4 Best Badminton Strings for Beginners

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Introduction

Stepping the journey into playing badminton, players will need certain fundamental pieces of equipment to get them on their way. After picking out the most key equipment of all – the badminton racket – players should turn their attention next to finding a pair of strings that both amplify and complement the qualities of the racket they chose.

Haven’t chosen your racket yet? Do not worry and check out the 4 Best Badminton Rackets for Beginners where we describe what racket priorities are most crucial to focus when picking out a racket as a beginner. 

Badminton strings are commonly overlooked as they are not as glamorous as the badminton racket or pair of badminton shoes. However, because the right badminton strings can really make a difference on a player’s performance and their wallets, we want to help you avoid a rookie mistake. 

Read on to discover what the 3 most important qualities are to focus on when choosing the right strings as a beginner and make the best decision to start your badminton journey off on the right foot! 

If you are looking to explore more resources regarding badminton strings, check out the following articles:

• What Badminton String Tension Should I Use?
• The Complete Guide to Yonex Badminton Strings
• The Complete Guide to Victor and Ashaway Strings

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Key Attributes

1. Durability

The durability of badminton strings refers to how well the strings are able to withstand the normal wear and tear of coming in contact with a badminton shuttlecock. Repeated contact from the shuttlecock will apply pressure to the strings, which in turn will lead to fraying of the strings, which you can physically see as mini splitting of the string material. 

Higher power shots like smashes will put the most strain on your badminton strings in comparison to lower power shots like drop. However, other ways of executing badminton shots, such as slicing, can also lead to an accelerated deterioration of your badminton strings as well, especially if done so incorrectly. If you are not familiar with the basic shots of badminton, you can learn about them and advanced shots that are lesser known here: What Types of Shots are in Badminton.

Generally, badminton players want to focus striking the shuttlecock in the “sweet spot” of the string bed when executing any of their shots. The sweet spot is an area of the racket that maximizes the power transfer from a player’s swing into the shuttlecock, as well as minimizes the vibrations from the contact back to the players arm. This area is found near the middle of the racket, with a slight inclination to the top of the racket. The stringing of a racket reinforces the sweet spot allowing it to withstand the most amount of pressure. Looking to better understand how string tension affects your game? Check out this post to learn about why string tension is important and what the recommended tensions are for your level. 

Badminton string durability has a direct correlation with the thickness of the string, measured in gauge. Gauge is the diameter of the string in millimeters (mm). The greater the gauge, the thicker the string and the thicker the string, the more durable it is. Durability is also determined by the type of material used in the construction of the badminton strings. Badminton manufacturing leaders have introduced certain materials into their string composition to reinforce durability, such as the Vectran™ Super Fiber

As a beginner, you may not have the best technique to consistently strike the shuttle with the sweet spot of the racket. The result is that mishitting the shuttlecock outside of the sweet shot will be more common. Shots that are mishit along the edges of the string bed will put badminton strings at a higher risk of snapping. 

Beginner’s recommendation: thicker badminton strings with a gauge no less than 0.68 mm. 

As a beginner, while you get a handle of the game, you want to choose a set of badminton strings that will be forgiving of our mishits and mistakes and support our learning curve. Thicker strings are more durable and will better serve the play of a beginner who are not able to land their shots consistently on the sweet spot of the string bed.

2. Repulsion Power

Repulsion power refers to the degree for which the badminton string aids the explosiveness behind a player’s shot. Badminton strings that rank higher on repulsion power are able to help players generate more power than strings with lesser repulsion power. 

A string’s repulsion power is derived from the material used in its making. Monofilament strings, which means strings made of a single material such as nylon, offers durability through its consistent, singular material. Multifilament strings, on the other hand, introduce multiple materials into the strings which amplify the string’s elasticity and therefore transfers more force through to the shuttlecock.

The catch with repulsion power is that there is generally an inverse relationship with string gauge. As mentioned in the durability section, beginners should gravitate towards strings with higher gauge. Since beginners should also seek strings that offer higher repulsion power, we suggest players to look into the materials used in the construction of the string’s core to determine if the material supplements repulsion power within higher gauge strings. 

Beginner’s Recommendation: choose strings that have a high repulsion power. 

As a beginner, we will have had very little experience playing badminton or racket sports in general. As such, the muscles that are required to execute exact shots may not have been used until now. Not to mention we may still need to acquire the proper technique to execute the various shots. Strings that offer high repulsion will provide support for beginners who are not yet able to produce the power 

Note: repulsion can also be manually manipulated through the adjustment of the string’s tension when strung on the racket. Stringing at a lower tension will increase the contact time the shuttlecock has with the string bed, furthering the trampoline effect which translates into returning a shot with more power. To better understand string tension and how to use it to your advantage, check out this article: What Badminton String Tension Should I Use?

3. Shock Absorption

Shock absorption refers to the ability of the strings to absorb the natural vibrations that result from the shuttlecock contacting the string bed. Badminton strings with better shock absorption dampen the transfer of vibrations from the shuttlecock to the player’s hand and arm.

Without shock absorption, the vibrations that are produced from shots will lead to muscle fatigue for the player. While it may not be felt immediately through a single rally or even a game, the effects can surely stack up throughout a complete badminton session. 

Beginner’s Recommendation: choose strings that emphasize shock absorption. 

Shock absorption is not as critical of an attribute to consider as durability and repulsion power for beginners. However, shock absorption should be given attention as beginners range from never having played a racket sport to playing completely recreationally. As a general precaution, we assume that a beginner is relatively new to the sport all-together. As such, choosing strings that has a high degree of shock absorption will prevent the feelings of muscle fatigue and common badminton injuries such as inflammation in the elbow or a rotator cuff tear. Such injuries early on will delay your enjoyment and participation in badminton. The first to preventing one of the common badminton injuries is to learn about it – check out this post to arm yourself with the knowledge to play and enjoy badminton safely.

Badminton String Recommendations for Beginners

en the 3 key racket attributes to consider as a beginner, we would recommend the following 4 rackets as suitable choices for your starting racket. 

1. Yonex BG65

The Yonex BG65 is reputable across the international badminton community. This reliable string is perfect for players who are picking up the sport and in the phase of training their technique and shot execution. Even at the intermediate play level, the BG65 remains a top choice for players. 

It is primarily known for its extraordinary durability. With a gauge of 0.70 mm, the Yonex BG65 surely falls on the thicker side of the range for badminton strings, which is felt through its evident lifespan. With a reputation of durability, the BG65 allows players to play with more confidence in hitting the shot with greater force, with the trust that the BG65 strings will be able to withstand the pressure. 

With high durability comes a tradeoff with repulsion power. While the BG65 does not boast superior repulsion power, it is unfair to say that it is particularly lacking in this department either. 

The BG65 offers a soft feeling with its strings. Soft feeling refers to how shuttlecock contacts the string bed is felt through the hand, wrist, and arm of the player. A soft feeling is described to be a less firm or dull feeling. While the feel of a hit is one an advanced player may prioritize, a soft feel will be easier on a beginner’s physical nature. 

The BG65 is an all-around string that is not particularly lacking in any of the other string attributes such as control or hitting sound. 

Pros: Unrivaled durability, soft-feeling, cost-effective
Cons: Does not offer exceptional repulsion power or control

2. Yonex Nanogy 95

The Nanogy 95 is equally rated to the BG65 in durability and shock absorption, but offers more repulsion power in comparison. It boasts an 8/10 in Yonex’s badminton string properties, but at a slightly thinner gauge. The Nanogy 95 combines durability with high repulsion power through its Carbon nano fiber coating. While higher repulsion is not typically seen in strings with higher gauge, the Carbon nano fiber exhibits heightened elasticity that boosts the repulsion power property.

The Nanogy 95 produces a medium feeling, which balances a firmness when striking the shuttlecock with an equal amount of strain on your body. A medium feeling is suitable for beginners who wish to develop their sense of what it feels like to hit a shuttlecock through each of the common badminton shots, but do not wish to surrender their body to the pressure of hard feeling strings. 

With quality comes a higher price, so beginners should be wary of this detail if they catch themselves breaking strings more frequently. If you are prone to broken strings, we’d suggest looking back at the BG65.

Pros: Offers both higher durability and repulsion power
Cons: Pricey

3. Li-Ning NS95

The Li-Ning NS95 is a string with a 0.70 mm gauge, matching that of the BG65. With the thick gauge, the NS95 achieves high durability coupled with enhanced repulsion power through a titanium hydride nano coating. 

The Li-Ning NS95 produces a soft feeling, which aims to soften the pressure transmitted to the player at the expense of providing a firm feel behind shot execution. 

The NS95 offers an all-round performance by displaying high results in both control and hitting sound. Li-Ning rates the NS95’s ability to retain string tension at a 7/10. When strings are freshly strung, the string tension will naturally decrease. Strings that have a low string tension retention will loosen faster and consequently reduce the amount of control in the strings a player can benefit from. 

Pros: All-round performance, holds string tension well
Cons: Shot feedback is rather dull due to soft feeling.

4. ZyMax 66 Fire Power

The ZyMax 66 Fire Power is mostly known for its emphasis on explosive power delivery through high repulsion, which does not come as a surprise given its relatively thin gauge at 0.66 mm. 

You may be wondering why the ZyMax 66 Fire Power is being recommended to beginners if our general guidance is to seek out strings that have a 0.68 mm gauge or higher, and the answer lies within the material used for these strings. The ZyMax uses a BETA polymer technology with ZyMax’s own ZyWeaVe technology, which specifically addresses producing a thin, yet highly durable string to maximize durability and repulsion power. For a company that has been creating strings since 1949, they surely know a thing or two about string innovation. Check out the following article from Ashaway, the company which produces ZyMax strings on the ZyWeaVe technology. 

The ZyMax 66 Fire Power performs well in string tension retention, which helps avoid the natural tension recline. Its soft feel, combined with the acute ability to absorb shock, prevents its user from experiencing too much discomfort throughout badminton play. 

Pros: Equally superior in durability and repulsion power
Cons: Thin gauge is still risky for mishits outside of the racket’s sweet spot

Want a second opinion? Check out fellow blogger ShuttleSmash’s post where they cover their opinion on the best strings for beginners. Don’t be surprised when you see overlap between our two posts!

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