4.0+ Topspin Players Input wanted

Preston

Rookie
Hi Guys and Gals,

Right now and for about the last year I've been playing with either a full poly or poly hybrid setup. I'm 4.0 rated player that prefers the baseline, but I play a fairly decent all-court game. I hit a good amout of topspin and pace on the FH side and hit a slice or driving one handed backhand.

Recently I've been considering going back to syn guts. The syn gut I'm loving is Pro Supex Syn Gut with Sprialflex. What I'm curious about is if any other players out there that hit heavy spin use full syn gut setups? Please share some thoughts on your syn gut of choice and why you use syn gut over poly.

My reasons for thinking about going back are the syn guts feel so good on impact, the occasional miss/late hit isn't as harsh on the arm. I don't like that I lose some spin with synguts over polys.

Preston
 

JediMindTrick

Hall of Fame
This is easy, Prince Recoil will give you the spin of the poly with the softness of the synthetic gut. Plus it holds tension much better than any poly or nylon.
 
I don't know anything about Spiral Flex, but like you, I tend to vacillate between poly, hybrid, and syn gut setups. If you like the strings "crisp," I'd get a few sets of Gosen OG Sheep Micro to try, and if you like that buy a reel. I like the feel, so much that I switched my hybrid setup to syn gut mains.

There is a reason, other than the price, that Gosen is a popular syn gut.
 

Power Player

Bionic Poster
You play with an 18x20, so you should be good. I love crisp synethic gut in my hybrid. I personally use Wilson Stamina, but I hit with a lot of topspin and this combo works great.
 

no1

Rookie
People say I hit with tons of spin... I use Gosen OG sheep 18.... didn't like the "harsh" feeling of polys, even in hybrid form....
 

Blask

Semi-Pro
I too have used Gosen OG sheep 17 and like the amount of spin it provides. I do prefer it in a hybid though
 

ODYSSEY Mk.4

Professional
i have a western FH that i enjoy very much i've tried going back to syn gut but 2 problems came up
1) durability of the syn gut ( gets torn up pretty quick)
2) amount of spin ( had to swing harder with the poly for deeper shots so lot more kick)
i like having feeling of soft strings syn gut is nice but i just hate restringing that often. the 2 top syn guts for me were PSGD and PPS they did pretty well. really hope you find what you looking for.
 

Preston

Rookie
Thanks for the input all!

I'm not too concerned about durablity, as I string my own rackets.

I'm most concerned about the loss of control and spin. I play about 75% doubles and one of my favorite shots is the buggy-whip FH to drop the ball down on my opponents shoelaces while they move to the net. Poly's make this so easy. I seem to be able to do this in practice with syn guts, but things change in matches.

I'll grab a few packs of Gosen OG. Prince recoil is out of the question, that is some overpriced string.
 

Nanshiki

Hall of Fame
For the best spin, you want a string that slides freely and goes back into it's original position.

Regular syngut is OK with this for about 30 minutes...after which they will start to lock in place and get 'crunchy.'

A poly, or a poly-syngut/multi/natgut hybrid will stay 'smooth' for a lot longer because it starts to notch and lock in place, reducing spin.

You can even put the syn gut in the mains and use poly in the crosses to maintain string sliding, but also give more control than full syn gut...while also giving you everything you like about the syn gut itself.
 

JT_2eighty

Hall of Fame
If you string your own, any 18g synthetic will be perfect for you. Nice control and spin access, for as cheap as you can get. They'll break quick but then you'll always have fresh strings which is also nice. Head's PPS 18 is the thinnest 18g nylon on the market, great all-around playability on that one. When fresh, you can loop those topspin shots at your doubles opponents' feet all day. If you use a 16x19 though, it'll probably break after a set or two... an 18x20 you may get a few more sets out of it.
 
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coyfish

Hall of Fame
I hit with a lot of spin off both wings. I string my own racquets and I have tried full syn gut but it just breaks too fast for me.

I don't mind stringing my racquets but a full bed of syn gut only lasts me about 3 hours. Its just too annoying to break strings every time I go out and hit.

My hybrid lasts me about 10-12 hours which is perfect because thats when they start going dead.

Have you tried some soft polies??

Give big ace micro or unique big hitter 17 gauge a shot. Those are both soft / thin strings with good control / pop.
 

tlm

G.O.A.T.
I can get just as much spin out of multis as i can poly. Poly is not good on the body+using it longer just adds to its danger.
 

Preston

Rookie
Coy- yeah man, I've used lots of polys, including the soft ones. I love the control and spin of polys, but they don't feel as nice as the syn guts.

Tim, glad to hear you get good spin out of multis.
 

XFactorer

Hall of Fame
You should try switching to a Yonex. That helps a lot, as I'm sure you've experienced.

Read the TW University article about strings and spin. It's your stroke that makes spin, not your strings. Strings have little to nothing to do with spin. :) Sorry to burst you bubble.
 

XFactorer

Hall of Fame
I can recommend a reel of Tecnifibre syn gut, though... you can string 17-ish racquets on 35 bucks.

But restring every week. Or twice a week.
 

JT_2eighty

Hall of Fame
Read the TW University article about strings and spin. It's your stroke that makes spin, not your strings. Strings have little to nothing to do with spin. :) Sorry to burst you bubble.

Although I do agree and this is true for the most part, there are certain setups that when combined with certain mechanics allow one to impart more spin. For instance, a thinner gauge string itself does not "cause" or "create" more spin, the trajectory off the stringbed and/or the feel of the ball on the strings will be different so that a certain player will *be able* to swing out with a higher swingspeed and/or closed-angle of their racquet so the shot can have more spin and still land in.

Now, all things being equal, yes, no string gauge or material is going to "give" more spin, but the change in feel that comes with varied setups may "allow" one to change their technique to use more spin. In the end, it's easier for people to say, "that string gives me spin" but really, we are making minor adjustments when we change our setups to see how much more spin we can go for, etc etc.

Technical Tennis also has a good explanation of this, which I imagine TW U also cites.
 

Preston

Rookie
XFacterer- You are not getting me to come back to Yonex, you evil open string pattern user :smile::smile: At least until the rebels are worn out, then maybe.

It's not that i'm unhappy with the spin production from the rebel by any means, actually for a dense pattern, it does quite well.

As far as strings having nothing to do with spin, I too have to disagree. Stroke mechanics obviously play a larger roll, but the string setup and string pattern definitely play a part.

Even before I started stringing my own rackets i was always trying different strings, and I noticed a definite difference in spin on relatively similar strokes, using the same frame with just different strings. There have been quite few times where I've had all three rackets with different string setups to test things out. It's pretty dang fun.
 

schap02

Semi-Pro
Hi Guys and Gals,

Right now and for about the last year I've been playing with either a full poly or poly hybrid setup. I'm 4.0 rated player that prefers the baseline, but I play a fairly decent all-court game. I hit a good amout of topspin and pace on the FH side and hit a slice or driving one handed backhand.

Recently I've been considering going back to syn guts. The syn gut I'm loving is Pro Supex Syn Gut with Sprialflex. What I'm curious about is if any other players out there that hit heavy spin use full syn gut setups? Please share some thoughts on your syn gut of choice and why you use syn gut over poly.

My reasons for thinking about going back are the syn guts feel so good on impact, the occasional miss/late hit isn't as harsh on the arm. I don't like that I lose some spin with synguts over polys.

Preston


Let me know if you need any sets of Spiral Flex, I have various reels..
tutors9@verizon.net

What I noticed was the string is on the softer side for syn guts and offers solid ball pocketing, good touch, medium power...Hope you like...
 

JediMindTrick

Hall of Fame
Although I do agree and this is true for the most part, there are certain setups that when combined with certain mechanics allow one to impart more spin. For instance, a thinner gauge string itself does not "cause" or "create" more spin, the trajectory off the stringbed and/or the feel of the ball on the strings will be different so that a certain player will *be able* to swing out with a higher swingspeed and/or closed-angle of their racquet so the shot can have more spin and still land in.

Now, all things being equal, yes, no string gauge or material is going to "give" more spin, but the change in feel that comes with varied setups may "allow" one to change their technique to use more spin. In the end, it's easier for people to say, "that string gives me spin" but really, we are making minor adjustments when we change our setups to see how much more spin we can go for, etc etc.

Technical Tennis also has a good explanation of this, which I imagine TW U also cites.

Wasn't there a recent TWU article that said exactly the opposite, it said that slippery strings give more spin?
 

JT_2eighty

Hall of Fame
Wasn't there a recent TWU article that said exactly the opposite, it said that slippery strings give more spin?

Exactly. That is another point I left out. There is very new research showing certain "slippery" string setups can enhance spin. This is why gut mains with poly crosses are probably the best for spin, as you have an elastic gut sliding across a slippery poly so that the ball gets just a bit more rpm's from the 'snap back effect' that comes with slippery strings, and there was even a high-speed camera lab test done in japan that proved that the slippery strings gave more rpm's to a ball; they used a machine so you know the "stroke" was identical between each test, while the rpms did increase on the slippery setup.

I think though, there is a point when materials no longer affect spin... all these textured strings, pentagonal hexo hepta whatever is taking it a bit too far. Don't get me started on 'spiky' strings either, meh. They may change the feel, for sure, but it's hard to say they do any more.

That said, you should try out kevlar mains with gut crosses, string it low and profit. It's a very fun, controlled, low-powered, surprisingly comfy and spin friendly setup.
 
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Preston

Rookie
Schap02- thanks man, much appreciated. I have a reel of 16g spiral flex right now. I haven't found 17g anywhere, sadly. You have 17g?

As far as all these studies on string and spin, although they are very interesting, I just haven't read them. I go by the feel of playing, and I just need to take the time to read them. Damn A.D.D. makes in depth studies a b1tch. But, think about it in simple, logical concepts.

Strings make contact with the ball. If the properties of the strings are changed(different strings) then they have to react differently when contacting the ball, therefore having a different effect on the ball.
 
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