Types of Rackets

Racket sports have ancient histories but continue to enjoy popularity throughout the globe. Each racket sport has its own style and design of racket to satisfy the demands of the game. Despite each game's particular rules and court, players of racket sports often play more than one type of game since fundamentals are similar. The different rackets and the games for which they are designed give players new challenges and strategies to master.

  1. Tennis

    • While references to the game of tennis extend back into medieval history, the modern racket’s design took shape in the 1870s. The wooden racket, notes the International Tennis Federation, was originally made from ash because of its strength and plasticity. While 20th-century racket makers knew that metal frames could more easily be bent, manufacturing technology could not construct a satisfactory metal tennis racket until 1953; subsequently, metal rackets gained in popularity during the 1970s. Using more pliable metal alloys allowed racket makers to develop larger surface areas, or head sizes, which continued to grow until International Tennis imposed a limit in 1979. Since that time, wooden rackets have been phased out and players of all ranks predominantly use the lighter and larger metal or composite rackets.

    Badminton

    • According to the Badminton World Federation, the game of badminton traces back to the ancient game battledore and shuttlecock. The modern version of the game, however, originated in India during the 19th century with a game called “Poona.” English colonists took the game back to England. The Duke of Beaufort helped popularize the game at his home “badminton” in Gloucester, and from there it grew. The modern badminton racket is a light, slender racket. It does not need much strength, since players hit a shuttlecock, or birdie, which is a hollow cone-shaped projectile with a heavier cork end at its point. Originally designed from wood, most modern badminton rackets are made from composite materials because, as the South Australian Badminton Association notes, rackets need to be light since badminton is the fastest racket sport.

    Racquetball

    • A more modern racket game, racquetball began in 1968. The racquetball racket has a squat frame with a wide face. The frame itself must be sturdy since the racquetball is a tough rubber ball that moves at a high velocity. According to the United States Racquetball Association, the original racket was wooden, but was quickly replaced by stronger, lighter material: “Racket frames shortly after transitioned to alloy then fiberglass and now graphite composite.” Similar to the tennis racket, advances in material technology allowed designers to construct rackets with wider faces. Because racquetball is played in an enclosed area where all four walls and the ceiling are hitting surfaces, the design of the racket allows players the maximum amount of hitting area while keeping the actual reach of the racket close to the player, which helps avoid injuring the other player on the small court.