Different Badminton Brands With Their Top-Notch Rackets

Is One Badminton Racket Brand Better Than The Other

Choosing the best badminton racket to suit you is not an easy choice. You could ask some experienced players for advice regarding which racket they think is best. You never know, they might also give you some valuable badminton tips and show you some badminton drills which could help your game.

However, all players would not agree which racket is suitable for you. Opinions vary greatly among players of different levels.

The best advice I can give you if you are of beginner level does not buy an overly expensive racket initially until you have improved your game. Sometimes it can also be a good idea to invest in a bit of coaching to improve your overall badminton techniques, this will help you get the best out of your racket, whichever one you end up choosing.

Below you will find some information relating to the various popular racket brands. Listed are some of the popular racket choices among players.

Yonex Badminton Rackets

Yonex is the leading manufacturer and innovator of badminton equipment across the world today. Yonex is sponsors of the prestigious All England Badminton Championship and are also aligned with the World Badminton Federation and is seen as a major partner.

The World Badminton Federation is responsible for successfully running the World Badminton Championships. There are over 80% of the world badminton players use the rackets made from Yonex. There are also a large group of die-hard fans worldwide who are in favor of the Yonex brand.

Most of the world-class badminton players are consider Yonex to be the best brand of racket for them to use. If you are looking for just about the most expensive badminton racket you can find that in the Voltric Z Force. Looking for the best badminton racket for power, Yonex have you covered, the Arcsaber Z Slash is the one you want.

Yonex also supplies equipment and clothing for many National organizations throughout the world, Malaysian Badminton, Badminton Scotland, and Badminton England to name but a few.
Here are some great Yonex rackets for you to get:

• Yonex Voltaic Z Force Badminton Racket
• Yonex ARCSABER Z-Slash Badminton Racket
• Yonex Taufik Hidayat Arcsaber 11 Limited Edition
• Yonex Arcsaber FB
• Yonex Arcsaber 6
• Yonex Nanoray 80 (White-Orange)

Victor Badminton Rackets

Victor’s market spread covers forty countries throughout the globe. Its vast globalized market is spread across five vast geographic regions of the modern world. These regions are Taiwan, China mainland, United States, Europe and every other applicable region.

Victor has over 40 years of experience and has a complete badminton equipment product manufacturing capability. Victor has many fans worldwide who love to use the rackets manufactured by the company.

The company has grown over the last 40 years and is the second largest badminton brand across the world. Since its early days, the company has always dedicated itself to supplying its customers with the very best equipment you can buy. Victor will ensure it continues to innovate, through quality research and extensive development until it becomes the world’s leading badminton equipment manufacturer.

Take a look at this great Victor racket selection:

• Victor Thruster TK8000
• Victor Meteor MXJJS
• Victor Brave Sword 12
• Victor Light Fighter 7400

Ashaway Badminton Rackets

Ashaway is probably best known as a manufacturer of world-class string technology which is used throughout the world by a multitude of the worlds top badminton, tennis, and squash players. Ashaway is the sole racket string manufacturer in the United States.

Goode Sport in the United Kingdom supplies the full Ashaway range of badminton rackets. Some of their rackets shown below include their best badminton racket for smashing. It is the best racket for power and the best badminton racket for the intermediate player. They also supply the full range of shuttles, shoes, luggage, grips, clothing, and strings.

7 Fantastic choices from Ashaway:

• Ashaway Viper XT900
• Ashaway Kevlar 8000 SQ
• Ashaway Superlight 99SQ
• Ashaway Nano Dynamic 130
• Ashaway K 7000SQ
• Ashaway RepulsorTec 950
• Ashaway Ti130

Carlton Badminton Rackets

Carlton is a British company who are owned by Dunlop Slazenger International Limited. The most famous players of recent years who were sponsored by Carlton were Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms of England.

Carlton supply the full range of badminton equipment. Probably their best badminton racket for the intermediate player is the ignite fusion.

Here are 3 super racket selections:

• Carlton Razor V1.1
• Carlton Vapour Trail Elite 2012
• Carlton Ignite Fusion

Li-Ning Badminton Rackets

Li-Ning has its headquarters in Beijing and is seen as a major manufacturer of sporting goods in China. Li-Ning blasted on to the badminton equipment market when it sponsored the Chinese Senior National Squad. All the national players now use Li-Ning badminton rackets.

The company supply badminton equipment throughout the world via its vast distribution network. If you search on the internet for badminton rackets review pages, you will often come across their Li-Ning Woods N80 racket as it seems to be a popular choice.

4 Great rackets from the Li Ning range:

• Li-Ning Woods N80
• Li-Ning Flame N50 II
• Li-Ning HC1100A
• Li-Ning UC3500

Forza Badminton Rackets

The foremost badminton brand throughout the Denmark market is Forza. The company is now also seen as a major brand in the important UK marketplace. A number of top English players which include Chris Coles and Sara Milne have utilized Forza equipment.

In addition, Forza as a company also provides support and sponsorship to upcoming junior players as well as having links to university badminton.

Coach support is also recognized as an important part of the company remit and they realize the important role that coaches play in the development of the sport.

If you are looking for just about the lightest badminton racket you can buy then the N-Forze 3000 X-treme Light is a good choice.

Here are 2 of the best Forza Rackets:

• Forza Kevlar CNT-X Power10000
• Forza N-Forze 3000 X-treme Light

Fleet Badminton Rackets

Fleet is a world-class manufacturer of badminton products and is headquartered in Malaysia. They were the first manufacturer to produce the 88 single pass grommet holed light carbon racket.

Another milestone for them was breaking through the bottleneck of the 30 pounds tension affordable racket. Their rackets are distributed throughout the UK by Yehlex. The brand supplies some good badminton rackets across their range.

These are 2 quality rackets from their range:

• Fleet Top PowerTi30
• Fleet Woven 8000

Karakal Badminton Rackets

Originating in Belgium the brand was initially owned by the SPGS Dendermonde Belgium company. The Karakal logo appeared on its range of rackets, shoes, and also on its clothing.

Distribution of its products began in the United Kingdom round about 1981 when Karakal UK was established, during 1985 they secured the marketing and distribution rights to supply the United Kingdom and Ireland marketplace.

Karakal Worldwide Limited was incorporated in 1991 and at that time purchased the worldwide trading rights. Karakal has a distribution in 40 plus countries worldwide and is specialists in rackets and badminton equipment.

Nice racket for the doubles specialist:

• Karakal BN60 Ultralite

Monsoon Badminton Rackets

Monsoon supply a full range of badminton rackets, clothing, luggage, grips, and nets.

Here is a good power players choice:

• Monsoon 24/7 N4 Reaction

Wilson Badminton Rackets

Wilson has its head office located in Chicago, which is in the USA. Currently, they employ over 1600 personnel worldwide and have a sales representation in over 100 countries.

Wilson is the world’s major manufacturer of equipment for ball sports. Their primary sports are golf, tennis, American football, basketball, baseball, softball, squash, and badminton.

The company has been innovators and leaders in the sports manufacturing field for nearly 100 years and their equipment has been utilized by many generations of world-class athletes all over the world.
Check out this top of the range Wilson racket:

• Wilson Wave BLX

Yehlex Badminton Rackets

Yehlex is a company originating from Taiwan. The company manufactures golf, squash, tennis, as well as badminton equipment. Yehlex UK was formed in 1985 and now has a range of 24 rackets in its portfolio.

Pro-Tech, Fleet, Yehlex, and Hi-Qua are all brands that the company market to the badminton community. Yehlex sponsors numerous organizations events throughout the badminton season. Some of them include badminton bonanzas, English Schools tournaments, and county championships to name but a few.

4 From the Yehlex range:

• Yehlex Triotec Woven 3500
• Yehlex TT3
• Yehlex YX-VT12 Nano
• Yehlex YX-77 Nano

We hope that by reading our article you will have a better idea regarding the vast range of rackets you can choose from. By taking a little time to research through the brands you will be in a better position to ensure that you select the correct racket for your style and standard of play.

Yonex SHB 34EX Badminton Shoes Review

The Yonex SHB 34EX badminton shoes are another quality shoes that were released by Yonex. The shoes is constructed with a lightweight 1-inch low-cut design and comfortable soft fit.

From what the company claimed:
"A key feature of all Yonex footwear, the Yonex Power Cushion absorbs shock then reverses the impact energy for smooth transfer into the next movement. Verification: When dropped from 7 meters above a Power Cushion sheet, an egg will bounce back 4m without damage."

This statement indicates how bouncy the shoe can offer to players.

Features:

• 1 inch Heel Height
• Outer Material: PU
• Inner Material: Mesh
• Upper: PU Leather, Polyester Mesh
• Midsole: Power Cushion, MsLite
• Outsole: Hexagrip Natural Rubber Round Sole
• Closure: Laced

Color Choices
These shoes come with quite a number of different color combination such as Orange, Blue, Yellow/Blue, White/Red, White/Blue.

Ergoshape and msLite

The shoe is designed with ergo shape and is making use of contours to create stability and comfort in the forefoot. The msLite that being used to make the midsole of the shoes is a lighter and sturdier material than EVA foam.

The msLite can provide players with great cushioning. It can efficiently reduce shock on the joints. Besides, the EVA foam that is used been further enhanced on the quality to make it more durable and extended the life of the shoe.

The design of the shoes is pretty standard for badminton shoes. The main problem for most badminton shoes is the bottom sole tend to get separated when it approaches and get in contact with the floor too frequent. A lot of stress tend to apply to the fore sole region and cause the shoes to get wear and tear easily.

If you take a closer look at the design of this Yonex SHB 34EX badminton shoes, you will find that the stitching work is really a state of the art as it workmanship is really fantastic. You can see the Yonex logo is well placed at the insole of the shoe.

It is manned for heavy-duty and is quite durable. I have worn it for 6 months and they are still in good shape. One of the great features of this badminton shoe is that it is built with a multi-directional grip which allows players to shift direction very fast. This is important for badminton players as this will make them possible to move around the badminton court quickly.

Power Cushion of Yonex SHB 34EX Badminton Shoes

Another feature is the Power Cushion which is constructed with shock absorption and rebound system. The cushion can absorb very well on the foot impact at the time you are stopping and it also helps to push off your feet and boost your power.

It has the natural rubber bottom grip and side grip which will hold your feet in place very well and it make sure that you won't get a slip on the floor. For sure you don't want that to happen when you focus yourself in playing the game of badminton on the court .

Pros:

• The selling price of the shoe is reasonable and quite affordable for most people.
• The shoe is pretty comfortable to put on the feet.

Cons:

• It is not durable enough. It may be worn out after wearing for some time.

Final Word

Overall, these shoes did perform well and are very reliable to put on your feet. It is also very good looking and being offers to customers for quite a low price. You don't have to worry about spending too much money if you intend to buy a pair of Yonex SHB 34EX non-marking badminton shoes.

The Essential of Ping Pong Nets

Ping pong nets are essential for table tennis play. You can get a good quality ping pong net for recreational or tournament play depending on your needs.

First let’s look at the rules for ping pong nets according to the International Table Tennis Federation or ITTF.

The ping pong net for tournament need to have a length of  6 feet (1.83m) and height of 6 inches (15.25 cm). The color of tne net should be of black, dark green or dark blue with a white top tape which cannot not be over 15mm for the width. For the net bottom, along with its length, it needs to be built close to the playing surface. The ends of the net also need to be close to the supporting posts. For the table, it doesn't matter if the color is green or blue, a ping pong net is good to be placed on the table.

Table tennis or ping pong nets comprise of an upright post, height adjuster, horizontal part of the net post and an attaching system such as a clamp.

The purpose of the ping pong net is to add an element to the game by decreasing the inconsistent height the ping pong ball travels when hit by players.

Ping pong nets sometimes are included when buying a ping pong table. These are basic ping pong nets so if you want a nicer one, you might want to upgrade and get a better set.

Table tennis nets come in three types. Spring loaded ping pong nets use a spring clip to attach the posts to the ping pong table. Most people prefer these because they are easy to attach. Permanent ping pong nets are as described –permanent. They are usually attached to outdoor ping pong tables and are usually the same width as the table instead of the regulation length of 6 feet. The most popular ping pong net is the hand tighten screw clamp type. They are the best ping pong net because you have better adjustment options.

In order to get the right ping pong net, determine the type of table you will be using and its placement. You should also consider your level of play. These factors can then help you determine if you want a permanent ping pong net for your outside table or a tournament level net for competitive play.

Wrist Flick in Table Tennis

Even if the ball is flicked by the wrist, it will be more powerful to hit the ping-pong, and when used to spin the ball will make the ball spin more. But the wrist flick will reduce accuracy. Therefore, do not use the wrist flick to hit the forearm, especially the slap ball, which has been driven by the arm swing and weight loss already.

To use the force of the wrist flick to be fully effective. We need to flick the wrist in the lower arm as soon as possible to get the reinforcement forward. If the wrist flick wrong. The centrifugal force of the arm is reduced to the strength of the wrist, rather than the force of the arm. The ping pong should be practiced with a flick of the wrist. Do not train your wrist until you can hit the ball precisely. Bouncing or tapping on the table requires a force to wring.

How to practice correct wrist flick. Do not tense wrist or wrist before it will cause the arm to slow down. The wrist is loose. I swing my arm into the beat. The wrist is the force of the arm pushed back to start compressing the wrist. When the force in the rhythm of the arm. The comfortable release of the wrist is the force of the lower arm, causing the hand to swing forward. Use this stroke to wring the wrist.

The use of a wrist to help hit every ping pong is a common misconception. Especially the new ping pong who like to imitate the ping-pong champ by YouTube video. Some people misunderstand, wrist flexion, hanging down forever. Caused by wrist or crooked wrist injury in the long run. Do not hold the wrist bent and the following image will not be able to use the force of the wrist flicker because of the lack of wrist strength.


The right handle When the ping pong is in the hand, the forearm must be raised higher than the wrist, keeping the line of the hand and lower arm in line. As shown below, the wrist is bent backwards by the swing of the arm, compressing backward, and bending forward as the arm swings forward. The line of the hand and the arm have to be aligned in the same way that the ball hits the ball so it can control the direction of the hit accurately.


The crankcase will be full of muscle when not wriggling, and do not hold tight at all times. The image that he was hanging his wrists down came from a natural drop. Do not contract or intend to bend the wrist. The wood is hurled up, it will flick the wrist up and tighten the wood in the stroke of the wood.

Using the wrist will reduce the accuracy of the ball. The ping-pong is not accurate. Avoid the wrist. In particular, the first strike training. Should not exercise the wrist until it can swing the upper arm and the lower part.

If the wrist is still lacking, the muscles can not exhale. Do not use the wrist with a strong and fast delivery. Because it is difficult to control the direction of the forearm in the wrist and the impact of the ball may be so strong that the wrists.

New ping-pong likes to wear a wrist brace to set the ball. Do not move the body Or move to hit the ball properly. I like to stretch my arms and bending the ball. The ball hit out a short one left out the right to go.

Since the hit of the forehand is very fast and because it can be taken from the legs, arms and arms fully. The use of a wrist to hit the forehand is a little useful in terms of increased rotation of the wrist spin to spin the ball up a little. Or use the wrist to deceive the direction to hit the ball away.

Two types of wrist flick to hit the ball.

• Wrap the wrist in the direction of the face. The strength of the strike.
• Wipe the wrist according to the direction of the side edge of the ping pong. The spin in the spin.

Even the wrist flick is an important part in the use of ping pong. But using the wrists to beat the timing is more important. Sometimes the wrist may flicker before the ball hits the wood to hit the ball that is less spin. Sometimes the wrist may be fluttered in the stroke of the ball to relieve the force of the arm swing.

To use the wrist. Should not hold tight, not too loose. Practice wrist force increase or reduce the force of contraction.

Hiking Boot Care - Make Them Sparkle

Why spend time on hiking boot care?

Because your lightweight hiking and work boots are the most important part of your hiking equipment and deserve looking after!

Caring for your boots, though not the most fun part of a hike, will be worthwhile over the long term. Not only will you extend the life of your boots (and pay out less frequently for new ones) but you will also help in keeping water out of them.

So, after a muddy walk brush off all the mud, sheep poo, cow dung and everything else and give them a good wipe down but do not use detergents.

If your boots get saturated after prolonged walking in the rain and/or in wet conditions, or just damp from perspiration stuff them with dry newspaper and leave them overnight preferably in a warm place. Newspaper really does work well.

Boots need to be treated from time to time with a good leather care type product such as Nikwax Waterproofing Wax for Leather whether you hike in dry hot conditions or in wet wintry conditions. We use Nikwax as it dries into boots quite easily and makes them look cared for.

Once a year take the laces out and wash them in a cloth bag in the washing machine. Check them for damage etc. Always carry at least one spare boot lace in your rucksack even if it has been used.

Always carry plasters and compeed or equivalent for blisters – just in case someone else needs them!

If you feel your boot rubbing deal with it straightaway by putting on a plaster or compeed. Do not wait another 5 miles by which time your foot will be well sore and blistered and incapable of recovery for tomorrow’s walk!

Guide to Table Tennis Rackets

A table tennis paddle is also called a racket, and there are different models of rackets built for recreation and higher skilled players.

Recreational tennis rackets are usually made of a combination of wood and rubber that is significantly lower in speed and spin-producing capability than higher performance paddles.

The higher skilled tennis rackets are made of specialized, high performance rubber covering the wooden blade. This paddle will allow you to play with more speed and spin than recreational paddles. Custom paddles can be purchased by selecting specific specialized wood (or wood/graphite), along with high performance rubber. Users of this type of tennis paddle hold an advantage against opponents playing with recreational paddles.


A recreational paddle comes with the rubber sheets and wood blade already glued together. This style of paddle is suitable for good to moderately skilled players, but isn't comparable to a high performance tennis paddle. Table tennis is the only racket sport that allows different surfaces on each side of the paddle, with over 300 different types of surfaces to pick from.

The most serious table tennis players order the blade separately from the rubber and change the rubber after about 50 hours of play. High performance tennis racket models allow you to do this. The rubber sheets usually range from 1.0 to 2.5-millemeters in thickness, and are designed for various styles of play (defensive, attack etc.) to allow you to put different types of spin (dead spin, topspin etc.) on the ball.

When the ball hits the rubber coating it causes the underlying sponge to compress to an optimum point. This creates extra grip on the ball and results in greater spin. When the sponge compresses it creates a rebound force which shoots the ball off the racket with optimum speed and spin.

The blades of tennis paddles are made of thin layers (plies) of wood and some of them even incorporate carbon or titanium in them, even though the rules state that 85 per cent of the blade must consist of wood. The type of wood used in the table tennis racket blade determines the overall amount of speed and spin the blade will help to manufacture, along with the rubber and sapping. It will also determine the feel of the paddle.

When choosing a table tennis paddle, you need to make sure you are comfortable with the paddle handle (a very personal choice). The types of handles are: straight, flared, concave or anatomic. Penholders usually choose from Chinese or Japanese styles. Make sure the tennis paddle handle fits comfortably and balanced in your hand.
Tennis table paddles come in various shapes and sizes and usually weigh between 75 and 150-grams.

Top of the line paddles cost approximately $75 to $200, and moderate paddles cost between $30 and $75. There are also children's tennis table paddles, some of which are made of plastic and can be bought for as little as $5.

Interest in Ping Pong History? You can read through the link.

Ping Pong Rules

1. Choose who serves first

When you are deciding who will serve first, you can do it one of two ways.  You can decide it by the winner of a volley, or you can toss a coin.  Either way is acceptable to determine the person who serves.


2. Singles and doubles matches

When you are playing one on one, your serve can hit anywhere on your opponents side of the table to count. If you are playing doubles, you must hit your serve diagonally to your opponent.


3. Paddle rules and regulations

Make certain that your ping pong paddle is the proper size, weight, and shape for ping pong. This way none of the players has an advantage over the other ones.

4. Serving the ball

When a player serves, the serve must touch the server's paddle and the server's court before touching the opponent's court.

5. How a 'net' becomes a let

If a server hits the net on their serve, but the ping pong ball lands on their opponent's side, neither the server nor the opponent score a point.  This is called a let ball and the serve is taken over again.

6. Changing serves

Once a player has served five times, the serve changes to the opponent.

7. Net balls

If the ball hits the net during regular play and falls into an opponent's territory, the shot is a good one.

Points are awarded when: 

1. A server's serve fails to does not make it to their opponent's side.

2. Both players cannot return the ball

3. When a ball is hit before it hits the playing field on your side.

4. If a ball bounces more than once on a player's playing court before they are able to return it.

5. If a player hits the ball more than once before sending it over to their opponent.

6. Touching the net by either player

7. Touching the table with a free hand by either player

8. Moving the playing surface during game play, even if it's by accident, scores a point for opposite side.

Finishing a game

Players play to either eleven or twenty one points, and the players switch sides every game.  Winner can be declared in a three out of five match, or in a four out of seven match.