Sometimes its difficult to judge whether or not you have the correct gear when you hit the Badminton court. This blog post will hopefully point you in the right direction and inform you a bit more as to why it is important to have the Racket, Shuttles, Shoes and Clothing thats right for you...
Rackets
The racket is one of the most important things to get right if you aim to be playing badminton above the casual / leisure level. A racket which is too head-light and with the wrong string tension would make you “over hit” the shuttle. What I mean by this is that if you have a racket which is too light for you, you will be trying to add power by using your arm action, this is OK if you have a strong arm, however this will cause issues and injuries if you don’t have the strength in your arm.
The same can be said for a racket which is too stiff for you. OK if you have the strength in you arm however, if you don’t you will find this an issue and injuries may occur.
Play to the racket’s strengths, a head light racket is fast through the air, make fast actions to gain the power from it when needed.
Shuttles
Shuttles are also very important when selecting the correct equipment. A shuttle that is too fast for the ambient temperature will cause the games to be unnaturally fast and can be over whelming for people trying to learn and improve their game.
Select a shuttle which is too slow and this will make the players try to hit the shuttles too hard over and above their natural power from their stroke, this again will cause injuries to the players.
The method for testing a shuttle for speed is as given below by the BWF:
TESTING A SHUTTLE FOR SPEED
To test a shuttle, a player shall use a full underhand stroke which makes contact with the shuttle over the back boundary line. The shuttle shall be hit at an upward angle and in a direction parallel to the side lines.
A shuttle of correct speed will land not less than 530 mm and not more than 990 mm short of the other back boundary line.
Shoes
Selecting the correct shoes for your Badminton is also important. You will need a pair which is specially designed for indoor courts improving grip when on court. You will also have to ensure that the shoe you select provides adequate support for you needs along with being the correct size as a shoe which is too small or large will cause painful feet when moving around on court.
Clothing
Selecting the right clothing is often overlooked, you will need a shirt or top that will be comfortable for you to play in allowing freedom of movement for you to play your shots. A shirt will also need to dissipate heat and moisture from you, FZ Forza badminton shirts are constructed from Dryforze material, allowing you to quickly cool down and allows moisture to dissipate from your body. This is particularly important as a soaking wet shirt would be uncomfortable when playing and may put you off at that vital point!
All FZ Forza rackets, clothing and footwear contain all the right technology for the Badminton player, providing excellent quality for an excellent price and is currently being used by Top European Badminton players on the World Circuit.
