Menu

badminton

Found My Next Court Shoe

, , , , , , ,

For the badminton court that is. Yeah, tennis shoes are a better match for badminton, but we both know my love for basketball shoes runs deep. Gotta blame Nike and that guy named Jordan for this continued love affair. And besides, some tennis shoes look good but not as good as the variety of basketball shoes out there.

For over a year, I’ve been playing in the Adidas Crazy Light Boost 2016. At the time, this shoe was probably the cheapest entry point for full length Boost, and they’ve served me well. Great cushioning and a comfortable fit. Its only drawback is the number of lace eyelets. With essentially only three eyelets per side, tightening the shoe seemed harder than it should’ve been. But still, a great performer on the badminton court at my level.

Over time I’ve noticed that the Crazy Light Boost cushioning isn’t as good where I feel the wear and tear of playing afterwards. A sign to get new shoes right? Only thing is I couldn’t really find a good replacement. I was thinking of using the Adidas Dame 3 featuring Bounce instead of Boost. However, the Dame’s one piece upper has a small opening for your foot, and since I wear an ankle brace, getting my protected ankle in the Dame 3 is just about impossible.

Untitled

While doing a routine #rossfinds, I came across the Under Armour Curry 2.5. Overall, I’ve heard good things about UA’s Curry line so while on the high end of Ross prices at $65, I got the blacked out 2.5. Sadly, these didn’t work for me as a badminton shoe. The design needs for SC30 are different from mine, and this shoe while comfortable doesn’t provide enough impact protection.

Untitled

The Charged Cushioning does feel interestingly good (though it took me awhile to get used to that foamy feel), but there’s nothing else to absorb impact. That burrito-style wrap also doesn’t really work for me either. I wear the same Zamst ankle brace that Steph Curry wears, but I couldn’t get the burrito upper to close around my brace. Steph Curry must have super skinny ankles to get the proper fit for his shoes and brace. So the Curry 2.5 has been designated as a casual shoe, but with the recent rainy weather, these high tops with a synthetic upper has been great at repelling water.

So where does that leave me in my search for a replacement badminton shoe? My own collection. A while back during a Nike clearance, I picked up the low version of the Air Jordan 31. While I was spying the black and pink color way, I just couldn’t do it and instead got what I thought was black and white. The colors actually were Navy blue and white but still a good looking shoe. Unfortunately as a casual pair of kicks, they aren’t very comfortable due to a snug toe box. But Jordans are always performance shoes, so I figured why not try these on the badminton court. And perform they did!

Supposedly the lightest Air Jordan ever made, they are ultra comfortable to play in, and I had no issues from the start. The snug toe box problem went away as the Flyweave construction stretched out I guess. I don’t recall every owning a shoe with full length unlocked Zoom Air but whatever the case, these just felt great while moving in them. From a mediocre casual shoe, I found my next badminton shoe going back to my roots with the Air Jordan line.

See more pictures of the Air Jordan 31.

Air Jordan 31 Low

yonex-voltric-5fx-2

Liking the Yonex Voltric 5FX

, ,

Looking to upgrade an all around badminton racquet, I picked up the new Yonex Voltric 5FX. Under $100 at Amazon, this racquet is head heavy (as is the Voltric line), but the overall weight is light. I’ve used the 5FX a few times, and I can tell there’s more snap and pop in my swing. But I now have to adjust the feel of my drop shot since it’s gotten slower and doesn’t dive like before. But other than that adjustment, playing with the 5FX has been more fun.

What really may be the difference is the grip size. I went down to a G5 from a G3. While the G5 grip size does feel too small, there’s increased handling and control compared to the G3 which is probably even bigger with a new grip and overgrip.

I’m not completely won over by the dominantly white racquet. It ain’t bad, but I have a feeling the white will lose its “freshness” after wear and tear. But for now, this racquet is definitely a step up.

From Brave Sword to ArcSaber

, , , ,

I’ve given up trying to find the Victor Brave Sword 12 badminton racket in Hawaii. While discontinued, the BS12 can be found online but then again, there are replicas out there so buying online is fraught with fraud.

After more research and more importantly, not wanting to pay for a fake, I figured I go with a low cost racket. That’d be a better bet financially and skill-wise, and I really doubt there would be too much concern for fakes on a cheaper racker. The ArcSaber 002 seems like a good fit especially after reading a review from the Badminton Coach.

But then I spotted the Badminton Coach’s review of the ArcSaber 003 which he rated higher even though the racket itself is cheaper than the 002. While both models are no longer in production, you can still easily find the ArcSaber 002 on Amazon but not the 003.

Looking for the Victor Brave Sword 12

,

900_662_brs12l2013q3paoDoing some research on badminton rackets, I saw the typical brands of Yonex and Li Ning. But creeping in many reviews was a name new to me, Victor, and its Brave Sword 12 model. Seemingly it’s good all around, especially for its price. But I’m not sure where to buy it.

Amazon has a few for sale but without Prime, and there’s always the potential threat of counterfeit models, especially since I have no idea what’s a legitimate Victor racket. Even then, I think the BS12 has been discontinued, showing up but not showing up on Victor’s web site.