Today I'm going to take you through my badminton bag and talk through the essential items that I have to ensure I prepare smarter and maximise my recovery.
The badminton bag I'm using today is the Yonex 92229 Pro Badminton Bag. We have four compartments in the bag today, and I'll take you through each one. Let's go!
1. Heart Rate Monitor
To start, we have a heart rate monitor which actually came from the video I did with Greg and Jenny from Badminton Insight. I've been using it since, and it's been really helpful for playing and training as well, so I recommend having this in your bag if you like looking at these kinds of stats.
2. Scissors
Scissors are always handy to have in your badminton bag for cutting strings, tape, grip, packaging and more. It's super important to cut your badminton strings as soon as they snap to avoid any uneven tension damaging the frame. If you haven't got some already, these are great scissors to use for cutting badminton strings!
3. Electrical Tape
Electrical tape can be used:
Directly on top of the wooden racket handle to prevent moisture from getting onto the wood
To secure the ends of grips onto the racket
To customise the thickness of your grip handle size
For emergency or temporary repairs
4. Mask
At the time of filming the video, we were in the midst of Covid so obviously a mask in the bag was an essential. It's always good to have for health and safety precautions anyways!
5. Shuttlecocks
Shuttlecocks are of course essential for play, and even if you're not the one providing the shuttles it's always great to have spares in your bag just in case, or even for when you're warming up at a tournament. The ones I have here are the Yonex AS50's (UK here).
6. Training Racket
Training rackets are heavier than normal rackets and are a great addition to help you get stronger and generate more power in your shots. You can use it during a technical multi-feed or even whilst you're doing shadow movements.
7. Playing Rackets
Of course, we need playing rackets! I have the Astrox 88D Pro (UK here) in the 4UG5 spec, and I always like to have a few spares for when I break a string.
You might also see that this bag is actually thermally lined, so it protects your rackets from huge changes in temperatures, which really helps to protect them. So try and get bags that have a thermal lining if you can!
8. Testing Rackets
I'm always testing new rackets so will always have these in my bag too. These Li-Ning Aeronaut 9000 Series were the ones that I was currently reviewing, and you can check out the full review for that here!
9. Badminton String
You never know when your badminton strings can snap, and having spare of your preferred strings is always great just in case the person stringing your racket doesn't have it at hand. I currently use the Yonex Aerobite strings (UK here) and have been really enjoyed them for a while now!
10. Racket Frame Protection Sheets
Racket protection tape is essentially tape that goes on your racket frames and protects your racket from any chips, scratches and scrapes. It's a must to keep your precious rackets going for as long as possible! You can check out my invisible premium racket protection tape here.
11. Badminton Shoes
Another feature I like about this bag is that you can access your shoes from the top zipper as well as from the bottom. My current shoes are the Yonex Power Cushion 65Z3 (UK here) in the Kuroto White Tiger version. I really like the shoe - it fits really well, the cushioning is great, and the fit is incredible, so they're my current favorite pair of shoes!
12. Laundry Bag
A laundry bag to separate any sweaty kit from the rest of your bag is always useful, especially if you live in more hot and humid environments. You can use any bag you like - mine is actually one I took from a hotel room, so yeah, recycle those!
13. Extra Clothes
Extra badminton kit and clothes to change into during sessions and also after to make you feel a bit more comfortable is helpful too.
14. Towel Grip
Next, I have a roll of towel grip (UK here). I've used towel grips for a long time on all my rackets, but then decided to switch to PU grips due to the drier winter weather in the UK. I might go back to towel grips in the summer!
15. PU Grips
I always like to carry extra grips so I'm ready for any time I need to change my grips. As I mentioned, I've switched the PU grips for the UK winter season so there's definitely a few spares of these in my bag!
16. Kinesio Tape
Kinesio tape is great for injury prevention or providing extra stability if you have a weaker or recovering area like your shoulder, which you use a lot in badminton! Even if you're not injured, it's good to have in your badminton bag.
17. Deodorant
Deodorant to help you feel a bit more fresh after a long sweaty session of badminton. Your friends may thank you too!
18. Coins
Even though most places do take contactless payments nowadays, you never know when a few coins could be helpful for vending machines, locker rentals and other smaller purchases at sports venues.
19. Grip Powder
I use grip powder (UK here) with towel grips as it helps to absorb the sweat and makes the grip less slippery. This is in a similar way to how climbers or weightlifters use chalk on their hands. I wouldn't really recommend you to use grip powder with the other grips types though.
20. Hand Cream
If you live in dry conditions such as the UK winters like me, and especially if you use grip powder which can make your hands even more dry, hand cream can be really useful. Using it regularly can help lessen the likelihood of blisters too!
21. Electrolytes
During intense exercise, we often lose a lot of essential salts and minerals when we sweat which is why I always like to have electrolytes to help replenish them. It also helps prevent muscle cramps and fatigue too which is great for long tournament days especially. I personally like these electrolyte tablets from SIS (Science In Sport) that you just drop into a bottle of water.
22. Energy Gels
Energy gels help give a fast boost of energy and carbohydrates which can be used during or between matches. Again, they're great for those longer tournament days and these are the ones I typically use.
23. Protein Bars
Protein bars make great recovery snacks for after playing to help repair your muscles and fuel you for the next game. They're generally really convenient to carry around, are widely accessible in supermarkets and other shops, and last a long time too which makes them great to have in your badminton bag.
24. CamelBak 1.5L Water Bottle
I use a CamelBak 1.5-litre magnetic cap bottle with a wide mouth, which makes it easy to add electrolyte powder. The magnetic lid keeps it from smashing into your face while drinking too which is another plus. You can get the bottle here.
25. Elite Fly Water Bottle
I do have another bottle in my badminton bag, the Elite Fly bottle, which came with one of my SIS purchases. It’s watertight and squeezable, so I like it for isotonic drinks. Generally, I use these two bottles a lot!
26. Towel
Aside from the obvious use for a towel which is to wipe your sweat off, it's also great to keep a small one in your bag for when the the badminton hall has slippery or dusty floors. You can watch my YouTube short showing you how it all works here.
27. Wrist Bands
If you're someone who sweats a lot on the arms, wristbands can be a great way to prevent sweat from going towards your hands, which can often make your grip more slippery. Every little helps with providing more comfort when you play!
28. Grip Strengthening Tool
Grip-strengthening tools are great for an easy to way improve your wrist and finger power, meaning you can generate more power in your shots with less swing. I personally like this one here as it's adjustable for tightness so you can make it tighter as you get stronger or make it looser if you're just using it to warm up your fingers.
29. Therabands (Resistance Bands)
I usually have two therabands of different strengths which I use for warming up my shoulders, deltoids and rotator cuffs. If you want to how I use these to warm up, you can check out my video here.
Aside from using them for warming up, they're also great for strength training and rehab when you're recovering from an injury. They're super light and easy to carry around too so won't weigh your bag down at all.
30. Peanut Massage Roller
Finally, we have the peanut massage roller, and this one here is from Pulse Roll. I've been using foam rollers for many years now and they're usually quite big and not as convenient to be carrying around everywhere. But this Pulse Roll one is a much smaller and more portable option compared to a full-sized foam roller. It also has a vibration function which I find helpful and I've been using this peanut a lot, even when travelling for work.
And that's all for the items you should have in your badminton bag! Let me know what you have in your bag that I haven’t mentioned in the comments below, and share any unique things you carry around with you too. I’ll see you in the next one!