Badminton Sports Equipment: All You Need To Start Playing Badminton

Struggling to figure out which type of badminton sports equipment you’ll need to start playing badminton?

You sure know you need a badminton racket…

• … but which one exactly?
• And which shuttlecock brands, or net?
• And next to that, what else do you need (clothes, accessories)?

In this blog post, you’ll discover all the absolute essentials to start playing badminton today.

I’m a professional badminton player for 8 years, and I have been playing badminton totally for 18 years. As a result, I’ve tested almost all badminton sports equipment many times over.

As a quick overview:

Let’s dive right in:

The 3 Basic Badminton Equipment Items

The following three items are the badminton essentials.

• If you have them, you can start playing.
• If you don’t, you can’t.

Simple. Let’s dive right in:

1. Badminton Racket

Badminton is a racket sport – so of course, we will need to have a racket.

Rackets come in all shapes and sizes and in all types of budgets. These can range anywhere from $30 (Carlton Airblade Tour) to $300 (Yonex Arcsaber 11 Pro) depending on what exactly you are looking for.

Different rackets are also suitable for different types of players. If you’re completely new to the sport, just pick a cheaper one that looks the best for you (you can also use the world’s first badminton rackt finder tool we’ve built – yep, it’s free): https://badmintonjustin.com/badminton-racket-finder

When buying a racket, you can keep these general three rules top of mind:

1. As a beginner, you don’t generally need expensive badminton rackets (over $100).
2. Go for name brands, like Carlton or Yonex (the most popular).
3. The lighter, the better.

If you can’t decide, go for the Yonex NanoFlare 800 Play. It’s a lightweight beginner badminton racket.

You can find a link to get it on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3YGu1K8

Pricing: $60

2. Shuttlecock (Birdie)

A shuttlecock is the “ball” for the sport of badminton.

It is normally made with feathers that can fly fast and far when you strike it with the racket. There are also plastic shuttlecocks that can be used longer than the traditional feather shuttlecocks.

You normally buy these in a tube, which can come with as little as 3 shuttles to as many as 12.

Wondering which exact shuttlecock to buy?

In that case, I’d recommend the Yonex Mavis 300. It’s from a known brand, and the plastic shuttlecocks are cheaper for beginners than feather shuttlecocks.

You can find a link to get it on Amazon here (this is a tube with 6 shuttlecocks): https://amzn.to/3RreZD1

Pricing: $21.95

3. Badminton Net

Now that you have a shuttlecock to hit and something to hit it with (a racket) – you need a net. Which basically means something to hit the shuttlecock over.

You have two options to get the net:

• You can join badminton classes – or get general access to a badminton court (they have nets).
• Or you can buy a net to use at home.

The vast majority of people play badminton in badminton courts. However, if you’re looking to buy a badminton net to use at home, here’s a net I’ve found for you on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4cYMchL

Pricing: $89.99

Bonus: What About Clothes?

To be honest, you can start playing badminton with regular sports clothes. You don’t need to buy fancy shoes, t-shirts or pants yet if you’re just about to get started.

Just make sure that your shoes are non-marking. Which is a fancy word for your shoes not leaving black marks on the floor on beautiful (and expensive) indoor surfaces.

You can test whether or not your shoes are non-marking by rubbing white paper against the soles of your shoes gently (without ripping the paper).

• If you see no black marks: Your shoes are non-marking. Congrats!
• If you see black marks: It’s best to change the shoes sooner or later.

If you’re looking for a full guide on what to wear for badminton, please check out my other blog post here: https://www.badmintonjustin.com/badminton-info/what-to-wear-to-badminton-complete-guide-for-men-women

Additional Gear (Nice To Have Badminton Accessories)

If you already have the 3 basic items and you are looking to level up your game one step further, here is an additional list of items that could help you!

1. Badminton Shoes

If you’re getting into badminton and have the basics nailed down, shoes are the next best thing to buy.

The right badminton shoes will help protect you from injury and keep you light on your feet, so that you can move across the court efficiently and effectively.

In a recent blog post, I’ve laid down over 5 recommended badminton shoes, ranging from $100 to $144.95. If you want to dive deep into the topic of badminton shoes, you can click the link here: https://www.badmintonjustin.com/badminton-gear/recommended-shoes

If you struggle to make your decision, just go with the Li-Ning Ultra Fly III. It’s a solid option for beginner, and it’s the cheapest badminton shoes outlined in the previous blog post.

Here’s the link to get it on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4f4KRbw

Pricing: $100

2. Badminton Grip Tape

Rackets all come with a base layer grip, but this tends to wear out very quickly, or may not always feel the best.

Grip tape is the next addition to your badminton wardrobe. This simple-to-use item will help you get more control over your shots while preventing blisters or uncomfortable feelings for your hands.

Grip tape should be replaced often, as sweat can affect its durability and grip. 

The grip tape I recommend is called the Yonex Dry Super Gap. It’s available both in black and white.

Pricing: $11.95

3. Badminton Racket Strings

The badminton racket has various strings. And hitting the birdie onto the strings is what makes the birdie fly as fast as possible.

The problem? Your badminton racket strings may pop if you become a more advanced player. As you’ll be hitting harder, and will need to defend harder shots.

There are many different racket strings on the market, and you should pick the one that best fits your own game style. If you’re a beginner, I wouldn’t worry about this just yet since it’s hard to pop your base racket strings.

However, if you are an intermediate player or just playing more regularly, you may want to stock up on strings, as these can pop quite often.

I’ve made an in-depth blog post on the beset badminton strings for hitting sound: https://www.badmintonjustin.com/badminton-gear/strings-hitting-sound

If you care less about hitting sound, and just want cost-effective, durable strings – then I recommend you the Yonex BG 80 Power.

Again, from a great brand I constantly use for almost anything (Yonex). It has a bit thicker strings and as a result is more durable.

You can find it on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/49pr430

Pricing: $15.49

4. Badminton Bag

Of course, we will need something to store everything we listed above, to get from our house to the badminton game!

There are badminton specific bags, in all different sizes, colors, and brands, so you should pick the one that best fits your needs!

They are all designed to hold your rackets, shoes, and additional badminton equipment, so you don’t need to worry as much about functionality.

Just think how much you’ll be putting into your bag, and get the one for you!

If you struggle to find the best badminton bag for you, then I’d recommend going for the Yonex Badminton Bag 9631 Black RED.

I’ve used this one for a longer period of time, and it’s a super good bag for the price point.

You can find it on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3AhmWmU

Pricing: $62.10

Frequently Answered Questions About Badminton Sports Equipment For Beginners

I’ve tried to make the before blog post as comprehensive as possible. But as you can imagine, the equipment needed for badminton is a very comprehensive topic.

So, here are some of the most common questions you might have top of mind in regards to badminton sports equipment:

What is badminton sports wear?

The clothing for bathing consists of t-shirts, shorts, pants, skirts, and jackets.

As a beginner, don’t worry about anything of this just now – and keep it simple. You don’t need the newest Yonex jacket to be a good player!

Instead, focus on the 3 basics first:

1. Badminton racket
2. Shuttlecocks
3. Badminton net

That’s it. If you have these three things, you can play.

Keep things simple.

What do professional badminton players use?

The same badminton gear you have access to (just a more expensive racket)!

Professionals are not professionals because they buy more stuff. They’re professionals because they train more.

So keep the main thing the main thing. Start playing badminton, and don’t excessively worry about the ‘right badminton equipment’.

When you’re becoming more intermediate or advanced, your coach or training partners will automatically recommend you new badminton rackets or badminton gear to upgrade to.

So you can cross that bridge when you come to it.

What is there in a badminton kit?

A bunch of things! You start with the most important thing, the badminton racket.

Then you add:

• extra shuttlecocks (feathers and plastic ones)
• badminton shoes
• grip tape
• grip powder (more advanced)
• strings (in case they pop)
• Other necessities (such as towels and a water bottle)

And that’s it. Pretty normal stuff.

So, remember not to succumb to analysis paralysis. Get a racket, a few shuttlecocks, and a badminton net, and familiarize yourself with the basic badminton rules.

And then… start playing and have fun!