BADMINTON RESTRING ADVICE
Sweet-Spot
Every racket string bed has a ‘sweet-spot’ which is the area that gives you the most power and speed for your shots.
As you increase the tension of your strings, the sweet-spot gets smaller on the string-bed. As beginners and more casual players are more likely to mis-hit the shuttle and miss the sweet-spot, a higher tension generally results in less power for these players.
Equally, as you decrease the tension of your strings, the sweet-spot increases on the string-bed, making lower tensions more suitable for beginners and casual players.
As players become more consistent and can hit the sweet-spot more reliably, a higher tension will provide control and allow the shuttle to travel faster from a smaller, but more powerful sweet-spot.
String Types
Power / Repulsion Strings
Popular Power Strings Include:
Durability
Popular Power Strings Include:
Control
Popular Power Strings Include:
String Tensions
As a guide, general advice on string tension in relation to player ability is:
Beginner – 17lbs-20lbs
Intermediate – 20lbs-24lbs
Advanced – 24lbs-27lbs
Professional – 27lbs – 30+lbs
As a general guide on string tension please see the table below:
Player Level
Beginner
Intermediate
Professional
Power
High
Medium
Low
Control & Feel
Low
Medium
High
Durability
High
Medium
Low
Rebound
High
Medium
Low
String Tension
Low (16-22lbs)
Medium (23-26lbs)
High (27lbs+)
Lower Tensions
A lower tension is more suited to those players wanting more power, or for those players who do not yet consistently hit the sweet-spot on the string-bed. They give:
• Less shock absorption from the string-bed therefore more vibrations due to the harder feel of the string-bed.A bigger sweet-spot which makes it easier for you to hit the shuttle more consistently within the sweet-spot.
• Less shock absorption from the string-bed therefore more vibrations due to the harder feel of the string-bed.More durability and therefore a slightly decreased risk of breaking the strings from off-centre mis-hits
• Less shock absorption from the string-bed therefore more vibrations due to the harder feel of the string-bed.More shock absorption from the string-bed so decreased vibrations reaching your arm
Higher Tensions
A higher tension is suitable for those players who have an advanced technique and can already consistently generate their own power. Please do be aware however that just because a racket frame can take a particularly high tension, it does not mean the string can. If you’re choosing a thinner string at a higher tension, you are decreasing the durability of the string. Higher tensions give:
• A smaller sweet-spot, requiring you to be more consistent and accurate with your strokes to consistently hit the sweet-spot and generate power.
• A harder feel on the string-bed, giving more feel of the shuttle and therefore more control, but this does decrease repulsion from the strings, meaning that you will have to work much harder to generate power.
• Less shock absorption from the string-bed therefore more vibrations due to the harder feel of the string-bed.
Shuttle Type
If you’re playing with feather shuttles you can closely follow the above guidance, however if you’re playing with synthetic shuttles it’s recommended to lower the tension by around 2-3lbs because it typically takes more effort to generate the same level of power with a synthetic shuttle as it does with a feather.
Our Stringing Services
Direct Sports are the #1 badminton retailer in the UK with more stock of badminton rackets than anyone else. Despite many copying, we were the first to introduce online professional custom string upgrades to the UK badminton market in 2005 and retain the latest cut off time for same day despatch of 4pm including re-strings and offer the best next day rates.
Our top of the range stringing machines are calibrated daily, and we have a team of expert stringers who have years of experience under their belts. Our Stringing Department Manager in particular has over 15 years of experience stringing rackets and plays badminton himself, at county/national level.
We do also offer a drop-off restring service if your strings have snapped. Simply drop your racket in to us and we will turn it around as quickly as we can.
Mis-Hits
Mis-hits towards the edge of the frame of the racket majorly increase the risk of your strings snapping during play. We would usually recommend beginner players choose a durable string, because beginners are typically prone to mis-hitting the shuttle, which in turn puts more stress on those strings outside of the sweet-spot, causing breaks. Durable strings are thicker and therefore more resistant to the stresses caused by off-centre hits. Mis-hits also increase the risk of damage to the racket itself, if you unfortunately manage to strike the shuttle with the frame of your racket rather than with the string bed. Any damage caused by a mis-hit is not covered under warranty.
