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Badminton players have been known to argue endlessly over the relative merits of one racket versus another, but think about this: You don't hit the shuttlecock with the racket. You hit it with the string! By changing how your current racket is strung, you may be able to improve not only its performance, but your own as well.

The most important variable in badminton string is its gauge, also known as diameter or thickness. Tournament players may boast about using super-responsive 22-gauge string, but what does that mean, and how does string gauge affect play?

Specification of gauge
The Gauge of strings plays an important role in the impact performance and balance point.Generally speaking, The thinner gauge of string (the gauge≤0.70mm) provides a soft feel and great performance on impact ; the thicker gauge of string (the gauge≥0.70mm) creates high durability and strong control.

1. 0.65 mm / 0.66 mm
2. 0.68 mm / 0.69 mm
3. 0.70 mm / 0.72 mm
4. 0.75 mm / 0.80 mm

Features of material
Carbon Nanofiber construction with four times more elasticity than carbon nanotube, in combination with a high-strength nanofiber coating minimizes notching of the string at intersecting points. This construction archives high durability and high repulsion power.

Carbon  Nanofiber
Carbon Nanofiber construction with four times more elasticity than carbon nanotube. An original Carbon nanofiber that gives powerful repulsion combined with high durability.

Vectran
Vectran wraps which is 14% stronger then Kevlar.  Vectran wraps multi-filament core create this futuristic string with good durability for highly responsive and powerful string with a soft feel.

Hydro Titanium
Compound titanium hydride coating provides not only sharp feel at impact but durability.

Multi Filament
A super-fine diameter, high durability and a soft feel on impact.

Description of Features
1. An original Carbon Nanofiber achieves great repulsion united to high durability. Suited for the players who are looking for resilience to increase the speed and durability for longer lasting string.
2. The braided oval shaped fiber construction provides superior tension-holding properties while providing a solid feel. Designed for hard hitters.
3. High-quality hydro titanium gives it high-power repulsion and excellent shock-damping performance. It is the ideal string for high-tension stringing and aggressive tournament play.
4. The 0.70mm and special braided fiber reduces string abrasion providing extreme durability. Its all-around performance is highly trusted by world’s top players.
5. This gauge string which is made of an advanced high-modulus Vectran fiber and multi braided outer creates ultimate repulsion power with a sharp touch.
6. Compound titanium hydride coating and 0.68mm string provides not only a clear sound at impact but also a sharp and comfortable feel. Designed for control players.
7. Combined by a high-modulus Vectran fiber with the braided oval shaped fiber, the ultra-thin gauge gives players greater power for smashes.
8. With a combination of thin,highly intensive nylon multi filament core and wrapped braided fibers with original coating. the 0.66mm creates sharp feeling and metallic hitting sound on impact, and provides great shock absorption and outstanding feel. It realizes economical price.

The gauge designations were originally based on standard industrial wire gauge sizes, but as manufacturers began developing racket string in a variety of different sizes, the industry agreed that the numbers would represent a range of allowable diameters, rather than a single, exact size. All consumer string packaging indicates the size at least as a gauge designation: some packages include the diameter in millimeters as well.
The "micro" designation is a recent innovation. Note how some of the gauge size ranges overlap one another. A string with a diameter of .71 mm may be called a 21 gauge by one manufacturer, while another may label it as 21 micro. The only difference is a question of marketing.

String thickness can be measured with a wire gauge or a micrometer, but make sure you do it with the string off the racket, under no tension - in other words, before the racket is strung. Thickness decreases when a string is stretched at 15 lb. to 25 lb. of tension, and a reading taken under those conditions can be misleading.

As you would suspect, thick and thin strings perform differently in the racket. No one size is best for all players. Different playing styles (and budgets) lead players to choose different combinations of characteristics. We'll take up just one of the properties here - that of durability.

Thick string lasts longer than thin string. Assuming that two strings are made of the same materials, and use the same construction, the thinner one will break more easily. Simple, huh? This doesn't necessarily apply if you're comparing a thin, premium-quality string with a thick junk string, but as a rule of thumb, it's pretty reliable. Extra-thin, 22-gauge strings have some advantages, but durability isn't one of them: you have to be willing to replace broken strings more often if you use this ultra-thin gauge. On the other hand, a heavier, 20-gauge string could last you through an entire season.

There are two main causes of string breakage. The first is notching. As you hit the shuttlecock, the cross strings (or "crosses" - the shorter, "horizontal" ones) are pounded against the main strings (or "mains" - the longer, "vertical" ones) several hundred times in the course of a match. The crosses slowly cut notches into the mains, and eventually they cut right through. Obviously, a thicker string will stand up to deeper notching before it breaks. By the way, it's almost always the mains that break first.

The second major cause of breakage is over-stretching, which can occur during a particularly hard or off-center shot. This is especially so if you hit the shuttlecock near the head of the frame instead of in the sweet spot. The string wants to stretch equally on both sides of the shuttlecock, and on a mis-hit, there's not much string to work with on one side: it tries to stretch too much, and it breaks.

So, is a thicker string necessarily preferable? Of course not. Durability is just one desirable characteristic. Thinner strings, for example, give a player more power, which is why 21microgauge is "hot" among top players. There's also cost, control, "feel", ease of stringing, and a few others properties to consider and balance against one another when you're replacing your strings. If I had just one word of advice to give, it would be this: if the string in your racket is old, replace it now. Your game could see an immediate improvement. 

Matching string gauge and tension 

In badminton, the direct contact of shuttlecocks when delivering a smash, a shooting loop or even a drop shot is the badminton string. Much of the power in a badminton shot comes from the string. Thus, it is very important to know a little on how the differences in badminton strings and its tension can affect your game. It is all about tension relating to power and control.

By adjusting the string tension, you can adjust the amount of power or control that you get from any string, thick or thin. There is coordination between these tension, power and control. Tension and power are related. So are power and control.

Playing with a higher tension racket

If you applied more tension on your string, you will have a stiffer string bed. With a stiffer string bed, you will get a good control feeling as the shuttlecock bounces off the string bed instantly once in contact with the string, allowing players to control his game and adjusted its placing instantly. racket strung at high tension using thin string tends to build up speed on your drive shot and counter attack. Don’t misunderstood control as merely defense. Control is the ability to hit hard and placed the shuttle to where you want it to be. Please take note that If you strung your racket with the same high tension using a thicker string and a thinner string, you will feel that the thinner string is tighter and therefore less power when compare with the thicker string. Thinner string tends to loss its tension faster as compare with thicker string, thus thinner string is not advisable to string with tension that is too low.

In Malaysia, thinner strings like the micro-filament synthetic string are normally used to string high- tension racket.  Players knew that tension would lose out certain percentage after playing for a week or two, so to get the best out of a thin string; the tension should be increased by certain percentage higher.

 With higher tension on thick string, that is stretching the string closed to its elastic limits- the shuttle would not be able to reach your opponent with high speed when you smash with normal strength, as the string bed are so stiff and lack of flexibility and elasticity to help you delivered the power. Thus, you need to use more strength on your smashes and believe me with more strength and high tension, you will be able to score points on your smashes unless you don’t have the strength to play a high tension racket. With higher tension on thinner string, you would be able to get some elasticity but not the durability.  In another word; if your racket was over tension and is beyond your physical ability to handle it, the best way is to slightly reduce the string tension. Do not reduce your string tension drastically, reduce it a pound or two at a time so that you can still maintain your control as well as increased your power.

Alternatively, you can string your racket with a higher elasticity strings that naturally has more power. Natural guts and micro-filament synthetic strings would be a good choice.

Either you string it with the same tension to get more power, or slightly increased the tension to a pound to get more control at the same time, more power.

I think you would like to consider the fact before restringing your racket that high-tension string tends to snap easier than lower tension string because stretching the string beyond its elastic limits would definitely loses its durability. And even with tremendous improvements in string technology, It is inevitable to avoid the fact that a thinner string tends to snap faster than thicker string. And if you are not those serious players who would
restring your racket frequently, try a thicker string and of course it is no harm trying a thinner string once in awhile to see if it snaps like what you expected.

Playing with a lower tension string

If you applied lower tension on your string, you will have a more bouncy string bed. With a bouncy string bed, you will get a good feeling as the shuttlecock stays in the string bed for a longer period before bounces off the string bed once in contact with the string, allowing players to adjust its powerful smash instantly. Upon impact, shuttlecock would landed deeper on a thinner gauge string, thus providing better power control and thinner gauge string also helps in minimizing air resistance enabling players to speed up for more power. racket strung at reasonably lower tension using thin string tends to build up power on smashes and baseline chopping. The term feeling means even though you hit the shuttle very softly or performing a drop shot, you are still able to place the shuttle to where you want it to be. Power would mean even if you smash using your normal strength, the shuttle were able to reach your opponent in high speed.

With lower string tension on a thinner string, that is stretching the string to reasonable elastic limits- there are more elasticity on the string and more rooms for string stretching resulting in a more bouncy feeling on the string bed upon impact. With the help of a bouncier string bed, the shuttle would be able to reach your opponent with high speed when you smash with normal strength, as the string bed have excellent flexibility and elasticity to help you delivered the power. But unfortunately, unlike thicker string that was able to hold its tension longer, thinner string, especially micro-filament strings tends to loss out its tension faster.

Unfortunately, It was also because of this bouncy characteristic; player would sometime find it difficult to adjust and control its stroke when delivering shooting loop and tends to send the shuttle away from court. Thus, you need to adjust your strength on your stroke and believe me you would be able to adapt to it quite well after practicing for some time.

Alternatively, to get a better control, the best way is to slightly increase the string tension. Do not increase your string tension drastically, increased it a pound or two at a time so that you can still maintain your control as well as increased your power. Take note that lower string tension on a thicker string might not provide you the elasticity needed as thick string tends to be less elastic though more durable.

String tensionPowerControlDurability  FeelVibration Lower Increase Decrease Increase Increase Decrease Higher Decrease Increase Decrease Decrease Increase

Different weather condition affected string tension

Badminton strings are sensitive to changes in temperature and very much affected by climates in different region of the world. In Malaysia and other South East Asia countries, the weather is rather warm and humid, thus the tension of strings tends loose out more rapidly though more durable comparing with strings played in cold and dry weather. Traditionally, most of the players in these regions prefer high tension stringing up to 24 lbs on thin micro-filament synthetic string.

Badminton strings is rather brittle in cold and dry countries Europe, United State and Canada. Thus, rackets are sting at a very much lower tension, recommended mostly around 18lbs to get an equivalent amount of control and power while still maintain its durability

Different material in shuttlecock affected string tension

In Malaysia and other Asian Countries, feather shuttlecock is mostly used for all levels of game. The favorite speed for a shuttle used in these regions is either 76 grains (slower) for a smaller hall or 77 grains (Faster) for a larger hall. As feather shuttlecocks are more flexible and weight around 5grams to 6grams, it didn’t create any strong impact on badminton strings, resulting in more durable strings on these regions. Thus, the best resilience thin string is the favorite choice for players in these regions.

Traditionally, in Europe, United State and Canada, plastic shuttlecock had become the favorite shuttlecock used by players. Due to its plastic nature, the shuttlecock tends to be less flexible and created a hard impact on badminton string, thus causing more string to snap. A thicker string strung at lower tension would be able to solve the “snapping” problem but player should maintain at least a certain amount of tension to balance the control and power needed for a good badminton match.

Article was quoted from prospeed.com.my

This is one of the most common questions that badminton players will ask. Well, after playing badminton for many years and reading badminton rackets feedback, I recommend there are several areas you may need to know before buying a racket.

-        Brands
There are many badminton brands available to choose, such as Yang Yang, Yonex, Wilson, Victor, Carlton, Head, Li-Ning etc. Among all the brands, Yonex is the most well established brand among international badminton communities. Yonex badminton rackets are generally more expensive than others. Good quality comes with good price as it is in most cases. Other brands are  almost as good as Yonex but with lower price.

-        Weight
The power of badminton rackets does not solely depend on the weight. It is not heavier the rackets are, more power they could generate. Don't forget who is the one swinging the rackets. Use the following formula to understand more of the power generated from a racket.
[racket head speed x racket head weight = power]
To obtain the optimum power, you need to be able to generate maximum racket head speed with a given weight of racket. How to generate optimum racket head speed depends on your muscles and correct techniques which are covered in other posts of this website.
Yonex has a very good system in indicating the weights of rackets they manufactured. 2U <90g, 3U 85-90g, 4U<85g. 3U rackets are the most popular ones as they could generate optimum level of power. 2Us are heavier with less racket head speed and 4Us are lighter faster but with less mass.

-        Weight distribution of racket
There are three kinds of badminton rackets available, head-light, even-balanced and head-heavy. Generally head-heavy rackets are more powerful than head-light racket. But they are offset by the slower racket head speed. Most players would use head-heavy rackets for singles, and head-light or even-balance rackets for doubles. Even-balance rackets are good for both doubles and singles. My personal preference is ArcSaber 10, which is being used by Taufik and Pete Gade. Fast Smasher Tan Boon Heong is currently using NanoSpeed 9900 and Ti 10 (purple). His strength and techniques are good enough for him to generate tremedous speed by using even head-light Ti 10.
Here is a rough guide. Balance point from handle without string or overgrip.
Head-light 295m.

-        strings
Professionals use string tensions stronger than 26lbs as high strings tends to have better control and power and also they don’t need to pay for the rackets and strings. Amateur players should be fine with tensions between 23-26lbs.

-        Grips
Grip size comes in three types, G3 G4 and G5. G3 is larger than G4 and G5. Most rackets sold in Europe have G3 grip size. You have more choices in Asian markets. G4 is ideal as you can increase the grip size by adding your favourite type of grips without taking the orginal grips off.
Finding a suitable racket is really individual. You need to feel it is the right racket for your style, e.g. your physical build and your way of swinging the racket.

 

Article was quoted from xbadmintontricks.com