10 Best Badminton Rackets for Beginners

When you start learning badminton or want to play it just for fun, there’s no point in investing in a high-performance racket. What you need is an all-rounder and beginner-friendly badminton racket.

Even if you are planning to play professionally in the future, you need to start with a generalized racket called a starter badminton racket. You still have a lot to figure out in terms of playing style.

Maybe you will prefer a head heavy racket or have a defensive playing style. It’s all very uncertain at this moment. After continuous learning and playing you will eventually figure it out. But till then, use a racket for beginners.

What Should I Look for in Badminton Rackets for Beginners?

Professional badminton players know their style, so they can easily pick a racket that works for them. But you, as a beginner, are yet to discover that. So, it’s better to start off with a racket that has a blend of qualities. This gives you an opportunity to explore your style.

Whenever a beginner asks me for starter racket suggestions, I always say get the one that’s

1. Even-Balanced
2. Flexible or Medium Flexible
3. Has an appropriate Grip Size for your hand

Let me explain what these mean.

Even-Balanced Badminton Racket for Beginners

There are three types of balanced rackets for badminton.

1. Head heavy: The head portion (where the strings are) is heavier than the shaft. These rackets give more power in the shots but are difficult to handle.
2. Head light: The head portion is lighter than the shaft. These rackets offer better control and precision over the shots, but they lack power.
3. Even-Balanced: This is what you want. The weight is evenly distributed throughout the racket, so it’s easy to handle. Plus, you get enough power and control to not feel the lack of any particular quality.

Flexible or Medium Badminton Racket for Beginners

Here we are talking about the flexibility of the shaft. There are five types of flexibility in badminton rackets.

1. Extra Flexible
2. Flexible
3. Medium
4. Stiff
5. Extra Stiff

You should get a flexible or medium racket. These will enable you to learn how to land precise shots. This will build your confidence. In the future if you decide to switch to a different flexibility level, you can tailor your shots accordingly.

Starter Badminton Rackets with Appropriate Grip Size

This actually isn’t directly related to you being a beginner but it’s an important aspect to consider while buying your rackets. Grip size is the size of the handle.

It shouldn’t be too big or too small for your hands. You should be able to hold it comfortably in your hand. Grip sizes are usually denoted from G1 to G5, with G5 being the smallest and G1 being the largest size.

Best Badminton Rackets for Beginners

Here are my top recommendations for badminton rackets for beginners:

• Yonex Astrox 77 Play
• Yonex Astrox 99 Play
• Karakal Black Zone 30
• Karakal Black Zone 50
• Yonex NanoFlare 800 Play
• Yonex Nanoflare Drive 4
• Yonex GR 303
• Carlton Aeroblade 2000
• Yonex Aluminium Z-Force II
• Yonex Arcsaber 11 Play

Yonex Astrox 77 Play

The following table shows the specifications of the Yonex Astrox 77 Play.

Length	10 mm longer
Weight	4U (Avg: 83 g)
Grip	G5, G6
String Advice	4U: 20 – 28 lbs
Flexibility	High
Frame Material	Graphite
Shaft Material	Graphite
Color	High Orange

The Yonex Astrox 77 Play racket has an isometric head shape. The thing with isometric rackets is that they have a larger sweet spot. In fact, this has a 7% larger sweet spot than traditional oval Yonex rackets. So, the larger sweet spot allows beginners to take better shots as it’s more forgiving.

Yonex Astrox 99 Play

The following table shows the specifications of the Yonex Astrox 99 Play.

Weight	4U (Avg: 83 g)
Grip	G5, G6
String Advice	4U: 20 – 28 lbs
Flexibility	Medium
Frame Material	Graphite
Shaft Material	Graphite
Color	White Tiger, Cherry Sunburst

The Yonex Astrox 99 Play is very similar to the 77 Play. But this one comes with a power assist bumper. A tungsten-infused nylon bumper is attached to the racket so players can take more powerful shots. If you feel your shots lack power, this is a great choice for you.

Karakal Black Zone 30

The following table shows the specifications of the Karakal Black Zone 30.

Weight	4U (Avg: 82 g)
Grip	G4
String Advice	4U: 16 – 24 lbs
Flexibility	Medium
Frame Material	Graphite/Titanium
Shaft Material	Graphite/Titanium
Color	Yellow Black

The Karakal Black Zone 30 is designed in such a way that it cuts down air resistance. This allows you to take faster and more swift shots. This is specially useful for beginners as they still are not used to swiftly changing positions on the court to take the shot.

Karakal Black Zone 50

The following table shows the specifications of the Karakal Black Zone 50.

Weight	4U (Avg: 83 g)
Grip	G4
String Advice	4U: 16 – 24 lbs
Flexibility	High
Frame Material	FastFibre Ti Gel
Shaft Material	FastFibre Ti Gel
Color	Blue Black

The Karakal Black Zone 50 is an upgrade to the Black Zone 30 as this uses a FastFibre Ti Gel. This new material allows the frame to return to its shape after the shot at a 10% faster rate. So, you can be more ready for the next shot. Plus, it’s notably an all-rounder racket which is ideal for beginners.

Yonex NanoFlare 800 Play

The following table shows the specifications of the Yonex NanoFlare 800 Play.

Length	10 mm longer
Weight	4U (Avg: 83 g)
Grip	G5, G6
String Advice	4U: 20 – 28 lbs
Flexibility	Medium
Frame Material	Graphite
Shaft Material	Graphite
Color	Deep Green

The Yonex NanoFlare 800 Play has a special Sonic Flare System. Some high modulus graphite pieces are strategically placed across the bottom of the frame. These pieces provide more stability to the entire frame. As a result, the shuttlecock experiences maximum acceleration and high power impact.

Yonex Nanoflare Drive 4

The following table shows the specifications of the Yonex Nanoflare Drive 4.

Weight	4U (Avg: 83 g)
Grip	G5
String Advice	4U: 20 – 28 lbs
Flexibility	High
Frame Material	Heavy MS Graphite and Nanocell Neo
Shaft Material	Heavy MS Graphite and Nanocell Neo
Color	Purple Black

The Yonex Nanoflare Drive 4 is specially designed for beginners who are looking for easy maneuverability in rackets. The new Nanocell Neo material gives the racket extra flexibility. So, the movement required from your side is minimized.

Yonex GR 303

The following table shows the specifications of the Yonex GR 303.

Weight	4U (Avg: 80 g)
Grip	G3
String Advice	4U: 17 – 18 lbs
Flexibility	High
Frame Material	Aluminum
Shaft Material	Low Torsion Steel
Color	White

The Yonex GR 303 is durable, affordable, and user-friendly. That’s why it’s a popular choice among beginners. It is a bit heavy due to the metal frame as opposed to graphite frames of most rackets on this list. So, it might be a bit heavy for children but adults can handle it well.

Carlton Aeroblade 2000

The following table shows the specifications of the Carlton Aeroblade 2000.

Weight	2U (Avg: 90 g)
Grip	G3
String Advice	2U: 18 – 20 lbs
Flexibility	Medium
Frame Material	Alloy Steel
Shaft Material	Alloy Steel
Color	Green Black

The Carlton Aeroblade 2000 has a robust build. It has everything you would want in a decent racket. Its shaft has medium flexibility, and it delivers good power. The frame material is durable and attainable string tension is enough for entry-level tournaments. It has a G3 grip size, which is more suitable for players with big hands.

Yonex Aluminium Z-Force II

The following table shows the specifications of the Yonex Aluminium Z-Force II.

Length	10 mm longer
Weight	4U (Avg: 83 g)
Grip	G4
String Advice	4U: 20 – 27 lbs
Flexibility	Stiff
Frame Material	HM Graphite, Sound Filter, Nanometric, Tungsten
Shaft Material	HM Graphite, EX-HMG, Nanometric
Joint	New Built-in T-Joint
Color	Black

Now, I know the Yonex Aluminium Z-Force II is a head heavy racket. But it still deserves a mention here because it’s an excellent choice for your first professional badminton racket. The use of advanced technologies like Nanometric material, grommet pattern, sound Filter, and Tri-Voltage System makes it a pretty advanced racket. You could probably use it for intermediate play. If you have the budget, I highly recommend the Voltric Z-Force II.

Yonex Arcsaber 11 Play

The following table shows the specifications of the Yonex Arcsaber 11 Play.

Length	10 mm longer
Weight	4U (Avg: 83 g)
Grip	G5, G6
String Advice	4U: 19 – 27 lbs
Flexibility	Medium
Frame Material	Graphite
Shaft Material	Graphite
Color	Grayish Pearl

The most unique thing about the Yonex Arcsaber 11 Play is the Control Assist Bumper. These are pieces fitted into the racket frame so that the vertical strings of the racket are locked in. This locked effect allows players to achieve better accuracy in their shots. This combined with the enlarged sweet spot can achieve really accurate shots.

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