Tri-brid Stringing vs Varied Tension?

Different strings are often used together to try to combine their strengths. Hybrids are very common.

But is there a need for, and can we use more than two different strings? 

On the other hand, I find string properties very intriguing. For example, pull a syn gut too tight, and it can feel stiffer than a poly! 

Too much power and hitting them long? Try swinging all out with the same syn gut at 25 lbs and you'll start hitting VERY short balls! Trampoline? Nah!

So string tension can also be used to alter a string's behaviour.

The variables in my mind are always how to:
- maximise spin
- improve comfort
- improve control
- increase sweetspot size
- move sweetspot higher
- reduce vibrations
- increase durability

Since each of the above variables demand a different string characteristic, I was wondering if "tri-briding" OR varying tension could better yield me the results I wanted. 

Tri-briding
A soft multifilament was used as the mains, a smooth round poly for the crosses perimetered by a strong and fast fishing line.

In short, here's what I was trying to achieve:
- comfort + vibrations dampening + power --> multi 
- spin + control + durability --> poly 
- enlarge + move up sweetspot --> fishing line

Using three different strings require six knots. I had to modify the grommets to accomodate them.

Instead of a drill bit I used last time (link), I used a reversed thread "extractor" and it worked extremely well. It took only two minutes to change out those four grommets!

Here's some pics...

Varying Tension
With the same objective of optimizing the variables above, I used two-piece stringing of synthetic gut to see how it fares with the triple-strings option.

There was a lot of varying of tensions to soften or stiffen the syn gut at certain parts of the stringbed that I was trying to achieve.

Many previous attempts I've tried convinced me that grommet friction alone was enough to hold different tensions even with one-piece stringing. (link1)(link2)

You can see a lot of looping around of the string outside the frame. Very messy. Very unorthodox. To me, it's how it plays that counts!

Playtest:
Tri-brid
- Even with six tie-offs, tension holding was impressive. 24 hours after stringing, with no play, tension loss was only about 1.5lbs (15hz).
- After one hour of hard rallies and a game, the drop was only an additional 0.7lbs (7hz).
- From a "feel" perspective, I could not detect the usual tension drop after initial play. So I am very pleased with the tension stability.
- The distinctive feel of poly was dominant, even though it was strung as a cross. There was only a slight cushioning by the multi mains.
- The perimeter fishing line really stood out! It felt the best among the three types of string used. Soft, fast and powerful. So much so that I regret not using it in the mains instead.
- The sweetspot moved up significantly. I don't know how much but it felt higher, maybe by an inch or two, even without any weight changes!
- I was also a little shocked that the previous fishing line mains with poly cross (link) played SO MUCH better (spin, power & comfort) than this multi mains setup. So I guess it was worth paying the exorbitant price for that premium made in Japan fishing line.
- Not much string movement as shown in below pic but light notching can be seen on the multi mains.

Varied Tension
- Tension drop after 24 hours without play was 1.8lbs (18hz) and 0.7lbs (7hz) after one hour of play.
- From the first few hits, both my partner "D" and myself preferred this stringbed immediately.
- The largest difference came from the very huge sweetspot. This stringbed played immensely comfortable!
- What came to mind was how similar this felt compared to a full bed of natural gut!
- After less than 5 minutes of trying this, "D" wanted me to string this full syn gut setup for him.
- Spin, power, pocketing and serves were all much better than the other tri-brid. Just take a look at the amount of ball fur stuck on the strings!
- A slightly darker patch (from the 7th to 12th cross) can be observed on the strings from the ball contact.

29Jan2014 update:
I have always preferred the second session of tennis after a re-string.

Somehow, the stringbed just feels more responsive after that slight "breaking-in".

It's not tension loss as I had tried stringing a few pounds looser with the same string and racket, and it STILL played better on the second session.

So, to me, the second session would always be the acid test.

Tri-brid
- I did not measure the tension before, but after an hour of play, the frequency dropped another 2.3hz from the last reading in the last session of play. That's 0.2lbs. For six knots, I doubt it can get better than that. 
- Compared to the perimeter fishing line, the multi mains felt dead! Yes, there was cushioning and dampening, but whenever I used this racket, I subconsciously adjusted my shots to contact much higher on the stringbed than I usually do. Simply because it felt much better there!
- Nothing fancy about spin nor control was observed today.

Varied Tension
- Tension drop was 5.6hz which was about 0.5lbs.
- Spin, control and comfort was impressive today.
- I know this sounds blasphemous, but the amount of spin I got from this string setup way surpassed whatever poly I've tried, even shaped poly. Just take a look at the amount of ball fur on the strings.
- The sweetspot is very sweet! There is a clear dark patch between the 5th to 12th cross. That's where the ball impact has been.
- Volleys were very easy to hit and place compared to the tri-brid.
- With the varied tension, pocketing felt much more controlled without the high rebound angle. 
- To test myself, I lowered my net clearance during game play. I was able to aim deep while keeping the clearance below 24 inches with about 90+% success rate. So stringbed predictability was more than acceptable. 
- Both flat and heavy spin shots performed accurately without any problems in aiming nor directional control.
- Flat serves, which usually demanded "stiff as a board" stringbeds, performed well enough. Strangely, I actually enjoyed the pocketing during serves!?!? I got the feeling that the pocketing added some pace. It was a single bounce in the service box then straight to the wall with a thud. I have no idea at what speed that was going but I liked it.

12Feb2014 update:
- Another several hours of play has both been added to the tri-brid and varied tension.
- With use, comfort, spin, dampening and sweetspot size are clearly diverging between the two rackets. 
- The tri-brid played alright in the first session but every aspect dropped steadily after that. The varied tension fared much better and felt so much more consistent throughout.
- This could be due to the different wear and tear patterns of the three different strings acting up on me. 
- Somehow, the multi mains in the tri-brid felt the worst to me. It felt dry, crispy, was deeply notched and offered not much vibration dampening. (See pic below for mains notching)
- The varied tension maintained its natural gut-like feel. Only difference is the speed of resilience is slightly slower. I like this enough to make this my regular setup but will continue to tweak the varied tensions on the stringbed.

Adding Swingweight

Since the last time I posted about how addictive a heavy swingweight can be (link), I still hold the same opinion, that swingweight remains the most important factor for any tennis racket.

Swingweight for pros varies around 330-360 kg/cm² while recreational players use mainly between 300-330 kg/cm². The higher the number, the more powerful that racket is.

What I have not been able to narrow down, is exactly how much to add. Too much and the racket becomes clumsy and unwieldy. Too little and it makes almost no difference at all.

So far, what seemed to work well for me, is to add only as much as my "weaker" strokes can bear comfortably and consistently. Those weaker strokes would be my backhand and second serve.

The forehand enjoys a much wider arc of shoulder rotation, so power is easy. On the contrary, the backhand requires muscles less used in daily activities. Even the backhand preparation needs support from the non-dominant (left) hand as well, so it makes no sense to add swingweight based on the stronger wing.

Compared to the forehand or backhand, the serve is even more sensitive to swingweight changes. It is the only stroke in tennis executed with the elbow straight and arm in full extension. That places the racket furthest away from the centre of our body rotation. 

During the serve motion, the wrist rotates the racket through almost 270 degrees from start till completion (link). Naturally, the serve is the first to suffer deterioation after racket changes or weight adjustments.

1 gram added inside the hoop at 12 o'clock adds about 3.3 kg/cm². Whereas 1 gram added at 3 or 9 o'clock adds about 1.8 kg/cm². Just add up whatever you add to the stock swingweight of your racket model and keep that below 330 kg/cm².

Use small weight adjustments. Protect your wrists and enjoy the plusher plowthrough, stability and better bite for spin!

An Experiment on Tension vs Power and Control

Whenever I recommend someone to drop their string tension, they would all unanimously comment on how uncontrollable the stringbed would "trampoline" and all control would be lost.

I asked a doubles group if they would be interested to conduct this tension test and they agreed immediately. One offered three of his similarly matched rackets for this experiment. Cost of strings were shared.

Only tension differed, and ranged from 20lbs to 80lbs.

The methodology was kept simple:
1. Rackets
Out of a total of 7 rackets, three different models of rackets were used. All had 16x19 stringbeds, RA stiffness ratings in the 60s, total weight between 328-344g. Balance between 31.9-32.5cm.

2. Strings
The same synthetic gut was used and strung using the same one-piece pattern on the same machine.

3. Power
Since we do not have sophisticated radars, we measured it subjectively. While two were playing singles, the other two non-playing would observe their serves and groundstrokes from the net and at both baselines behind the players. All four would record their observations, with 1 as lowest and 10 highest. Differences in depth of shots were very apparent. Players were rotated to allow everyone to test.

4. Control
Different serve placements were attempted for flats and spin. Groundstrokes were targeted at corners using both flat and topspin shots for both wings. Both players and observers would rate the stringbed control independently.

The chart below summarises our group findings.

*The three matched rackets were strung at 30, 50 and 70lbs.

At 20lbs:
Hitting deep groundstrokes was almost impossible. All had to raise the net clearance to above 6ft to clear the service line. Topspin shots curled down too much and we had to flatten our shots to hit deep. Pocketing was so deep the rebound was delayed.

At 30lbs:
The stringbed felt so much tighter than 20lbs. The delayed rebound was gone and the stringbed became much more predictable. Power was still low but the less pocketing from 20lbs gave us a better transfer of energy to the ball. Still had to flatten our strokes to hit deep. 

At 40lbs:
Coming from 30lbs, all noticed a huge sharp increase in power. If there was any trampoline, this was it! Too much power and too little control. We recorded the most number of double faults and out balls at this tension.

At 50lbs:
The trampoline from 40lbs seems to be reined in. Control stepped up significantly. However, we were split. Two felt it was playable but could not swing freely and confidently. Two felt it was neither here nor there and actually preferred the 30lbs!

At 60lbs:
It felt dead! It could be the brand of syn gut we were using or that we started off from 20lbs. There was a huge shock with every ball impact. It felt familiar. Probably something we felt all the time hitting with our regular sticks and tension but had become numb to it. Among all the tensions, the vibrations appeared highest at 60lbs.

At 70lbs & 80lbs:
There was very little ball feel left. Almost no pocketing. The stringbed felt "slippery" whenever we tried to spin the ball. Could be because of the low pocketing and almost zero sliding of the strings. Because of the lack of "bite" and power, we resorted to hitting the ball flat and it played quite well that way. Except for the high unforced errors due to too low net clearance. We hit the tape too much.


Note:
This "test" was done some months back. We had scribbled the observations on a few sheets of paper which we lost. A clown just found it in his messy car boot!!!

Yonex S-Fit 1

This is a beautiful racket, isn't it? 

Introduced in 2010, I was just handed a brand new piece to string up the "comfort" style.

I have always been amazed by Yonex rackets. Their patented isometric head design really increases the sweetspot and comfort.