Hello! Been lurking for a while, but decided to join to ask about purchasing my first badminton racket (have been borrowing friends for a while now). First off, for someone living in Seattle, where is the best place (online) to purchase a racket? I went to a couple of sports stores, however, most of them have pretty bad racket selection ... Alright, a little about myself. I would definitely classify myself as a beginner badminton player, but other than that, i'm fairly athletic, and because of my build (5'10", 170 lbs), probably would be more successful as a power/smash type player. I don't really have a budget (so price isn't really a concern), so I'm more looking for a racket that will last me a while: one that is appropriate for my skill level, but will still be a good racket as I improve beyond an intermediate player. In terms of muscle strength/endurance, etc, I *think* that I should be ok using heavier rackets if necessary, but I have no clue about this. Also bonus question, my friend is also looking to purchase a racket as well. She (yes, female player) is a former high school varsity tennis player and is also fairly athletic. Do the same standards for picking rackets for male players also follow for female players? Thanks!!
What you should look for is shoes first. For racquets, I think lower-end of Armortec or Nanospeed will last you very long. Have you tried ordering online? BadmintonAlley.com got a great selection of racquets.
hmm....since you live in seattle and are looking for 2 rackets if you guys dun mind getting the same racket, i know Forza rackets are buy 1 get 1 free at ClearTwo badminton here in Richmond B.C. might be something you guys want to consider. you know, make a day trip up. Darryl (the owner) is a nice guy, and he has all these rackets including Yonex, Forza and Wilson in his pro-shop and demos (not sure if for all) for you guys to try out And, if you guys fix it so you are here during drop in's, you can put those Forzas in action the moment you buy them commenting on the way you judge your playing style, instead of judging by your build, what is it that you LIKE to play? aggressive? passive aggresive? if you are just looking for a good starting racket, anything similar to a Ti-10 will be your best bet. Even balance, not particularly biased towards anything AND you can produce quite a bit of power from it if you end up pursuing that power type. For your question about male/female rackets: there isn't much distinction. with that said, males and females usually choose different rackets due to the racket weight and stiffness. However, a Ti-10 is a fitting racket for both females and males.
thanks for the suggestions guys! to answer your question, the type of play that i LIKE is more of an aggressive style. I usually play doubles (with my friend), and she is more of a defensive/passive agressive type player. Would something like the Arcsaber10 be more appropriate? or is that too advanced of a racket?
Arcsaber series is too advanced for you. Lower-end Armortec or Nanospeed would suffice. Even Forza's good enough... I'm going to C2 tomorrow and check out their promotion.
