You might have begun playing badminton as a fun alternative to the gym. Like me, I bet you fell in love with the feeling of smashing or playing an intense rally where the shuttle just won’t hit the floor.
It’s exhilarating.
Many badminton players in our community are adults who aren’t looking to go professional. Instead, we want to improve our skills to beat friends and other players in our area or do well in local tournaments.
Does any of this sound familiar?
- You’re looking to stay fit, perhaps even lose some weight, and think badminton is more fun than going to the gym
- You’re afraid that other players don’t want to play with you because you’re not good enough
- You’re committed to improving your skills, despite job and other life commitments making it difficult to rely on a coach or training partner regularly
- You’re excited to get new gear but struggle to figure out what’s right for you
If so, you’ve come to the right place.
Hi, I’m Aske.
After more than fifteen years away from the courts, I got hooked on the game again during the pandemic. My girlfriend and I decided that playing badminton in the garden of our apartment complex would be a good way to get some air within the lockdown restrictions.
We bought a shitty 2-for-1 garden racket set, which became my first racket as I later joined a local club.
I got curious about what kind of gear players tend to use, but ultimately dismissed the importance of it as a marketing gimmick rather than a meaningful part of the game compared to training drills. I would soon become wiser.
I took it as a challenge to see how quickly I could improve despite the shitty racket, thinking that I would have a big win in store when I eventually upgraded it.
Sooner or later I gave in and went to Decathlon to find something better, not knowing anything about gear at the time. I had no clue what to look for, so I did what I often do with other products: bought it based on the price.
I figured that the more expensive it was, the better it would be, so I picked the most expensive one in stock at $75 and moved on with my life.
The racket felt nice, which shouldn’t be a surprise as the material was better. Any racket would be an upgrade from the trashy stick I was playing with.
But after a while, I ran into elbow issues and went looking for a new one again.
I went online to do research, but none of the four rackets I wanted were in stock anywhere in the city. I was desperate and I ended up getting the Yonex Astrox 77 Play per recommendation from the store clerk instead.
It turned out to be another poor decision and more money wasted. I kept mistiming my shots and found it harder to generate power… That racket wasn’t for me at the time.
At this point, I had spent $150-$200 on the wrong rackets and still had to get another one.
Frustrating.
I wondered why it was so difficult to find the right racket as I wasn’t particularly picky or on a low budget. It felt as if I was stuck having to adapt to the racket rather than get one that would make my life easier and improve my game.
I understood the logic of how a head-heavy racket can help generate more momentum and power in a smash, and I liked the sound of that.
But, I didn’t understand the trade-off and what I was giving up instead as I had never tried anything different. Knowing that I loved a good power smash, it felt like a gamble to try anything else with the risk of wasting even more money.
During my research, the suggestion to pick a racket based on playing style kept coming up. The idea made sense to me, except I had no clue what MY playing style was! I wondered if I was even good enough to have one at that point. All I wanted was a racket that would suit me reasonably well.
This frustration led me to test a bunch of rackets to find the right fit as you might have seen on the blog. I’m also testing shoes, strings, and shuttles to show you the best badminton equipment available in this jungle of gear with names that are so similar they overcomplicate things.
My gear testing process is as follows:
- Select badminton gear (based on how relevant it is for beginner and intermediate players)
- Find a store with inventory + buy the gear (this can be surprisingly challenging, especially with shoes)
- Research the product (what is it claiming + how does it stack up?)
- Test the gear on court (and compare head-to-head with similar products)
- Prepare a review for you
My commitment to you
I test each item for a minimum of ten hours on court in preparation for my reviews to ensure that the people who worked hard to create it get a fair chance to show how it can help us players.
I don’t accept free gear and pay for each item I test to remind myself of the expense you’re bearing if you buy the product. This is to give you a non-sponsored and fair point of view without feeling like I have to be overly positive to keep sponsors happy.
To be able to pay for gear, I occasionally earn commissions if you buy anything through the links on the blog. I also sell gear that I’ve created based on my experience as a player — you can find it on the Beast Badminton shop.
Thanks for being here.
Aske