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Think of yourself jumping up and down on a trampoline. In the middle, where the bed is softer, your feet sink in deep into the trampoline bed and you can get really good height but no real confidence of where you are heading! If you stray out towards the edge of the trampoline bed you end up with little bounces as the bed is stiffer, cannot get so much height but feel more in control.

 

This is exactly what happens on a racket stringbed. A low tension will allow the ball to sink in deep, create POWER and propel it a long way. High tension means more CONTROL over the flight of the ball. This is because the ball spends less time on the strings (ball dwell) before leaving. However, high string tensions can shorten the life of the string, so chronic string breakers may also choose a low tension to add durability. What you gain one way, you may lose in another!

 

One way this impacts you in practise is that cold courts may require a drop in tension to allow the stringbed to move the ball around. On hot courts, such as being under the grill on some overhead court heaters, higher tensions of around 31lbs may allow you to grab more control of the faster moving ball.

 

As a general guide a power player (who wants a powerful racket) will suit slightly lower string tensions to search for added ball speed. It will also help stop unwanted breakages.

 

Higher tensions will add more control but at the expense of power and durability, so this will suit the touch player.

 

Of course it is perfectly reasonable and rational that a power player might want a tight string bed to help his touch. He/she may feel they have power to burn, but little touch, so the loss of power by having a tightly strung racket will not harm them, but the increase in control will help.

 

Conversely you may as a touch player go for a loose stringbed in order to find those last few miles an hour.

 

So what to choose? Experiment with various nylon strings and tensions, starting at around 28lbs. Note what suits YOU and your style of play.

One important point to note though: Never wait months for strings to break as by the time they do expire, they have long lost their original performance.

Why not string your own rackets? – The Professional Stringer course lasts two days and gives you the skills, knowledge and confidence to run your own stringing business. For more info, email liam@ukrsa.com or look up list of courses on www.ukrsa.com

 

Liam Nolan – Technical Director, UK Racket Stringers Association, Master Racket Technician USRSA liam@ukrsa.com 07861 380981
Official Stringer for World Championships, British Open and National Championships.