Buying a badminton racket is easy, but picking the right one is much harder. Or, you need to know exactly which specifications are completely suitable for your style of play. Still, you don't always know how the racket will react on the court.

How important are the following factors of a racket:

 Next to flexibility, the balance point is probably the most discussed and well-known term in the badminton world. We believe that this counts for about 15% in the choice of a racket. The balance can strongly influence your style of play offensively or defensively.

The balance point is related to the weight of a badminton racket.It falls naturally within the law of gravity and leverage. We are not physicists and keep it a lot simpler because we just call it a heavy or light racket.

To determine which balance for your badminton racket suits your playing style, we first explain the advantages and disadvantages of Head Heavy & Head Light rackets.

Advantages Head Heavy badminton rackets:

· It provides more power and offers the potential to hit the shuttle further back

· It gives more control in a long stroke like the clear

Disadvantages Head Heavy badminton rackets:

· It requires more wrist strength

· It slows down the stroke movement, so less useful for e.g. a smash catch.

· Less useful for trick shots, quick short strokes in doubles and backhand.

Advantages Head Light badminton rackets:

· A lot of speed at the net and handy for smash defense

· Often more power in short quick strokes (such as at the net)

· Good to intercept the shuttle in between a rally

Disadvantages Head Light badminton rackets:

· Limited maximum power from the back court

Before you determine your balance point, make sure that the grip thickness is as thick as your desired new thickness. G4 = about 8.6 cm circumference, G5 = about 8.3 cm circumference. This is because it gives the racquet immediate weight at the end of the racquet, which makes the balance different.

To determine the balance point, do the following:

1. You can find this balance point by placing the shaft on the tip of your nail/finger.

2. Move the shaft until you have found the center of gravity. The racket will no longer fall to the left or right.

3. Measure the distance from the bottom of the handle to the balance point in the shaft.

Are there any strings in the racket? Then subtract 1 cm from the determined balance point. Strings in a stringing system weigh about 4,5 grams.

Assuming that the weight remains the same, we recommend that the balance point be shifted by no more than 1 cm what you are used to.

Conclusion balance
A balance point that is 1 cm higher or lower can be felt well by an advanced badminton player. Only go for 2 cm difference if you really want to make a big switch. Keep in mind that it will take much longer to get used to the racket.