I have a friend(azn123) he can not clear consistently full court (baseline to baseline), he has no smash and he strings at 25lbs, Matt, Jayshum and i recommended that he used a lower tension to get more power out of the string bed, is this the correct decision. He reckons that 25lbs is right for him.

Please chime in with your thoughts on this subject.

It's his preference, and if he says that 25lbs is fine for him, then he's right. If he feels that he lacks power, its to his discretion whether to go down a pound or two, if not, then he probably likes the feel and the control of 25lbs.

But the fact that he can't flex the strings means that he should lower the tension doesn't it?

I personally haven't tried any tension above 22lbs.

I can currently clear baseline to baseline with BG85 @ 22lbs, and with Yonex factory strings.

I'm not sure if those help. I'm not very knowledgeable about things like this.

I agree with gunblade008. There is no really a "perfect" string. It's a matter of getting the right string with the right tension with the right "feel" when you do your swings.

maybe he should practice his technique.

sounds more like you shoudl be worried about his technique than his string tension. With the right technique you can clear baseline to baseline wheather the string is at 18lbs or 25lbs. He should attepmt to correct his technique like getting behind the shuttle, pronating his arm when he hits it and all that.

I have a friend(azn123) he can not clear consistently full court (baseline to baseline), he has no smash and he strings at 25lbs, Matt, Jayshum and i recommended that he used a lower tension to get more power out of the string bed, is this the correct decision. He reckons that 25lbs is right for him.

Please chime in with your thoughts on this subject.

I think you're correct. If he has trouble with full court clearing, and can't play an effective smash, then he probably should try a lower string tension (perhaps 22 - 23 lbs).

It won't necessarily fix the problem, but it might help. Not because lower string tension is inherently more powerful -- it's not -- but because he probably does not create fast enough racket head speed when he hits the shuttle. Higher tensions are only suitable for players who can generate fast racket head speed and hit accurately.

He'll need to work on his technique to see real improvements. Changing the tension is not a panacea, but 25 lbs is too high for someone who can't clear effectively. It's much better to choose the tension to suit the player's actual ability, rather than play with too-high tension in the hope that your technique will magically adapt to it.

On what basis does he "reckon" that 25 lbs is right for him? Has he actually tried lower tensions? Or is he just attracted to the silly "glamour" of high string tension?

Can you lend him a racket with lower string tension, so he can try it out?

give him some lower tensioned rackets and let him try hitting clears, and see which works best for him.

in fact it'd be so much easier to judge which tension is the best for him, since he has no smash.

i love 25lbs but they burst too frequent for me to afford:(

and yea....if u want to help your friend, help him on technique

ya technique is important..
accuracy to hit the sweetspot important for high tension string.

the higher tension u have the more arm, wrist strength u need.

i think its up to him whether he wants to lower his tension or not. of course its up to him if he wants to strive for better things or not.

25lbs is a bit high. its extremely high if you cant hit baseline to baseline.

Sinces his racquet is a NS9000X, I'd say he should reduce his tension due to that rediculously stiff shaft...

maybe he should trade his X for S

hmm, we'll be playing today and i'll lend him a lower tensioned racquet thats probably at like 19lbs now (freaken SE stringer, dropped tension so fast....and there still are no frays on them, this was only 3 weeks ago -.- Original tension was 23lbs). Anyways the idea of lowering tension was only so that he could get more power out of the string bed, so i guess we were right on the most part.

maybe he should trade his X for S
just lend it to DinkAlot for a hour or so:p

Assuming he is an average player. But yet still cant clear baseline to baseline. The next best thing to do is to have his technique corrected. Have someone observe how he handles the racket, swing and follow thru. He might be slicing the shuttle instead of hitting the shuttle properly. Follow thru is also important. He might be just swinging his arm but without proper body movement etc..

I played with him today, and when he used the lower tensioned racquet i lent him, he had a much more consistent clear. But he still refuses to admit that it required less effort as well.

It may mean that his technique of hitting is wrong.

so azn123, any comments?

i know that if your arm isn't ready to handle the impact of higher tension, your body will trade off power production for stability. consequently, you might never develop the correct technique because the body is in this "protection" mode.

personally, i don't see any reason to use 25lbs when unable to clear end to end effortlessly.

I second ants opinion. Check out his wrist movement: does the wrist BEND or does it PRONATE? If it's bending, that may explain the lack of smash and baseline clears. You might also want to check footwork.

It may mean that his technique of hitting is wrong.

Yes, it does mean that he does not have the power to flex and use the strings optimally. His biggest problem is his technique, not the string/tension. 25lbs is usually the median for intermediate players, if he can't clear and smash effectively (not just powerfully) with that, then yes, I agree that he should drop his tension. It won't do much good either way if he doesn't work on techniques though.

And on a side note, I think we should refrain from naming any members on the forum unless we have the permission.

Is he too stiff when he swings? That could be the problem, but as stated in earlier replies, if the racket feels fine to him then it should be ok. Also, how long has he played? Experience and practice is the best way to get better shots and results. It honestly took me like 2 years of constantly playing to clear from baseline to baseline with ease. I use 25 lbs. myself, and what all the earlier replies stated are also true as well, it just depends on the player. I believe that if he is stiff he will not be able to generate the right technique or power to hit a baseline to baseline clear, but then again that is just me. Hope this helps and good luck.

Yes, it does mean that he does not have the power to flex and use the strings optimally. His biggest problem is his technique, not the string/tension. 25lbs is usually the median for intermediate players, if he can't clear and smash effectively (not just powerfully) with that, then yes, I agree that he should drop his tension. It won't do much good either way if he doesn't work on techniques though.

And on a side note, I think we should refrain from naming any members on the forum unless we have the permission.

I know what you mean, technique is first. I'm took some training at c2 for this summer and I have had coachs check out my technique/form. The grip I used to use was a bit of a pan handle<-now slowly changing to the proper grip which I'm happy of myself.:) Then I fixed a habit I was doing wrong<-for example get ready for a clear/smash/drop when your arms are in the superman mode<-best example I can thing of-assuming a right handed player I used to have my racquet flinged up to the ceiling.As Darry/Adrian from c2 helped me out I started to get my habit away<--still working on consistancy which takes time. The thing I was suppose to do is keep the grip/racquet head a bit down<-relaxed than stiff and pointing the ceiling. Funny this is we did a drill and Darryl was looking and he told me about the triangle shape then pull your arms back and wow I could really feel the shuttle going farther, as I'm contacting the strings more as he said. I know you guys are trying to help me with the tension. Thing is I agree on the technique, 25lbs<-is on a bit of the higher side but not super high tension side. A bit higher of a tension gives me more control, I rather get a bit more control then get full out power from a lower tension. I've tried XtC's racquet=AT500 as he said around 19lbs he said. I know the fact that higher tensions don't mean you can smash like FHF. Heck I knew that a while ago so I don't need this repeated. XtC suggested to lower my tension to 23lbs, meaning I will need to decrease my current string tension by 2lbs. And yes I've tried lower tensions, but I like 24-25lbs much better<-not meaning I'm a super hard hitter,not meaning I can smash super hard. It's just what I feel that's right for me. Matt's recommendation/opinion was to use more of my wrist then the arm swing. Makes total sense<-this will take a bit of time to change. But if I knew 25lbs wasn't my tension/couldn't play with it I don't think I would be stupid to string just 2lbs higher just to play WORSE. Thank you to all of bc'ers for your help, I'll work on my overhead shots more and get very consistant some day. As I actually just really started to play badminton this school year. I've played when I was really young but I've actuallyed starting to really play nowadays.

Good to hear, keep practicing! Like I said before to XtC's original post, you're the one playing and using your racquet, you know what tensions are right for you. Good luck!