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Category: Tennis Racquet Stringing

  • Tennis Stringing Myths Busted

    Legendary racquet stringer Lucien Nogues busts some common myths about tennis racquets and strings.

    Myth 1 – The thickness of the frame has an impact on the ball. In fact, if the ball is hit properly, the ball never touches the frame. The only point of contact is the string bed.

    Myth 2 – More tension equals more power. In fact, more tension results in less power. If you want more power, you have to decrease the tension.

    Myth 3 – Multifilament string is not durable. In fact, it is durable. It may not be as freakishly durable as polyester string, but it is durable and — because it is elastic — it is also playable.

    Myth 4 – Monofilament (polyester) is suitable for everyone. In fact, it is made for professional tennis players with extremely high racquet head speeds. Most players do not swing hard enough to bend it. Therefore they get no benefit from polyester.

    Myth 5 – Natural gut is for old people. In fact, 40% of pros at Roland Garros used hybrids with natural gut and nearly all of them are under 30 years old.

  • When and Why You Should Change Your Tennis Strings

    Legendary racquet stringer Lucien Nogues gives his advice on when and why you should change your tennis strings.

    Option 1 – Scheduled Changes

    If you play three times a week, you may choose to schedule your string changes along the lines of three times per season. This is especially effective for players who are concerned about the cost of re-stringing.

    Option 2 – Emerging Needs

    While scheduled changes are preferred by players on a budget, better players tend to replace their strings as needed.

    Examples of emerging needs:

    1. Power/Control issues – A player may want more power or control than the current configuration of his racquet can offer. Alternatively, a player may choose to string his racquet looser for more forgiveness at the beginning of the season and tighter for more control at the end of the season.

    2. Sensation issues – A player may want softer strings in his racquet at the beginning of the season when it is cool and stiffer strings during the middle of the season when it is hot. Alternatively, a player may be going on vacation in a different climate and may want to choose a better string for that climate. Or another example, a player may develop elbow pain and may want to move to a softer configuration.

    3. String tiring – Due to static and/or dynamic tension loss, a player may notice degrading power or control as the strings in his racquets age. Alternatively, he may want fresh strings for an important tournament or match.

    Lucien’s Tips

    1. Pay attention to the sounds your strings make. When they sound dead, they are dead.

    2. Never leave synthetic string in the sun. Heat kills the tension.

    3. Never get natural gut strings wet. Humidity kills the tension.

  • Best Tennis String for Calgary’s Climate

    BABOLAT VSTOUCH TENNIS STRINGOutdoor tennis players often follow the pros with their string choices. However, this only makes sense if the pros are playing in same climate. For players in Calgary where it is often cool, it makes no sense to use the same string as a pro appearing in 40+ degree heat at the Australian Open.

    As we have discussed in previous articles, polyester tennis string (use by many pros) is probably the worst possible choice for outdoor tennis players in Calgary. Given our climate, there are really only about six weeks during which it is warm enough outside for poly strings to make any sense at all. For most of the outdoor tennis season, the temperatures are too cool for polyester resulting in unacceptably — often unplayably — stiff string beds.

    Natural gut, as every tennis geek knows, lies at the other end of spectrum. As an organic product, it is capable of stretching and snapping back under a wide range of conditions. Indeed, natural gut comes from the intestines of cows where it is constantly expanding and contracting in order to push food through the animal’s digestive system. So unlike plastic, which stretches and sags in a short period of time, natural gut is very good at returning to its original shape.

    Downside to Natural Gut

    The downsides to natural gut, of course, are price and durability. Like most good things in life, natural gut is not cheap. It costs about twice as much to string a tennis racquet with natural gut as it does with plastic. This initial expense comes as a bit of a shock to many players who don’t understand the benefits of using it. They don’t understand that it costs twice as much but it retains its elasticity for more than twice as long. They don’t understand that it performs better at low temperatures than plastics and polys. All they see is the price and that frightens them.

    The knock against natural gut is its durability. In actual fact, natural gut lasts about as long as synthetic gut, but few players realize this. The perception is that it has a short life. Certainly, when it is compared with polyester strings, there is no question that racquets strung with natural gut must be strung more often. But to say it has a short life is probably unfair because for most players who play with synthetic gut, the durability will be about the same.

    Moisture Issues with Natural Gut

    Moisture is another issue often raised as a criticism of natural gut. Players who used it 30 years ago will remember mold and mildew forming on racquets that were strung with natural gut and put away wet. They may also remember having to apply wax to their strings in order to protect them from moisture.

    Fortunately, moisture is not an issue in Calgary. Humidity levels are extremely low here for most of the outdoor season. Moreover, natural gut strings are now treated with coatings and preservatives that obviate the whole mold/mildew issue. In fact, in spite of stringing several thousand racquets over the past decade, our stringers have not seen a single case of racquet mold in Calgary.

    Best Overall Tennis String for Calgary

    It is for these reasons that we have concluded that natural gut is probably the best overall string for Calgary’s outdoor tennis players. While it may seem pricey, there is no question that it offers the best value for the greatest number of players. In addition, there are some well-known health benefits that we don’t have time to go into here, but that also make natural gut an excellent choice for weekend warriors and other recreational athletes.

    Outdoor tennis players who choose natural gut in Calgary will enjoy better overall string performance, regardless of our rapidly changing weather. They will also enjoy a much higher level of comfort than players who choose polys and other plastic tennis strings.


    TEST PREPARATION


    The following questions may appear on tests related to this article. Use them to test your reading comprehension and prepare for the CERTIFIED EXPERTS TEST – RACQUET SERVICE.

  • Stringing for Calgary’s Climate

    racquet-stringingTennis players seldom think about this, but ambient temperature has a major impact on stringbed stiffness, performance. and durability. For indoor tennis players, this is not a major issue. It’s pretty much the same temperature indoors on the tennis courts at The Riverside Club in January as it is in July. For outdoor players, however, this is a major consideration.

    In April/May, it is not unusual for outdoor tennis players to experience lows near freezing when the sun goes behind a cloud. In July, by contrast, a sunny day on an asphalt court can generate on-court temperatures near 40 degrees Celsius. Naturally, this 40 degree difference has a significant effect on string elasticity and this, in turn, affects both performance and durability.

    In general, outdoor tennis players in Calgary are going to string at slightly lower tensions that outdoor tennis players in Vancouver or Toronto. Meanwhile, the same players in Calgary will string at significantly lower tensions that players in Houston or Miami. This is because average daily summer temperatures in Calgary are a bit lower than in Vancouver and significantly lower than summer temperatures in the southern USA.

    Performance Issues at Cool Temps

    Cold days are especially hard on polyester strings. Stiff to begin with, they get even stiffer when it is cold. In fact, a racquet strung with poly may seem just fine in July when it is 25 degrees Celsius, but will seem impossibly tight in early May when wind chill drops the temperature to below five degrees.

    This fact is only one of many, many reasons why the staff at Racquet Network are trained NOT to recommend polyester strings to most of our clients who play tennis outdoors. Stiff string beds lead to tennis elbow. Stiff string beds lead to shoulder injuries. And stiff string beds contribute to the development of poor stroke habits.

    Benefits of a Softer String Bed

    Instead, our staff are trained to advised customers of the benefits of using flexible string beds. First among these are the health benefits, beginning with less stress on elbows and shoulder. Second is the increase in power. For players with good technique, more power equals more spin and more spin equals more balls in. And finally, lower tensions contribute to longer string life.

    In Calgary, where the temperatures outdoors are rarely genuinely hot, a softer stringbed is essential. Over-stringing can lead to injuries, bad habits and broken strings. If you have recently moved here from somewhere else, this is something you may want to keep in mind. If you’ve lived here and have never really thought about this, perhaps it’s time you did.


    TEST PREPARATION


    The following questions may appear on tests related to this article. Use them to test your reading comprehension and prepare for the CERTIFIED EXPERTS TEST – RACQUET SERVICE.

  • How Much String Should I Buy?

    Wilson Super Spin 16
    Wilson Super Spin 16
    Martin from Washington asks: “I’m told I can save money by buying tennis string online and then having my racquet strung locally by a discount stringer. I see that most packages contain 40 feet of string. How many times can I string my racquet with one package of string?”

    There are actually two different issues in Martin’s question that I would like to deal with. First, I will address his core question. Then I will talk about saving money on string and stringing.

    A professional racquet stringer can string an average tennis racquet with 30 to 32 feet of string. Therefore a single package of string is enough to do one racquet. Some brands of string can also be purchased in reels of 660 feet. This is enough to string 18 frames.

    The issue of saving money when getting a racquet strung, though, is more complicated than simply determining the price you are paying for a package of string.

    The first question you have to ask is: who is stringing my racquet? Are they trained and/or certified by an organization like the US Racquet Stringers Association? If not, then how do you know that they are capable of stringing your racquet correctly?

    The second question you have to ask is: does the price I am paying line up with the quality I am expecting? Generally speaking, price and quality go hand in hand. If you are paying low prices, then you should expect low quality work.

    Remember that the best string in the world is useless if the guy who puts it into your racquet doesn’t know what he is doing. String that is improperly installed will break more often. It will also perform poorly when it’s not broken. So how much money are you really saving by going to a discount stringer?

  • How Often Should I String My Racquet?

    Wilson Super Spin 16
    Wilson Super Spin 16
    Geoff from Toronto asks: “I bought my tennis racquet five years ago. It still has the original strings but the logo is starting to fade away. Should I change them?”

    The rule of thumb is that the number of times you change your strings per season should equal the average number of times that you play tennis per week. So if you play tennis twice a week, then you should change your strings twice per season.

    Of course, this rule of thumb becomes irrelevant if you hit the ball hard enough to break strings regularly. In this case, you can forget about the rule of thumb and replace your strings when they break.

    Personally, I prefer to use Wilson Super Spin tennis string. It’s a hexagonal shaped string with edges that bite into the ball and create extra spin. Unfortunately, these edges also bite into each other. So I break strings more often than most players.

    The faded logo — getting back to Geoff’s question — is completely irrelevant. Most pre-strung racquets will come with the manufacturer’s logo stamped onto the strings. At some point, however, the owner will need to replace the strings; the new strings will not have the logo stamped on them.

    The exceptions to this are pro tennis players like Roger Federer or Serena Williams who have endorsement contracts with racquet manufacturers. Every time their racquets are restrung, a new logo is printed on their strings.

    At the other end of the spectrum are recreational tennis players who just go out and bump the ball around every now and then. These players will rarely, if ever, have to replace the strings on their tennis racquets.

  • Choosing the Right String Gauge

    18 Gauge Tennis String
    18 Gauge Tennis String
    If you are beginning to wonder whether or not you should be playing with a different string gauge, then you have almost certainly advanced beyond beginner status in tennis.

    In string terminology, the word gauge refers to the thickness of the string in your racquet. The lower the number, the thicker the string.

    The thickest string is 15 gauge. You will find this in most beginner racquets. Because it is thick, it is difficult to break. The frames in most beginner racquets, in fact, will usually break or bend before the strings break simply because the string is so thick.

    The most common string in tennis is 16 gauge. This is what you will find in most tennis racquets. It is the preferred string for most recreational and competitive players. 16L gauge is a slightly thinner version of the popular 16 gauge string that dominates the string market today.

    17 and 18 gauge stings, meanwhile, along with their thinner counterparts 17L and 18L, are used by advanced and professional players who want to create more spin.

    Thin, high gauge strings are more elastic than thick, low gauge strings. This means that high gauge stings remain in contact with the ball longer on each stroke. As a result, they provide players with the potential for more power, more touch and increased spin. However, they also cost more and break easier than low gauge strings.

    16 gauge string is the most popular string in tennis because it offers a middle ground between the durability of 15 gauge and the playability of 17 gauge strings.