In my opinion, choosing the right racket matters at all ages and abilities. If you are younger, you will need a shorter sized racket, if you are using a regular sized racket, you will need to think about the properties of your racket. How heavy it is, where and how it's balanced, the material it's made from, what type of string you are using, what tension it's strung at, what type of grip you are using, how thick the grip is and more.

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You will undoubtedly hear about 3 general categories of badminton racket at some point, these being "head heavy", "head light" and "balanced". In general, "head heavy" rackets are used to gain more power on shots, they usually have less control than other rackets as well; they are used for power attack playstyles, popular amongst men as you might imagine. "Head light" rackets are naturally more controlled per shot and swing faster through the air, allowing for better defence and enhancing your fast reactions; from my experience, many female players and doubles players like to use this type of racket. Balanced rackets are best for all round playstyles, they balance control and power as much as possible, however some balanced rackets are designed to be slightly head heavier for extra power or vice versa.

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Professional rackets these days come with a whole range of features and "new" technologies that are somewhat difficult to understand, so I will clear some of those up for you here, highlighting what benefits they give you if so:

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Size/Weight:

• 3U = 88g

• 4U = 83g

     Generally, rackets are found between 70g-90g in weight. A simple way to think about which is best for you, is based on your preferred balance between swing speed and power. a 3U racket will swing through the air slightly slower, but it will produce more power as there is more weight behind the swing.

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Types of Grip:

• Full Grip (usually found in G1-G4)

• Towel Grip (usually found in G1 - G4)

• Overgrip (Usually found in G4-G6)

Grip:

• G1 = Extra Large sized grip

• G2 = Large sized grip

• G3 = Medium sized grip

• G4 = Small sized grip

• G5 = Extra Small sized grip

• G6 = Extra Extra Small sized grip

     This is similar to the size and weight of the racket, in that to provide more power you want a thicker grip. For easier control, swing speed and deception, you want a thinner grip where your fingers can more easily manipulate your racket. Another tit-bit I've heard in my time, is that generally a thinner grip is correlated with wrist problems later on in life. For this reason, I like to use an overgrip on my rackets.

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Sonic Metal:

     Sonic Metal is an exceptionally strong, lightweight and flexible titanium alloy which is embedded in the top of the frame. This has two advantages: firstly, it gives you a higher repulsion power, especially in attack. Secondly, it creates a clear strong sound when the shuttlecock is hit. This acoustic, combined with the dramatic increase in repulsion, will put your opponent under immediate pressure.

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Isometric Headshape:

     This feature equalizes the length of the main and cross strings in the string-bed, enlarging the sweet spot for more consistent accuracy even on off-centre hits.

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T-Anchor:

     A composite material used in the T-joint helps reduce excess torque when hitting an off centre shot.