Hi BC, I've switched, over the course of a couple of months, to a heavier, extra stiff Yonex Arcsaber 8DX from a much lighter, more flexible BK Photon (a secondhand BK Krypton was the middle racquet for a little bit, but there was a problem with the handle and it kinda flew across the gym when I smashed, the seller from my club paid me back ). My original string tension for the Photon was 24 with BG 65 strings; when I went to the stiffer racquets, my power and control seemed to increase a fair amount (at first the weight and stiffness threw me off, now the smashes are flying faster and the net shots are crisper). I was told the Krypton was also strung at about 24 with the same strings, however, I'm not sure what the Arcsaber 8DX was strung at, as it was a hardly touched demo racquet that I bought for half price from a coach I know (yes, low budget ). My two questions are, if I'm using a stiffer racquet and the shuttles are going faster (to the point that some smashes that still have a fairly good angle go out ) and my control seems better, should I be using a higher string tension? If I use a thinner string, should I string it tighter or looser? Thanks in advance
DX series has the warranty cover up to 27lbs if you want more control since you feel that you have too much power, you can try to increase your string tension. if you do no feel uncomfortable, go back to your old string tension bg65 is 0.70 gauge, if you go for thinner gauge, for example zymax 0.67 zymax 0.67 at 24lbs would feel like you are using bg65 at 25lbs zymax 0.62 (even thinner) at 24lbs would feel like bg65 at 27lbs
Different players have different liking . I would string a stiffer racket with a lower tension. Why? Because I feel that a stiffer racket with a higher tension is just too sensitive for my liking (for most shots). I would find it good (if strung at a higher tension) for delicate netplay (where sensitivity is required), but for most other shots/strokes I would prefer it to be more flexible. But different players have different liking. .
I need to play around with tensions a bit, but not too much as I don't string the racquet myself Not easy to find different tensions to try on already strung racquets around here either, in Nova Scotia, the land of hockey...Although since I'm volunteering at the Canada Games, the stringer at Sportchek offered to string my racquet for free if I bring in strings. I plan on bringing in the extra Krypton that I don't really use and try a higher tension with it; I figure if I hit a tension I can't handle on the Krypton (medium stiff) I definitely shouldn't use it on the Arcsaber 8DX (extra stiff) More control would be very nice, as the smashes will sometimes fly at people, and even the short people just have to duck and they get the point :crying: If the strings were tighter, it would come off the string bed faster, so would the angle be a little sharper? Ah, thanks, the string I have available for use with the spare Krypton are .05 thicker, so I'll take that into account as well
when I said more control, I mean it would be easier for you to play net play, as you don't need to take into account the bounce effect I myself use 23lbs, and now most likely drop to 21lbs (due to tension loss). I don't think increase the tension would make your smash sharper. use your wrist to gain sharper angle, do not only use your shoulder to smash dang.. 0.75 is a pretty thick string thicker string usually will last longer thinner string will give you better feel, but the string will break faster than thicker string maybe you want to try zymax 62 and see if you like thin string or not
Ah, well good, I dislike the bounce effect Mmmm, snapping my wrist is something I often forget to do, I rely on shoulder and arm a lot for angle I considered trying Zymax 62, but I don't think my pockets would be deep enough...if BG 65(.70) breaks in a month or two for me, I think I'll be broke when I'm done using Zymax 62 Unfortunately, they sell virtually no strings around here, and the only dealer I know is a badminton coach that is sponsored by Yonex. If I can find a string that's a little thinner sometime, I will try that
for Yonex range, try bg80 (0.68), nanogy 98 (0.66) you can also buy it from internet try many different strings, and if you find the string that you like, you can buy it in bulk buy one reel, 200m (that would last pretty long), or many small packs (10m)
Personally, I prefer to use higher tension with a stiffer racquet compared to slightly lower tension with a less stiff racquet. To get the most power and control out of any racquet the most important technique to learn is to bend the racquet shaft during shots. With stiffer racquets, the shaft is naturally harder to flex which is why you would prefer a stiffer string bed that hardly flexes and forces the shaft to bend backwards as you pump your wrist strength into flexing the shaft forwards for that explosive power. A loose string bed with lower tension will "implode" too much and cause you to lose the energy transfer into the strings and your shot will not be as powerful, unless you use a very repulsive string. The thicker strings such as BG65, ZM70 are naturally relatively stiffer at higher tensions compared to the thinner strings such as BG66, ZM67 as the thickness makes them harder to flex inwards (contrary to popular belief) since the thick string's string bed has a higher surface area and the impact from the shuttle will be distributed more evenly over a bigger area (thus lower impact pressure) compared to the thin string's. Thus a thick string at higher tension will give a softer feel but with the correct technique you will be able to generate more power and control compared to using a thinner string. A great example will be Fu Haifeng, who generated the highly covered 332km/h smash using BG65 strung at 32-34lbs on the world renown extra stiff 1st gen Ti-10. He has now switched to the 2nd gen Ti-10 using BG80 (a more flexible racquet with a sharper feeling but still relatively less stiff string) and then his current signature racquets which are all more flexible than his prime time racquet set up, which allows him to play with relatively less "pressure" due to the more forgiving nature of the current set up. Some professionals still prefer thinner strings because the string bed is slightly easier to swing at high speeds in small tight manoeuvres which facilitates a quicker game play. Most professional players don't use extremely stiff racquets these days if you notice, and those who do will use a thin string at very very high tensions (for example Thomas Laybourn uses BG80 at 36lbs with the extra stiff NS8000 then NS9900).
That's a lot to digest Although I think I understand your point on why you prefer a tighter string with the stiffer racquet, and getting a very repulsive string around here wouldn't be easy as well. I think something I should work on is using my wrist more, as it is quite strong as I've heard the snaps when I use it, I just neglect it because I am a very stiff person (like my racquet ) and also use my arm/shoulder for everything. On a side note, if anyone has a suggestion as to how to remain relaxed during badminton, do share. A few things I've tried are the chiropractor, yoga and swimming, which have helped a little, but I still have difficulty staying "loose" as my fellow club players say Especially my upper torso and neck, but also my racquet arm. I'll increase my string tension on the Arcsaber, but I'm not sure to what, I still have much to think about...hopefully the free Krypton stringing will help me draw some conclusions. So if I'm using a .75 string (Ashaway Rally 21) and strung at, say, 28, would it actually be about 26?
I don't know about you, but confidence do help me to stay relaxed. Being able to be in confidence makes me less tense, hence I wouldn't be panicky and stiff whenever I play. Takes time i guess, I've played in countless tournaments. If physical tension/stiffness that you're talking about, that'll take time as you progress, your movement, shot production will flow naturally as you practice the correct technique regularly. It's just like dancing~
I agree, but sometimes too much can be my downfall as well It happened to me in one game where I was winning 18-11, but then a bunch of my smashes went off his rim for a perfect return, and I got frustrated and stiff But yes, it's physical tension for me, I've played for maybe two and a half years now. A national swim coach/physiotherapist was at my swim practice yesterday and was trying to massage me a bit because she didn't believe she would be unable to administer a massage on me without me laughing (I'm so ticklish I laugh when I cut my own toenails :crying. Upon going to my lower legs, she said that my legs were so stiff, that it felt like creatures were living inside of my legs, giving birth to other creatures She said I'd better get a sports massage within one week, and a long one, because she wouldn't have time to help me as it would take an hour I tried my free stringing at 27x28 (with my .75 Ashaway Rally 21 strings ), and I feel fairly happy with it, just needs a bit of getting used to. I can clear baseline to baseline with virtually no hip movement and no leg power, so I think it's still good for me I'd like to try it on the Arcsaber sometime, as it will be an extra stiff racquet, instead of a medium flex one...
Good to hear from you again. Staying relaxed during gameplay has a lot to do with experience and mentality. The first thing to do is to practice badminton footwork and "steps" a lot so you gain the muscle memory in your whole body and after that is to play as many opponents you can find to gain the winning strategist mentality. As long as you can still clear from baseline to baseline, it means that the string tension you're currently using is still within your useful range so you're pretty good at the moment. The Yonex Arcsabers can actually be strung up to about 34lbs constant pull tension without problem as long as you don't mishit hard or clash it with others so just be careful with it. The Ashaway Rally 21 at 0.75mm is pretty thick so strung at 28lbs it may feel as soft as BG65 at 26lbs and feel slightly stiffer (depending on composition material too).
Muscle memory, didn't know that applied to your legs as well A comment I read on another thread led me to believe that footwork is helped by a wider stance, which also makes me get lower. My club members have always told me to get low but when I tried to get low with a tight stance, it was kind of awkward Thinking is another problem of mine, unfortunately. Only sometimes when I go into a game do I have a strategy, but I have a hard time keeping to it, it's like I can't focus my mind on my own ideas Although, when I have kept to my strategies (hitting to backhand, pushing to back, etc.) they work 34lbs, would it be even higher with mine as its recommended tension goes to 27 instead of the regular 24? I don't completely understand what you mean by feeling soft and stiff at the same time I'm not even completely sure I know what you mean by soft in terms of strings I appreciate the feedback!
Also, two more questions Can you tell your string tension by the pitch? My Krypton makes a high "C#" sound, while my Arcsaber makes an "A" sound, four semitones down. What's the ideal tension for someone, and how do you find out? Is it the max tension that you can clear baseline to baseline? As I said, I can do that with my arm and perhaps 20% hip rotation/leg power
For music, yes can which is dependent on racket, string, and stringer, otherwise you need to re-reference what tension is what note. For example, BG-80/BG-68Ti at 23x25 for my stringer is about C# for my Arc7. Since I use 26x28, mine makes around a too sharp E. All these are assumption when it is freshly stringed off the machine, not when the strings have settled for a while.
