How Lead Tape Affects Racket Performance

Why add lead tape to a racket?

In general, increasing a racket’s weight can enhance its power, stability, and penetration.

Advanced players tend to prefer heavier rackets because they allow for greater power during play—without relying on oversized, bulky racket heads.

Beginner and intermediate rackets are usually much lighter, but as players grow stronger, they may also want to add weight to improve swing power and stability.

In some cases, it’s simply about customizing a new frame—especially when a player likes everything about a racket except that it feels a bit too light.

Application for Badminton and Tennis Rackets

The closer the lead tape is placed to the top of the racket head, the heavier the racket head becomes.

This increases power but makes the racket harder to control.

Conversely, placing lead tape on the handle helps balance a head-heavy racket, making it easier to maneuver.

Impact of Different Lead Tape Placements

Badminton Rackets

12 o’clock position (Top of racket head)

If your primary goal is to increase shot power and you have the arm strength to handle a head-heavy racket, you can apply lead tape at the very top of the racket head—the 12 o’clock position.

However, this is not recommended for first-time users of lead tape, as adding weight here significantly increases the swing weight of the racket, making it more difficult to control.

10 o'clock 2 o'clock

The 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock positions are the most common locations for lead stickers. Compared to the 12 o'clock position, it also increases the power output of the racket, but with better ball control.

In addition, the weighting in this position may slightly raise the sweet spot, which is especially beneficial for players who are used to hitting the ball on the top edge of the racket.

9 3 o'clock

Adding a lead patch at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock serves a dual purpose: on the one hand, it increases the power of the stroke, and on the other hand, it enhances the stability of the racket.

By increasing the edge mass, the racket is more resistant to twisting at impact and more forgiving of off-centre shots. This is the recommended starting position for players who are trying out lead tape for the first time.

Throat

Although less common, some players choose to attach lead to the throat of their racket. The advantage of this practice is that it adds to the overall mass without affecting the balance point of the racket.

If it is desired to weight the head of the racket while maintaining overall balance, it is common practice to also weight the handle of the racket to achieve a hedge.

Handle

Lead on the handle is usually used to adjust the balance of the racket in favour of Head Light.

Head Light racquets are more manoeuvrable and help to increase head speed, and are therefore quite common in the professional game.

Pictures
Type	Head Heavy	Balanced	Head Light
Advantages	More power when hitting the ball.	Comprehensive and balanced performance.	Easier to swing. More flexible for quick reactions.
Descriptions	The centre of gravity is near the head of the racket, making the head heavier.	The centre of gravity is in the middle of the racket.	The centre of gravity is near the handle, making the head lighter.
Suitable for People	Baseliners Power players	Junior players All-rounders	Net players Players who play a lot of volleys