Author: Racquet Network

Racquet Network staff are certified experts. Many are also certified coaches. Racquet Network Experts undergo extensive training and product knowledge testing in order to ensure that we have the most knowledgeable staff in the racquet sports industry.
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Badminton Shoes | Calgary Considerations

YONEX SHB 03 Z CORAL RED
When buying badminton shoes, it is important to know the surface you are playing on.

Badminton shoes have to fit properly; that’s a given. But what else do you need to know?

Believe it or not, where you play will influence your shoe selection.

Here in Calgary, for example, someone who plays at Clear One Badminton Centre you will probably want different shoes than someone who plays at Sunridge Badminton Centre. People who play at Smash City, meanwhile, may want a completely different shoe that for either of these places.

This is because the best shoe depends to a great deal on the surface you are playing on. Clearone has hardwood floors. So most players will want to choose a shoe with additional cushioning. Sunridge and Smash City have mats, but they are different brands (Victor and Black Knight) and different qualities, so the shoe you pick for each may be slightly different.

Racquet Network carries Calgary’s largest selection of badminton shoes. In fact, we have the largest selection of court shoes of all kinds. We also have experts who know the clubs in Calgary.

Come in for a fitting with our experts and leave with the perfect fit for your feet. We are open 7 days a week. Monday to Friday 11:00am to 8:00pm. Saturday and Sunday 11:00am to 5:00pm.

Shoe Selector For a full list of shoes in this category, please check out our ONLINE SHOE SELECTOR. You can sort by sport, gender, brand, size, width and price.

Badminton Shoes for Calgary Badminton Facilities

Shoe Selector For a full list of shoes in this category, please check out our ONLINE SHOE SELECTOR. You can sort by sport, gender, brand, size, width and price.
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How Much to Spend on a Pickleball Paddle

WILSON TOUR BLX PICKLEBALL PADDLE
The Wilson Tour BLX pickleball paddle is one of our top selling models.
In the past six years, we have watched the retail prices for pickleball paddles climb from an average of about $40 per paddle to $200.00 and more.

Does this make sense? Not really.

What you are seeing reflected in these price increases are poor choices made by pickleball paddle manufacturers. Rather than making their paddles in large numbers in factories, they are choosing to make them in small numbers locally. The result isn’t better paddles, it’s costlier paddles.

Paying $200 for a pickleball paddle doesn’t make anybody a better pickleball player. It just makes them poorer. The truth is that a good player is just as good with a $20.00 wooden paddle as he is with a $200.00 graphite paddle.

What has been driving pickleball paddle prices rapidly upward over the past few years is marketing. A tiny number of overpriced lifestyle brands have convinced some very gullible people that a few cosmetic changes make their paddles worth a lot more than they were charging just a year ago.

These manufacturers are now making paddles for less than they ever have while at the same time charging distributors more for each and every one of them. In order to sustain this unsustainable business model, these “lifestyle brands” have convinced a large group of retired people to peddle their paddles for little or no return. In other words, they are using cheap volunteer labour to put more money in their own pockets.

Capitalism is great, of course. We are big fans of it ourselves. However, there are times when things get completely out of hand and this is one of them.

Wilson Pickleball Paddles

Wilson makes reasonably priced pickleball paddles suitable for all levels of play.

Luxury pickleball paddles are nice, but they are not necessary and using one certainly doesn’t make you a better player. Wilson, one of the world’s leading racquet manufacturers, offers a line of paddles that are perfectly fine for use at all levels.

The Wilson Profile and the Wilson Tour BLX are best for beginner to intermediate players, while the lightweight Wilson Energy and Wilson Surge paddles are suitable for intermediate to advanced players.

None of these four paddles are expensive. The manufacturer’s suggested retail prices range from $80.00 to $120.00 but virtually every store who sells Wilson pickleball paddles sells them for less.

So consumers how have a choice. They can spend $200.00 on a luxury paddle or they can spend the same amount and get a perfectly suitable pickleball paddle AND a pair of court shoes.

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Where to Buy Yonex Apparel in Calgary

Yonex Logo
We stock more Yonex apparel than anybody in Calgary.
Racquet Network carries a selection of Yonex ™ apparel for people who play badminton and other racquet sports.

We stock Yonex basics like black and white shorts and skirts for men and women as well as a range of tops in sizes XS to XL.

Customers should be aware that Yonex Canada does not import all of the clothing offered by Yonex Japan. The clothing choices for Yonex fans in Canada are often severely limited in both colour and size options.

For example, Yonex Canada typically brings in no clothing in junior sizes while Ladies sizes are usually restricted to XS, S, M and L and men’s sizes are S, M, L and XL.

Also important to note is they only bring in a small amount of clothing in XS and XL. Often, these sizes are sold out just weeks after being introduced.

While we do our best to offer a selection of what is available, it is not always possible to get customers exactly what they want.

Yonex Badminton Apparel

Racquet Network carries a selection of Yonex apparel for people who play badminton and other racquet sports.

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Where to Get a Tennis Racquet Re-Gripped

WILSON CUSHION AIRE CLASSIC CONTOUR TENNIS GRIP
Bring your racquet in and we will professionally re-grip it for you.
When the grip is shot on your tennis racquet, you will miss some shots you would normally make.

In fact, every time you hit hard shots off center, the racquet will turn in your hand. The more it turns in your hand, the more shots you will miss.

Most recreational tennis players don’t understand the importance of grip. They think it is an unimportant part of the racquet when it is actually more important than the string bed.

A player who has good traction on his racquet handle can play well with new strings or old strings. But a player with no traction on his handle can’t play well with either.

Racquet Network offers free labour for re-gripping tennis racquets in our southwest Calgary store. The whole process only takes a few minutes. We can usually do it right on the spot.

Racquet Grip

Racquet Network carries a large selection of apparel for men who play tennis and other racquet sports. Bring your racquet into the store and we will professionally re-grip it for you.

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Yonex Racquet Bags

Yonex racquet bags
We stock a large selection of Yonex racquet bags
We stock a large inventory of Yonex ™ racquet bags in our southwest Calgary store.

However, bags are highly seasonal. Particular styles and colours sell out quickly and it is impossible for us to have all bags in stock in all colours at all times.

We advise customers who are looking for a particular bag to order it online and then choose SHIP TO STORE. We will email you when your bag is ready to pick up. If the bag you want is unavailable, we will cancel the order and issue a refund.

Yonex bags change every year. So a bag that was available in a particular colour or style one year will not be available the following year. However, Yonex produces new bags in new colours/styles at all three price points every season.

It is also important to note that Yonex Canada does not bring in every bag made by Yonex Japan. So many of the bags that are available on Yonex’ website are not available in Canada. The good news is that we carry stock every bag that Yonex brings into Canada.

Yonex Racquet Bags

Racquet Network carries a large selection of Yonex racquet bags.

Bag Selector For a full list of racquet bags in this category, please check out our ONLINE RACQUET BAG SELECTOR. You can sort by size, brand and colour.