Hey guys, I found this video on youtube about a bulky starting knot. Seems to me that it would be better so the knot doesn't slip through the grommet. Heres the link http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=UT1cXy-6Wz0&feature=channel What do you guys think?
depends upon the string diameter, the starting grommet opening, and the tension you are pulling, you may be OK with this "bulky" starting knot. for any potential issues (especially high tension, like 28+ lbs), you should add another half-hitch on top of this knot to make it "bulky+". or, like maa2003 said, start from the middle for both the mains and crosses to avoid such issue.
The problem I keep on having is that my starting knot sinks all the way down to the grommet to the point that you can't even see the knot unless you look into the grommet from the bottom. I need to know what I'm doing wrong. Sometimes they don't sink and sometimes they do.
Starting the crosses from the middle will give you a poorer playability. The starting knot as shown is also not as good as it could be.
I prefer to use the starting knot on link below and normally I would do three loops instead of two. http://www.keohi.com/tennis/misc/knots.htm
The starting knot in the link in the msg above is the one I always use for tennis and badminton. Haven't really ever had a problem with it except in tennis for a racquet that had a really large grommet and a super soft string. The one in the video looks good but I've never tried it.
I'm sorry for reviving an oldish thread but this is an interesting topic. Can these knots be used on badminton frame or are they specific to tennis and squash rackets only? I'm trying to learn as much about stringing as possible before I buy my own machine.
i used to use double half-hitch, which worked ok in badminton. these days i am using Parnell knot for starting. i find that Parnell is less prone to sinking into the hole.
its still slip sometime particularly for thin string like Zymax 62. now i use double half hitch to lock it before tension, work so far, touch wood.
Is the Richard Parnell knot used as a starting or ending knot? Also, why is it important for the knot to be visible rather than 'sunk' into the grommet hole - surely from an aesthetic point of view it is better that the knot be hidden? I'm sorry if these questions are silly and obvious.
i use it as a starting knot. i guess technically sinking in and then stay there is OK. but the risk is that it will sink through. most grommets have pretty constant internal diameter, so if something is small enough to sink in, then there will be a risk of it sinking through. which is a big no-no.
As Taneepak says, starting crosses in the middle gives poor playability. Going top down on the crosses insures tight crosses at the top of the racket where you need them most. Before I started stringing rackets, I studied a lot of posts about what is the best starting knot. Post #10 here http://www.badmintoncentral.com/for...inging-A-Racket-(2-Piece-Top-Down)?highlight= made by the great Taneepak himself was a big help to me. I have had 100% successful results (on 10 rackets so far) using his 5 loop approach finished off with two half hitches. And this is using thin Zymax62 at 28 lbs. This works so well that I am confident I could pull over 30 lbs. and not have the knot break or sink completely into the grommet. MarkA has his own starting knot that many of us are anxiously awaiting to see. But I must say, I think Taneepak's approach will be very hard to beat.
Camera is proving to be a problem atm, so I'll just describe it and see if anybody can make it work from there. It's basically a "compound" bulky knot (the one in video in OP). With bulky knot it's Half-hitch to the outside of the frame, Down through the HH's outside "half loop", Up through the big loop in your hand. To do mine, just repeat the procedure as many times as necessary. The one-loop bulky will leave you with two half-loops on the outside, so go down through BOTH. This will leave you with two big loops - go up through BOTH. Do three or four as needed. IME Two is good for 0.70+ below 25, three for 0.70+ up to 30 or 0.66 up to 25, and four is needed for 0.62 over 25. Somebody have a go and let me know if my explanation made sense.
According to their website, when doing the crosses Yonex recommends that you start from the bottom and work your way upwards. I knew a guy who always started from the top but did not begin the tensioning process until the second cross. Since you start from the top and work you way downwards, does it really matter where you begin the crosses? I've never strung a racket before but having read countless threads over a period of several months the most complicated part in my view is tying the knots.
Yes, it does matter where you begin the crosses because that affects where you END the crosses. If you go bottom up the crosses must end at the top and the last cross will need a tie-off knot which will reduce its tension. A less tight cross at the top of the racket is not ideal. Reading between the lines, I have determined that Yonex takes the official position of recommending going bottom up for racket protection and to minimize warranty claims. Very high tension (over 30 lbs.) top starting crosses can cause many rackets to become egg shaped and to break easier. However, top of the line rackets don't really have much of a problem with increased breakage and distortion from top starting crosses. Many, many players around the world understand this and accept the slightly greater risk of breakage to obtain the higher performance that starting top crosses brings.
So essentially, what you are saying is that if you aren't too bothered about cracking the frame and your main concern is performance then feel free to string from the top downwards? If you are concerned that you might crack the frame then start from the bottom and work your way upwards? I have my rackets strung no higher than 24lbs so I guess it doesn't really affect. I'll ask my coach next week how he strings his rackets.
A pretty accurate summary. I'd rather have any looseness at the bottom than the top, hence I do top-dpwn with a starting knot. I get 30+ on my rackets and I've never broken one yet, though (*touches wood).
