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One of the worst feelings in badminton, or any sport for that matter, is playing in uncomfortable clothes. From shirts that weigh you down with sweat to shoes that are clunky and stiff, wearing the wrong attire will not allow you to play at your best. Badminton is no exception when it comes to apparel designed specifically for its athletes. So, what exactly do badminton players wear?
Male badminton players wear sleeved or sleeveless polyester shirts, polyester shorts, thick socks, and badminton shoes. Female badminton players wear sleeved or sleeveless polyester shirts, polyester skirts, polyester shorts, or polyester skorts, thick socks, and badminton shoes. Badminton players also commonly wear badminton accessories such as wrist bands, head bands, and knee straps.
Our #1 recommendation per apparel category:
| Category | Recommendation | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Shirt | Yonex Crew Neck Shirt | This shirt has 7 distinct attributes, such as keeping the player cool and dry, to take its athlete to victory. |
| Shoes | Yonex Power Cushion 65 Z 2 | A shoe with 12 different features from providing stability to reduced impact to knees and ankles to enable maximum mobility. |
| Shorts | Yonex Shorts | These shorts offers 5 distinct attributes to enable maximum mobility and heat release. |
| Skort | Yonex Skort | With inner shorts sown in, the Yonex Skort matches Yonex Shorts in terms of offering ultimate mobility. |
| Socks | Yonex Sport Crew Socks | Thick and comfortable socks allow players to play at their best, while prevent blisters. |
| Headband | Yonex Headband | This headband is stylish and keeps hair and sweat away from a player’s eyes. |
| Wristband | Yonex Wristband | These wristbands are comfortable and keeps your grips dry and highly functional. |
| Knee Strap | IPOW Knee Strap | This knee strap is adjustable and has great shock absorption. |
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Why Badminton Players Wear Polyester Shirts
One of the most essential considerations when playing any sport is to stay comfortable while engaging in rigorous activity. You want to avoid wearing clothes that will restrict your range of motion, keep you hot and bothered, or weigh you down. An unspoken rule of thumb is to keep your apparel light and fitting, but not overly tight.
Badminton players wear polyester shirts because the material is breathable and helps to regulate body heat by releasing hot air while drawing in cool air to refresh the player. Polyester shirts are lightweight, aiming to minimize weighing the player down. Furthermore, polyester not only draws sweat from the player’s skin and keeps them dry, but the dries relatively quickly.
Major badminton brands have specially designed polyester shirts that are packed with value-added technologies. Take Yonex’s Crew Neck Shirt, for example. It has a special hydrophobic fiber that helps transfer the moisture from the player’s skin to the fabric, this material also simultaneously dries quickly, which diminishes the feeling of being bogged down by sweat. The Crew Neck Shirt has UV radiation interception technology, claiming to block up to 92% of UV, which is especially important in hot, sunny summer days. These shirts are made with carbon-imbued conductive fibers which help to combat static electricity buildup in the shirt.
Yonex has also developed special technology in their shirts to maximize a player’s freedom of movement during active play. Stretch technology in the crew neck shirt allows for the material to stretch and lessen the restriction on a player’s movement. On top of the stretch technology, Yonex’s power sleeve provides up to a 165 degree range of motion, further enabling players optimal freedom of movement.
In badminton, players want to stay light and fluid. While cotton shirts are arguably more comfortable to the touch, they tend to absorb and trap heat and sweat for much longer than polyester shirts. This leads to a heavy and soggy feel the longer your badminton session drags on, resulting in an exponentially worsening comfort level with the passing of time.
Players that want to take freedom of movement to the next level and not have any material impede their swinging motions can opt for a sleeveless shirt. Female badminton players have the additional option of wearing a polyester sports skirt.
Why Badminton Players Wear Badminton Shoes
If there is one piece of advice that you MUST takeaway from this article, it would have to be: invest in badminton shoes. Out of each of the badminton apparel covered, proper badminton shoes will make the biggest difference in your playing experience. Badminton shoes gives you peace of mind in your movement, and allows you to take each step with confidence. I recommend studying Yonex’s revolutionary shoe technologies to find the right pair for you.
Badminton players wear badminton shoes as they provide unparalleled support and stability to the player. Proper badminton shoes secure the feet through good fit, minimizing stress to the foot, ankle, and knees while maximizing comfort. Badminton shoes stabilizes the foot when landing, reducing slippage and lag between successive steps.
There is arguably as many developments by major badminton brands in badminton shoes as there are in badminton rackets! Take one of our favorite shoes – the Yonex Power Cushion 65 Z 2 – as an example, it has 12 distinct features that serve to boost the player’s performance. Some attributes focus on maximizing mobility through reducing overall weight, minimizing energy-loss through foot slippage, and transforming impact with the ground into additional momentum for the player. While other properties focus on security and safety by providing optimal support to the foot, ankle, and even knees, and even eliminating pressure on the big toe.
One of the most foolish decisions a badminton player can make is being too indifferent with the type of shoes they play in. Not only can improper court shoes lead to injuries such as a rolled or sprained ankle, some badminton facilities may outright prohibit you from playing if you happen to be wearing the wrong type of shoes!
A common debate is whether tennis shoes would suffice in badminton. While you can use tennis shoes in badminton,they are not ideal. Tennis shoes are designed specifically for tennis and do not focus on addressing the quick twists, turns, hops, and jumps in badminton. Tennis shoes will not specialize in protecting players from the common badminton foot injuries – rolled or sprained ankles. Tennis shoes will also not offer enough resistance against the multi-directional stress from badminton footwork and also tend to be heavier, which impede the player’s movement.
And whatever you do, do not – I repeat – do NOT, wear shoes that will leave marks or residue on the court. If you play at an official badminton facility, you will often hear the instruction that you are only allowed to play on their courts if you wear “non-marking shoes”. Shoes that have black soles such as platform shoes or boots are the biggest culprits for leaving marks on a court.
Save yourself some heartache and invest in badminton shoes.
Why Badminton Players Wear Polyester Shorts
Badminton, especially at the competitive stage, is filled with explosive movements. Footwork becomes absolutely critical, as players leap, lunge, squat, and stretch their legs in a million and one ways. What becomes a must-have in shorts for optimal badminton play is a pair that offers mobility.
Badminton players wear polyester shorts because it is light and flexible. The fabric’s fluidity allows for players to move around unrestricted, maximizing the distance they can lunge to retrieve a shot or jump to strike a shuttle at the highest utmost point of contact.
Similar to upper bodywear, major badminton bands have introduced innovative technology to benefit its wearer. Many of the attributes found in the Yonex Crew Neck Shirt can also be witnessed in Yonex Shorts or Yonex Skorts (skirts with shorts underneath). From UV reduction, to sweat absorption and fast drying, to antistatic properties and odor-avoidance, Yonex Shorts and Skorts combine perfectly with the Yonex Crew Neck Shirt to maximize badminton performance.
The arch-nemesis to the perfect polyester pair of badminton shorts is one that restricts a player’s leg movements. The biggest culprit that we see on the courts are for players who wear basketball shorts that are too long and go past a player’s knees. Especially in movements such as lunging or side stepping, these shorts would do a huge injustice to the player. I’d recommend to shelve any consciousness of showing your knees and go for that pair of shorts that will prioritize your mobility.
For a similar reason, badminton players will also not wear long pants. Long pants will restrict the freedom of movement for the player, which decreases their mobility. Furthermore, heat and sweat is trapped within long pants, which will keep players on the warmer side and less comfortable due to being weighed down with sweat.
Why Badminton Players Wear Thick Socks
If you are not already abundantly aware, badminton is demanding on the feet. With all the quick movements required to get to the where the shuttle is, you want to make sure that your feet stay in prime condition.
Badminton players wear thick socks as the extra cushioning provides a comfortable layer between the foot and the shoe, which fends off the development of blisters caused by the friction between the shoe and the foot. Thick socks prevent the foot from moving too much inside the shoe, which minimizes sliding and slippage.
Believe it or not, major badminton brands have also invested research and development efforts into creating socks meant specifically for badminton. Besides providing the desired thickness and comfort, Yonex’s Sport Crew Socks are designed with higher thread count for less stretch, which makes it more durable and protective from blisters. A right angle design in the Sport Crew Socks decreases slippage, while the 3D Ergo Fit supports the foot (arch, heel, and ankle), thereby improving the player’s stability.
Whatever you do, avoid playing in thin socks. Not only will you wear through your socks quickly, but they will accelerate the development of blisters. As you are probably abundantly clear about now – mobility is key in badminton – and blisters will surely negatively impact that.
Why Badminton Players Wear Badminton Accessories
While badminton accessories are not as crucial as the staple clothing items I’ve covered above, they do each serve a distinct purpose. As the use cases for badminton accessories are situational, I urge you to consider if the following scenarios apply to you before making a purchase!
Badminton players wear accessories that complement their physical conditions. Headbands are worn to keep hair and sweat out of a player’s eyes. Wristbands double up to prevent sweat from trickling down your arm and ruining the grip of the racket and can be used to wipe sweat from your forehead. Knee straps help dissipate strain on the knee, preventing career-ending injuries.
As each player is unique, the benefits of these badminton accessories – headband, wristband, and knee straps – may not apply to you specifically. You may not have long (or any) hair, sweat much, or experience much stress on your knees. So, use your own judgement when it comes to whether it’s worth it to buy a badminton accessory.
If you would benefit from these common badminton accessories, my recommendation would be the Yonex Headband for maximum comfort and sweat absorption, Yonex Wristband for its light weight and enjoyable feel, and IPOW Knee Strap for its practicality and snug fit.
Outside of the common ones I’ve listed, there are many more badminton accessories such as ankle braces, compression sleeves, and insoles. Each of these accessories have their own place and time to shine.
Now that you are aware of the essential badminton attire for badminton players like yourself, make sure to get yourself a proper set before stepping onto the court!
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