How often do y'all restring?

[MoxMonkey]

I hit around about 12 hrs a week this winter and have been stringing once a week.

I have been using 17g lynx tour in a vcore 97 pro 330 at 52 lbs. I hand prestrech the strings around a pole before installing them. I find that after about a week I feel that the ball starts to sail on me, although the string tension measurement tool doesn't show a substantial drop-off from the day before. It's quite possible that its all in my head, as I am still developing consistency.

Is once a week stringing seem about right? Or am I wayy overthinking this and don't need to do it as much?

 

[Curious]

Every month or so because of my awesome 3.5 strokes!
I started doubting though after hearing last week that Hsieh Su-wei does it every 3 years!!

 

[Digital Atheist]

Well, I guess it depends on the life of the string before it becomes "unplayable". For example, RPM blast is supposed to be one of the longer lasting polys with a playtime of 20+ hours.

Head Lynx Tour 17/1.25 String - Tennis Warehouse

www.tennis-warehouse.com

If that review is to be believed (no reason not to) and iirc you mentioned your level was around 3.0 (let's say 3.5) in another thread, then I would suggest you can easily get away with stringing every 2 weeks.

 

[Fintft]

From the full bed natural gut I get about 3-6 weeks, but at times I use two frames.
You are probably aware that natural gut maintains its tension (unlike poly) and it actually plays best when it is about to break (frayed, it produces more spin).

Now my third racquet, a poly, I about to cut the string off after two years (I only practice my serves with it)...

 

[ChaelAZ]

Monthly or so.

 

[Nostradamus]

I hit around about 12 hrs a week this winter and have been stringing once a week.

I have been using 17g lynx tour in a vcore 97 pro 330 at 52 lbs. I hand prestrech the strings around a pole before installing them. I find that after about a week I feel that the ball starts to sail on me, although the string tension measurement tool doesn't show a substantial drop-off from the day before. It's quite possible that its all in my head, as I am still developing consistency.

Is once a week stringing seem about right? Or am I wayy overthinking this and don't need to do it as much?

Most all Polys go DEAD and lose control then power after about 8-10 hours of play time for the Amateur players. for pros that hit much harder, it only last about 1 hours

 

[StringSnapper]

I hit around about 12 hrs a week this winter and have been stringing once a week.

I have been using 17g lynx tour in a vcore 97 pro 330 at 52 lbs. I hand prestrech the strings around a pole before installing them. I find that after about a week I feel that the ball starts to sail on me, although the string tension measurement tool doesn't show a substantial drop-off from the day before. It's quite possible that its all in my head, as I am still developing consistency.

Is once a week stringing seem about right? Or am I wayy overthinking this and don't need to do it as much?

I came here, chose a username out of rage like 4 years ago.

Gone are my string snapping ways

Get a dense racquet, 20x18, babolat blast, and lead it up to 350g + and you will stop snapping

 

[norcal]

I use a poly 1.15/syngut 1.20 hybrid and cut it out every 3 weeks or so.

 

[Papa Mango]

Whenever I want .
But I end up usually stringing one of frames every week between dead crosses, dead full poly, poly hurt my elbow and shoulder, crap strings, and ouch gut snapping.

 

[Raul_SJ]

Every month or so because of my awesome 3.5 strokes!
I started doubting though after hearing last week that Hsieh Su-wei does it every 3 years!!

Some pros string very low at 40 lbs instead of the normal 55 lbs. It is a matter of preference.

If you string at 55 lbs the tension will decrease over time. But obviously still playable given that some players string it at lower tension to begin with.

So I am not buying this notion of rec players having to pay $$$ constantly restringing. I strung with $20 NRG over six months ago and it plays just fine. There is no problem.

Maybe I just easily adjust to the changing tension...

Have no idea what is going on with Hsieh Su-wei.
Every three years? For a pro? That can't be right.

 

[Curious]

Have no idea what is going on with Hsieh Su-wei.
Every three years? For a pro? That can't be right.

That’s what her coach said in an interview last week.

 

[Raul_SJ]

That’s what her coach said in an interview last week.

Wonder what type of strings does she uses.
Is it unusual for a pro not to break strings? The rule of thumb seems to be that flat hitters do not break strings nearly as much as heavy topspin players. And apparently she is a flat hitter.

 

[Curious]

Wonder what type of strings does she uses.
Is it unusual for a pro not to break strings? The rule of thumb seems to be that flat hitters do not break strings nearly as much as heavy topspin players. And apparently she is a flat hitter.

Ah he also added while explaining it: she never misses the sweet spot.

 

[Raul_SJ]

Ah he also added while explaining it: she never misses the sweet spot.

But three years.

 

[Happi]

That’s what her coach said in an interview last week.

If you watch her match, did she change racquet with new balls ?

 

[Keendog]

You guys are wasting a lot of money

 

[PKorda]

You guys are wasting a lot of money

Yeah unless they're doing their own stringing. There seems to be a lot of people on this board that have it in their head that they have to re-string very frequently.

 

[Deleted member 771407]

When I break my strings. Which is often.
I bought my last racquet with fresh strings, but the racquet was used. Just today the racquet started cracking it won't last long. So I think for the first time I'll change my racquet before my strings

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Restring??? Was not aware that option was available. When my strings break I just go out and buy another racquet. Simple enough. TW loves me.

Along the same lines, when my motorcar runs out of petrol, I just purchase another vehicle... JK, I've been driving EVs for the last 6 years. Cut a hole in the floorboards. When the EV runs out of juice, I propel the vehicle Flintstone-style.

Yabba dabba doo.

 

[movdqa]

I restring after 8-10 hours.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

I restring after 8-10 hours.

OCD? jk

 

[Dobby]

Buying a stringing machine has allowed me to change string as often as I want. I highly recommend it if you don’t currently string yourself

 

[movdqa]

OCD? jk

No, that's pretty standard for Poly if you want to maintain your arm health.

 

[srimes]

I restring after 8-10 hours.

This is the way if you use poly.

 

[srimes]

I hit around about 12 hrs a week this winter and have been stringing once a week.

I have been using 17g lynx tour in a vcore 97 pro 330 at 52 lbs. I hand prestrech the strings around a pole before installing them. I find that after about a week I feel that the ball starts to sail on me, although the string tension measurement tool doesn't show a substantial drop-off from the day before. It's quite possible that its all in my head, as I am still developing consistency.

Is once a week stringing seem about right? Or am I wayy overthinking this and don't need to do it as much?

Sounds about right for poly, and why I don't use poly anymore. When I did it was good for 2-3 long hitting sessions. I use kevlar/mzx and it plays good until it breaks. 3 weeks if I play a lot, 3 months or more if I'm not playing much.

 

[3virgul14]

No, that's pretty standard for Poly if you want to maintain your arm health.

Hsieh plays the polyester YPTP 1.25 for years without breaking and restringing, and her arms are not exactly Schwarzenegger.

 

[CosmosMpower]

Every 6-8 hours typically. I play 18 gauge poly, I don't break it but it loses tension at that point and i hit the texture/shape off the strings.

 

[CosmosMpower]

Yeah unless they're doing their own stringing. There seems to be a lot of people on this board that have it in their head that they have to re-string very frequently.

Cheaper than seeing a PT for arm issues. If you buy reels and string yourself it's 5 bucks and 20 mins of your time.

 

[movdqa]

Hsieh plays the polyester YPTP 1.25 for years without breaking and restringing, and her arms are not exactly Schwarzenegger.

I did that too until I was in my late forties. And then it caused a lot of pain.

I also have one-handed strokes and they're fairly conventional.

The recommendations for arm health, if you use poly, is to change the strings around 8-10 hours or you get dead poly which can injure your arm. There are other recommendations as well. You tend to observe them if you want to keep playing.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

No, that's pretty standard for Poly if you want to maintain your arm health.

I got went away from poly years ago. Can't be bothered with the stuff anymore. Some sources recommend 10 - 20 hours. Some indicate every 3 to 4 weeks. A recommendation from Tennis E×press even suggested 4-6 weeks.

 

[movdqa]

I got went away from poly years ago. Can't be bothered with the stuff anymore. Some sources recommend 10 - 20 hours. Some indicate every 3 to 4 weeks. A recommendation from Tennis E×press even suggested 4-6 weeks.

8-10 hours is when I find I have to hit with more spin to keep the ball in the court. It's just a nice milestone for changing strings as well.

I tried co-polys and multis and they just loosened up too quickly for me. One of the things about playing with really powerful racquets.

 

[Fintft]

Wonder what type of strings does she uses.
Is it unusual for a pro not to break strings? The rule of thumb seems to be that flat hitters do not break strings nearly as much as heavy topspin players. And apparently she is a flat hitter.

The story is probably BS, b/c the coach continued that she had played a couple of points with the broken strings and despite some wild misses, never noticed?!!!

An amateur would notice.

Most probably that was a spare racquet that she hadn't used much during those years....

 

[socallefty]

I play a gut mains/poly cross hybrid and usually break the gut between 15-20 hours of play which is when I restring. Very rarely if I don’t play much singles, the gut might last till 20 hours, but by then the poly starts to feel harsh and so, I cut the strings out and restring anyway. Currently using VS17/Hg Soft 18 on a Pure Strike Tour at 47/44 lbs.

 

[Raul_SJ]

The story is probably BS, ...

Most probably that was a spare racquet that she hadn't used much during those years....

So she hit with a seldom used spare racquet that had not been strung in three years.

In a pro match? Switching to a racquet with a totally different tension?!... How very odd!

 

[Dartagnan64]

Hsieh plays the polyester YPTP 1.25 for years without breaking and restringing, and her arms are not exactly Schwarzenegger.

First off, she hits a 2 handed FH and BH. That disperses the energy to both arms. Secondly, she always hits the sweet spot and is mostly re-directing pace rather than producing it. Thirdly, she's still under 40 and has young pliable tendons.

Muscle strength is overrated for protection against TE. I run across just as many men with TE as women, if not moreso. More muscle just means you tend to swing harder and arm the ball more. And that's producing more force into your arm.

Ran across a woman the other day that followed the Siu Weh approach of restringing poly every other year in her Wilson Ultra. Now in her late 40's, surprise, surprise, she's got rip-roaring TE for the first time in her life. My tendons were equally bulletproof until i hit 50.

After frequency of play, age is the most common precipitant of TE. Then you can start wandering down the rabbit hole of technique, racket stiffness, poly strings.

 

[Happi]

If anyone has seen a match the story could easily be validated - did she changed racquets like other players when new balls came to play, or use the same racquet for the whole match ?

 

[movdqa]

After frequency of play, age is the most common precipitant of TE. Then you can start wandering down the rabbit hole of technique, racket stiffness, poly strings.

I can't do much about age and I'm only playing two hours a week but wouldn't mind going up to three hours a week.

I suspect that my technique is fine as it's served me for 50 years. My RA is 62 which is on the low side but I'm toying with going down to 56. I plan to stick with poly as it's been working for me for a decade. If things get worse, then I could consider a multi. But I don't expect that to happen.

I also do the Flexbar. I keep one on my desk and there's another one in an Amazon envelope waiting to be opened.

So:

Heavy racquet
Good twistweight
Good strings (change often if Poly or use something else that's soft)
Flexible racquet
Flexbar daily
Learn lefty and right strokes to spread the load
Run a few miles a day so that you move your feet on the court and don't have to reach for the ball

 

[movdqa]

If anyone has seen a match the story could easily be validated - did she changed racquets like other players when new balls came to play, or use the same racquet for the whole match ?

Del Potro famously was down to two K95s and just played tournaments with those.

 

[Happi]

@movdqa I got elbow problems when using extended version of my racquet.

 

[movdqa]

@movdqa I got elbow problems when using extended version of my racquet.

I do think that XL racquets are also a risk.

For me, this will be similar to using my old racquets though. The hitting zone in 65 square inch racquets was higher than it is in larger frames today. I believe that the higher mass of my frames is a counter to the XL nature. Flexibility as well.

I've been using XL frames since about 2010. Twistweight is a big factor in comfort.

I am considering a pair of PT57As at 28 inches. That frame has an RA Flex of 56 so it should be pretty soft. The design consideration is figuring how much lead to add at 3/9 to ensure a high enough Twistweight. And I don't have that figured out yet.

 

[Happi]

I do think that XL racquets are also a risk.

For me, this will be similar to using my old racquets though. The hitting zone in 65 square inch racquets was higher than it is in larger frames today. I believe that the higher mass of my frames is a counter to the XL nature. Flexibility as well.

I've been using XL frames since about 2010. Twistweight is a big factor in comfort.

I am considering a pair of PT57As at 28 inches. That frame has an RA Flex of 56 so it should be pretty soft. The design consideration is figuring how much lead to add at 3/9 to ensure a high enough Twistweight. And I don't have that figured out yet.

Have you tried Angell custom racquets, you can get these up to 28 inches too.

 

[PKorda]

First off, she hits a 2 handed FH and BH. That disperses the energy to both arms. Secondly, she always hits the sweet spot and is mostly re-directing pace rather than producing it. Thirdly, she's still under 40 and has young pliable tendons.

Muscle strength is overrated for protection against TE. I run across just as many men with TE as women, if not moreso. More muscle just means you tend to swing harder and arm the ball more. And that's producing more force into your arm.

Ran across a woman the other day that followed the Siu Weh approach of restringing poly every other year in her Wilson Ultra. Now in her late 40's, surprise, surprise, she's got rip-roaring TE for the first time in her life. My tendons were equally bulletproof until i hit 50.

After frequency of play, age is the most common precipitant of TE. Then you can start wandering down the rabbit hole of technique, racket stiffness, poly strings.

Agree that muscle strength not that important and that it's all about the tendons.

Don't think I agree that frequency of play and age are necessarily most precipitant of TE. I think technique is quite important and also focusing on keeping tendons strong through exercises can help a lot.

At least that's what I've found through my own experience.

 

[movdqa]

Have you tried Angell custom racquets, you can get these up to 28 inches too.

No. A couple of people have told me that I should try the PT57A. And then there's that huge VSBabolat thread on it.

The customization I'd be looking for is silicone in the handle and lead in the hoop, preferably hidden. Customized with a high-enough twistweight for me, probably at least 14.5, static weight of 13.25 ounces and swingweight of 370 as a base (I could add a little lead tape to get it to 386. I don't think that Angell is that custom.

 

[tlm]

Hsieh plays the polyester YPTP 1.25 for years without breaking and restringing, and her arms are not exactly Schwarzenegger.

She also hits two handed on both sides.

 

[tlm]

It depends on what I’m stringing with if full poly then usually a couple of weeks max and when playing league matches I use a new string job for every match which is once a week. Right now I’m using Kevlar mains with a poly cross and that set up plays well longer than full poly.

Of coarse a lot depends on how often you play I’m on the court 5 days a week on average and almost everyday in the summer. So of course the guy that only plays once or twice a week doesn’t need to string as often, plus if that’s all doubles play the string will last a lot longer than a singles player.

Also if doing a lot of drilling or constant rallying or pounding 100’s of shots off a ball machine the strings will get beat up pretty fast. I like having a 3rd racket that I use for rally practice or ball machine hitting and usually have a multi or synthetic in that racket and don’t change it until it breaks.

I think that unless a player strings for themselves they probably don’t realize how much strings affect your play. Because now you can experiment more and compare string set ups side by side which gives you a much better idea of how older and newer strings play plus how different types and tensions play. Once I have an established string set up that I am staying with I can be out and notice that I’m not controlling my shots very well and reach in my bag and pull out a new string set up and the difference is huge.

Same swing, same racket, and same tension except for of course the newer racket is tighter and the same shots that were going long are all falling in now with more spin and you can instantly see and feel the added bite and restricted flight and lower trajectory that the new string job gives. So for around 8-10 bucks a week I can play with strings that play and feel much better than old strings plus if using poly it is safer to change them often.

 

[Dartagnan64]

Agree that muscle strength not that important and that it's all about the tendons.

Don't think I agree that frequency of play and age are necessarily most precipitant of TE. I think technique is quite important and also focusing on keeping tendons strong through exercises can help a lot.

At least that's what I've found through my own experience.

Since TE is essentially a tendinopathy that comes from repetitive strain on a non-regenerative tendon, it makes sense that frequency of play (i.e number of repetitions) and age (the major cause of loss of resiliency and regenerative capacity) would be major factors.

Technique is only important if that technique gets you hitting out front, on the sweet spot with a loose grip. Problem with technique is that there is always an opponent that can turn your technique to rubbish and have you hitting late, arming the ball and shanking. Most of us wouldn't ever get TE playing 2.5 ladies doubles.

 

[texastornado]

Usually 2-3 weeks playing ~8-14hrs of doubles per week. The poly that i use starts to slowly lose spin after 10-15 hrs, then noticeable loses spin a few hours before snapping. I alternate rackets so 1 is always "freshly" strung and the other somewhere on the road to snapping. If I'm playing a more serious match and the loss of spin is noticeable i'll pull out the racket with a fresher string job.

 

[Fintft]

Technique is only important if that technique gets you hitting out front, on the sweet spot with a loose grip. Problem with technique is that there is always an opponent that can turn your technique to rubbish and have you hitting late, arming the ball and shanking. Most of us wouldn't ever get TE playing 2.5 ladies doubles.

To address your problem: strike/attack first, control the point

Also a heavy racquet and large grip help as well. Besides soft strings and shock absorbing materials in the frame...

 

[Cashman]

Rule of thumb I was taught is to restring your racquet as often every year as you play each week. Currently I play twice a week so I restring every six months, unless I break a string.

I haven't noticed any substantial benefit from restringing more frequently. I am convinced that 90% of the recreational player's obsession with strings is psychosomatic.

 

[PKorda]

—