Racket stringing-tension-tennis
In my years of teaching I have found one of the most underrated aspects of club players is their attention to stringing. Much attention is focused on lessons and techniques with little paid to the strings that are key to the feel and control they give in contacting the ball. In many cases I would ask the player if they played a musical instrument with strings such as a guitar, violin, etc. When they acknowledged with a, ‘yes’, I would then ask if they took care of the strings on their instrument by keeping them fresh and the tension correct. We would then translate that into their tennis racket and the tension and newness of the strings they used. The basic rule in the tennis industry with club players is to string your racket each year the number of times you play per week. If you play once a week restring your racket once a year – twice a week, twice a year, etc. When the pros came to play the tournament at our club each year some (the better players) would restring their rackets before every match.
Tension
When a racket is purchased ‘off the shelf’ consumers don’t consider how the racket was pre-strung. The manufacture of the racket gives a large number of unstrung rackets to a ‘stringer’. This stringer knows he will not be directly responsible for how they play or break after sale. His main focus is putting the cheapest string and lowest tension into each frame he strings. He is paid on a per racket basis, normally. This means he wants to use cheaper string and lower tension (higher tension could cause the strings to break before sale) to increase his profit margin. Whenever I recommended to someone, buying a racket, I would tell them to go to one of the retail outlets, find a top end racket of last years model (the manufacturer will sell off his supply to retail outlets at low prices to make room for his newer inventory) and the retailer will offer this top end racket at sale prices while still making a profit. Then you take your racket to the local pro shop and have an experienced stringer ask what type of player you are and he/she will recommend a string and tension that will suit your game. After a few restrings you will become comfortable with the type of string and tension you like to play with.
Players who need to save on cost will use a thicker, stronger string that will not break as quickly but will not have the ‘feel’ of a softer, more pliable string. Gut conveys more vibrations through the strings, up the racket into your arm and shoulder. This significantly helps you to determine the distance and trajectory of your ball placement(feel).
There is much more that goes into your choice of the type of string and number of times per year you restring your racket. Just remember that strings stretch and dry out, even if you don’t use them. It is not how many times you play with new strings that determines when you restring your racket, but the freshness and type, with tension, that puts the ‘feel’ back into your game.
Don’t hold back on experimenting with string and tension. Depending on your personality you may find an enjoyment in the game of tennis that you have been missing.
