Basic Guide on Racquet's String

[Sulistyomo]

Underlying Principles

The following guidance in this thread is purely theoretical, and it shall always subject to the following salient considerations:
1. Personal preference is the utmost important issue
2. Game play characteristic is the second important issue
3. Last but not least… your personal budget

Kindly note that I ain’t expert in badminton, and just recently bought my personal racquet.

All Statements / tips / hints contained in this thread are retrieved and/or gathered from various websites.

Further query or discussion under this thread shall require assistance from other members in this forum.




2010 YONEX STRING MATRIX




Elucidation:

UP – Hard
DOWN – Softer
LEFT – Hitting
RIGHT – Sharp (thin?)

RED – All-Round
BLUE – Repulsion
YELLOW – Durability




2010-2011 YONEX STRING COMPARISON

[Sulistyomo]

STRING TENSION
The entire feel of your badminton racket will be affected by your string tension. As a general rule, the higher the tension, the more control you will have. On the contrary, the lower the tension, the more power you will have. Now there is a trade off here as well, whereby a High tension will give you less power, and Low tension will give less control.


If your strings have lower tension, when the shuttle makes contact it will sink in to the strings and then be repelled back out. This acts like a slingshot and this is how you get the power.
The problem with this slingshot effect is that because the shuttle is moving further in and out of the string bed, there is less control.

Strings at low tension stretch more when they contact the shuttlecock, and then quickly snap back to their initial length. This "trampoline effect" (also known as resilience, or rebound) adds power to the shot: it's sort of like putting a spitball in a rubber band, pulling back, and then releasing it.


If your strings have higher tension, when the shuttle makes contact with the racket strings, it will not sink into the strings as much, and so the slingshot effect is not as pronounced, hence less power. However, because the shuttle is not moving in and out of the string bed as much, you will have greater control.

If the racket is strung at a higher tension, there's less stretch left in the string to provide trampoline effect. On the other hand, tighter strings remain flatter, so it's easier to control the direction of the shuttlecocks.


Higher Tension = More consistent shots with more Control, but less Power and durability
Lower Tension = More Power and durability, but less Control over the shuttlecock


The optimum tension is also related to the capability of the player. More advanced players can generate sufficient power with higher tension strings, whilst retaining the consistency and control associated with the higher tension.


Note: At higher string tensions, the "sweet spot" of the racket is smaller, so off centre shots can become unpredictable and lack power.


Logical Limitations:
(1) excessive high tension may lead to frame or string breakage, and
(2) too-low tension means a total loss of both control and power.



TENSION CHARACTERISTIC


HIGH TENSION
Less Power <-- revision from Male137Creative
More Durable
More Feeling
Less Vibration
Less Control


LOWER TENSION
More Control
More Vibration
More Power <-- revision from Male137Creative
Less Durable
Less Feeling

[Sulistyomo]

STRING GAUGE / DIAMETER
String gauge or thickness relates to the diameter of the string.
Usually the diameter of badminton strings available ranges from 0.65mm to 0.7mm.


THICKER STRING
Thicker String will naturally last longer than thinner string, it is more durable, and it will take longer for it to break as there is more of it. Thicker string will also hold its tension longer. However thicker strings offer less power and control


THINNER STRING
Thinner String will give less durability and will break more easily compared to thicker string. However thinner strings offer more power and control.
The thinner gauge will have less resistance through the air, allowing you to swing your badminton racket slightly quicker, thus generating more power.
Thinner string will also bite into the shuttle base on impact, giving more control and slice.
(Bear in mind this is ever so slight and most players will not notice much difference)





GAUGE CHARACTERISTIC



THICKER STRINGS
More Durable
Less Power
Lesser Solid Hitting-Sound



THINNER STRINGS
More Power
Better Solid Hitting-Sound
Less Durable





IMPORTANT TIPS
A racket loses roughly/approximately 10% of its tension the day after it's strung and that's if it's not being used.
The tension will drop further every time you play it.

If your racket string snaps while you're playing badminton, I presume you won't send your racket in for re-stringing straightaway.
Anyway if this happens, CUT THE REST OF THE STRING on your racket IMMEDIATELY!!


Logical Reasoning:
If one line of string breaks, there will be an uneven balance of pressure/tension on your racket frame.
The whole frame may lose its shape if there's imbalanced pressure/tension.

[Sulistyomo]

Should there be any inaccuracy and/or confusion to any of the aforementioned conclusion, please do not hesitate to put your opinion to this thread.

Thanks!

[gendruw]

Thanks for sharing, bro :d

[hrd]

Good Article, complete enogh
waiting for other master's comments

[Sulistyomo]

Thanks to Mas Rico (Male137Creative)
(whom I met at Samudra Sport on Saturday afternoon)

I have made the revision in accordance to your suggestion

Thank you very much for your kind guidance and tips :)