Pocketing

Other than swingweight (link), the other aspect I pay most attention to is pocketing.

Pocketing is how much the stringbed depresses upon contact with the ball. It is not the same as dwell time but they are inextricably linked. Deeper pocketing translates to longer dwell time.

Many focus on stringbed stiffness, which is a measure of how much the stringbed depresses per unit of weight. I think the concept is very similar, except that the level of pocketing I enjoy only appears with ELT. I don't even get that much from natural gut!

Why pocketing?

I tune swingweight based on (in order of priority):
1. how maneuverable I want the frame to move,
2. how stable and stiff the racket is,
3. how heavy most of my opponents' shots are,
4. how deep am I hitting most of my shots from the baseline.

Primarily, swingweight adjustments take care of speed, power, flex, stability and depth.

Pocketing deals with the feel, comfort, rebound angle, accuracy and most importantly, the amount of spin. Deeper pocketing equates better grab which means more spin!

And more spin means better accuracy and control.

So far, factors determining pocketing seems to be:
1. type of strings used,
2. tension applied,
3. type of stringing machine used.

I have been experimenting various methods of stringing to try to maximise pocketing while maintaining control. I will post an update if I find something interesting or promising.