking after the one you have goes further than replacing it. Our guide on how to prevent scratches on a badminton racket covers the damage that actually shortens a frame’s life.
Bring It To A Session
The fastest way to find out whether your badminton racket suits you is to use it in front of a coach for an hour.
We look at what the frame is doing to your swing rather than at what is printed on it. Our badminton lessons run for adults, children and pairs across the island, and equipment advice comes with the session rather than as an extra.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What badminton racket should a beginner buy?
A: A light, evenly balanced frame with a flexible shaft. Weight class 4U is the usual starting point for adults. Get the grip size right and keep the spend modest, because the string matters more than the frame at this stage.
Q: Does a more expensive racket make you play better?
A: Not while you are learning. Stiffer, more expensive frames return what a trained swing puts into them and do very little for one that is still being built. Fresh string on a modest frame beats dead string on a good one.
Q: How often should a badminton racket be restrung?
A: When the shots feel dull, when the strings shift under your thumb, or when you cannot remember the last time it was done. Tension drops steadily whether the racket is used or not.
Q: Can I use my own racket in a lesson?
A: Yes, and we would rather you did. Seeing what your own frame does to your swing tells us more in one session than any specification sheet.
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