Canadian Getting back into Badminton After 9 Years! Recommendations? :)

Discussion in 'Racket Recommendation / Comparison' started by Paul Chow, Jan 7, 2017.

  1. Paul Chow

    Paul Chow New Member

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    Hi there!

    I'm Paul, Canadian in Edmonton AB. As per the title I've been out of the game for nearly a decade. Excited to start playing again finally, but have no idea what racket to get or remember my grip size even lol, just looking for recommendations! :)

    Also if someone can recommend a safe place to buy a racket online or in store, preferably prestrung at a desired tension that would be awesome! Money is no object, have no brand loyalty.

    Situation:

    Used to play in low level tournaments, semi-competative and would pay for training and practice 3-4x a week.
    Since I stopped started lifting weights a lot so I have more muscle mass/stronger than most players
    Also now slower than most players LOL :p
    Want to play SINGLES! (will be doing paid training and looking for singles partners/ladders to join)
    5'8 with average sized hands
     
  2. Charlie-SWUK

    Charlie-SWUK Regular Member

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    I don't know too much about badminton in Canada, however, my two cents would be:
    1) Start off with anything you can get, not just singles, get back into the game and enjoy it! It's usually easier to find people to play doubles, and really you'll get a feeling back for the game.
    2) Get your footwork back up to scratch ASAP especially if you're a bit heavier!
    3) Make sure you have good shoes! As you've played before you likely know the importance of footwear, but I cannot stress enough, pick yourself up a good pair of court shoes if you're serious about getting back into things.

    Now onto the racket.

    Grip size is almost always a Yonex G4 or G5 in Canada. There isn't much difference in width, just add overgrips until you're comfortable.

    String doesn't need to be anything flashy for now, anything like Yonex BG 65 at 22-24lbs should be adequate while you get yourself back into the game. You can experiment with this as you go. If you feel you want more out of your game in a specific way, i.e. you want more control, you can start looking at strings with better control.

    Racket will likely want to be something medium-head heavy. Nothing too extreme. You have some classics like the Voltric 5 and Voltric 7 that come in reasonably cheap. You could also be more adventurous and consider something like the Duora 77, or the Voltric 8 E-Tune.
     
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  3. mb111

    mb111 Regular Member

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    Hi Paul,
    Welcome back to Badminton community.
    By the time you read this, you must have gotten back playing a few months already.

    I agree with Charlie-SWUK. Everything he said is accurate.
    1) Badminton is a fun sport. Start having fun. If you stop playing for a while and suddenly pick up the game again, you and your body will need time to adjust (or readjust) yourself, not only physical but mentally as well. Do not pressure yourself, the more you play, the more you will get back to it.
    2) Footwork is extremely important. In order to pick up quickly, you can either play singles (and also mixed doubles....if possible). In our club, we are not allowed with singles (limited space and also big number of players), so I find mixed doubles to be effective for pushing myself on footwork
    3) I don't know if you still have your same pair of indoor shoes, or whether they fit, or you need to get a new pair. Charlie is absolutely right on this one. Speaking for myself, a good pair of indoor shoes are actually more important than any other equipment. However, I can tell you many others will say racket being their priority

    Other notes
    -play with different players, partner with different players for doubles. You will learn more on the game as well as improve your strategy thinking
    -racket, i am a strong fan of using non Yonex brand. Mind you, I love Yonex, I have Yonex racket. But I just like using non Yonex brands. :)
    depending your type of playing, attack or defensive play, there are different racket characteristics that you might want to research on.

    Most importantly, go to the court, have some fun playing and Enjoy.
     

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