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Repair Your Badminton Racket BY

John Gillam

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As a rule, if you break a string in your racket, its probably time to bring your racket to a pro-shop or sports store where all your strings can be replaced on a machine. In this way, you can be reasonably assured that your strings will have an accurate degree of tension, appropriate to the specifications of your racket, and according to your preference and style of play.

However, there are times when you need your racket fixed in a hurry. Suppose, for example, that its your only racket and youve broken a string in the middle of a critical match. Or perhaps you cant arrange to get it strung right now and just have to make do. Or maybe youre a physical education teacher with a limited budget which doesnt allow you to have a dozen rackets re-strung just now.

If so, then read on this manual is for you.

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What will you need?

You can buy a racket repair kit complete with awls, wire cutters and a roller, or with a little effort you can put one together on your own. Ive had mine for a number of years so, along with the repair tools, I keep a few other things such as a padlock, an eyeglass screwdriver and some grip wrap. To make up your own repair kit you need only a few essential items to be able to fix a broken string in a racket.

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Awls If you dont have ready-made awls, you can grind down the shafts on a pair of darts, or small screwdrivers. Its important that they not be too thick or they wont fit into the grommet holes on the racket. Also, you need to blunt the tips so that they dont damage the strings.

Roller This can be a broken handle from an old badminton racket or the handle from a baseball bat. Should be covered in rubber or leather to prevent string from slipping.

Cutters For cutting badminton string, you can use a standard pair of wire cutters, or a simple pair of nail clippers work just fine.

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Pliers For tightening knots, needle-nosed pliers are best but any small pliers will do.

String I suggest you buy extra string when you have your racket re-strung. That way if you have to make a repair, youll have the same gauge and type as whats in the racket. Keep it in a plastic sandwich bag inside your kit to prevent it from getting damaged or dried out.

Other items You can use almost any kind of box or bag to hold your repair kit. Make sure it has room for any other things you might need such as grip wrap, extra tape, etc.

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To Begin The first step is to remove the damaged string and tie off the ends. Youll need at least 4-5 inches of string to wrap around your roller as well. Usually, when a string breaks from extended use, the 1 or 2 rows of string on either side are also worn and need to be replaced.

Once youve removed the damaged string, youll need to tie off the ends before replacing the string.

First, clip off the ends of the string to remove any frayed areas. Cut the string at an angle to make it easier to insert the string into the grommet holes.

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Clamp the racket between your knees to keep your hands free. Then, wrap one loose end of string around your roller. Use both hands to rotate the roller away from the area of the break to tighten the string.

To check the tension on the string, hold the roller steady with one hand and pluck the string with the other. Pulling or plucking gently on several strings will allow you to compare tensions. Increase the tension if necessary by rotating the roller.

Gently insert an awl into the grommet hole using a twisting motion to avoid piercing the string. Be sure to insert the awl on the opposite side of the string as the roller.

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With the awl holding the tension, insert the loose end of the string into a nearby grommet hole so that it protrudes through to the inside of the racket frame. Some holes may be too small to push a second string through, but if you look closely you should see one or two larger grommet holes.

If you have to use a grommet hole which is several strings away, it is usually better to weave the end of the string underneath another string. This will help keepit in place. Very gently use an awl to lift a string as shown, then insert the end of the broken string underneath.

Pull the loose end of the broken string all the way through the hole, then loop it around an existing string as shown to make a slip knot. Pull it tight, using your pliers if necessary.

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Once the knot is tightened, it should be snug around the string as shown. You can make a second loop around the string if you want, but once is usually enough. Clip off the excess string, leaving about a quarter inch length.

Tighten and tie off the other loose end of string using the same steps. Once this is done, you now have to replace the missing string. Youll need enough new string to fill in the empty space plus a few inches extra to wind around the roller.

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Weave the string through the racket, going over and under as if making a basket.

WRONG ! RIGHT !

If youre in a real hurry, you can weave two lines of string before taking your roller to tighten them up.

Insert one end of the new string into a nearby grommet and tie it off as shown. Push the other end into the first hole of the empty space and weave the string through to the other side of the frame.

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As before, hold the roller in one hand and tug on the new string to make the tension feel the same as the other strings. Insert an awl in the grommet to hold the tension and tie off the string.

Clip off the excess string and youre done. Other than the difference in colour, it should be difficult to tell that the string was replaced.

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With a bit of practice, you can quickly repair a racket, even between games in a match. As well, its helpful if you have a teammate who can also fix rackets. That way if one of you breaks a string during a match, the other person can fix the racket quickly and return it during play, rather than have to wait until the end of the game. If soon after you repaired your racket, you break another string, then its most likely time to bring your racket into a shop for a complete re-stringing. John Gillam Provincial Level Coach Corner Brook Newfoundland & Labrador Canada