Low, low tensions. 30lbs feels great. 20lbs pretty good, too
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Chad Parsons
New User
I strung my stick at 30lbs and will be checking it out tomorrow, full bed Cyclone 18g. I have been playing around 60 the past few months. I checked my notes on low tension test a while back and liked it. With my improved ball striking and fundamentals with plenty of practice the past 4-6 months, I look forward to the current tryout. Will report back.
Chad Parsons
New User
My klipper stringer only goes down to 20 pounds, so it looks like anything lower than 25 pounds or so would be a significant challenge to execute
Karma Tennis
Legend
You can pull the string by hand and you will easily be able to tension below 20lbs. Just be sure that the pulls are consistent.
Chad Parsons
New User
Update on my practice session with 30 lbs. today - full bed Cyclone 18g. LOVED IT. Best volleys I have hit in a while, quality depth and touch with zero effort, regardless of groundstroke power coming my way. Did not notice any degradation of accuracy on groundstrokes, again more easy power/spin with no impact on arm. Didn't serve any as I am recovering from ankle injury and serve bend is one of the more difficult moves still on my ankle. Big difference from even the mid-40s tension I tried the last string job from a week or two ago. Cannot see goes back to the 50s or 60s, or even the 40s with how great this feels.
My typical hybrid is cyclone mains with Gosen on the crosses, but from all the reading in this thread it sounded like full poly on low tension stringing is the way to go. Anyone go super low with Gosen, a soft cross string? I don't think it would make it any more arm-friendly and if anything make it feel even more low tension, even if pre-stretching.
My typical hybrid is cyclone mains with Gosen on the crosses, but from all the reading in this thread it sounded like full poly on low tension stringing is the way to go. Anyone go super low with Gosen, a soft cross string? I don't think it would make it any more arm-friendly and if anything make it feel even more low tension, even if pre-stretching.
Gamechanger
New User
Shoud i let my Students play with very low Tensions ( for a while) to learn Topspin?
On Top with a shaped Poly, in a Racket with a lower Swingweight? What do you think? Any Knowledge?
On Top with a shaped Poly, in a Racket with a lower Swingweight? What do you think? Any Knowledge?
Chad Parsons
New User
I don't see an issue with low tension for a player learning the game. The main thing I would focus on with beginners is the basics - solid contact, proper technique, not doing too much on volleys, etc.
Chad Parsons
New User
I tried out 30lbs and 37lbs side to side in practice drills and preferred the 37lb version (but both to my previous 55-60lb setup). This is with full bed cyclone 18g.
Tommy Haas
Hall of Fame
If someone strung a racket by hand without using a stringing machine, only using pliers, how tight could it get? Let's say a non stretchy string like poly is used which makes the most sense since it plays better at lower tensions and as a 2 piece/4 knots.
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I would also like to know the poly mains, syn gut cross combo? Do you string the syn gut tighter by like 7 lbs?
Would 35lbs poly main / 42 syn gut work?
Or 35 lbs kevlar mains / 35 lbs poly cross?
I'm trying to find some proven tensions and combo as hitting it once, not liking it, cutting it out and restring is taking it's toll on my time and wastes a lot string.
Karma Tennis
Legend
It depends on how strong you are?
Obviously, the stronger you are, the more weight you can hold, the higher the tension you can pull.
I'd say that if you can hold a 30kg weight with one hand / arm, you could certainly pull 30kg of tension.
ron schaap
Hall of Fame
I d say that 30kg is certainly high tension not low tension.
Anyway according to some stories, in the past in poor countries like in the former East-Block they strung by hand because they could not afford stringing apparatus.
PBODY99
Legend
@ron schaap
@Karma Tennis
Hand stringing, use a dowel, wrap string around it to tension it to pitch.
Awls locked the strings in place, if you don't have the frame mounted in a machine .
@Karma Tennis
Hand stringing, use a dowel, wrap string around it to tension it to pitch.
Awls locked the strings in place, if you don't have the frame mounted in a machine .
Steve Huff
G.O.A.T.
With the really low tension, you have to get used to it. Not so much as how it hits, but the lack of sound. These low tensions (30#, etc) make very little noise on ball contact.
Bartelby
Bionic Poster
You've forgotten completely about string stiffness.
Poly is stiffer and therefore you should be able to go lower without loss of control.
And there is a chart somewhere in this mess of a thread that shows precisely that, although low here means around 40.
Poly is stiffer and therefore you should be able to go lower without loss of control.
And there is a chart somewhere in this mess of a thread that shows precisely that, although low here means around 40.
Bartelby
Bionic Poster
A dead string is a dead string, but starting with a higher tension means that rigor mortis is more pronounced.
Shroud
G.O.A.T.
This has been true in my experience too. Very eratic ball response. Ok I was in the teens and a super open string bed and pocketing is not something I found helpful. Maybe when the stars aligned but overal it really messed with control. Launch angle was super high AND unpredictable.
For me sw was a great solution to arm issues.
Povl Carstensen
Legend
I am struggeling with the same issues. Love my RF97, but there is a tendency for all out shots to go out. Not so much with my 18x20 rackets. I believe the difference is in the higher and a bit more erratic amount of lift in the more open string pattern (more than power difference). So I am hoping that higher tension/stiffer string will help with that. At the moment I am at 25 kgs poly (16 gauge). Ofcourse you could say that I should just never hit all out, but it is fun (even for a low level player like me), to feel that you can rip it with a (good) chance of it landing in sometimes.
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Had the same issues with the RF97 playing all poly. Played a good bit at 48 and 50 with a number of different poly’s. Could find the court with ground strokes and volleys but couldn’t control the return of serve or serve very well. Went to stiffer poly like Solinco Tour Bite at 50 and it was better but if I went up on tension very much from there it was treacherous on the arm. Found that gut/poly at 55/52-58/55 had it all and have been using this for most of the last 3-4years. Recently started playing Velocity at 54 and plays really well. Seems like the open string pattern and the weight of the frame make it a little sketchy at lower tensions. Other lighter frames or 18x20 frames have been able to play low 40’s-50’s poly with success.
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I just got my 2006 Yonex 105 RQS re strung at 48 pounds as it was about to break.
The previous tension had dropped to around 35-40 pounds and I was playing the best tennis of my life at age 53.
Last night I nearly lost to guy who struggles to get a game off me with the tighter tension.
The biggest difference was the loss of power - huge loss!
My ball had a much lower flight path too.
Also struggled to whip low balls played to forehand up and over the net. Previously, with the low tension this shot was so much easier.
Last night I placed a 10 kg - 25 pound can of water on top of the string bed. It doesn't feel any looser but I'll know later today.
What is the tension drop after playing a few sets? It did start to feel slightly looser after I played the second set.
The previous tension had dropped to around 35-40 pounds and I was playing the best tennis of my life at age 53.
Last night I nearly lost to guy who struggles to get a game off me with the tighter tension.
The biggest difference was the loss of power - huge loss!
My ball had a much lower flight path too.
Also struggled to whip low balls played to forehand up and over the net. Previously, with the low tension this shot was so much easier.
Last night I placed a 10 kg - 25 pound can of water on top of the string bed. It doesn't feel any looser but I'll know later today.
What is the tension drop after playing a few sets? It did start to feel slightly looser after I played the second set.
Povl Carstensen
Legend
I have a dogma of not going into that pricerange...
I understand. Low tension poly has been my favorite for many years. Lux Alu Power was what I used since it came out. Just couldn’t make it work in the RF97. Price difference from Alu to what I am playing with now is only about $5. Could only get a few hours of good play out of Alu and now the Gut/poly is lasting 8-10 hours. Cheaper to play Gut/poly. Have only experienced this in the RF97 and PS97. Playing full bed Velocity now at around $6.33 a frame stringing off of a reel but not sure how long it is gonna last. Plays awesome.
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When I played full poly Alu Power in a Wilson 6.1 N Code and other frames as well I would play with the string until it broke. The racquets were flexible enough that it didn’t hurt my arm. Problem was when I did that the string bed would feel really stiff on the re-string because the strings had stretched out. Actually preferred how well it hit after it loosened off. Started stringing the frames at a lower tension and then restringing more often so there wasn't a drastic difference in how the stringbed felt on the re-string and my play was more consistent when I went from frame to frame. Not cheap however.
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tlm
G.O.A.T.
At low tension the ball tends to fly as you have greater catapult effect.
It took me a while to reign in the power of low tension by adjusting my technique - I lift the ball steeper producing more topspin.
Getting use to high tension with the low power,low arc and small sweet spot is something I'm not willing to put up with.
I played again today with my higher tensioned (48 pounds) strings and the 10kg of weight I placed on the string bed overnight did nothing.
Going to try the hairdryer tonight but it's looking like I will cut it out and going to go with 35 pounds.
It took me a while to reign in the power of low tension by adjusting my technique - I lift the ball steeper producing more topspin.
Getting use to high tension with the low power,low arc and small sweet spot is something I'm not willing to put up with.
I played again today with my higher tensioned (48 pounds) strings and the 10kg of weight I placed on the string bed overnight did nothing.
Going to try the hairdryer tonight but it's looking like I will cut it out and going to go with 35 pounds.
Going tighter with full poly in the RF97 gave me better control but at the cost of the wrist and elbow. Lower tension was a total loss of control but that hasn’t been my experience with a number of other frames. Many 95-97” frames, especially 18x20 hit great for me in the 40’s.
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travlerajm
Talk Tennis Guru
Stealth mode.
tlm
G.O.A.T.
Glad to hear someone admits that higher tension gives better control. But stringing tighter especially with poly can be more stressful on the arm.
To me you can’t compare string tensions fairly when going from a 18x20 to a 16x19. I’ve found that you can definitely string lower tension with the more closed patterns, so big difference in tension range from open to closed pattern rackets.
Shroud
G.O.A.T.
Something is wrong if playing full poly in the rec tension range hurts your wrist or elbow.
Found that between the 16x19 and 18x20 there is roughly around a 5-6lb difference in the string tension with poly to find the playability for my game. For instance, the Wilson 6.1 2017 18x20 at around 44lbs with Hyper G and in the PS97 and the RF97 around 50lbs. Those tensions all play well for my style of play.
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Shroud
G.O.A.T.
Thats why something like a ERT 3000 is vital to finding a stringbed stiffness or Dynamic Tension that players prefer. Usually a range where play is best. Assuming variables like the racquet and pattern stay the same it can really help dial in the answer to that question.
But sadly not even hot shot stringers adjust for the difference in weight between different strings so often string comparisons are meaningless because the sw are different.
The RF97 recommended tension is right on the money with the range of 50-60 with Gut/poly. Just go up on the Gut mains 2-3lbs. Some folks go 4-5lbs. One of the few frames that I have ever had with the recommended string on the inside of the frame and it be exactly what plays best. Majority of players that use that frame are somewhere between 55-59 on the Gut mains. Using full poly they are around 50lbs. Seems the homework has been done. Results speak for themselves with the RF97 even at the recreational level.
Majority of 16x19 95-98” player frames I have played other than the RF97 could string right at the bottom of recommended tension or just below and it was money with full bed poly. RF97 is finicky. Remember Morris the cat?
Can appreciate the super low tensions as that would tend to be soft on the arm and wicked spin. I play a good bit smoother at the lower tensions. Would think that helps with injury prevention. Finding a loss of control going down 3-5lbs from 50 or so in a 16x19 frame let me know there was no need for me to go lower. Could hit some amazing spins on ground strokes but lost control on the serve, return of serve, and volleys.
Was on a contract with Head and all of the player frames that I used played best for me and others within the recommended tension range with Gut/poly. As with other player frames, the same was true for me with full poly. Bottom of the recommended range or just below.
As players add weight to their frames we just instruct them to go up a couple of lbs at a time to find what works. Normally 2-4lbs solves the riddle and they are still within recommended tension or close.
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I picked up my re string today. With the 48 ilb tension on my Cyclone I was struggling big time for power and the loopy arc in my forehand all but disappeared to only a shallow arc.
So I got it re strung at only 35 ilbs. I thought it would be a lot looser when I picked it up but it was still surprisingly tight.
I played a set with it and the difference in comparison to 48 pounds was huge.
The loopy arc in my forehand returned and much more power especially on miss hits.
Much easier on the arm too. So,so happy with it!
People by and large string too tight,way too tight in my honest opinion.
So I got it re strung at only 35 ilbs. I thought it would be a lot looser when I picked it up but it was still surprisingly tight.
I played a set with it and the difference in comparison to 48 pounds was huge.
The loopy arc in my forehand returned and much more power especially on miss hits.
Much easier on the arm too. So,so happy with it!
People by and large string too tight,way too tight in my honest opinion.
tlm
G.O.A.T.
You say you were surprised about how even 35lbs. Felt tight when you picked it up. A lot of people don’t understand that freshly strung even low tensions like your using feels tight when new. That is why it’s a terrible comparison when many here list that so and so pro player uses 54 lbs. ya he does for a half hour then changes to a new string job.
That’s why a lot of rec players I know string somewhat tighter because they are going to use the same string job for many hours. I like higher tensions but it’s better on the arm and string longevity if you can use low tension like your doing.
But it’s not for everyone, especially as low as your using. To me 48 lbs is low, I would think that somewhere in the 50’s would work for Most players. But in a 16x19 pattern racket I prefer higher tension. You said that with your higher tension racket that your loop was shallow and ball landed short.
That’s because the tighter string lowered your trajectory. Which some players like myself love that lower trajectory and restricted flight that tighter string job gives because of the freedom to swing away and still keep the ball in. But you do have to swing harder to get depth and power so a lot depends on the individual style of play.
Bartelby
Bionic Poster
Stringing tighter because you are using it for fifteen hours and not fifteen minutes sounds reasonable, but loss of elasticity is the problem with use and not simply tension drop.
I can't see that poly needs to be strung in the fifties given its stiffness rating under most circumstances.
I can't see that poly needs to be strung in the fifties given its stiffness rating under most circumstances.
That is interesting considering the majority of recreational players, juniors, collegiate players and professionals using full bed poly are playing in the 50’s. Must be a reason that they use that tension range. I know there were several reasons I ended up in the 50’s (mainly low 50’s) with numerous frames playing full bed Lux Original and Lux Alu Power for 15+ years.
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Bartelby
Bionic Poster
They use it in part because that's what is written on the racquet, but the recommended ranges don't really take into account string type.
The range has barely changed over time and in that time the normal string has become one that is 50% stiffer as we moved to polys.
When polys first burst on the scene it was recommended strongly to string 10% lower but people were resistant to that idea.
The range has barely changed over time and in that time the normal string has become one that is 50% stiffer as we moved to polys.
When polys first burst on the scene it was recommended strongly to string 10% lower but people were resistant to that idea.
Definitely needs to be strung at 10% less. That is only about 5lbs which still kept people within recommended tension after the adjustment. Puts them around 50-53 depending on where they were with multi or synthetic gut. (55-58) Majority of people I have seen start with a tension and then adjust up or down based on how it plays. Interesting to see how players settle in the same range based on what plays best in particular frames. You could look back at our stringing records and it is amazing how man players string in the low 50’s with poly.
Not that it matters but the companies like Luxilon that recommend the 10% reduction are recommending 10% lower than a players normal tension not 10% lower than the lowest tension recommended by the racquet manufacturer.
Bartelby
Bionic Poster
Yes, but the point is that a low spec is usually 50 so the string manufacturers envisaged 45 to be a valid tension and not something extraordinary.
Most people used to recommend 60 for a gut string, so if you compare that to stringing poly at 55 it seems odd given the large stiffness differential.
Most people used to recommend 60 for a gut string, so if you compare that to stringing poly at 55 it seems odd given the large stiffness differential.
Interesting, if someone plays high tension with anything , 10% decrease could be a starting point. Higher tension players are simply that, high tension players. They normally are on the higher end with full poly as well. The first time I played poly I strung it in a Head TXP 89.5” frame at 58 and got a rude awakening. Backed it off quickly to around 49.
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Povl Carstensen
Legend
But is it not true that poly loses quite a lot of tension after stringing? I had gut in my K90 once. Strung it at 26 kgs, because i thought it is "so" flexible. It felt tight (but good), and kept tension and playability well during its lifespan (almost a whole indoor season for me).
Get a lot more life out of gut/poly than a full bed of poly. Poly is shot in about 3hrs for me regardless of what type of string.
zalive
Hall of Fame
Gut mains keep tension while poly crosses drop tension. As a result tension differential between mains and crosses increases, which is good for spin generation (and playability too, if cross tension maintenance for a given poly string is within acceptable limits).
Now, I think the trouble with full poly string bed is that mains are longer then crosses. Logic tells mains will hence lose their tension quicker than crosses. Meaning, for the full bed of poly (non-hybrid), tension differential between mains and crosses will decrease and eventually even go on the negative side (crosses tighter than mains). Which eventually leads to killing the snapback even if slickness is still there.
It would make sense to string to higher tension differential to keep the snapback. It should prolong life of full bed of poly.
Did you guys try, say, to string poly full bed at 8 lbs differential between mains and crosses?
My Prince Warrior 107 T arrived from TW at 50 ilbs.
Now I love the frame - big sweet spot and very powerful but at 50 ilbs with Cyclone it feels so much harsher than my favourite other frame my Yonex 105 RQS which I've recently had strung at only 35 ilbs.
So much softer feel and with the low tension and you get a much higher deflection or arc off the string bed.
Once you get use to 35 ilbs there's no going back to 50 ilb tension - not for me anyway!
Flattish hitters like myself should love low tension as the ball naturally arcs a lot,lot more.
Now thinking of getting my new Prince restrung at 35 ilbs - more money!
At 35 ilbs there's no movement of my strings in my 16 by 19 string pattern.
I feel I've improved a decent amount in the last two weeks since making the switch to lower tension.
Now I love the frame - big sweet spot and very powerful but at 50 ilbs with Cyclone it feels so much harsher than my favourite other frame my Yonex 105 RQS which I've recently had strung at only 35 ilbs.
So much softer feel and with the low tension and you get a much higher deflection or arc off the string bed.
Once you get use to 35 ilbs there's no going back to 50 ilb tension - not for me anyway!
Flattish hitters like myself should love low tension as the ball naturally arcs a lot,lot more.
Now thinking of getting my new Prince restrung at 35 ilbs - more money!
At 35 ilbs there's no movement of my strings in my 16 by 19 string pattern.
I feel I've improved a decent amount in the last two weeks since making the switch to lower tension.