A complete badminton starter kit for a beginner is cheaper than you think: court shoes, a lightweight racket, a tube of nylon shuttles and a grip — and that's genuinely all you need to start. This guide gives you the exact buy-first order with real price bands, explains why the shoes come before the racket, names what's a waste of money on day one, and shows how to kit out for a club night versus the garden without overspending.
Looking for the best badminton racket for beginners? You want a lightweight 4U frame, an even balance and a flexible shaft — and you should spend about £25–£40, not £15 and not £150. This is a plain buyer's guide that tells you the three specs that actually matter for a new player, the price band that's worth it, which brands are safe bets, and the garden-toy rackets to walk straight past, with no affiliate-spam padding.
Stuck for badminton gift ideas? This is a by-budget guide from someone who actually plays: under-£15 stocking fillers like grips and nylon shuttles, the £15–£40 sweet spot of socks, towels and racket bags, and bigger gifts like a beginner racket or a pro-shop voucher. It also flags the well-meant gifts players quietly never use, so you buy something that gets taken to the next club night instead of the back of a drawer.
The regulation badminton net is 1.55 m high at the posts and 1.524 m at the centre — and setting up a court at home is mostly about space, not just the net. This guide gives you the exact net heights, the full court dimensions, how much clearance you really need around it, what surface works, and a realistic take on whether a proper home court fits your garden or whether a casual setup is the smarter call.
A backyard badminton set should get you playing in ten minutes — but the cheap ones sag, blow over and frustrate everyone by shot three. This guide explains what actually matters in a garden set: a net that holds a proper 1.55 m height under tension, staked versus freestanding posts, why nylon shuttles are the only sensible choice outdoors, and the realistic price bands, so you buy a set the family still uses next summer.
