Shapes
Know about the shape of your bat or racket. There are two shapes: isometric (square) and oval. The traditional shape is the oval shape, often bottom-heavy. An isometric head has a wider, squared top half. While the oval shape bat provides a small but concentrated sweet spot, the latter offers a larger sweet spot. This gives an off-center hit a better response.Stiffness
This depends on the string tension. It is said that a stiffer badminton racket performs like a racquet with high string tension. The flexible badminton racket performs like a racket with low string tension. High tension of bats offers hard hitting and in most cases take away the power from a light hitter. Low tension on the other hand favors light hitting. This gives a well-timed trampoline effect.
Cricket Bats
Weight
The lighter the badminton racket, the faster a player can swing it and that too without greater force. A light racket is more easy to use than a heavy one. But the drawback is a light racket is less stable. To keep the path consistent, greater force is required in a lighter racket . A heavy racket on the other hand offers greater momentum. The heavy bat is suitable to transfer power and speed to the shuttlecock.Balance
Balance is an important factor to consider when selecting a badminton racket. Nowadays, head balance is very popular. These bats have greater mass near the head. They are stable and the best part is that they offer higher angular momentum when swung. On the other hand, even-balanced badminton racquets are more easy to swing.In the end, actually it is the player's skill and experience that will determine which racket to buy. The best advise is to try out different rackets on your own, get the feel for the rackets by just using your hands before making any choice.
You can try out the following when you are trying out a new racket:
- The Balance Point: Hold your finger out straight and place the shaft of the racket on to the finger. The balance point for a badminton lies on the shaft. Move the racket right and left until the racket balance.
- The Overall Balance: All rackets do not have the same overall balance because of different techniques of manufacturing. It’s easy to check a badminton racket’s overall balance. Find a table or any flat surface and press the handle of the racket on to the surface near the edge. Place the racket so that the head is parallel to the floor. The shaft and head of the racket should be hanging over the edge. Now lightly push down the head of the racket and then immediately let go. This will let the racket to vibrate in the air . You must check this vibration. If the racket is vibrating up and down, it implies that the racket has a good balance. If however the racket vibrates sideways, then the overall balance is not good.
- The Shaft Flexibility: Hold the handle of the racket in one hand and hold the tip of the head in the other hand. Now gently but slowly exert a force to bend the racket slightly. When the rackets are flexible, they bend very easily. On the other hand, rigid shafts rackets are hard to bend. Get a bat that is nether too rigid nor too flexible.
- Resistance to Twisting: Place your hands at both ends of the racket. Twist the racket. If the head flexes it implies that the racket is not very resistant to twisting. This will overall affect the direction of the shots produced by the racket.
