What tension should you string your racket at?
Most club players should start here: tennis 50–55 lb, squash 24–28 lb, badminton 22–26 lb. Lower tension gives you more power and is kinder on the arm; higher tension gives you more control and a smaller margin for error. If you have never thought about it, the middle of your racket's printed range is almost always the right place to begin.
That is the short version, and for a lot of players it is the whole answer. But tension is the one thing about a restring that genuinely changes how the racket feels, and it is worth understanding why — because the right number for you depends on how you play, not on what the professionals use.
What tension actually does
String tension is a trade-off between two things you both want and cannot have at once.
Looser strings give you power. The string bed flexes more on impact, holds the ball fractionally longer, and springs it back with more speed for the same swing. It is also softer, so less shock reaches your arm.
Tighter strings give you control. The ball leaves the string bed faster and flatter, so where you aim is closer to where it goes. The cost is that the sweet spot shrinks, mishits feel harsher, and you have to generate more of the pace yourself.
Neither is better. A player who keeps hitting long usually needs more tension; a player who feels they are muscling every shot usually needs less. Most people who are unhappy with their racket are three or four pounds away from being happy with it.
Tennis string tension
Every tennis frame has a recommended range printed on the inside of the throat — usually something like 50–60 lb. That range is not a suggestion to be clever about: it is what the frame was designed and tested for, and it is the right place to start.
| Tension | Who it suits | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| 45–50 lb | Beginners, players returning from arm trouble, anyone who wants free power | Easy depth, forgiving on mishits, softest on the arm |
| 50–55 lb | Most club players — the range the majority of rackets we string sit in | A balance of the two. The safe starting point |
| 55–60 lb | Players with a full, fast swing who hit long | Tighter control, flatter ball, less free power |
| 60 lb and above | Strong, advanced players generating their own pace | Maximum control, small sweet spot, harsh on mishits |
The polyester exception, and it matters. If you are switching from a synthetic gut or multifilament to a polyester — the stiff, spin-friendly strings most competitive players use — drop your tension by around 4 to 6 lb. Polyester is a much stiffer material, so the same number on the machine produces a noticeably tighter, harsher string bed. Stringing polyester at your old synthetic tension is the single most common reason a new string feels like a board.
Squash string tension
Squash tensions are much lower than tennis, because the ball is soft and the racket head is large and light. Most squash rackets are strung somewhere between 24 and 28 lb.
| Tension | Who it suits | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| 22–24 lb | Players who want help getting the ball to the back | More power and a livelier string bed |
| 25–27 lb | Most club and league players | The usual balance — controlled but not dead |
| 28–30 lb | Strong players who hit hard and want touch at the front | Precision on drops and boasts, less free pace |
Squash strings are thin and take a lot of abuse from the frame scraping the wall, so tension has less to do with how long they last than technique and the walls do.
Badminton string tension
Badminton is where tension makes the biggest difference to feel, and where the most players get it wrong — usually by going too high because they have read what the professionals use.
| Tension | Who it suits | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| 20–22 lb | Beginners and casual players | Large sweet spot, lots of repulsion, very forgiving |
| 23–25 lb | Regular club players | The usual range. Good control with enough power left |
| 26–28 lb | Competitive players with a clean, fast swing | Sharp control and steep smashes — if you hit the middle |
| 29 lb and above | Advanced players only | Very small sweet spot. Punishing on anything off-centre |
Higher is not better. At high tension the sweet spot shrinks dramatically, and a shuttle struck slightly off-centre loses more speed than it would have gained from the extra tension. If you are not consistently hitting the middle of the strings, a lower tension will produce better shots, not worse ones. Most club players are better served at 24 lb than 28.
Badminton frames also have a maximum printed on them. Exceeding it risks the frame, and most manufacturers will not honour a warranty on a racket strung above its rating.
How to tell your current tension is wrong
You do not need to measure anything. The racket tells you.
- The ball keeps sailing long — try going up two or three pounds.
- You are swinging hard and the ball still lands short — try going down two or three.
- Your arm or shoulder aches after playing — go down, and consider a softer string. Tension and string stiffness both feed into how much shock reaches you.
- Mishits feel jarring and dead — you are probably too tight for your swing.
- The string bed feels mushy and unpredictable — either too loose, or the strings have simply aged past their useful life.
Change one thing at a time, and no more than two or three pounds at once. Bigger jumps make it impossible to tell what actually helped.
Does tension drop over time?
Yes, and faster than most people expect. A freshly strung racket loses a noticeable amount of tension in the first 24 to 48 hours as the strings settle, and continues to lose it slowly from there — whether or not you play. Polyester drops fastest.
This is why strings that have not broken can still be worth replacing. A racket strung nine months ago is not the racket you asked for, even if every string is intact. If your game has quietly got worse and you cannot say why, the strings are a good place to look.
So what should you ask for?
If you have never specified a tension, ask for the middle of your frame's printed range and see how it feels. If you have a tension you have been happy with, stay there — consistency is worth more than chasing an ideal. And if something about your racket has been bothering you, move three pounds in the direction this guide suggests and play with it for a few sessions before deciding.
If you are not sure, say so when you order. We string rackets every day and we would far rather talk it through than hand back something that does not suit you.
Within 48 hours of arrival, posted back tracked anywhere in the UK — or collected from your door if you are in Herts, Beds or Bucks. Not sure what to ask for? Say so in the order notes and we will suggest something.
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