Badminton Stringing vs. Tennis stringing

[xvrickh]

The local HS has a bunch badminton racquets from gym class that I was asked to restring due to breaks. I have only strung tennis racquets, but figured it would be the same. When watching multiple, top-rated YouTube videos (I understand the rating is subjective), the stringers will thread the mains almost to completion while leaving some slack on the outside where the string loops from one grommet to the next, then go back begin tightening from the middle out. This contrasts to tennis stringing where you do not pre-thread almost all the mains or almost all the crosses. On a tennis racquet, once the job is started, you just thread, tension, thread, tension, thread, tension until you need to make a knot.

Is there any reason to thread the mains, then go back later and pull string from the inside out? Or can I just string and pull the mains as I usually would with a tennis racquet? I understand why you would weave 1 string ahead for the crosses, but I am even seeing videos of stringers weaving top-to-bottom, going half way down the badminton racquet while leaving slack so they can reach the tensioner, and then back to the top and begin pulling tension. I also thought on badminton racquets you started at the bottom and went up due to the egg-shaped racquet head, which is opposite from tennis racquet stringing.

 

[Irvin]

Most of the HS Physical Ed rackets are very cheap and cost about $5. The HS would be better off buying new rackets.

 

[xvrickh]

Yep, but they bought $30 racquets in hopes of creating a school team in the near future and having a cheaper, semi quality option for beginners to use. Thanks for the idea?

The HS gym part has very little to do with the question. The actual question I asked will likely arise in the future and a proper answer to the question will be more beneficial to anyone that runs into this situation.

 

[Herb]

you do not have to pre-weave if you do not want to.

 

[xvrickh]

Thanks

 

[10shoe]

I string a lot of badminton racquets. I don't pre-weave. I recommend looking at Yonex badminton stringing instructions. This is the pattern I use on all badminton racquets although if there are sufficient tie off holes at the bottom of the head I may have 8 shared holes instead of 6. Good luck. It's very time consuming.

 

[Steve Huff]

I agree that it is time consuming. I have strung a couple of Yonex badminton rackets. Stringing the crosses is much more time consuming than stringing the crosses on a tennis racket. Plus, everything just feels so much more fragile (which it is). I took my Wise tensioner off. I wanted more control over how fast I pulled the strings, so I used my lockout.

 

[1HBHfanatic]

Never strung one, question, sorry,
On a badminton racquet, is top/down stringing recomended, preferred, does not matter?
Does each racquet have a tension recomendation listed? (Like tennis racquets)

 

[tennytive]

I decided to restring my 1964 Wilson Zephyr. It's egg shaped like you say. I was surprised badminton string is more expensive than tennis string, can't buy a cheap nylon reel either. I had some issues with my Alpha DC, the clamps are too big to hold the last outside mains, the gripper on my Wise was too loose to hold the string, and the 6 and 12 mounting posts are stressful on the head and throat of the frame. I used a business card folded in half for the gripper issue, double pulled the last outside mains and used my awl to hold the string in place before I could tie off and made some less than perfect spacers for the 6 and 12 posts from a rubber eraser.

I strung 2 piece at 20 lbs, crosses from the bottom up. 18' for the mains and 15 for the crosses. Turned out fine, but I decided I needed the load spreaders and a yonex flying clamp for badminton rackets if I were to attempt this again. As luck would have it, I now have the tools but haven't had to string another racket in over two years.

I've seen some of the videos you describe and if I remember right, one of the stringers said it was easier for him to pre weave all the mains before he mounted the racket, maybe for less stress on the frame is my guess. More than one stringer also used what they call a string puller tool to grab the loops outside the frame to feed the tension head. I know for myself, it took longer to weave just because the string is thinner, the spacing tighter, and I had to be very careful with my fixed clamps since they looked like they could easily break the string if I had them too tight.

If you search "Badminton stringers to my rescue" you'll see some helpful tips I got from more experienced stringers that may help you out. Good luck.

 

[10shoe]

Never strung one, question, sorry,
On a badminton racquet, is top/down stringing recomended, preferred, does not matter?
Does each racquet have a tension recomendation listed? (Like tennis racquets)

Yonex recommends stringing two piece and despite the mains ending at the bottom they recommend stringing bottom to top. Have not seen instructions posted by other companies.

Finding tension recommendations is also difficult. I will usually visit a site that sells the racquet to see what their ordering page lists as options for tension. Usually available as a drop down list.

 

[10shoe]

I agree that it is time consuming. I have strung a couple of Yonex badminton rackets. Stringing the crosses is much more time consuming than stringing the crosses on a tennis racket. Plus, everything just feels so much more fragile (which it is). I took my Wise tensioner off. I wanted more control over how fast I pulled the strings, so I used my lockout.

One of the reasons it is really time consuming (for me) is that I won't tolerate crossovers anywhere on the frame. So where there are shared holes and blocked holes I am pulling out my trusty jewelers loupe to see whether the string is exiting the top of a grommet or the bottom before starting the string into the next hole. Another reason is that before I even start stringing I inspect all the grommets with my trusty jewelers loupe both inside the hoop and outside.

 

[1HBHfanatic]

Yonex recommends stringing two piece and despite the mains ending at the bottom they recommend stringing bottom to top. Have not seen instructions posted ......

Despite 2pc, still bottom/top??!!
I was wondering this, because of the support a throat area offers on a tennis raket
badminton dont have that..
(Plz note, not a critique, just trying to understand the logic, tnx)

 

[10shoe]

Despite 2pc, still bottom/top??!!
I was wondering this, because of the support a throat area offers on a tennis raket
badminton dont have that..
(Plz note, not a critique, just trying to understand the logic, tnx)

Link below for Yonex instructions. I don't know how they arrived at this but many Head tennis racquets that logically could be strung one piece (because the mains end at the head) call for two piece stringing only. So I don't find this all that strange.

http://www.yonexusa.com/products/badminton-stringing-instructions/

 

[jim e]

many Head tennis racquets that logically could be strung one piece (because the mains end at the head) call for two piece stringing only./

Most likely because if 1 piece on some of those Head racquets the distance between the grommets where the main transitions to the cross string is a very small distance so the racquet frame would have less support where the string rests between the grommets, where 2 piece there would be a larger space for support.
When Head calls for 2 piece, I string 2 piece.

 

[seekay]

Two suggestions:

Pre-weave the first four crosses from the bottom up before you pull the outer two mains tight on each side. Blocked holes are a lot more hassle with badminton string than tennis and pre-weaving can avoid some of that pain.

At the top of the frame, if you see you're going to block a hole, run a loop of scrap badminton string under the string you're tensioning (on the outside of the frame). When you get the crosses up there, you can use that loop to gently pull the blocking string up or down to clear a path.

 

[uk_skippy]

For modern, squarer, head shaped badminton rqts string them bottom up. For older, egg/oval shaped rqts string them top down and with lower tensions.

 

[lwto]

I string a lot of badminton racquets. I don't pre-weave. I recommend looking at Yonex badminton stringing instructions. This is the pattern I use on all badminton racquets although if there are sufficient tie off holes at the bottom of the head I may have 8 shared holes instead of 6. Good luck. It's very time consuming.

Time consuming for me, to say the least, but have you seen those videos of guys doing it in like 10 minutes.. around there, it's been awhile, but they are very very fast at it.

 

[Irvin]

Time consuming for me, to say the least, but have you seen those videos of guys doing it in like 10 minutes.. around there, it's been awhile, but they are very very fast at it.

Have you seen the video where people in China string about 700 rackets a week by hand? Why let a machine get in the way?

 

[lwto]

Have you seen the video where people in China string about 700 rackets a week by hand? Why let a machine get in the way?

Crazy stuff..

Actually, threading the crosses is pretty fast, it's very easy to weave with that floss they use as string., Of course, you just have to be confident about it other wise, you get caught up thinking if you might have missed a main.

Really, it's a job for young men, who have good eyes as the holes are so small, that if you don't have good eyes, you're just missing them and the string is so soft that it keeps bending. I always applied superglue on the ends to make the ends somewhat stiffer.

 

[mmk]

Crazy stuff..

Actually, threading the crosses is pretty fast, it's very easy to weave with that floss they use as string., Of course, you just have to be confident about it other wise, you get caught up thinking if you might have missed a main.

Really, it's a job for young men, who have good eyes as the holes are so small, that if you don't have good eyes, you're just missing them and the string is so soft that it keeps bending. I always applied superglue on the ends to make the ends somewhat stiffer.

That would probably help with Ashaway Dynamite Tough as well. That is like stringing with thread it is so limp, getting the cross tie-off through the grommet is as frustrating as US politics.

 

[lwto]

That would probably help with Ashaway Dynamite Tough as well. That is like stringing with thread it is so limp, getting the cross tie-off through the grommet is as frustrating as US politics.

If I recall, I"ve done it with the ends of natural gut as well, works well, plus, if needed, you can cut an extreme lengthwise angle if, you have a hole blocked and you need to slip it into a tight hole.

 

[1HBHfanatic]

....... I always applied superglue on the ends to make the ends somewhat stiffer.

Good tip! (Pun intended, haha). Tnx

 

[Dimcorner]

I strung a TON of badminton racquets.

My method is to preweave the mains about 1/2 way on each side leaving a loop on each side from center to tension. I also do mostly 2 piece most of the time. I will pre-weave crosses about 1/3 way thru and then start tensioning until I get about 1 cross away and the go again for another 1/3 of it. Reason for me is that sometimes the side supports get in the way and also when you get near the ends there are shared holes that make it more difficult to push the cross thru if the tensioned crosses are too close.

As for bottom up, top down I do top down for lower tensions (quicker to do for me) but when getting above 27 I will do bottom up (unless owner tells me otherwise).

Some raquets (Victor MX meteor series as example) have no shared holes BUT the dang mains loop right over the hole for the cross. Be VERY careful poking around the strings since they are very thin. In this case I will try to pre-weave the cross or make sure the main is out of the way of the grommet when pulling tension.

Also some Yonex have a special Yonex loop you can do for the last 3 mains but I doubt that the cheaper raquets need it (in fact I'm not sure how much advantage it has over regular finish).

If you have 2 floating clamps for badminton it makes life MUCH easier and WAY faster. Only get them if you plan on doing this more often. They are just spring clamps so makes it easy to move as opposed to locking down a base clamp.