tennis talk for dummies!

[Ross K]

I thought it might be useful and fun to have a thread where people can have explained to them, very simply and clearly, some of that overly technical, pseudo scientific or just downright odd language so beloved of us tennis geeks. Basically, if you don't understand a phrase or term or whatever, just post your queries here and (hopefully) the good folk of TT will reply and, er, educate!... So... to get the ball rolling, how about we start off with these three commonly used 'classics'...


. buttery feel

. plow-through effect

. pronate/supinate


Right, who can post a short and clear summation of what these three mean?

[Voltron]

Hey, if you want (completely up to you), I can add these to the "common forum abbreviations / technical terms " part of the FAQ.

[Ross K]

Hey, if you want (completely up to you), I can add these to the "common forum abbreviations / technical terms " part of the FAQ.

Sounds good to me...



Anyone going to start this off then?^

[shindemac]

Take your hand off the mouse and rotate it. That's supination. Put it back on the mouse and that's pronation.

Buttery feel. Hmmm, I guess it feels buttery.

Plow thru effect. Never heard of this one. I guess when a snow plow plows thru snow.

[J to tha C]

I think im correct in saying pronate/supinate are types of movement used in serving?
not sure tho, im only 16 :P

[J011yroger]

. buttery feel

. plow-through effect

. pronate/supinate


Buttery Feel: Used when describing a string or racquet. An nice smooth sensation, the ball jumps off the racquet with no shock or harshness, may be a little vague but on the whole smooth and pleasant. Usually said of softer strings and frames.

plow-through effect: Feeling when hitting a ball. The racquet feels rock solid when it hits the ball, especially against pace and spin. Like hitting the ball with the 7:14 express train, your racquet is swinging, the ball gets crushed, and gets the heck out of the way. No feeling of the racquet being bullied around by the ball. Usually said of heavier racquets.

Pronate: Rotating your arm/forarm/hand from Palm facing the sky to palm down.

Supinate: The exact opposite of Pronate, rotating from palm down to palm up.

J

[shindemac]

I think pronate/supinate are fancy sounding words that confuse people but shouldn't. If someone says "raise your hand", would u know what to do? Yes. If someone says "bend your elbow", do u know what it means? Yes. What if I say "flexion of the elbow"? No? It means the same thing as bending your elbow.

So pronation/supination is just rotating your forearm one way or the other. Now is that hard? Yea, we really need to sticky this. It seems this question gets asked on a weekly basis or something.

[TheShaun]

kick serve?

[J011yroger]

Kick Serve: Commonly used to denote a topspin serve, especially one with mostly topspin but some sidespin to make it jump not only high into the air, but also towards the backhand side of the court (Assuming a RH Player).

Replaces the archaic "American Twist."

J

[TheShaun]

i should probably work on just getting my serve in on a consistant basis before i worry about getting fancy with it :p

[chess9]

The buttery feel gives you greater margarine for error.

The plow through effect is one pound of buttery feel 'spread' throughout an oleagenous swing.

Pronate is a very good guard for the Nicks.

Supinate is the ability to sucker Nate.

Please, feel free to ask for all the definitions you need. This Dicktionary is always open. ;)

-Robert

[Ross K]

Ahhh! So we've been making progress with this then after all? Great stuff... and my vote goes to JO11yroger for the best, most all round clear descriptions of buttery feel and plow-through (man, do I love those two!) and pronate/supinate...

Right... come on everyone... if there's a tennis term, phrase, whatever, post your queries here!

And Just to keep this thing ticking over, let's have another random trio...

. sit and lift
. shake hands with the racquet
. hawkeye

(Btw, no. 1 has nothing to do with sitting in a bar and raising your beer to your mouth... no. 2 doesn't denote that you've gone completely insane... and no. 3 does not refer to a character from the old hit TV comedy 'M.A.S.H....!')

[J011yroger]

. sit and lift
. shake hands with the racquet
. hawkeye


Sit and Lift: An old somewhat outdated way of teaching people to get under the ball and drive it with topspin. Bending the knees starting below the ball and finishing over it.

Shake hands with the racquet: An old way of teaching beginners to find the eastern forehand grip.

Hawkeye: A computer and system of cameras that spots where the ball lands with great accuracy.

J

[TheShaun]

this may not be the right thread for this. i know what hybridding is but.....

1) why hybrid?
2) what strings go with what strings?
3) what goes in the mains and what goes in the crosses?
3) what's the deal with the different tensions? how do you know which ones to make tighter and which looser?

i think that's it for now!

[TheShaun]

Sit and Lift: An old somewhat outdated way of teaching people to get under the ball and drive it with topspin. Bending the knees starting below the ball and finishing over it
J

that's what my instructor is getting me to work on. but he calls it low to high.

[J011yroger]

this may not be the right thread for this. i know what hybridding is but.....

1) why hybrid?
2) what strings go with what strings?
3) what goes in the mains and what goes in the crosses?
3) what's the deal with the different tensions? how do you know which ones to make tighter and which looser?

i think that's it for now!

1) Usually durability issues. Some poly users do it to soften up the stringbed. Most recreational players do it because it is cool, or because the pros do it (mostly Federer)

2) Usually a durable main, with a softer cross. Or an expensive main with a cheap cross.

3) Polyester or Kevlar in the mains, gut, multi, or synthetic cross.

4) If it is not a hybrid, or the strings are of similar construction, you can string the mains a bit tighter than the crosses, because for the longer strings end up looser, even when tensioned the same. Some people if they are stringing a poly and a synthetic or multi they will string the poly 10% looser than the multi because poly is a stiffer string.

The Federer type hybrids with gut or multi mains and poly crosses are not very durable, while they play well, for an advanced player they are usually cost prohibitive, and recreational players play them longer than their ideal playing time.

On the whole, hybrids are not really necessary for the great majority of players. But lots of people have fun fooling around with them.

J

[TheShaun]

thanks. i'm just back in to tennis after being a pretty good high school player. it's been ten years, i feel like i'm starting from scratch now. the hardest part is getting my consistency back. one day i'll be a 2.5 the next day i'll be a 3.5. i was probably a high 3.5 when i stopped playing.

[TheShaun]

i got another one!

is it true that when you break a string you should cut the rest of them out asap? also when you cut strings out there is a certain way you should do it? or is that just for really anal people!

[Virginia]

"Choke" = though you've been playing well, suddenly your wits and nerve desert you and you lose (for no good reason).

[zapvor]

i got another one!

is it true that when you break a string you should cut the rest of them out asap? also when you cut strings out there is a certain way you should do it? or is that just for really anal people!

yea i like to cut my right away. i know some people dont. from what i read you cut out from the the spot where teh string snapped, going in diagnoal up and down until you get to teh frame.

[Ross K]

"Choke" = though you've been playing well, suddenly your wits and nerve desert you and you lose (for no good reason).

Afraid to say I've been quite familiar with this one recently. I think what myself and others who suffer from this need is a bit of, er... mental hardness... a far tougher attitute... and to lose the slight tantrum-throwing tendencies and general mental instability (works for MacEnroe and Safin, but counterproductive for us lesser mortals)... resillience... determination... perseverance... endurance... it's words like these we need to focus upon.

Sorry to have gone slightly off-topic but, as a 'choker', I was trying to think up some words that might serve as 'mental correctives', if you know what I mean?... cue words - motivation words - to bring about the opposite effect to 'choking'...

[J011yroger]

i got another one!

is it true that when you break a string you should cut the rest of them out asap? also when you cut strings out there is a certain way you should do it? or is that just for really anal people!

You should to prevent frame distortion. I don't, I figure my frames are tanks and can take it, and I am just plain lazy.

If you do, you cut diagonally from the center out. So you end up with a big X.

J

[The Gorilla]

carefully defining each blade of grass on a court, or each rule of the game. It gets nowhere. I do advocate teaching the terms of the game.

1. THE COURT.

The Base-line=The back line.
The Service-line=The back line of the service court, extending from side-line to side-line at a point 21 feet from the net.
The Alleys=The space on each side of the court between the side service-line and the outside sideline of a doubles court. They are used only when playing doubles and are not marked on a single court.
The Net=The barrier that stretches across the court in the exact centre. It is 3 feet high at the centre and 3 feet 6 inches high at the posts which stand 3 feet outside the sidelines.

2. STROKES (Two General Classes).

A. Ground strokes=All shots hit from the baselines off the bounce of the ball.
B. Volleys=Shots hit while the ball is in flight through the air, previous to its bound.
The Service=The method of putting the ball in play.
The Drive=A ground stroke hit with a flat racquet face and carrying top spin.
The Chop=An undercut ground stroke is the general definition of a chop. The slice and chop


-x-


are so closely related that, except in stroke analysis, they may be called chop.
Stop Volley=Blocking a hall short in its flight.
Half Volley or Trap Shot=A pick up.
The Smash=Hitting on the full any overhead ball.
The Lob=Hitting the ball in a high parabola.

3. TWIST ON THE BALL.

Top Spin=The ball spins towards the ground and in the direction of its flight.
Chop, Cut, or Drag=The ball spins upwards from the ground and against the line of flight. This is slightly deviated in the slice, but all these terms are used to designate the under-struck, back-spinning ball.
Reverse Twist=A ball that carries a rotary spin that curves one way and bounces the opposite.
Break=A spin which causes the ball to bounce at an angle to its line of flight.

4. LET=A service that touches the net in its flight yet falls in court, or any illegal or irregular point that does not count.

5. FAULT=An illegal service.

6. OUT=Any shot hit outside legal boundaries of the court.

7. GOOD=Any shot that strikes in a legal manner prescribed by rules of the game.



-xi-


8. FOOTFAULT=An illegal service delivery due to incorrect position of the server's feet.

9. SERVER=Player delivering service.

10. RECEIVER or STRIKER=Player returning service.

W. T. T.
WIMBLEDON, July 1920


http://etext.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=TilTenn.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=front

[J011yroger]

"Choke" = though you've been playing well, suddenly your wits and nerve desert you and you lose (for no good reason).


Afraid to say I've been quite familiar with this one recently. I think what myself and others who suffer from this need is a bit of, er... mental hardness... a far tougher attitute... and to lose the slight tantrum-throwing tendencies and general mental instability (works for MacEnroe and Safin, but counterproductive for us lesser mortals)... resillience... determination... perseverance... endurance... it's words like these we need to focus upon.

Sorry to have gone slightly off-topic but, as a 'choker', I was trying to think up some words that might serve as 'mental correctives', if you know what I mean?... cue words - motivation words - to bring about the opposite effect to 'choking'...

Choking doesn't happen for no reason. If you are playing a fun match with your friend and are playing well, like the score is 4,4 in the first set then the wheels fall off of your game and you lose 6-4, 6-0. That is NOT choking, that is just comming apart, or like I said, the wheels falling off of your game.

Choking, is what happens when you are presented with opportunity to do something good, and crumple under the pressure. Someone who plays well in practice matches but not tournaments, someone who can play well in tournaments until he gets to the final. Someone who gets a 40-0 in their game to close out a set, and squanders it letting the opponent win.

The way to eliminate that, and most all mental problems, is to only play one point at a time. You can't hit a three run home run in tennis, you can't get back the points you lost.

Don't think about the score, in games, points, sets, or even your lifetime record against the person you are playing.

Remember you want to win ONLY THIS POINT. Not if I win this point I will have advantage. Not if I lose this point I will be down 30-0. Not I am up 40-0 I only have to win one of the next 3. Win ONLY THIS POINT.

Play the entire match one point at a time, and at the end add them up and see how you did.

If you want to practice this, play a set against a weaker player. (Should be easy everyone wants to play people better than them). Play a practice match with your objective to not let them win a single point. Keep track of every point they win. It works very well to help you focus on winning every point.

J

[J to tha C]

Sit and Lift: An old somewhat outdated way of teaching people to get under the ball and drive it with topspin. Bending the knees starting below the ball and finishing over it.

Shake hands with the racquet: An old way of teaching beginners to find the eastern forehand grip.

Hawkeye: A computer and system of cameras that spots where the ball lands with great accuracy.

J

Actually shaking hands with the racket is used to find the chopper grip(continental)

[J011yroger]

Actually shaking hands with the racket is used to find the chopper grip(continental)

I really don't want to start a "Is so, Is not, are too, am not." type argument here. But no, it isn't if you hold the racquet out in front of you so that the racquet face is perpendicular to the ground, shaking hands with the racquet is eastern forehand, not continental.

J

[J to tha C]

Ah ok i thought u ment the racket frame was facing the ground not the strings.
I do apologise.
JC out

[Ross K]

. windshield wipe

. show your opponent your butt cap

. grommet

[J011yroger]

. windshield wipe

. show your opponent your butt cap

. grommet

windshield wipe: Forehand type of followthrough with a western/semi western FH to generate heavy topspin and pace, where the racquet move like a windshield wiper in front of your face.

show your opponent your butt cap: On the beginning of a modern pulling motion forehand your butt cap should face forward towards the ball, after the takeback/loop, when you start to pull the racquet forward into the ball.

grommet: Goes between the racquet graphite, and the string to prevent the string from wearing/breaking. Come in strips to go in many holes, and sold as a bumper and grommet set.

J

[skiracer55]

- brick

- zoning

- turfed

[Ross K]

- brick

- zoning

- turfed

Errrrrrrrrr... where's J011yroger when you need him?!

[skiracer55]

Errrrrrrrrr... where's J011yroger when you need him?!


...actually, we'll give you to tomorrow a. m....

[J011yroger]

- brick

- zoning

- turfed

brick: Shank or frame badly, usually results in the ball going very far away.

zoning: To be in a state of effortless clarity where action happens without thought. 'In the zone'. Playing far beyond your normal capabilities while not consiously trying to put forth great effort.

turfed: Lost BADLY. Completely one sided loss. Getting turfed, Having the snot beaten out of you.

J

[skiracer55]

brick: Shank or frame badly, usually results in the ball going very far away.

zoning: To be in a state of effortless clarity where action happens without thought. 'In the zone'. Playing far beyond your normal capabilities while not consiously trying to put forth great effort.

turfed: Lost BADLY. Completely one sided loss. Getting turfed, Having the snot beaten out of you.

J

...now for what's behind Door #3...How many joints are in a lid? Just kidding!
Okay, try these:

- knackered

- chips and dips

- the heater

[J011yroger]

...now for what's behind Door #3...How many joints are in a lid? Just kidding!
Okay, try these:

- knackered

- chips and dips

- the heater

knackered: Extremely tired, exhausted, physically and mentally spent after making a supreme effort. "I was knackered after a three setter against my mate Ollie in the midsummers heat after a full day of work."

chips and dips: Junkballs, short slices(Chips), drop shots(Dips), Cute little underspin shots, and angles. Most often hit from well inside the court to either confound an opponent, or lure them into net when their forecourt game is suspect. "The kid was killing me off the ground with his topspin and pace, but I changed strategy and got to him with chips and dips, to expose his poor net play."

the heater: Big Bad First Serve. High on miles per hour, low on spin. Usually refers to the fastest hardest serve a person is capable of. Usually very straight, with almost no kick or break. "He put a good swing on the last two offspeed slice serves I hit, so this point I am gonna go with 'The Heater'"

J

[widmerpool]

So... to get the ball rolling, how about we start off with these three commonly used 'classics'...


. buttery feel

. plow-through effect

. pronate/supinate


Right, who can post a short and clear summation of what these three mean?

Call Mr. Plow,
That's my name,
That name again
Is Mr. Plow.

[TheShaun]

i know what atw is, but why would you do it? if you're not doing a hybrid is that the way to go?

[J011yroger]

i know what atw is, but why would you do it? if you're not doing a hybrid is that the way to go?

Personal preferance really, some ppl string the way the manufacturer reccomends, some prefer atw, and some string two piece even if they are not doing a hybrid.

J

[aimr75]

i'm relatively new to the game.. what do people mean when they say the racquet has alot of "pop"

[J011yroger]

i'm relatively new to the game.. what do people mean when they say the racquet has alot of "pop"

Pop: Power, but in a good way, not overly or uncontrollably.

[skiracer55]

knackered: Extremely tired, exhausted, physically and mentally spent after making a supreme effort. "I was knackered after a three setter against my mate Ollie in the midsummers heat after a full day of work."

chips and dips: Junkballs, short slices(Chips), drop shots(Dips), Cute little underspin shots, and angles. Most often hit from well inside the court to either confound an opponent, or lure them into net when their forecourt game is suspect. "The kid was killing me off the ground with his topspin and pace, but I changed strategy and got to him with chips and dips, to expose his poor net play."

the heater: Big Bad First Serve. High on miles per hour, low on spin. Usually refers to the fastest hardest serve a person is capable of. Usually very straight, with almost no kick or break. "He put a good swing on the last two offspeed slice serves I hit, so this point I am gonna go with 'The Heater'"

J


...I thought I knew everything, but you are definitely The Man. I gotta think about my next offering...

[skiracer55]

- bread sticks

- gaper

- greasy

[Ross K]

Okay, here's another one - although this time I'll provide the description (of a type of poster), and all someone else has to do is come up with a term or whatever...

This is inspired by a few recent, er, dialogues on these boards...

Description... a _____________ is someone who reacts in an overly touchy, plainly neurotic, and unpleasantly aggressive tone.

[tennisace432]

question,

why do some people like certain strings and certain tension on their racket? does it really make a difference for those who arent pros??

how do you know when your strings are dead

[skiracer55]

question,

why do some people like certain strings and certain tension on their racket? does it really make a difference for those who arent pros??

how do you know when your strings are dead

...as I've said in some of my other posts, I'm incredibly picky about my gear, but once I've found what works and why, I stick with it until something else comes along. Re strings and tension:

- There are a lot of ways you can tune your racket for your needs...the racket itself and its specs, putting lead on it in various places, and so forth. Strings are the final touch, just like tuning a pair of race skis is what can make the difference on race day in alpine ski racing.

- You will get all kinds of opinions about what are good and bad strings, what's the right tension, and so forth. I can't help you there beyond a couple of really simple truths:

- All things considered, if you have selected the [ahem] perfect racket for you, string in the middle of the recommended tension range. For example, "recommended tension range is 57 lbs. to 62 lbs." so go with 59.

- In general, lower tensions mean more power, higher tensions mean more control. On the other hand...consider John McEnroe, who strings somewhere in the 40s, and Bjorn Borg, who strung his rackets up around 75 pounds...and both of them were after control. You have to experiment to find out what works for you.

- Obviously, the strings themselves make a difference. If you string with fishing line, it doesn't really matter what racket you're using or what tension you string at. On the other hand...it used to be de rigeur to string with the best gut available. Since Pete Sampras retired, very few people do that. Most of the pros, and most of the rest of us, are stringing with some kind of hybrid...polyester in the mains, synthetic gut in the crosses...at something like 61/63.

- Having said all that good stuff, the most import thing about strings is to restring often. Polyester mains will keep their tension longer and stay in place longer than most other stuff...but a good friend of mine tells me, and I know this is true, that every fresh string job will lose something like 5 pounds of tension overnight, and even the best string job is only good for about 5 to 8 hours of 4.5 NTRP banging before the strings are shredded. My advice is, find a hybrid mix that you like, get a 330 foot or 660 foot reel of both, three rackets that you like, a decent stringer, and string often...

[J011yroger]

- bread sticks

- gaper

- greasy

bread sticks: Close realative of the bagel. Refers to the 1s in a 6-1, 6-1, match.

gaper: Clueless skiier or snowboarder, I have never heard it used in tennis context. But I could see how you could use it to describe a poser.

greasy: Said about another player in a non-flattering way. Usually a junkballer, or a cheater.

J

[J011yroger]

Okay, here's another one - although this time I'll provide the description (of a type of poster), and all someone else has to do is come up with a term or whatever...

This is inspired by a few recent, er, dialogues on these boards...

Description... a _____________ is someone who reacts in an overly touchy, plainly neurotic, and unpleasantly aggressive tone.

I'm sorry this does not compute.

Please rephrase your entry in single subject form for a definition.

***Bzzzzt***

Error Message 4290.

J

[J011yroger]

question,

why do some people like certain strings and certain tension on their racket? does it really make a difference for those who arent pros??

how do you know when your strings are dead

It makes a difference in how the racquet feels and plays once you get to a certain level.

You don't have to be a pro, but honestly you need some strokes, and your game needs some definition before you go tinkering with strings.

I would say until you are 3.5 just string with a basic Synthetic Gut in the middle of your tension range.

For non string breakers the rule of thumb has always been to restring your racquet as many times a year as you play per week.

It is tough for beginners to tell when their strings are dead since they play with them every day, and the change is gradual for them.

Kind of like wearing the same blue t-shirt twice a week for a year, you don't notice it fading every time you wash it, because it just gets a little lighter each week. But after 6 months if you held it up next to a new blue t-shirt, you would see how much yours faded in the wash.

Seriously though, less attention on equipment, more attention on technique, and playing.

Have a pro check your stuff to make sure it is reasonable, string it up, and hit the practice courts.

J

[J011yroger]

- All things considered, if you have selected the [ahem] perfect racket for you, string in the middle of the recommended tension range. For example, "recommended tension range is 57 lbs. to 62 lbs." so go with 59.

You forgot to add "And adjust up or down from there." Almost no one without years of experience with a similar racquet nails the perfect tension the first time.

- Obviously, the strings themselves make a difference. If you string with fishing line, it doesn't really matter what racket you're using or what tension you string at. On the other hand...it used to be de rigeur to string with the best gut available. Since Pete Sampras retired, very few people do that. Most of the pros, and most of the rest of us, are stringing with some kind of hybrid...polyester in the mains, synthetic gut in the crosses...at something like 61/63.

I would say that less than 10% of the tennis playing population uses hybrids. And most of the less advanced players who do, do it just because it looks cool or the pros do it. But I talked about Hybrids earlier in this thread.

Polyester mains will keep their tension longer and stay in place longer than most other stuff.

Polyester strings hold tension FAR WORSE than most any other string on the planet. Natural gut is the best, multis after that.

even the best string job is only good for about 5 to 8 hours of 4.5 NTRP banging before the strings are shredded.

It depends on the players and their playing style. I personally will break most normal syn gut in 1/2 hour. And I know very very good players who don't use a durable string, who get 20+ hours out of a stringjob. It is in the way you hit and the way you play. Some strings are playable until they break, some strings go dead in a couple of hours.

J

[Ross K]

Three more...

. beam (not the fish nor a gymnastics event!)

. triple bagel (not something you get from the deli!)

. woofer (not a loud dog!)

Okay, these aren't that difficult but... someone else think of some then!

[skiracer55]

You forgot to add "And adjust up or down from there." Almost no one without years of experience with a similar racquet nails the perfect tension the first time.



I would say that less than 10% of the tennis playing population uses hybrids. And most of the less advanced players who do, do it just because it looks cool or the pros do it. But I talked about Hybrids earlier in this thread.



Polyester strings hold tension FAR WORSE than most any other string on the planet. Natural gut is the best, multis after that.



It depends on the players and their playing style. I personally will break most normal syn gut in 1/2 hour. And I know very very good players who don't use a durable string, who get 20+ hours out of a stringjob. It is in the way you hit and the way you play. Some strings are playable until they break, some strings go dead in a couple of hours.

J


..."and adjust up and down from there" is right on the money. You said what I meant.

..yep, polyester doesn't hold tension well...I dunno how I missed that. I've been using hybrid on the theory that it dumbs down the power some...I've been using 17 guage/17 guage, which is another thing I forgot to mention. I'm a big believer in 17 guage for feel. But I'm starting to rethink this whole hybrid thing. I think I'm gonna go back to just a good syn gut...

...yep, you're right...how long a set of strings last is a really idiosyncratic thing. I think if you hit the ball pretty solidly, any string job is going to be junk after about 8 to 12 hours, plus strings lose tension just sitting in the frame. It does vary from player to player, though...I think people with big topspin tend to break more strings and sooner...usually one of the mains in the middle part of the racket...

[tennisace432]

It makes a difference in how the racquet feels and plays once you get to a certain level.

You don't have to be a pro, but honestly you need some strokes, and your game needs some definition before you go tinkering with strings.

I would say until you are 3.5 just string with a basic Synthetic Gut in the middle of your tension range.

For non string breakers the rule of thumb has always been to restring your racquet as many times a year as you play per week.

It is tough for beginners to tell when their strings are dead since they play with them every day, and the change is gradual for them.

Kind of like wearing the same blue t-shirt twice a week for a year, you don't notice it fading every time you wash it, because it just gets a little lighter each week. But after 6 months if you held it up next to a new blue t-shirt, you would see how much yours faded in the wash.

Seriously though, less attention on equipment, more attention on technique, and playing.

Have a pro check your stuff to make sure it is reasonable, string it up, and hit the practice courts.

J


sadly i can't tell the difference between dead strings and live strings because a friend who isnt certified in stringing strings my rackets, sometimes misweaves or tension loss errors or so forth

im actually a 4.5 player and ive probably been playing with crappy strings all my life that i cant tell the difference between anything. so i was just wondering how you could get a good idea if strings were dead or there was something wrong with the stringing, or is it something you just feel eventually after having loads of professional stringers string the racket the way it is supposed to

i think its pretty expensive to have to spend like 30 bucks every week or so to string rackets with a certified stringer.. what do you think?

[skiracer55]

sadly i can't tell the difference between dead strings and live strings because a friend who isnt certified in stringing strings my rackets, sometimes misweaves or tension loss errors or so forth

im actually a 4.5 player and ive probably been playing with crappy strings all my life that i cant tell the difference between anything. so i was just wondering how you could get a good idea if strings were dead or there was something wrong with the stringing, or is it something you just feel eventually after having loads of professional stringers string the racket the way it is supposed to

i think its pretty expensive to have to spend like 30 bucks every week or so to string rackets with a certified stringer.. what do you think?


...they're probably toast, or close to it. Obviously, if they're starting to fray, they're probably about to go bye-bye. I can tell a lot from the sound. If it still has a pretty good twang, all is probably well. If it starts sounding like a watermelon falling off a truck, well, that's about how it's going to play. Mostly I can tell by feel...as in, if I don't have any feel for the ball, the strings have gone to the Great String Burial Ground in the Sky.

Yep, it costs a lot of money to have somebody restring your stuff, which is why I have my own stringer, and for my string ordinaire, something like Technifibre Spinfire 17 for the mains and Klip Kicker 17 for the crosses. It doesn't turn out to be too much money, and the nice thing is, you can have a racket restrung in an hour or less...while watching tennis on TV...and drinking a beer...or two...

[J011yroger]

Three more...

. beam (not the fish nor a gymnastics event!)

. triple bagel (not something you get from the deli!)

. woofer (not a loud dog!)

Okay, these aren't that difficult but... someone else think of some then!

Beam: What the actual frame of the racquet is made of, Usually either box beam, or oval beam. The beam is the framework of the racquet.

Triple Bagel: a 6-0, 6-0, 6-0, score in a 5 set match.

Woofer: A babolat type of grommet system.

J

[J011yroger]

...yep, you're right...how long a set of strings last is a really idiosyncratic thing. I think if you hit the ball pretty solidly, any string job is going to be junk after about 8 to 12 hours, plus strings lose tension just sitting in the frame. It does vary from player to player, though...I think people with big topspin tend to break more strings and sooner...usually one of the mains in the middle part of the racket...

Heavy topspin players usually break strings off-center, flatter hitters usually break in the center.

Personally I hit high in the bed, so I break up from the center towards the head, and off center maybe 2-4 mains.

Have you personally tried any premium multis? Like Technifibre NRG2? Or any of the Laserfibre Supernaturals?

I really have no idea of your playing level or game style, or string breaking frequency, so it is tough for me to reccomend anything. Then again you didn't ask, so I am free to do what I tell everyone else to do, and keep my advice to myself unless I am asked for it. :)

J

[J011yroger]

i think its pretty expensive to have to spend like 30 bucks every week or so to string rackets with a certified stringer.. what do you think?

Well I am probably the wrong person to ask since I will have about 250 racquets strung this year.


sadly i can't tell the difference between dead strings and live strings because a friend who isnt certified in stringing strings my rackets, sometimes misweaves or tension loss errors or so forth

im actually a 4.5 player and ive probably been playing with crappy strings all my life that i cant tell the difference between anything. so i was just wondering how you could get a good idea if strings were dead or there was something wrong with the stringing, or is it something you just feel eventually after having loads of professional stringers string the racket the way it is supposed to.

Well missweaves are obvious, and if your friend missweaves and messes up tension, then with all due respect, find another friend to string for you.

The single most important thing is consistency, every string job should come out exactly the same. I like to let my racquets sit for at least 3 days after they are strung before playing them so the initial tension loss is done.

If you are just using some bogus string, slung in by a friend of questionable ability, I would reccomend you find a GOOD stringer, not a chain store one, someone with a good, constant pull electric machine, where you can talk to the guy. It may cost a little in the beginning to experiment, but you will probably find something that plays better and is more durable than what you are using now. And if you can get 2-3 weeks out of a stringjob of like Head RIP Control, then the cost will not be so great.

J

[skiracer55]

Heavy topspin players usually break strings off-center, flatter hitters usually break in the center.

Personally I hit high in the bed, so I break up from the center towards the head, and off center maybe 2-4 mains.

Have you personally tried any premium multis? Like Technifibre NRG2? Or any of the Laserfibre Supernaturals?

I really have no idea of your playing level or game style, or string breaking frequency, so it is tough for me to reccomend anything. Then again you didn't ask, so I am free to do what I tell everyone else to do, and keep my advice to myself unless I am asked for it. :)

J

...depending on which day of the week it is (on Sunday mornings, after a few too many rounds on Saturday nite, I might be closer to a 3.0...once a summer, I'm a 7.0...for one shot, and it's always a backhand volley crosscourt).

What I'm currently playing with is a Head Metallix 2. How did I get here? See my post in this thread:

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=138591

I just got three of these from TW, strung with Technifiber X-1 Biphase 17 in the mains and Klip K-Boom 17 in the mains, strung 61/63. So far, I really like this combo, so maybe this is what I'll stay with. I have a big coil each of Technifiber Spinfire 17 and Klip Kicker, which is what I've been using up until now. It's pretty cost effective, but I'm not crazy about the Spinfire...it definitely loses tension. So riddle me a string...

[Voltron]

Sorry it's taken me a while, but if you want to add it to the FAQ, could you email me the list of ones you like, then I can add it. Since it's your idea, you should probably be the one to choose the best answers.......oh, and also I'm too lazy to look through. :lol:;)

[TheShaun]

i saw this in another thread, what is it?....

waiters tray?

[J011yroger]

i saw this in another thread, what is it?....

waiters tray?

Waiters Tray: A poor method of serving used by beginners that leads to injury, and ineffective serving. So named because the racquet takes the position of a waiters tray before the forward swing begins.

J

[TheShaun]

open and closed string paterns??? does this refer to the number of strings mains x crosses?

[J011yroger]

Yup open patterns like 16X18 have less strings, and bigger holes between them, closed or denser patterns like 18X20 have more strings and smaller holes between them.

J

[Ross K]

Came across this today in a racquet review and am slightly unsure of precise meaning...

"I feel like the frame is a little to thick for my liking"...

Hmm...thick frame?...

[Voltron]

^^^

I would suspect that he meant "The beam with on this frame is too great, and thus hinders my play, it feels clunky"

[TheShaun]

bump. nothing to ask now but i'm sure i will soon.

maybe sticky this thread. i have found it informative.

[Ross K]

bump. nothing to ask now but i'm sure i will soon.

maybe sticky this thread. i have found it informative.

Er, anyone know the procedure to do this?