I have been following this message board now for quite some time, and I have not come across much discussion on how to string a badminton racquet using a stringing machine. I am sure a lot of you fanatics out there (if you read these forums, by definition, you ARE a badminton fanatic) string your own racquets, or have preferences on how your racquets are strung. When one buys a stringing machine, there is usually some basic instructions that comes with it; enough to get one started, but not enough to do a pro job. May be some of you would like to share their techniques or tricks, or provide answers to the basic questions someone who is just beginning to string his/her racquets may have. Some of the questions I have are: 1. 1 string (2 knots) or 2 string (4 knots) patterns 2. 1 tension throughout or different tensions for mains and crosses 3. Should mains have lower or higher tension than crosses ( I have recently been told in no uncertainty by a pro shop stringer that mains should have higher tension) 4. Should the "off-center" rows and columns have lower tension than the middle ones 5. Should the strings be pre-stretched 6. Single pull or double pull 7. should one pull each string or alternate string 8. Any special tricks or techniques for specific strings
AFKT, I am no expert but there was a good thread that went on in the old forum. Check it out and see if it helps. http://www.badmintonforum.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4703 Another thread that you might want to visit is at: http://www.badders.com/forum/thread.fmi?tid=153&seshid= If the above link doesn't work, you might want to go to www.badders.com and select the discussion forum and choose the "DOES ANY ONE KNOW-YONEX RACKETS?? READ ON" thread.
WWC, after reading keith england postings, it had confirmed what i have believed and said(in my very early BC posts) all along that certified or master stringers graduated from US stringer assoc. are taught and only knowledgeable about tennis, squash and racquet ball and not badminton. It's understandable too given the limited number of badminton players in the US versus other racquet sports. In badminton, he seem to gotten his instruction from other stringers which conflicted with yonex specification, if there was one; one string, two strings, bottom up, or top down, etc. Personally, I heard several different interpretation of yonex's way of stringing from numerous certified stringers, which give me goose bumps.
cooler, You are right. Looking at the USRSA, much of the emphasis is placed on tennis, racquetball, squash. Badminton seems to be an afterthought. It seems that badminton is not considered to be a serious racquet sports. This was highlighted when I borrow a video tape from the public library called "Let's Play Badminton". On the sleeve, there were discussion of basic strokes, etc. Well, on watching it, the narrator compares the two badminton (backyard and on court) types and teaches you how to play backyard badminton rather than normal badminton. I had to laugh since the folks that they had in the video are the backyard variety instead of more of the competitive pros. But this shows the mentality towards badminton as a serious racquet sports. In badminton racquet stringing, I don't think it matter whether the stringer is certified by the USRSA but rather are they knowledgable about badminton and the stringing methods required as has been discussed in previous postings.
So how do you know if the stringer is any good? What are some questions that should be asked before letting a stringer string your racquet?
TDotSmAsHer sorry, there's no easy answer, even some Q&As won't help. Maybe through word of mouth or recommendation from a friend is a good starting point. Just take a look at the yellow pages, ream of certified mechanics but i'm sure they are not all the same. Also, it depend whether you got a nsx or a Z24. Even more important is whether you want to run a Z24 at 10,000 rpm when factory red line is about 6000 to 6500 rpm.