I've played Badminton before but just as a child/teen, not for a good 15 years probably. I intend to start playing against my brother just for fun and fitness soon, he's in the same position as me, although he always used to beat me lol. As a child I never gave anything much though - chuck on trainers grab racket and shuttle, done! - Now I'm approaching it with a bit more thought, even though I intend to play just for fun and exercise there's no reason why I can't get appropriate gear. First up I'll need some shoes, I'm quite a fan of Asics when it comes to runners so I'm thinking Gel Rocket? - They come in about GBP 40 or so. Does anyone have any words of warning or advice on these? Secondly, I'll need a racket! - I had a Wilson racket a while ago, just from Argos (department store for non UK readers), kind of a funny shape - think alien head/teardrop etc rather than oval. I have no idea where this is atm and it's probably seen better days. This is where I get confused... I'd say I'd be looking to spend less than GBP 40 really. It seems there's quite a few choices here but I don't fully understand the differences. A quick look at the forum and some charts etc suggests that different rackets are more suited to singles/doubles, attack/defence, control/power... ? I'll be playing singles, I'm no lightweight - often over hit in racket based games, I'm just not sure how these factors go into racket choices. So far I've looked to Racketworld which have loads of Browning rackets with prices to suit but I've no idea of the difference between them - with price making little difference: http://racketworld.co.uk/category/Racketball+Racket I'm slightly concerned there's not much info on them and they're not that common. (My brother had a Browning all those years ago!) Looking at somewhere like this: http://www.ukrackets.com/rackets/section/295/1/yonex-badminton-rackets It looks like I'd have a choice of quite a few Yonnex ones within my price range. Basically it seems within my price bracket there would be about 30 rackets! - I don't know what characteristics or specifications I should be looking for which make one racket superior to another. Thanks to those that have bothered to read thus far (a bit longer than I expected), thanks in advance for any help
I would recommend the following: Shoes: Yonex SHB72 <£40 Yonex SHB91MX £40 Racket: Apacs Nano 900 Power £40 (www.apacsuk.co.uk or www.apacs-sports.co.uk) String & Tension: BG80@22lbs Enjoy !
Thanks for the reply LD rules!, I've never heard of Apacs but it's interesting that you can specify the string and tension! - I could be totally wrong but I get the impression that £40 or so in Yonnex gets you naf all in terms of a decent racket, because it's Yonnex. How would your suggegstion compare to the Nano Speed (30 quid) or the Lethal 6 (40 quid)? It seems they come with Yonnex 65 strings rather than 80, I presume this is thinner gague? - 22 I'm guessing is fairly soft since it's near the bottom of the rage. I guess if I opted for say 24-25 it would have more power but be harder to control and require more oomph from me, so a bad idea! Thanks
For the tension of string , the higher it gets the easier to control but less power . 24 to 25 is definitely a good choice ! For the rackets , if you still want to test rackets out then apacs would be a better choice . If you just wanna stick to one racket and train with it for a long term then I recommend you get a yonex racket
Really? I'd have thought that the higher the number the more tense the strings were laced, I'd have thought this meant more power but less control - i.e. the opposite of what you're suggesting! - I don't want to 'test' rackets so to speak, I just want one to play with - as I said, I don't intend to use it for much besides fitness and fun but why not get something good rather than a racket from a garden set or something hehe
I reckon for your budget and level of play, the Apacs Nano 900 Power is probably the best racket you can get, for £40 is the best value for money that I can recommend with a budget of £40 Higher tension = less power/more control, unless you have good technique and vice versa. BG65 & BG65Ti are Durable strings, which are reletively thick .70mm, BG80 are more powerful thinner strings 0.68mm
I'm quite keen on the Apacs, mainly because I can specify the string tension and weight. As I said though, for the same price and brand I could have the 900 speed or the Lethal, I'm wanting to see what the difference is between these three rackets. I'm slightly confused on the string tension based on one of the posts above too!
Sorry to butt in, but may I make a plea for a lower string tension? 24-25 lbs with rusty technique could lead to rotator cuff injury, golfer's elbow, etc..... Please forgive me if you already an expert at other racquet sports. But my advice is start at 21-22lbs -- which is an absolutely perfectly functional tension. Better to spend a few shillings on a tighter string job later, if you so wish, rather than hundreds of pounds on physiotherapy.
+10 beginner should start with a mid-level racket and lower tension. don't try to be macho and go for the high tension and top end racket. it will make your life miserable. there is a good reason why Yonex rate some rackets for experts and some for beginners. also please read this article if you haven't done so: http://www.badmintoncentral.com/for...Central-Guide-to-choosing-Badminton-Equipment
Thats why I recommended the above. BG80 @ 22lbs, a great string that isn't strung too tight but not so loose that it will feel like a trampoline. And Apacs Nano 900 Power as this is a mid range racket. If you are only playing against fellow social players then there is no need for sky high tensions, for you 22lbs will be fine for the moment.
Thanks for the advice people. As suggested I think I'll opt for the Yonnex 91 MX shoes and the Apacs Nano Power 900 racket, strung to 22lbs, if it's still in stock. Yay, that should be better than a dodgy jumper for Christmas! Thanks once again for the advice everyone. Hopefully I'll get round to playing often, in which case I might be making posts asking how on earth I can improve my game and beat my brother! (I'm almost certain he'll beat me as usual he he!)
Yeah I know lol, I keep doing that, and Google doesn't help as it just finds Yonex and corrects my stupidity.
Well I got the Yonex shoes and some decent Yonex shuttles too. Sadly no racket, however, it seems Apacs have a mini sale on and I have some Christmas cash left over. I'm opting for this as it's been suggested above, I'm not sure on the string though - the suggested 80 above isn't an option. I was going to opt for 85 is it was closest but what would the difference be between this and say 68 - from reading above I gather the 85 is a more performance string? Thanks people
