Oh Snap! Analyzing How Often Badminton Strings Break

The first time your badminton strings break might be a shock, but with time, you’ll come to expect it, as tension, wear, and frequency of use all play a part. So, if you’re wondering how often your badminton strings should break, this is the article for you. 

Badminton strings typically break every two to three months. Some strings last longer depending on playing technique, frequency, and maintenance. Even if your strings remain unbroken for longer, you should restring your badminton racket every 2-3 months for optimal tension and shot speed.

Knowing how often strings break is a great advantage. However, if you really want to maintain your strings in the best condition, read on as I discuss what causes badminton strings to break and how frequently you should restring your racket in greater detail. 

Reasons Why Badminton Strings Break

It’s perfectly natural for badminton strings to break, irrespective of the racket’s durability or your stringer’s skills. They are not made with any indestructible metal beams, after all. Some of the most common reasons behind unstrung badminton rackets are: 

Friction

Newton’s law of motion states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. So, as you hit a shuttle with your racket, it causes an equally powerful friction on the strings. The force spreads through grommets and the racket frame as the strings feel the hit. 

With hundreds or even thousands of shots, the strings get thinner and eventually reach their breaking point. 

So, even if you follow all the maintenance principles and take the best care, the strings are destined to break.

Related: Have you ever wondered why players yell during a match? Find out why badminton players shout “so”!

Accidental Clashes

It’s not unusual for players to hit something other than the shuttlecock. For example, hitting the court turf with their badminton racket, primarily out of frustration for playing a not-so-good shot. 

Besides, it is also common for your racket to clash with another, especially in a doubles game. In both cases, excessive external forces are applied to the racket, and your strings may break immediately.

Even if the racket holds up after an accidental or angry smash, its strings may loosen before breaking later.

Misplaced Shots

Not all the shots you play in a badminton match will be perfect, which is normal. However, it is if you regularly hit the skirt of the shuttlecock when playing your shots, it can damage your racket over time.

The skirt of a shuttle can leave notches and damage the strings. With consequent poorly hit shots, your string will eventually break. 

The same happens if you hit a shuttle with your racket’s frames. It tends to apply forces on grommets that protect the strings, often causing them to spill and break earlier than expected. 

Did You Know: Playing badminton has many healthy benefits. In fact, some say badminton is even better than going to the gym.

Storage Notches

Ideally, you should use your racket bags only for storing your rackets. Unfortunately, not everyone follows this unspoken rule. Many players tend to store keys, phones, and other similar accessories in their kit bag, sometimes in the same compartment. 

This increases the likelihood of your strings coming into contact with sharp objects, creating unwanted nicks and notches on the racket, which may break your badminton strings.  

Also, be careful while putting the racket in the bag, as the zippers can cause similar damage to the strings if they come in contact with them.

Stringing Errors

String tension has a substantial impact on how often your badminton strings break. In general, the tighter the strings are, the higher the tension. Similarly, the higher the pressure, the greater the risk of your badminton strings breaking. 

This happens because high tension stretches the strings and puts them under significantly more stress when playing a shot. It also creates heavier friction between the intersecting lines, increasing the risk of a break.

You should always string your badminton racket at the recommended tension level to increase its durability. Avoiding misalignment of your strings can also help them last longer.  

Wrong Strings

Nylon shuttlecocks tend to be heavier than feather shuttles, which causes more severe friction when in contact with the strings. Hence, playing with nylon shuttlecocks requires unique strings made for that purpose. 

Unfortunately, most high-end nylon strings are made for feather shuttlecocks. So, if you play with a nylon shuttlecock using those strings, your strings will likely break more often.

At the same time, different strings come with varying levels of thickness, with the thinner nylons typically breaking down sooner than their thicker counterparts. Therefore, if you are a power player, you may need to use thick strings to avoid early breakage. 

Temperature Changes

As absurd as it might seem, temperature change profoundly affects your badminton string’s health. High and low temperatures stress strings differently, with high temperatures causing looser strings and the latter tightening your strings.

This can be particularly bad when the temperature change is sudden or particularly intense. As a result, proper storage is even more crucial for the health of your strings. While you can’t do much about the climate you play in, you should always ensure that your racket is stored in a cool, dry environment.

Fortunately, you can store your strings in a controlled environment to mitigate this effect. Some kit bags also offer temperature-controlled storage for your badminton rackets. 

How Often Should You Restring Badminton Rackets?

Restring your badminton rackets the same number of times a year as the number of times you play in a week. So, if you play badminton five times a week, you should replace your lines five times a year. 

This is a generic rule of restringing, which generalizes many variable factors mentioned above. Therefore, you should inspect your rackets periodically and restring them soon after the string tension goes below the desired level. 

How Often Do Badminton Strings Break – My Final Words

Badminton strings will typically break within two to three months. In addition to friction, strings tear off because of wrong playing techniques, uncontrolled clashes, poor storage, frequent changes in temperature, etc. 

Depending on how you use badminton rackets and care for them, the strings may break less or more often than expected. A durable set of lines strung perfectly can also ensure less frequent breakage.