Very few squash players think about this, but it’s a fact. How you serve determines, to a very large degree, how often your strings break. Even more importantly, though, how you serve affects the number of grommets you break.
Why does this matter? Once a grommet breaks, there is nothing to protect the string from the sharp edge of the graphite. A few strokes later, the graphite will cut through the string and you will have to bring the racquet in for restringing.
Take five minutes right now to watch the videos below. If you serve like the guy in the first video, you will win more points on the serve at the beginner and low-intermediate levels, but it will come at a cost because you will break grommets and have to restring a lot more often.
If, however, you learn to serve like the professional squash player in the second video, you will win more at higher levels and save a ton of money on restringing costs.
Power serving, like the guy in the top video puts incredible stresses on the racquet’s grommet system. If you are playing with a Head squash racquet, most of your grommets will be busted out in just a few dozen matches. Even a quality Tecnifibre racquet with top-of-the-line grommets, can be damaged the first time you use it if you serve like this.
Our advice is to learn to serve like the pro in the second video. If that’s not something you are prepared to do, then suck it up, Buttercup. You will have no choice but to restring your squash racquet every few weeks — or sooner.
The only options you have to increase string life when you serve like the guy in the top video are to A) play with thick string and B) replace broken grommets every time you restring your racquet.
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.