When it comes to the game of badminton, the racket you choose to play with can improve or affect your play negatively.
There are light and slightly heavy badminton rackets. Each of these defines the weight.
Since the racket is a vital equipment for playing badminton game, you need to take the right steps when deciding on what type to buy.
Are Light Badminton Rackets Good? Light badminton rackets are good because they enable players to gain excellent comportment, power, stability, and players use them to make quick stroke speeds and recover immediately.
Also, light badminton rackets make players deliver quick serves and drop shot while maintaining excellent control. It help to reduce the chances of injuries and make it easy on the wrist and shoulders
In this article, I want to take you through the complete details about light badminton rackets that’ll guide you to make the right choice when next you want to buy.
Badminton Racket Weight? (Why it Matters)
Much emphasis is placed on badminton racket weight because the flexibility and swing on your hand depends on its weight.
Mainly, lightweight badminton rackets are mostly preferred by those who like to play with speed and smash opponents.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a learner, intermediate, or experienced player, all types of players can play with lightweight badminton rackets.
Another factor that determines how players will stroke consistently without easily getting tired out is the light racket.
However, the light badminton racket is mainly recommended for beginners and intermediates who want to have fast improvement on the game.
The lightweight badminton racket will help you to be in control of the game and have an edge over your competitor.
The light badminton rackets are more preferred than the heavy badminton rackets. The heavy badminton rackets don’t give players the full control of the game.
How to Measure Badminton Racket Weight
The accurate knowledge of how badminton racket weight is measured matters a lot. This will help you to know the exact size that will fit you.
The badminton racket weight is usually represented by “U”; while the numerical figures attached to the letter means the size.
Also the number is what determines how heavier or lesser weight it is. The bigger the number, the lesser the weight. Likewise, the smaller the number, the heavier the weight.
Below is how a badminton racket is measured: in terms of weight and size.
| Weight | Size |
| IU | 95 – 100g |
| 2U | 90 – 94g |
| 3U | 85 – 89g |
| 4U | 80 – 84g |
Lightweight rackets are usually recommended to every player.
The most important player that needs a light badminton racket is the beginners.
The lightweight badminton racket will help beginners to gain more control over the game. It will help them to master the game easily.
The most recommended light badminton racket weight ranges between 85g to 89g (3U). This type of racket is usually easier to control.
As an amature who wants to be an expert on the game by practicing consistently, should buy a light weight badminton racket.
Double players are to use 4U to shoot at high speed and react quickly against their player.
Then, the single player should use a 3U racket to gain stability and total control over the game.
Features Of Lightweight Rackets
The lighter racket has features that distinguish it from the heavier racket. The features make light rackets stand out in the game.
Whether you’re amature, intermediate, and advanced player, the light racket is good for you because of the features built into it.
The lighter in weight of the racket the better it is for you to gain more power and stability.
It will help you to stroke at any point of the court. Lighter rackets help you to shoot with speed.
Let’s dive into light badminton racket features:
1). Shaft Stiffness
Are you a beginner who wants greater control of your racket?
Then, what you need is the light weight racket. The racket gives especially the learners the confidence to swing and still maintain total balance.
It offers a more flexible shaft that allows you to gain excellent body balance while playing.
The flexibility of the shaft gives more power to the player, which they use to shoot with a better control of the ball.
When using a lighter racket you’ll not be able to adjust the shaft stiffness while adjusting the balance point, weight, and string tension.
For you to adjust the shaft stiffness you need not to adjust the balance point, weight, and string tension.
The shaft stiffness of the racket makes the player not feel tension and hit on their arm.
The shaft stiffness helps the racket to absorb the force at whatever degree at which the ball hit the racket.
The speed of your arm is what determines if the racket you’ll go for is stiffness or flexible racket.
If your arm speed is slow and smooth at the same time, then you need a flexible shaft not stiff.
The flexible shaft will benefit beginners the more compared to the stiff shaft. Because beginners’ arms can’t shoot with high speed and maintain smoothness as well.
The advanced player will benefit more from a stiff shaft. Because they can shoot with high speed and still maintain excellent body comportment.
The light racket that’s flexible is primarily good for amartur, while the stift racket is designed for advanced players.
2). Head Shape
The head shape of a light badminton is very important. It is the shape that determines how stiff the racket will be.
Badminton racket have two different shapes
- Head-heavy rackets
- Head-light rackets
These two types of head-shape racket are designed to fit different level skills; like the beginner and advanced.
Apart from the two types of head shape racket of badminton, there is a standard frame shape that offers a tighter feeling with more control.
The standard racket is called isometric. The isometric standard frame gives more feeling of tight features to any players.
The rackets that have a main string with shorter length will offer more stiffer than the one with a wide body. The racket with a wide body offers more power especially to advanced players.
3). Head-Light rackets
Badminton racket is said to be a head-light racket when the mass shifts towards the handle and then gives the racket lighter head.
The lighter weight racket is most used by many badminton players because the frame and head of the racket has lesser mass.
The lighter weight of the frame and head make it easier for players to maneuver and swing with high-speed. It’s also easy to maneuver with it at high speed.
The lighter weight is good for returning smashes with confidence and maximum stability. It gives the arm and the wrist a more relaxed position to hit back the ball.
The better racket that you can easily shoot at the net with high speed is lighter weight especially amature players.
The amarture player’s hand isn’t yet strong enough to shoot with high speed and smooth at the same time, therefore they need a head-light racket to gain stability beforer high speed.
4). Head-Heavy Rackets
The head-heavy racket mass is shifted towards the head and the frame. It makes the racket heavy on players, which you beginners can’t easily use to smash at opponents.
Players who prefer playing powerful games from the back of the court need a head-heavy racket.
The heavier head racket increases the power of a player to clear or smash an opponent. This is the reason many advanced players prefer the heavy-head racket.
5). String Tension
The tension of a racket can be measured by pressing your palm against the strings and see how long it will press backward or sink.
A 1mm to 1.5mm sunk depth of the strings is the best tension for most players.
Though most players prefer the string tension to be 1mm.
The 1mm tension give them more control of the string more than any other tension.
For a beginner, you need a higher tension racket that’ll enable you to stroke. The string tension will help you to channel more force into your racket when you want stroke.
The exact racket string tension you need as a beginner ranges from 22 lbs – 23 lbs. This string tension will help your arm and wrist to handle the force when your opponent hit.
Likewise, the 22 – 23 lbs string tension will make you have full control of the game. Though, depending on the strength of your arm, determine the string tension you’ll play with it.
However, string tension varies from region to region due to the degree of the temperature affecting the string tensions.
Therefore, higher racket tensions are usually recommended for people living in the tropics as the string tends to expand in hotter places.
The higher string tension will allow player to have proper control to smash with speed. This is mainly applicable to the advanced string tension.
Below is a general guide line for string tension:
- Beginner: 18-20 lbs
- Intermediate: 20-23 lbs
- Advanced: 24-27 lbs
- Professional: 27 lbs
Racket with string tension of 18-20 lbs is recommended to beginners, intermediate is 20-23 lbs, and advanced players is 24-27 lbs, and professional players is 27 lbs.
The other factors you need to consider alongside with string tension is the string width, and the composition you played. These will help to know the type of string tension you need to play with.
6). Racket Balance Point
Badminton racket balance point is measured from the handle to the shaft. This the area where you actually balance the badminton racket on your finger.
The lightweight rackets have a heavier feel and also give high balance points. It makes the player feel lighter with less control from the lower balance points.
For a player to have a maximum control, there must be a balance point that ranges from 275 mm to 280 mmm.
You will get a lower balance point when you add a new heavier handle or add the weight to its handle head.
7). Racket Weight
Badminton rackets can either be lighter or heavier.
Though, the heavier weight racket is designed to offer more power, while the lighter weight badminton allows the player to have more control of the game.
Most times, players choose the lightweight badminton racket with weight ranges from 85 grams to 90 grams. The rancket has to be unstrung.
This will give you more control than any other racket that has higher or lower weight, especially if you are beginners.
8). Balance
Balanced weight badminton racket has the both features of heavier and lighter weight racket.
The balance weight racket will help you play well from any position if you don’t have a specific playing position to shoot from.
The headlight badminton rackets enable players to shoot from a specific playing position in the court. With a head-light racket, you can easily take control and swing over the racket.
9). Stiffness and Flexibility
Medium or extra stiff lightweight badminton rackets give more power for smashes than the flexible rackets.
The medium or extra stiff can easily bend and get back very quickly any time you smashed.
The flexible racket doesn’t give more power nor does it offer smashes. So, flexible racket badminton is not used for smashes because it doesn’t return quickly when it bends.
The flexible one will benefit those who have not strong swing speed, while the stiff one will benefit those that have strong swing speed.
If your swing speed is strong then you might consider using a stiff shaft. But when your arm speed is slower and smooth, then consider using a flexible shaft.
Beginners will benefit more from a flexible shaft, while advanced players will gain more power from stiffer shafts.
What is Your Playing Style?
There are different types of play styles available within the gameplay. The play styles are:
- Defensive style
- Straightforward style
- Deceptive stroke style
- Aggressive style
- Fast style
These playing styles above are to consider before you buy any badminton racket. Likewise your efficiency will also be what you should consider before buying any racket.
Conclusion
The lightweight racket benefits beginners, intermediate, and advanced players.
The light badminton rackets are not just good but designed to make players take control of the game.
Buying a badminton racket depends on the type of style you want to play.
However, the lightweight racket can be used to play any of the styles by beginners especially.
