Types of badminton courts

So the other day when I was stretching after practice a person came up to me asking about how many types of badminton courts are there in the market and explained to me how he was having a tough time deciding which one he should get for his academy.

Then I decided why not write a full extensive guide on types of badminton court and which one is best for you

To answer your question quickly there are basically two types of badminton court which most stadium has

• Wooden court
• Synthetic court (PVC/PU)
• Acrylic court
• Cement Court (not recommended)

From the quality point of view, synthetic courts are best as they are cheaper and also less expensive to take care of

But there is a lot more to it and these two courts can also be divided into further parts based on their quality so keep reading

There is one more type of badminton court which is less popular (acrylic court)but we will also be talking about that also

1. Wooden Courts

As the name suggests this type of court is made up of wood or we can say, by teak wood in some countries.

It is also recommended by BWF because of the shock absorption they provide during a rally, but there is one thing to note that in international tournaments wooden courts are covered with synthetic mats because of the friction they provide.

Some benefits of using a wooden court

• Shock absorption:- You might not know this but to build a wooden court first the ground is dug for 6 inches than that space is covered by layer of wood and cushion, it means that firstly a layer of wood is set on top of that one layer of cushion and this process is repeated until that empty space is filled. This is the reason that wooden courts provide such good shock absorption
• Durable:- Now this one is double-sided meaning that wooden court can be more durable than synthetic because those courts material can efface over time due to the friction they provide from the beginning but wooden courts are not the same, so in that scenario, these are the best but it is much expensive to take care of wooden court( Will talk more in detail in drawback section).
• Waterproof:- Before getting a wooden court make sure that it is waterproof

Drawbacks of using a wooden court

• Expensive:- Installation cost and material to build a wooden court is much more expensive than getting a synthetic mat, also I have talked earlier how a layer of wood and cushion is laid in the ground before a court can be built so you can estimate how much time and money will it consume
• Maintenance:- As it is made up of wood so regular polishing will be needed to maintain its quality, also if it is not cleaned every day with clean water then the court will start getting black in color which will degrade its quality.

Conclusion

If you have the money to invest then I would highly recommend you go for a wooden court and if you want to make it more premium than use a synthetic court over it.

But you have to understand that these courts demand much care like being polished regularly, maintaining cleanliness every day

2. Synthetic courts

Almost every international tournament is played on a synthetic mat and there is a reason for it

The amount of friction it provides while not being too ruff is amazing

Synthetic courts quality can be determined on two basis

First is on how thick a mat is, In the market, I have come across three ranges in thickness

4.5 mm, it is the best thickness you can get in the market, from this we can also conclude that the more a mat is thin the better will be its quality

other two ranges are 5 mm and 8 mm

So if you are thinking of buying a synthetic court make sure to ask about the thickness of the mat

One thing to note that less thick mats are more expensive so choose according to your budget

Second is the texture of the synthetic mat

There are three types of synthetic texture available in the market

• Snake ( best one, also used in international tournaments)
• Lichi
• Sand( not recommended)

Snake textured synthetic court

It is the best available quality in the market and the reason for it being the best is that it is the softest among all three yet you cannot slip on it easily

In badminton, you may have seen players diving on the court to get the shuttle and if the mat would have been ruff then it can injure them very badly this is the reason why I recommend snake texture.

Lichi textured synthetic court

It is the second-best quality you can get in synthetic courts

You may have noticed a line in between the court in the above picture, synthetic court does not come in a single piece and to join them two methods are used

First is wielding, In this, a rubber is melted on to the joint by a special tool

Second is a zipper, This is available in premium mats where the zip is installed below mats to join them

Some difference between lichi and snake

Quality:- Snake texture provides more friction whereas lichi texture can be slippy if there is a water drop on court

Cushion:- Snake texture come only in the high price range and the thickness of it is also less as compared to lichi texture

Price:- Lichi court is less expensive as compared to snake court

Sand texture court

As the name suggests its surface is as ruff as sand and I would not recommend this to get because of how incredibly ruff it is as compared to the other two

In my city an academy has these court installed and when played on those I got a bruise on the elbow by diving on the court

The situation you should be getting these court if you are low on budget

But some things to note that players shoe life will reduce drastically due to the friction these mats provide

On what surface should a synthetic court be used

First, Using it on wooden courts which is the best way of using these court because in that way a player gets the benefit of both wooden’s cushion and synthetic’s friction at the same time

Second, Using it on the plain ground which I would not recommend because then the only difference you are making by using it is the friction and not any cushion

Third, Using it on a layer of recycled rubber or foam which is a more affordable way of getting the effect of cushion, it is not much great but something is better than nothing

Conclusion

Brand:- Go for yonex if have the money to invest, where i practice they have ashway court i personally liked it

Thickness:- It will totally depend on your budget

Texture:- I would recommend you to go for snake texture

Acrylic badminton court

An Acrylic court is a surface or floor on which a sport is played, most usually in reference to tennis courts/Badminton courts. They are typically made of rigid materials such as asphalt or concrete and covered with acrylic material to seal the surface and mark the playing lines while providing some cushioning

Maintenance

There are numerous maintenance methods that are commonly used to keep these facilities in top condition.

Some of these include brushing, pressure washing with a cleaning solution and applying chemical treatments to prevent the growth of moss and algae.

Anti-slip paint is also applied to hardcourts to give better playing qualities which enhance player safety and performance

These types of court are more commonly used in outdoor courts

Cement courts

I would never recommend playing on a hard court because due to this I have seen players getting permanent knee injury due to excessive play on hard court and now they can’t even play on a wooden court

Also, cement court does not provide good traction and can get dusty easily which is a perfect recipe of getting injured

To know court dimensions read this article of mine

Thank you for reading…