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You’ve bought yourself a nice racket, but how can you get the most out of it?
There are many factors that help the performance of your racket, here we
will look at the key factors.
The strings can account for up to 50% of the performance of a racket so it is
very important to keep them in good condition, Strings that have lost their
elasticity provide less power, less feel & send more vibration to the user which
can cause injuries.
a) Basic Rule - You should restring you racket at least once per year, but the
accepted rule of thumb is - ‘You should restring as often in a
year as you play in a week’ eg If you play 3 times a week,
restring 3 times a year
b) Other factors - You may also want to consider a restring if there is visible
damage (ie. notching,discoloration or fluffiness) or if the
strings sound dead when either hitting a ball or when
bounced of your hand.
There are a number of factors that can shorten the life span of strings or
impede their performance. There is little we can do about factors such as
hitting with power or spin, however there are things to be done
a) Avoid Temperature fluctuations -
Leaving your racket in a cold shed or in your car over night forces the strings
to expand and contract, stressing their structure, making them age prematurely.
b) Avoid Dampness -
Water is terrible for strings. Avoid storing you racket anywhere damp. If you
are forced to play in the wet we advice toweling your strings dry - do not
use a heater as this is equally damaging.
c) Where possible avoid miss hits -
We realise this is not always possible, but it is a major cause of string breaks
particularly for badminton players.
d) Maintain your grommets -
Grommets are the plastic tubes that the strings pass through. If these get
damaged they can cut into the string & cause breakages. We will usually
warn you if this is required when you are getting a restring, but if you have
repeated breaks in the same place, this may be a factor.
e) Avoid air travel -
Its great being able to take your racket on holiday, however be aware that
the changes in pressure make your strings expand & contract, reducing the
performance of the string bed
This seems like an obvious one, but you should replace your grip regularly.
If it begins to feel slippy then you should change, this is because over gripping
can cause injury or you may loose grip of your racket.
Racket damage is an inevitable part of our sport, but there are things that you
can do to reduce the risk of problems.
a) Racket Stringers and their Equipment -
We have seen lots of very bad restrings over the years and many of these have resulted in grommet or frame damage. So there is no better way to protect your precious racket than to put in into the hands of the experts - people who had deep knowledge of their trade and who only use the most advanced stringing equipment available today.
b) Avoid clashes -
The most common reason for racket breakages are impacts with other rackets
or hard surfaces such as net posts or the ground. Racket frames are hollow
and designed to take a huge amount of force from the racket face but will not
take a big impact from the outside. The analogy I often use is “They are like
toilet rolls - strong when you squeeze the ends, but they crumple if you squeeze
the sides”
c) Maintain your grommets -
Grommets are the plastic tubes that the strings pass through. If these get
damaged they can cut into the string & cause breakages as mentioned earlier,
but they also protect the frame from the strings cutting into the frame.
d) Protect against ‘scuffs’ -
If you are prone to rubbing your racket off the ground when you play, it may be worth considering using bumper guard tape, or adjusting how you play or scoop the shuttle.
