Low, low tensions. 30lbs feels great. 20lbs pretty good, too

[v-verb]

Originally Posted by Tennusdude

There was an article in the Wall Street Journal called Tennis Without All the Tension. Let me know if you cant find it, I will send you the link. The article mentions the following:

The lowest request from the U.S. Open this past year: Filippo Volandri's rackets at an astonishingly slack 26 pounds.

The naysayers are the same guys who told the Colonel his recipe for Fried Chicken would never be successful!

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...373170456.html

[Rozroz]

Originally Posted by v-verb

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...373170456.html

thanks very much!
reassuring indeed.

[TonyB]

I can't believe this is "news". I've been using poly between 30 and 34 lb. for quite a while. This thread's been around for years.

Honestly, it doesn't matter what the pros do. I don't copy the pros, I simply use what works for me.

All credit goes to Chris for creating this thread and introducing people to the wonderful world of low tensions. I'll never go back to high tensions.

[Tennusdude]

Originally Posted by TonyB

I can't believe this is "news". I've been using poly between 30 and 34 lb. for quite a while. This thread's been around for years.

Honestly, it doesn't matter what the pros do. I don't copy the pros, I simply use what works for me.

All credit goes to Chris for creating this thread and introducing people to the wonderful world of low tensions. I'll never go back to high tensions.

I agree with you, Tony. The pros dont even use the same rackets that the racket manufacturers sell to the public unless you specifically are able to get your hands on pro stock rackets.

That being said, you have many people playing with Nadal's racket just because Nadal plays with the racket. Thats the way its always been. I believe Agassi once admitted to painting his racket in order hide the fact that he wasnt playing with a Prince although the racket said Prince on it.

[v-verb]

Originally Posted by Rozroz

thanks very much!
reassuring indeed.

Very welcome - I just used what Tennusdude said and googled.

Originally Posted by TonyB

I can't believe this is "news". I've been using poly between 30 and 34 lb. for quite a while. This thread's been around for years.

Honestly, it doesn't matter what the pros do. I don't copy the pros, I simply use what works for me.

All credit goes to Chris for creating this thread and introducing people to the wonderful world of low tensions. I'll never go back to high tensions.

I'm going to give it a try - as you said, doesn't matter what the pros do - just whether it works for your game.

I'm going back to old racquets - Prince Graphites (POGs). Don't think any Pros are using them anymore but really I don't care

[Orion3]

Originally Posted by Tennusdude

I believe Agassi once admitted to painting his racket in order hide the fact that he wasnt playing with a Prince although the racket said Prince on it.

He was playing with a Prince painted to look like a Donnay. Donnay then designed and built him a racquet that played like the Prince...and he won Wimbledon.

[lobman]

Originally Posted by Bartelby

On court I started with my regular set up, the racquet at 52lbs. Everything felt great and I was hitting the ball well. After about 15 minutes I was fully warmed up and switched to the 30lbs racquet. Amazingly, my shots were staying in and the strings actually felt lower powered. The ball felt like it was flying on me more with the 52lbs racquet than the 30lbs racquet — that was a huge shock to me.

Most interestingly, I was getting a lot of spin with the 30lbs racquet. Switching back and forth between the two racquets, my hitting partner could see and feel an immediate difference on the spin of my shots between the two racquets. I was getting excellent hop on my topspin, but best of all was the slice.

In other words, a lower tension means less power and more spin due presumably to the strings sliding more easily.

So you don't need a new Wilson racquet with fewer strings to get more spin.

But I thought the prevailing wisdom was that lower tension means more power. Or do you get to a certain tension where that turns the other direction?

[ace10is]

Originally Posted by lobman

But I thought the prevailing wisdom was that lower tension means more power. Or do you get to a certain tension where that turns the other direction?

I remember reading either in The Physics And Science Of Tennis or another study disproving this theory. It basically said the string tension makes a marginal difference in power, 1 mph IIRC. Also, going the other way, tighter tension gives more control, is more a less a myth.

I think the real question is not whether low tension is good or bad. It let's co-polymer strings snap back into place easier. Therefore it produces more topspin. Is that good? Who knows, but it works.

Almost every racquet I restring for club players are 3 months to 1 year old string jobs. Their tension is incredibly low; 30's and 40's. A majority of the players don't really love how it feels right after the restring, but really love it a week or so later.

A lot of high performance players end up stringing their racquets so frequently that it doesn't drop tension too much before it breaks or they restring if tension drops below their liking.

I like 50 lbs, but I will try lower since reading this thread. My strings last about 3-6 hours of match play. For top touring players, don't even let their strings go that long. I played some futures and, at least the guys I hung with, did not restring that frequently. We usually let the strings break. We were poor for the most part. I didn't hang with the rich kids and their coaches so I don't know how they did it.

I think the real trick for players who are going to have strings in their racquet for long periods of time is to find the tension they like after a few weeks of playing. Eg. Let's say I love the way 50 lbs feels a week, then great. That's probably what I should string it at. However, if you buy a stringer and can afford/have time to restring, then try 35 or 30 lbs and cut them out after a week and repeat.

[yourmailman]

Round 2 with my syn-gut Bio 100 at 36#.

Mixed doubles ... we smoked the competition 6-0,6-2. My partner was impressed with some of my shots and asked what I was doing differently. I told her about the very low tension. She said she had thought about going to a lower tension but was afraid of skying the ball every time, so I lent her my racquet and we hit around for a bit. She asked me to redo her racquet at 38#.

The extremely low tension revolution continues.

[yourmailman]

Almost forgot ... I hit quite a few overheads that were basically fantastic with very little effort. I think that this was partly mental, because I didn't feel I had to kill the ball due to the low tension.

Also had several service returns for outright winners. The more I play with the 36# tension, the more I like it!

Didn't have time to do one at 30# this weekend, but I will do that tomorrow before my lesson.

[NadalDramaQueen]

Originally Posted by tlm

Thats right you have your hero volandri he is a major force in the game today. What is his name again? Where are the rest of them? How do you explain the list above?

I think you better hurry and let them and their coaches know what they are missing out on, because obviously you know more about string tensions than they do.

Originally Posted by Tennusdude

You are right and I am wrong! Have a great evening/early morning!

Now I see where this relationship was born.

I normally string at tensions of 48 and 46 pounds in the mains and crosses, respectively. Depending on the season, I may drop them both an extra two pounds. I have tried to string higher and a bit lower, and it definitely doesn't feel as good when strung higher. I also see more spin at lower tensions.

I will try going lower one of these times, maybe at 40 and 38 pounds, just to see what all the fuss is about.

[tlm]

Originally Posted by TonyB

I can't believe this is "news". I've been using poly between 30 and 34 lb. for quite a while. This thread's been around for years.

Honestly, it doesn't matter what the pros do. I don't copy the pros, I simply use what works for me.

All credit goes to Chris for creating this thread and introducing people to the wonderful world of low tensions. I'll never go back to high tensions.

Hey if you can use that low of tension great, but The profile of Chris that started this thread says that he uses volkl cyclone at 55 lbs.

[TheCheese]

Originally Posted by lobman

But I thought the prevailing wisdom was that lower tension means more power. Or do you get to a certain tension where that turns the other direction?

I think the most power from poly actually comes in the mid 40s. Once you drop below 40 you start to lose some power, but the additional control actually comes mostly from the huge increase in topspin you get.

[Rozroz]

Originally Posted by tlm

Hey if you can use that low of tension great, but The profile of Chris that started this thread says that he uses volkl cyclone at 55 lbs.

this is interesting cause it means the low tension had a honeymoon period,
at least with Chris.. or that he cannot test many racquets with low tension for some reason.

[arche3]

I have been using vs gut 16 mains 4g crosses at 55/52. Just strung up a LTec OS16/4s at 40/40. Surprisingly it is still lower powered them my gut 4g hybrid. It actually plays very well at 40. Similar pocketing to my gut hybrids. More spin than gut hybrids.

[tlm]

Originally Posted by Rozroz

this is interesting cause it means the low tension had a honeymoon period,
at least with Chris.. or that he cannot test many racquets with low tension for some reason.

Exactly or maybe his profile is not up to date.

[yourmailman]

Just got back from my lesson with my Bio 100 at 30#s. Gosen Micro OG 18g.

After drills, we played a set. I didn't tell my coach about the tension change. I played pretty well.

When we were done, I asked if he noticed any difference in my shots. He said that I had a lot more spin. More topspin on my ground-strokes, more backspin on my drop shots.

I even had 2 aces, and I rarely do that to him. Also a really nice body serve.

The thing that amazed me is that he said the speed and heaviness of my shots was about the same as normal, and I was not hitting nearly as hard as I normally do.

The one thing I noticed at 30#s that was not there at 38 and 36 was a lot of string movement. But, I am using syn-gut instead of poly, so I guess that makes sense.

I ordered a roll of TechoFibre Code Red 18g to try next.

[Rozroz]

Originally Posted by yourmailman

Just got back from my lesson with my Bio 100 at 30#s. Gosen Micro OG 18g.

After drills, we played a set. I didn't tell my coach about the tension change. I played pretty well.

When we were done, I asked if he noticed any difference in my shots. He said that I had a lot more spin. More topspin on my ground-strokes, more backspin on my drop shots.

I even had 2 aces, and I rarely do that to him. Also a really nice body serve.

The thing that amazed me is that he said the speed and heaviness of my shots was about the same as normal, and I was not hitting nearly as hard as I normally do.

The one thing I noticed at 30#s that was not there at 38 and 36 was a lot of string movement. But, I am using syn-gut instead of poly, so I guess that makes sense.

I ordered a roll of TechoFibre Code Red 18g to try next.

very interesting! good to know.

[yourmailman]

I just finished my mixed doubles partner's 38# string job. This is on a Babolat PureDrive 107. It will be interesting to see how it hits in such a large racquet.

I also noticed on my Biomimetic 100 today that the stencil was very worn around the sweet-spot after just over an hour of play, with virtually no wear in other regions. Could this be due to the fact that I was not hitting as hard and was taking a little more time to set up?

Have a league tonight. Will try the 30#er again and see how it goes.

[Povl Carstensen]

Originally Posted by yourmailman

It is 18g, and I think all of my string going forward will be. I still have about 1/2 a reel of 17g Dunlop Biomimetic Syn-gut and 1/2 a reel of 17g Gamma Zo Verve. But as soon as those are gone, it's 18g for me. I like the feel better.

How many hours do you get out of it..?