Strings Set up for Juniors 12-14 years old

[slice bh compliment]

Hahha, drop weights are best for advanced stringers who need something that'll fit in luggage on in the trunk of a small car.

You've got to be good to do consistent stringjobs on a cheap dropweight. That said, it's constant-pull, it's cheap, and as long as the mounting system, the tension head and the clamps are good, you're fine. It's the little cheap ones that are limiting.

[tacoben]

Originally Posted by slice bh compliment

Hahha, drop weights are best for advanced stringers who need something that'll fit in luggage on in the trunk of a small car.

You've got to be good to do consistent stringjobs on a cheap dropweight. That said, it's constant-pull, it's cheap, and as long as the mounting system, the tension head and the clamps are good, you're fine. It's the little cheap ones that are limiting.

I gotta do some homework first on the various setups/models before I dive into this new endeavor...totally new to this stuff...but I do like working with my hands like fly tying. I just don't want to get something and realize later that one model has a few more bells and whistles than another, with a just a difference of $50-100 bucks. I suppose I should start another thread...but what is a good entry level machine with long term use in mind...say for $250 to $300...with the basic tools to get me going...something that isn't too bulky as well?

[slice bh compliment]

Too many options to mention, really.
I think the best way to go is to check other threads and other sites.
The used market is really good. You can pick up a gently used $600 machine for under $400.

Again, look for good clamps, a solid tension head (I like the kind with bearings), and a mounting system that'll hold the racquet well. THe rest of the stuff is secondary.

[Erman]

Originally Posted by gplracer

I have an old Prince hydraulic stringer that is still going strong after 20+ years. My son was using lux and wilson nxt. The problem is that he was going through the nxt incredibly fast. We found that natural gut (Babolat Tonic) and lux was a better combination. The string last much longer. I think our actual stringing costs with this combination to be less than with the nxt and lux.

My son was using luxilon rough with gut but broke strings in less than an our or so. Went to big banger original and string it between 48-54 depending on the temperature and how he's feeling. Loves the spin and power. I wanted to get some gut and hybrid it for better touch but he's fighting me on it. Have you had any experience with solinco strings. The big banger original is great but is dead within 2-3 hours and I hear the solinco holds out much longer.

[Erman]

Originally Posted by tacoben

I gotta do some homework first on the various setups/models before I dive into this new endeavor...totally new to this stuff...but I do like working with my hands like fly tying. I just don't want to get something and realize later that one model has a few more bells and whistles than another, with a just a difference of $50-100 bucks. I suppose I should start another thread...but what is a good entry level machine with long term use in mind...say for $250 to $300...with the basic tools to get me going...something that isn't too bulky as well?

My son plays national tournaments and I bought an electronic Prince machine. He plays/practices 3 1/2 hours a day 5-6 days per week and plays two tournaments a month. He was going through at least 6-8 string jobs per month and sometimes as much as 10. Well a $3000 investment paid for itself within 1 1/2 years. EASILY. doesn't include stringing for others which will make the payout quicker. There are great resource at the usrsa including instructional DVDs as well as online videos. The first 100 racquets are painful and poly strings are a pain as well but I can bust out a racquet in about 25-30 minutes now. I actually throw the top of the stringer (pretty heavy) into the back of my suburban and can use a cigarette lighter dc inverter to string out of the back of the suburban at tournaments. Don't go cheap but go for quality. The constant pull electronic seem to give me the most easily reproducible tensions. But that's just me and your mileage may vary. It's also kinda fun to feel involved in the technical aspect of your kid's game.

[tacoben]

Hey Guys,

Just bumping this thread again to update you. Recently, I bought a Klippemate stringer and am happy to say that I am satisfied with my purchase after taking all things into consideration. I have strung 3 racquets already, first one took 4 hours, second took 2 hours, and the third about 1 hr 45 minutes. It is the clamping (floating clamps) sequence that I am still figuring out.

Anyway, back to the topic on strings. My daughter likes the RPM blast 17 g, at 44-46 lbs. Klippermate has there own house brand of the RPM blast called the Spin Max 17. Any critiques/experience/feedback on the Spin Max you can share?

Thanks!

[Erman]

Originally Posted by gplracer

I have an old Prince hydraulic stringer that is still going strong after 20+ years. My son was using lux and wilson nxt. The problem is that he was going through the nxt incredibly fast. We found that natural gut (Babolat Tonic) and lux was a better combination. The string last much longer. I think our actual stringing costs with this combination to be less than with the nxt and lux.

What tension were you using in the lux main and gut crosses

[tennisdad65]

Correct technique is 1000x more important than string setup. Poly strings are an overkill for most juniors.

1) Use full gut (cheap variety -- global etc.. work just fine).
2) String low ~ 45 lbs.
3) Use string savers liberally.

This lasts for months, is arm friendly, gives nice spin & control, and you never have to worry if the string is dead etc..

[Korso]

I string all 3 of my kids racquets. My oldest 14 really likes the copolys in the mid 40s. It is important to stay on top of stringing reguarly with these strings. They will go dead and create arm problems. I restring every 2 weeks. The other 2 are not picky yet so I just put some cheap multis in the low 50s for them and usually get a month or so out of them before they break or just become rocket launchers.
Strings do break and go dead so I recomend becoming a stringer to save on money if your child is serious about playing.

[Stardust]

If you don't mind guys, I'll ask some questions here:
I bought a new Wilson BLX Bold for my 11 y. o. daughter and I was very surprised when I saw the stick is factory strung with Sensation 16. I intended to string it with RIP Control 17 by Head. At first glance both are classified as soft and arm friendly multifilaments what I wanted for my girl but the reviews and comments for these two strings are totally different. About the RIP Control all opinions are great in contrast with Sensation – to put it mildly, they are at least contradictory.
I also intended to ask the stringer to apply tension of about 48 lb. but now I’m not sure how much is the tension of this Sensation – I suppose It’s 55-57 lb.
My questions are:
- what will you guys suggest to do – to remove the brand new original string and to restring with RIP Control or to leave the kid to play couple of weeks and then to migrate to the new multi? Or to wait till the string snaps?
My daughter has been playing for 5 days and she looks happy with the new stick – says that feels less vibrations, better control and depth, no arm pain and fatigue. It's easy understandable however - she's been playing thus far with Wilson Hope - titanium alloy racquet strung with nobody knows what...
Thanks!

[ga tennis]

My ten tear old daughter uses Blackcode 17 g in the mains and Prince Synthetic in the crosses.She plays with a Babolat strung at 54lbs.

[gameboy]

Personally, I string my 10 year old girl with natural gut only. She is not a string breaker yet and gut is great because they hold tension and do not lose elasticity. If your child is not a string breaker, gut should be mandatory.

Once she starts breaking strings, I plan to go on gut mains with poly crosses. They last quite long and still provide good comfort.

I would stay away from full poly for children as unless you are willing to replace the string every 6 to 8 hours. Polys lose their elsticity quickly and once they lose it, it can be very bad for your arm.

Synthetics are fine, but I find that gut hybrids last longer and they provide much better comfort. The little price difference between gut and synthetics are more than made up by comfort and increased durability.

[tacoben]

Thanks again guys/gals for your responses. I realize now how important a fresh bed of new strings can help a young player. It wasn't so much that my daughter broke strings (except of course when using synthetic gut) it was how the strings would go dead. At her age, having been playing tournaments for 3 years, she notices the most subtle things with her strings. When their dead, she says that the balls are flying and doesn't have much control. Went out the other day with a new string job and she was hitting so much better and her serves were crisp and 90 % in. Will restring her racquets more frequently now as a result.

[Soianka]

Originally Posted by gameboy

Personally, I string my 10 year old girl with natural gut only. She is not a string breaker yet and gut is great because they hold tension and do not lose elasticity. If your child is not a string breaker, gut should be mandatory.

Once she starts breaking strings, I plan to go on gut mains with poly crosses. They last quite long and still provide good comfort.

I would stay away from full poly for children as unless you are willing to replace the string every 6 to 8 hours. Polys lose their elsticity quickly and once they lose it, it can be very bad for your arm.

Synthetics are fine, but I find that gut hybrids last longer and they provide much better comfort. The little price difference between gut and synthetics are more than made up by comfort and increased durability.

what brand of gut do you use?

[frunk]

I'm 16, and but when I was 13 I played with a kBlade Tour with Wilson K-Gut (Multifilament) at 70+ lbs. I am older and slightly wiser, and I skill play with a kBlade Tour with Big Hitter Blue Rough 17 x Forten Sweet 16, because I ran into issues with my arms...k-gut lasted around two weeks if I remember, and BHBRxForten gets me about the same, if not a little more. I play over 15 hours a week.

[gameboy]

I have used pretty much every brand of gut out there, from Global Gut to Babolat VS.

I really notice very little difference among gut strings. Once they break in, they have very very similar playing characteristics. So save money and go with the cheapest you can find (within reason, some REALLY cheap guts break during stringing).

When I got the first "real" racquet for my daughter (26" Prestige), I cut out the synthetic it came with and strung it with Global Gut. That job lasted 2 years (we only play indoors, which certainly helps). She now has a 27" Pure Drive Lite now and I have that strung with Tonic and it really feels sweet. I am seriously thinking about switching myself to Pure Drive, just because of how it feels.

All of my racquets are hybrids with Klip natural mains with RPM blast and Luxilon crosses. They last pretty long time, much longer than a full gut job for me.

Klip Legend goes for $26 for a full pack and RPM and Luxilons are around $17. And I do all of my stringing with a Gamma dropweight, so it costs about $22/string job. But with this set up, I can go till it breaks and it will still provide comfort while holding overall tension okay. It lasts at least 50% longer than a hybrid with synthetics and the better feel really makes up for the price difference.

Only thing I implore with juniors is - it is fine to use a full bed of poly, but for your child's sakes cut it out after 6 to 8 hours. Otherwise you are just asking for arm problems. I just shudder at all these kids at the club with full poly string jobs with stiff Babolats, because I know most of them will go till they break.