Badminton Strings – A Guide Through Thick And Thin

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Badminton strings are the unsung heroes of badminton. While the latest rackets seem to get all the hype, the strings sit in the shadows yet they are certainly as important as the racket you’re buying. A while back, I did an article on string tension and how either a higher or lower tension would impact your game depending on your ability. In this article, we will talk about the types of strings you can get and their characteristics.

Brief History of Badminton Strings

Originally, badminton strings were made of natural materials; aka animal gut (intestines). That’s why many older players refer to changing the racket strings as gutting the racket. Personally, I have never tried them but those that have often claim them to give more control and feel of the shuttle. They seem to be rare nowadays with cheaper and more durable synthetic strings on the market. And I’m sure as stringing technology has evolved, the gap between the synthetic and natural strings has closed significantly. Plus, as natural strings are so rare now, modern-day players really don’t get the chance to play with them anyway!

Nowadays, synthetic strings are typically made of nylon. However, there’s actually a much more complex process. At a basic level, there are two levels to the strings; the core of the string and the jacket of the string. There is a great description of what this means and how they are produced by Ashaway USA.

Badminton Strings On The Racket

You have probably noticed that the stringing on a badminton racket goes both vertically and horizontally. The vertical strings are mains and the horizontal strings are crosses. Typically there are more crosses than mains due to the shape of the racket head. The crosses are interwoven across the mains.

There are some stringers and other players who prefer to have a small increment in tension on the cross strings. I’m not 100% sure about the reason for this myself, but I have heard one theory that makes sense to me.

• When stringing the mains (vertical strings) are strung first. This distorts the frame a little as the strings are pulling the racket frame vertically.
• The crosses (horizontal strings) are then strung. These weave in and out of the mains, putting further stress on the mains and therefore the frame of the racket. It’s similar to stretching an elastic band then having someone push in the middle. You can feel the tension instantly increase.
• In order to correct the shape of the racket, the crosses are strung maybe 2lb’s higher. This also balances the vertical stress of the strings and therefore the overall tension on the string bed is more evenly distributed.

I usually have my strings strung at the same tension on both the mains and crosses. I haven’t had any issue and I think a lot of other people do the same. Unless working with very high tensions, it seems ok to maintain this approach. But remember, the higher the tension, the more pressure the frame is under. One mishit could shatter the frame, so if you are playing at very high tensions, it might be wise to string the crosses a little tighter.

Understanding String Thickness

So now we know how the strings sit on the racket and a general overview of stringing and tension, let’s talk about the strings themselves. The first thing many people wonder about is thicker or thinner strings.

String thickness is measured by gauge. This is the diameter of the string in millimeters. So the smaller the gauge, the thinner it is. Thicker strings are usually 0.70mm gauges whereas the thinnest string is currently 0.62 mm.

Benefits of Thicker And Thinner Badminton Strings

As you can imagine, different string gauges have different characteristics. Below we will discuss some of the benefits of thicker and thinner strings.

Please keep in mind, we need to separate the idea of string tension and string gauge. Below are the advantages of thick/thin strings purely based on all factors being equal, eg skill level, tension, racket etc.

Advantages of Thicker Strings

1. Greater Durability – This is the main advantage most people think of when choosing thicker badminton strings. As you hit the shuttle, the strings dig into each other. This is like a battering ram. Eventually, the strings will cut through each other and the string will break. Therefore, a thicker string is more resistant.

2. Move Forgiving – When you mishit a shot, (ie not on the sweet spot) a thicker string is less likely to break. When the shuttle strikes the string bed, the sweet spot evenly absorbs the force of the shuttle. You might notice that if you mishit the shuttle right at the top of the racket, the strings are much more likely to snap. This is because the tension around the edges of the racket is a little higher and the force of the shuttlecock is focused in one area, rather than spread evenly. This causes over-stretching of the string. A thicker string is better able to absorb this impact simply because there’s more of it vs a thinner string.

3. Holds Tension Better – Thicker strings do not tend to stretch as much as thinner strings and consequently holds tension better. This is linked to durability in that the desired tension when initially strung is maintained for a longer period, therefore maintaining consistent performance over time.

4. Greater Control – In general, a thicker string will not flex as much as a thinner one. The shuttle will spend less time on the string bed than with thinner strings. This means a thicker gauge string may feel at a higher tension relatively, even though they are strung at the same tension overall.

Advantages Of A Thinner String

1. More Power – Thinner strings generally have greater repulsion properties. When the shuttle hits the strings, they stretch and propel the shuttle forward. You can think of it somewhat like a trampoline effect.

2. Sound Better – Although this is more of a novel advantage, who doesn’t like hitting a smash that sounds like a gunshot just went off from their racket?!

Why the Professionals Use Thin Badminton Strings?

With so many advantages of thicker gauges, why do the professionals prefer thinner strings?

Well, first of all, they don’t have to worry about breakages as their rackets are restrung by their sponsors for free. But more than that, they are so skilled that thinner strings at higher tensions actually result in optimal performance for them. They are able to produce great power through technique alone, and they have an excellent feel of the shuttle. Higher tensions also allow them greater control over the shuttle which gives them the advantage of both increased power, (through the thinner strings) and increased control (through the higher tension.).

Therefore the advantages we perceive for having thicker strings are negligible to professionals.

Badminton String Gauges and Tension

Different tensions combined with different strings are likely to distort the advantages of thicker or thinner strings. This is why we had to separate the idea of string tension and string gauge.

For example, a thin string (greater power) strung at a lower tension (greater power) means this, in theory, is the best combination for more power right? However, it doesn’t quite work like that and this is the reason why we could not look at the characteristics of the strings in terms of tension.

Conclusion

It’s important to understand the benefits of thick or thin badminton strings. Many beginners should start with thicker strings because they are more forgiving and durable. It’s likely when starting to play initially that mishits will occur much more often.

As players improve their skills, the advantages of the thicker strings become less important and the benefits of greater tension combined with thinner strings become more apparent. Of course, at the end of the day, it is a personal choice.

Finding the right combination of string and tension is important for the overall performance of your game. But please do not think that this will solve all your badminton woes! Strings and tension make up maybe 10% at most of your hitting ability, Remember good technique, training and commitment are the only ways to really improve on the court.

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