Wilson PSC 6.1 + Poly / Multi @ 54 / 45-50-45 lbs

About 15 minutes into practising my serve, the synthetic gut cross string just snapped near the top of the frame (link). Strange that it is the cross that snapped and not the main. Perhaps it is because I like to hit the ball near the top part of the stringbed for serves. I think this is what many would call a "shank" string breakage.

Since I barely clocked about 2 hours of play with those strings, I decided to restring only the cross with a multifilament. I really enjoyed the multi mains with big ace cross last time (link), so this is a good opportunity for me to test the reverse of big ace main and multi cross.

I also varied tension in the cross strings like the rw5800 racket but without skipping any crosses. (link) This is to test if:
1. I should proceed to test a full setup of proportional stringing, and
2. softer crosses would allow the mains to slide more and generate more spin.

As with the rw5800 racket, I marked a straight red line on the cross strings to see if the cross strings tension would even out after play.

Playtest:
- as with the rw5800 racket, the red line did not move at all, so tension holding of the cross strings is excellent!
- this is a very comfortable big ace/multi hybrid setup that i would rank only slightly behind multi/big ace
- control, spin and power are all excellent which is very rare
- volleys actually feel very easy as I only have to get the racket in position and the strings do the rest
- this setup is an all-rounder and unless I find something better, i will continue to use this
- below pic is after almost 2 hours of hard hits (I straightened out only the mains)

4th Jan 2013 Update:
- Below pic is after 6+ hours of play and 7 days after stringing --> red line is faded but still straight!!!

24th Jan 2013 Update:
- Below pic is after 10+ hours of play and 27 days after stringing --> red line is faded but still straight!!!
- At this point, the Big Ace feels totally flat and dead. Will have to cut it out.

Strings:

Pro Supex Big Ace Revo 1.25mm mains @ 54 lbs

Pro Supex Maxim Touch 1.30mm cross @ 45-50-45 lbs

RW5800 + Poly / Syn Gut @ 48 / 65-46-65 (16x14)

Since the previous setup did not play well (link), I cut out and re-installed only the cross strings. In addition to skipping some cross strings to simulate proportional stringing, I also varied the tension. 

This time, the first 3 installed cross strings were pulled at 65 lbs. Then the next 8 at 46 lbs and the last 3 at 65 lbs again.

To ascertain whether the difference in tension would eventually even out in the cross strings, I marked a straight line down from tip to throat on the cross strings in red BEFORE the clamps are removed. Any significant cross strings tension movements should make the line crooked.

Below's a clearer close-up of the red line on the cross strings. You can clearly see the tension loss on the last cross string at the bottom due to the tie-off. The rest remains intact and well within the middle main strings. Even after I bounced a tennis ball around for about ten minutes, the red line did not move.

To recap, I was trying to:
- obtain a lot more spin
- maintain or increase comfort of the stringbed
- maintain a predictable stringbed with good control

Playtest:
- the tension holding was completely beyond my expectations, the red line did not move at all
- sweet spot hits were very soft and comfortable with excellent control and spin
- off sweetspots hits near the top felt harsh as the tension did not even out as expected
- i think this method of stringing crosses is worth exploring further
- below pic is after playing (I straightened out the main strings)

4th Jan 2013 update:
- below pic is after 4+ hours of play and 8 days after stringing --> red line is still straight!!!

Strings:

Pro Supex Black Fusion 1.19mm mains @ 48 lbs (from JET method)

Pro Supex Synthetic Gut Spiral Flex 1.30mm cross @ 65-46-65 lbs

Yonex RDS003v1 + Poly/Syn Gut @ 54/52 lbs

String tension and racket tuning is inextricably linked. Adjust one and the other is affected. 

M's first RDS003 was done at 47/52 lbs. (link) It felt nice and soft until we adjusted the racket weight and balance. After that, the tension felt too soft. So, I strung up the second RDS003 tighter at 50/52 lbs with the same strings. (link) We fine-tuned the racket weights again and now the first RDS003 feels unplayable!

As usual, the same broken record by M is "I want MORE spin!". So I decided to increase the mains tension. The objective is to let the main strings' characteristics become more dominant. I also changed the synthetic gut cross string to the thinner gauge synthetic gut titan to try to "play it down".

Before:

After:

Synthetic gut Titan is a very soft nylon string. Everytime when I use it as a cross with a shaped poly mains, the titan would fray just from stringing. You can see the fraying very clearly in the last two cross strings in the picture below. 

Despite that, the string still lasts very long. The previous RD7 using a similar setup (link) has lasted about 15 hours of play and is STILL holding up tension and playability very well!

Playtest:
- surprisingly, the sweetspot moved downwards nearer the handle!
- off sweetspot contacts was harsher than the one strung at 50/52
- power level is the same as the 50/52 but spin excels in this racket
- we adjusted the weights some more and would give this setup another try before deciding to mod or cut

Strings:

Pro Supex Black Fusion 1.19mm mains @ 54lbs

Pro Supex Synthetic Gut Titan 1.25mm cross @ 52lbs

RW5800 + Poly / Syn Gut @ 48/46 (then 16by9 @ 48/65)

The best way I know how to soften a full poly job is to cut out the cross string and use a softer synthetic gut. The previous full poly was too harsh and uncomfortable. (link)

I mounted the racket on my stringing machine before I cut out the poly crosses.

More spin is good. So here I am, skipping some cross strings near the top and bottom of the frame to allow the mains to move more freely. Hopefully, the synthetic gut will hold tension and provide better stability than when I skipped strings using poly. (link1)(link2) (Surprisingly, Big Ace is so soft that I find it unstable to be used when skipping strings.)

The conversion completed. To simulate the effects of proportional stringing (link), I varied tension of the cross strings slightly at different points although it is one piece of cross string I used. I believe this stringing pattern is still legal according to the ITF rules.

Playtest:
- no chance.... cross strings snapped before any playing!

So, here's the re-restring. I decided to do an open stringing of 16 by 9. It's something I've wanted to try with synthetic gut. And given today's tight schedule, I thought I might save some time installing only 9 cross strings.

Playtest:
- skipping strings with a synthetic gut cross is more stable  than with poly cross
- spin is absolutely insane with topspin shots curling down hard and kicking fast and high
- power level is very good
- volleys and serves feel too soft on the stringbed
- would have preferred the earlier setup which snapped before testing
- there is some adjustment to get used to the different rebound angle off the string after contact
- i like this setup for spin but control needs to be improved

Strings:

Pro Supex Black Fusion 1.19mm mains @ 48 lbs (from JET method)

Pro Supex Synthetic Gut Spiral Flex 1.30mm cross @ 65 lbs

Stringing for a Professional vs Recreational Player

At any Tour events, the stringing room is always in a frenzy of activities. Players would drop off several rackets asking them to be strung exactly the same. Or each racket would have to differ in tension by exactly a pound or two. 

Multiply those requests by the number of competitors, and you'll understand why each stringer would have to work 10+ hours each day to complete at least 40+ stringjobs. It does not help that players like to drop their rackets off only the day before their game. Or that they'll cut out their strings after each game even if the racket is unused.

In such an environment, would these touring professional really get a better stringjob than us, who drops off our racket to the same chap and get to collect it whenever it is done?

My tennis buddies have shared many stories of nightmare stringjobs they have experienced. With a different batch of stringers at each event, I am sure the touring pros are not exempted. Unless of course, the pros are privileged enough to engage their own racket handlers like PriorityOne.

But this begets the question - which group is more demanding on their stringer, the pro or the leisure player?

In my opinion, the leisure player is more demanding since they expect their stringjobs to last months instead of hours! Leisure players also change rackets, strings and tensions frequently without dedicating sufficient time to test out the new setups thoroughly.

When collecting my rackets from stringers in the past, I witnessed customers refusing to pay and blaming stringers for inconsistent tensions. They bounced the stringbed against their palms and claimed that the tension is off (too tight or too loose) by "X" pounds! Wow! I wondered how they could feel the string tension like that! Here's the secret links if you are curious.... (link1) (link2)

All I'm trying to say is, please be nice to your stringers and be clear of what you want instead of expecting miracles just because your stringer is a legend. 

I've played with nationally ranked players who beat me to a pulp using a borrowed racket from me. And he was wearing track shoes and street clothes that day! Ouch!

Everyone wants the best, but how many are willing to work hard to BECOME the best?

Robertson Wilson rw5800 + Full Poly using JET Method

Found another old racket and decided to string it up using the full JET Method. (link)

I recall this is a very flexible racket but I don't know the exact RA stiffness rating. Could be in the 40s I believe. Yes, it's that flexible. So much so that I struggle to bounce a stationary ball off the ground. 

With so much flex, I decided to string full poly to see what the JET method can do to the stringbed.

Starting the center mains at reference tension of 48 lbs...

Had to skip mains #7 and do #8 first. With flying clamps, I had to use a starting pin to clamp down the #8 string after pulling tension.

Mains completed.

Weaving the crosses now. (I still don't enjoy weaving full poly...) It does take longer to string a racket using the JET method. Maybe it is due to a lack of familiarity or the need to keep adjusting tension. But I do not know of any commercial stringer willing to do this in Singapore yet.

Completed racket weight with overgrip.

And the final weight touchup using lead tape.

Playtest:
- sweetspot contact felt incredibly soft and yet had harsh vibrations
- directional control is good
- power level is extremely low
- spin generation seems average
- both my playing partner and I dislike the impact vibrations and I stopped using it after ten minutes
- will probably re-do only the cross strings and convert it into something else

Strings:

Pro Supex Black Fusion 1.19mm @ Reference Tension of 48 lbs

Strings: Determining Tension (Part 3)

Hybrid strings are another very common aspect of tennis rackets. With hybrids, strings of different material, stiffness and gauge are mixed together to provide a better balance.

The questions I asked were why hybrid. Then what hybrid? Then where to put which string and finally what tension.

So far, everyone seems to take a guess and try approach. Or borrow their friends' rackets to try. I find this approach very slow and expensive.

To hybrid strings with totally different characteristics together successfully, the gauge and tension plays a very important role. Tension a stiff mains string too high and it will usually play harsh no matter how soft the hybrid cross string is. Even if you use natural gut in the cross.

Conversely, if the tension of the softer cross string (eg synthetic gut) is pulled too tight, the overall stringbed stiffness would increase and hurt our wrists, elbows or shoulders. The racket will also feel incredibly low powered.

An appropriately selected tension would display the best of both strings. Such as the spin potential of a stiff poly and the powerful rebound of a soft synthetic gut. That's the main reason why we hybrid them in the first play isn't it?

There are actually quite a few variants of mathematical formulas used to derive recommended tensions for mains and crosses. It's probably easier for you to google them than for me to list them here. 

Generally, stiffer strings should be strung at lower tensions than softer strings. Thinner strings should also be strung lower than thicker strings. Inelastic strings should be strung lower than stretchy strings.

Even the most experienced stringer or player would need a few re-strings to fine-tune tensions of the hybrid chosen. Experienced stringers can only recommend something close to what the player likes. The rest depends entirely up to the player's sweetspot hit ratio, his racket choice, type of balls, courts, opponents' style of play and weather.

Patience is often the missing element in the pursuit of a new and better strings setup. Those who exercise patience are often well rewarded.

Strings: Determining Tension (Part 2)

Other than the style of players and type of tennis balls used, the racket specs play an important role in choosing string tension.

Rackets specs vary in many factors. What I found to affect my decision in string tension are (from most influence to least):
- Stringing pattern (ie 16x18 or 18x20)

- Head Size (eg 85, 95 or 100 sq inch)

- Swing weight

- Balance point

- Total weight

- Flex / Stiffness

A dense stringing pattern like 18x20 in a small 65sq inch head size (like "Woody") will play much stiffer than a similar pattern in a larger head size. If the head size is similar, then the more open stringing pattern will always play softer than a denser pattern at the same tension.

While many have heard of swing weight, not many that I've spoken with understand it's implications. A heavy swingweight provides better plow through the ball. For me, I can feel the strings grip the ball much better with a higher swingweight. When stringing a low swingweight racket, I usually drop a few pounds of tension to liven up the stringbed.

I used to wonder how could Pete Sampras generate power with his 85 square inch Pro Staff 6.0 strung at 75lbs. Much later, I realised he had so much lead tape on the hoop that his racket balance is moved to become even. If his racket was 10 points headlight originally, that's at least 30g of lead taped to the top of the racket! His racket swingweight increased tremendously to help generate power even at ridiculously high tensions! I think even he would struggle if I string 75 lbs for him in a 9oz (255g) racket.

So while we sometimes want to emulate our favourite tour players, we need to pay attention to the customisations they made as well rather than just racket brand and string tension.

Tennis Elbow: Is the Culprit the Strings or the Racket?

After reading comments on how poly strings would cause tennis elbow or how an overly stiff racket causes discomfort, my curiousity is piqued. Does the string matter more or the racket?

I have always played with stiff rackets with RA at 70+ and with multifilament strings strung close to 70 lbs. I cannot recall one single incident of wrist, elbow or shoulder pain. While I have occasionally experienced some discomfort or soreness after a long layoff, there is no injury that I can recall. Not once. So I cannot associate tennis injuries with a stiff racket.

I have also tried using my friends' stiff rackets strung tightly with a full bed of very stiff kevlar strings. I lasted less than 5 hits with the ball before concluding that I cannot handle it. My recollection of a stiff racket with stiff kevlar strings is extremely uncomfortable, even painful.

When I tried tightly strung stiff strings on a very flexible racket (RA 50+), the jarring discomfort and pain still shot up my wrist and elbow with every impact.

So my naive conclusion based on my limited experience is:
--> stiff racket + soft strings = no arm pain
--> stiff racket + stiff strings = arm suicide
--> flexible racket + stiff strings = arm suicide

For now, the bigger culprit seems to be the strings. But then, I also know some people who enjoy kevlar or poly strings done at 60+ lbs! And they are STILL injury free after many years!

Finally, it dawned on me, that the chief culprit for almost all wrist, elbow and shoulder injuries is OFF-CENTER CONTACT!

When impact is at or very near sweetspot, there is no vibration. No jerk. No jarring feeling. The sweetspot is where the centre of gravity (CG) of the racket frame is. Since it is the most stable part of the frame, why would there be vibrations?

If I draw from the experience of Sean Fister, who is a Three-time World Long Drive Champion, you should feel absolutely nothing when impact is right smack in the middle of the sweetspot. (link) This probably explains why Nadal can string a full bed of poly at 55 lbs and still hit so well. (link)

The other important reason, I believe, can be attributed to the swing mechanics. A player who grips the racket tightly and "muscles" the ball will receive a lot more vibrations than someone who grips lightly and swings the racket forward like a pendulum.

Most of the pros start their swing "bottom-up". After they shuffle their feet into position, a right-handed pro always shift his body weight to the left first, then turn his shoulders before his hand swing the racket forward. Power is generated from the hips and body and the racket is swung, not muscled through.

So, to prevent injury:
1. always try to get the sweetspot
2. swing the racket with a light grip

A good "insurance" would be to use low tension, soft strings or an arm friendly racket if our sweetspot hit percentage is low.

Generally, my other experiences are:
- players with wrist problems seem to do better with head light rackets strung with soft strings at low tension
- players with tennis elbow do better with heavier rackets that are overall still head light
- players with shoulder problems do better with lighter racket

Wilson PSC 6.1 + Poly / Syn Gut @ 54/55 lbs

The previous full bed of synthetic gut is still holding up well (link). However, I have been wondering why I have not been very successful with the Big Ace Poly strings. With the lack of rackets to experiment, I decided to sacrifice and cut out the one month old synthetic gut.

What I did not know earlier was that there are several different generations of poly strings. Some are stiffer and some very soft. Big Ace is one of the softest poly strings I've come across. So soft, that many who have used it recommend stringing it almost as tight as a nylon string!

That's exactly what I set out to do this time.

Playtest:
- the stringbed (~36 kg/cm) felt incredibly soft and comfortable, almost like a full bed of multi
- power level is high, with great spin and control
- tension holdings seems good as I could not feel any tension drop at all after an hour of playing
- the softness makes me want to string it even tighter should I use this combination again

Strings:

Pro Supex Big Ace Revo 1.25mm mains @ 54 lbs

Pro Supex Synthetic Gut Spiral Flex 1.30mm cross @ 55 lbs

Strings: Determining Tension (Part 1)

Choosing what string tension to use is one of the most commonly debated topic. I still have plenty to learn, but I thought I'll document my experiences to benefit whoever reads this blog and also as a reminder to myself what have I tried.

Coming back from a 10+ years hiatus, I've listened to almost everyone's advice to start with low tension. And to go even lower with poly strings. (I used to string 16g multis at almost 70 lbs regularly in a 95 sq inch 16 by 18 frame.)

Now, with multis and synthetic gut, I start at about 50 lbs. With a 20 lbs drop from my norm, the stringbed felt nice and soft. Pocketing is deep and good. Serves and volleys were surprisingly still good.

Both soft and hard poly were hybrid with synthetic gut and strung at about 45 lbs. While this felt nice, soft and controllable for stiff polys, it did not go down too well with soft polys. At 45 lbs, soft polys felt springy and a little too soft. I can feel the somewhat mushy feeling on contact, then deep pocketing but could not really tell where the ball would rebound to accurately. Tension holding wasn't too good with the soft poly too. It just got bouncier with use.

Just when I thought I had it all figured out for myself, I started playing with my friends' friends. Some were heavy topspin baseliners. Some were completely flat shot hitters with super low balls. Others were masters of spin who can literally "Bend it like Beckham" in mid-air!

With this variety of shots, I felt totally out of control with my string tensions! Returning hard flat shots seems to suffer the most with my low tension synthetic gut. Upon contact, I can feel the ball compress deep into my stringbed. As my racket continue to swing forward, the stringbed depression felt even DEEPER! It's behaving like a fishing net! I could not predict at which stage of my forward swing will the ball and strings rebound! And I am already using a stiff racket with 70+ RA! My returns sprayed everywhere - at the net, long, left, right and over the fence!

With the poly hybrid, handling shots with heavy spin was the problem. When the ball hit my stringbed, the heavy spin against my poly strings caused the ball to "kick-off" unpredictably. Where it went depended on the axis of the spin that was on the ball when I hit it. This is exactly what happened many years ago while I was trying to return serves with a very heavy side-spin. To return these shots, I had to swing hard and hit through the ball decisively to "break" the spin from the incoming shot. And again, when hitting hard, the low tension just could not give me the type of control I wanted, although poly behaved much better than synthetic gut.

I also tried playing with different balls. I tried freshly opened slazengers, new wilsons, wilson trainers and old flat balls. Among them, the dead and flat balls performed the worst. Since they were flat, we all took bigger swings and just hit harder. That depressed the stringbed more. The trainer balls felt the best with low tension strings.

So now, the immediate question for me is not what tension to use. But what type of players I'm going to be playing with regularly. And what type of balls will I be using. I think a lot of people may have overlooked this when deciding their string tension too...

Yonex RDS003v2 + Poly/Syn Gut @ 50/52 lbs

My friend M bought a pair of Yonex RDS003 rackets. But unlike me, he takes his time choosing his strings and desired tension. I strung up and customised one of the RDS003 for him last month (link) and he tested it for FIVE full sessions of tennis before deciding to string his other RDS003! 

M is a funny chap who really mulls his options. But in the end, he still trusts me enough to let me string the racket for him "blind". The usual request from him is "I want MORE spin!". After watching him play, I agreed to use the same strings so he can use the earlier racket as a reference but I'll have the final say to determine the optimum tension.

Here's the usual snapshots I take before the work begins...

Racket Balance Point is leaded up to about 32.6cm after stringing.

Strings:

Pro Supex Black Fusion 18g 1.19mm mains @ 50 lbs

Pro Supex Synthetic Gut Spiral Flex 16g 1.30mm cross @ 52 lbs

Playtest:
- initially, M felt that the stringbed stiffness (~34 kg/cm) was a little tight although control was excellent
- after I tried it, I recommended he either finetune the racket weights or drop tension slightly
- after adjusting the balance and weight, the spin potential of the shaped-poly started showing
- heavy topspin is opening up previously tight or inaccessible corners
- with more spin, M is hitting harder and heavier balls that kicks high
- M loves it and recommends it!

Tennis Balls

Before I started stringing rackets, I never paid much attention to tennis balls. Yes, there are certain brands I prefer, like Slazengers, but that's about it. I don't know the mass of the ball, nor its diameter, or how long I've used it.

According to the International Tennis Federation (ITF), tennis balls dropped onto concrete from a height of 254 cm (100 inches) must rebound  between 135-147 cm (53-58 inches). (link)

I gathered all my used tennis balls and started measuring their bounce from a drop of 254 cm. It's amazing how varied the bounce height of those balls were.

I sorted them into 4 groups. The "baldy" on the left bounced way above 147cm. The second group is within regulation. The third failed just marginally. And the last group could not even make it to 120cm!

From this simple experiment, I got a confirmation that my "feel" is very much intact. Just from playing, I've actually segregated those balls I liked from those I didn't. And everyone of those I liked were within regulation :)

If you have time, I think you should test your tennis balls too. It makes a GREAT difference on how your strings would feel. Try playing with a few in-regulation balls for a few minutes, then swap to those balls that just failed marginally. You will notice your racket stringbed would feel muted immediately with the flat balls!

So it makes sense to open a can of new balls whenever new strings are installed.

Stringing Methods

Many years ago, I was told that a tour player always asked for the "Around-the-World" (ATW) stringing pattern. Being young and impressionable, I thought ATW was cool, so I asked for it everytime I restrung my rackets too.

Much later on, I realised the ATW was mainly used for people who prefer one-piece stringing and where their rackets' main strings end at the throat area. ATW was used to protect the frame by stringing crosses from top-to-bottom! Now I feel so foolish acting that way!

Over the years, I've found out many other types of stringing patterns and tried quite a few of them. Some of those include:
- Around the World (ATW)
- Modified ATW
- Box Method
- One Piece Stringing (ie Bottom up crosses)
- Standard 2-piece
- 50/50 Method
- Proportional Stringing (aka Frequency-based stringing)

Most of the different stringing patterns that I've tried were done by professional commercial stringers. Frankly, I couldn't tell much difference. Neither did my regular tennis buddies then. I slyly asked to try their rackets and passed them mine in return. Then, I asked if they felt any difference from my usual stringing before telling them about the different stringing method used. None could tell any difference.

What I've learnt, is that consistency is paramount, whichever the method. So when I try a new stringer, I usually ask him to string my racket using whichever stringing method he is most familiar and comfortable with.  That almost always guarantees me a good string job from any unfamiliar stringer.

For now, the standard 2-piece is my preferred stringing method. The 2-piece allows me to hybrid strings, vary tension between mains and crosses and skip strings. I also feel the tension holding is more evenly distributed since there isn't any major twist and loops like the ATW or Box method. Most stringers are also very familiar with this method.

Some of my Preferred Strings so far...

It has been slightly more than two months of strings and rackets testing. So far, I feel there are some string combinations that I am beginning to like. But all of them still need some tweaking in tension.

Up till this point, the most significant and startling "discovery" to me is how much the strings' tension holding is affected by the stringing speed and method. In the past, I have always asked for between 65-70 lbs because I knew there would be a very significant drop in tension somewhere after about 30-60 minutes of play. Because of this, tennis became a time-consuming and expensive hobby. That was one reason why I dropped tennis.

Whenever I had friendly matches or games, I would always string at least two rackets to last me the session. The clearest indicator of tension loss to me was inaccurate serves and hitting the ball long. Once that happens, I would swap rackets.

Now, with experimentation, I know how to string up my rackets to minimise tension loss. My tennis buddies and myself are all surprised on how well the stringbed feels even after 10+ hours of hard hitting! Of course, we are now much older and perhaps weaker compared to almost two decades ago. But still, when we compared our stringing to commercial stringers, the difference felt obvious to us.

Till now, some of the string combinations I like are:

Multifilament fullbed (link)
- tension holding is amazing even after 4+ hours of hard hitting and 2+ weeks after stringing
- the 18x20 stringbed adds a lot to the strings' durability as the ball impact is spread over more strings
- control remains very impressive, so much so that I think I can drop tension some more!

Kevlar / Synthetic Gut hybrid (with skipped outer mains and outer crosses) (link)
- the spin potential from these strings are among the best I have ever used (loses slightly to shaped poly)
- tension holding is the best so far as kevlar does not stretch at all!
- the synthetic gut adds a lot of power and soft feel to the stiff and powerless kevlar
- this combo is holding up extremely well even after 8+ hours of play and 3+ weeks after stringing

Synthetic Gut fullbed (link)
- my fear about a trampoline at such low tension were completely unfounded
- tension holding is very good after 8+ hours of very hard hits and 4+ weeks after stringing

I am enjoying these setups enough not to cut them yet. I want to know how would these strings wear and if the tension loss would increase over time or stabilise. Unless I can find where my other rackets were stored, I'm running out of familiar rackets to test strings!!!