Common Misconceptions About Badminton

There are a lot of misconceptions about badminton. Here are the most common

Badminton is “the poor man’s” racket sport

A commonly shared view is that talented people play tennis, fit people play squash, the rest play badminton. At top level the fitness demands of badminton are greater than squash and far out way those of tennis. Badminton is officially the fastest of the racket sports with a shuttlecock traveling faster than either a tennis or squash ball.

“The new synthetic that feels just like a feather in play”

No. Nowhere near. Despite claims by manufacturers, none of the current brands of synthetic shuttles (“plakkies”) are anything like playing with feather shuttlecocks.

Tighter strings give more power

The opposite is true. Think of it in terms of elasticity. If you jump on a trampoline it provides a lot of give then throws you  back quickly. If you jump on a concrete surface it doesn’t give at all and you stay where you are. With tighter strings the shuttle spends less time on the racket face and thus gives the opponent less time.

All graphite rackets are the same, you’re just paying for the name

The quality of the materials used in the manufacture determine the quality of the finished product. Cheaper brands may use low quality carbon molded into the shape of the frame. Although light this is not very strong and can provide inconsistent flex. More expensive rackets use high modulus or ultra high modulus graphite fibers or layers. This material is of much greater purity and provides better properties.

I’ve got tennis elbow from playing badminton

No you haven’t, you’ve got golfers elbow.

I got golfers elbow because the rackets too stiff, the grips too small, the grips too big, the strings are too tight etc

Possibly but the main reason for elbow complaints, or shoulder and wrist, is poor technique. The most common is holding the racket too tightly.

Racket materials

If an aluminum racket is made of aluminum and a graphite racket is made of graphite, what is a titanium racket made of? Answer: almost entirely graphite! Extra materials added to the frame during the making of a racket are usually there in small quantities to enhance the graphite and could not be used as the sole material.

For example boron is lighter than carbon but is too stiff and brittle to be used in quantities greater than about 5-10%, titanium, although lightweight for a metal, is almost 4 times heavier than graphite and any racket made from it would weigh in at close to a pound.