If you've ever experienced the anxiety of choosing the right badminton string and tension, feeling lost when confronted by stringers who throw unfamiliar terms at you, fear not! This guide is here to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of everything you need to know about badminton strings and tension.
Before heading into this post, here is a guide on how string breaks and how to identify what kind of breakage it is.
>>Miss Hit or Natural Breakage? How Did My String Break?
Why strings are so important?
Strings are vital to how a racket plays and performs. It's the only thing that actually makes contact with the shuttlecock, and it is often the first impression when player are testing a racket. Imagine if you spend quite a fortune on your dream customized car, you wouldn't just pick any old mediocre engine to go with it would you? So when you spend couple hundreds on your next racket you wouldn't just pick any old strings would you? Hopefully this article will provide you a better understanding about the engine in your racket.
String Construction
Different strings are made with different materials that give them their unique characteristics. Back in the days natural gut were quite popular for its comfortability but it went out of trend due to its high price. Multi-filament synthetic strings are the mainstream in badminton string market nowadays.
String Characteristics
Many badminton strings are available in the market. They come in different characteristics, gauges and sometimes beginners can be lost and confused given such many options. There is no right or wrong answer to what string you have to pick, after all it is all about personal preference. But here are some guidelines you can follow before making decision.
A. Durability
Most recommended to hard-hitters who break strings on a regular basis. These strings comes in a softer string core and mostly slightly thicker than the average. These strings are more forgiving while if you mishit the shuttlecock at the top or bottom of the frame, the string can still bear a certain amount of mishit shots.
| Suitable Players | Upside | Downside | Recommend Strings |
|
- Hard hitters who break strings on regular basis. - Training juniors. - Beginners who mishits more often. - Value hunters. |
- Durable. - Softer on the wrist and arm. - Could bear winter/dry weather a bit better. |
- Could feel a bit ''mushy'' |
- Yonex BG 65 - Yonex Nanogy 95 - Victor VBS-70 - Gosen Gtone 9
|
B. High/Quick Repulsion
Most recommend to players who simply wants performance, strong smashes, crispy hitting feeling and hard-hitting sound. Some of the repulsion string has a nice blend of power and control, but keep in mind the nature of this kind of string makes it less durable. If you mishit, these strings might snap immediately.
| Suitable Players | Upside | Downside | Recommend Strings |
|
- Advanced players. - Players who are looking for game performance. - Players who has no budgetary pressure. - Female beginners. (Thinner gauge) |
- Incredible repulsion. - Hard-hitting sound. - Faster repulsion on defensive shots. |
- Less forgiving. Might snap immediately if mishit. - Less durable. - Larger pressure on hands/wrists with high tension. - Does not bear extreme weather that well. |
- Yonex BG-80 (Repulsion/Control) - Yonex BG-80 Power (Repulsion) - Yonex BG-66 Ultimax (Repulsion/high-hitting sound) - Yonex Nanogy 98 (Repulsion/Slight durability) - Yonex Exbolt 63 Recommended!- Yonex Aerobite (Repulsion/Control) - Yonex Aerosonic (Recommend to female players) |
C. Control
The rough surface of control strings give you a better grab on the shuttlecocks, which make shots such as cut smashes, net spins and hairpins easier to play. If you're looking for a nice hybrid blend of control and power, try Yonex Aerobite to get more power and Yonex Aerobite Boost for more control.
| Suitable Players | Upside | Downside | Recommend Strings |
|
- Advanced players. - Players who are looking for game performance. - Players who has no budgetary pressure. |
- Incredible control on deceptive shots. - Hard-hitting sound. |
- Less forgiving. Might snap immediately if mishit. - Less durable. - Larger pressure on hands/wrists with high tension. - Does not bear extreme weather that well. |
- Yonex Aerobite - Yonex Aerobite Boost - Yonex SKYARC |
String Tension
Tension is referring to how tight the strings are strung on the racket. Each racket will have a specific tension range that the manufacturer recommends you string within, usually around 16-30lbs. Stringing outside the range will void your warranty, if you wish to string over the maximum tension, proceed at your own discretion.
Keep in mind, tension is really a matter of personal preference. But here is a rule of thumb for you to keep in mind: Higher tension gives you better control, whereas lower tension generates power easier.
Picture resource: Tennis Warehouse
Therefore, not necessarily higher tension is better. It only means that you can generate your own player without the help from string and what you're looking for is control. High string tension place immense stress on the racket frame and string, increases the chance of breakage. If a clash happen to your racket, it might break the racket immediately. A single mishit can snap the string right away.
Here is a table of summary:
|
TENSION
|
SWEET SPOT
|
POWER GENERATION
|
CONTROL
|
DURABILITY
|
VIBRATION
|
|
Low
|
Big
|
Easy
|
Decrease
|
Increase
|
Decrease
|
|
High
|
Small
|
Hard
|
Increase
|
Decrease
|
Increase
|
Here is the suggested tension for different levels of players:
- Beginner: 16-20lbs
- Intermediate: 20-24lbs
- Advanced: 24-27lbs
- Professional: 27lbs and above
Research, Try Out and Win!
Hope this guide reliefs the stress when you choose the string and tension for your next stringing job. Just like what we emphasized over and over again, string and tension are personal preference and there's no strict answer. Trying out different combinations of string and tension can be a fun thing to do too! Just follow the tips mentioned in this guide, it shouldn't take you too much time to find the ideal combo!
