Re-stringing frequency, have a read....

LHM · Jun 17, 2015

I was thinking the other day, I read a lot on this forum how some people seem to break strings often or cut their strings out after a very short period of time, or I read "I had to cut this string out after 1/2 sets"

I play maninly for my clubs 2nd/3rd team (we have 8 teams, all doubles) and have played a handful of 1st team matches. The first team consists of some VERY good players who have represented their county (or State as some call it) and won many leagues and tournements. My good friend who also plays first team represented Great Britain from the age of 12-16 and was ranked 3rd in GB for his age bracket back in the day (He's now 24). This got me wondering, how often do these guys re-string? Having spoke to many of them, to my surprise, most of these guys hardly ever re-string or break strings! Most of them don't even know what strings they have in their rackets or even know the weight of their frames!!!! One of our best players plays with an APD and still has the original strings in his frame from last season! Our club coach who also plays first team last strung his racket in January this year.

After a match the other week we all got onto the subject of strings and racket weights and nearly all of them had no idea what string pattern, type of strings or even weight their frames were. They said they simply just pick up their racket and play, and whenever they do need a re-string they just give it to their stringer and ask them to string it with whatever their stringer suggests at mid tension of what their racket suggests!! These guys are playing appx 8-10 sets of match doubles per week during the season.

It shocked me at their lack of knowledge about their equipment or re-string frequency considering how good they are at tennis. Even when they are not re-stringing frequently their standard of tennis is simply awesome.

Goes to show I guess if you have the skills then you can pretty much play with anything??

SpinToWin · Jun 17, 2015

Yeah skills>equipment.

Having said that, you may regret misusing strings and the like. Overuse of poly can potentially lead to (long lasting) arm problems.

Just because it works for some doesn't make it advisable.

The grandma of a friend of mine is 90 years old and has been an avid smoker for decades (an average of about a pack a day I'd say). She has nothing in terms of lung cancer or other smoking related symptoms. Does this make it advisable to smoke (as much as she does)? No.

LHM · Jun 17, 2015

Forget to add, having taken a look at their rackets (I looked like a proper Tennis geek to them) it appeared they all had poly's.

4-string · Jun 17, 2015

No one hits as hard and spinny, and breaks strings, as the internet warriors.

I personally find many of the claims here hard to believe, but then again, I'm not a string breaker myself.

A friend of mine (who is a lot better than me) breaks strings frequently in his Steam 99S - anything lighter than 1.30 only lasts a set or two max, so I know this happens. I just find it hard to believe that 3.5 players break poly in a 16x19 (or denser) racket in about an hour.

Those who are able to focus on their game and skills, and don't offer gear a second thought are on the right track though, more power to them!

LHM · Jun 17, 2015

4-string said:
No one hits as hard and spinny, and breaks strings, as the internet warriors. I personally find many of the claims here hard to believe, but then again, I'm not a string breaker myself.

A friend of mine (who is a lot better than me) breaks strings frequently in his Steam 99S - anything lighter than 1.30 only lasts a set or two max, so I know this happens. I just find it hard to believe that 3.5 players break poly in a 16x19 (or denser) racket in about an hour.

Those who are able to focus on their game and skills, and don't offer gear a second thought are on the right track though, more power to them!

This is what made me think, I read all the time (on this forum) of people who claim to be breaking strings after 1 or 2 sets, and also having to cut strings out after a very short period of time, yet when I play I VERY rarely (think I have seen it once) see it where someone breaks a string.

COPEY · Jun 17, 2015

Agree - there are far too many guys focusing on strings/racquets than as opposed to improving their tennis skills.

I can't say I quite agree with the analogy of a grandma smoking cigarettes. SpinToWin you're an obviously bright young man, but there are a number of maladies caused by smoking that don't present as obvious symptoms. Moreover, while I don't advocate playing with strings that are long dead or have been in a racquet for 6 to 8 months plus, I believe there are more players who'll have little to no problems with it than those who will. Lastly, to my knowledge there's no historical medical documentation to support the theory that long-term use of "dead poly" leads to orthopedic issues.

TennisManiac · Jun 17, 2015

COPEY said:
Lastly, to my knowledge there's no historical medical documentation to support the theory that long-term use of "dead poly" leads to orthopedic issues.

I know an orthopedic surgeon that plays usta league and ladders in my area who tells everyone they should only play with poly for 10-12 hours before replacing it as it will cause tendon damage in the long run within the elbow and shoulder. And I personally know a handful of people who had some serious tendonitis in their shoulders because of long term poly use. It may have been a combination of things though. Like racquet stiffness, string tention ect. But poly does indeed cause arm problems.

Roland G · Jun 17, 2015

One of the best players in my group uses a 280g Prince, about 5 years old. Strings with syn gut maybe twice a year, only changing it when it breaks. His grip is completely shredded and torn. He wouldn't even know there are different string materials out there. Basically, he doesn't give a rats *** about gear, just gets on with playing and enjoying his tennis. Also, many of the top league players at our club will just leave their sticks to be strung and let the stringer decide. He usually just puts in Alu/Syn gut for these guys and again they just play til it snaps

fgs · Jun 17, 2015

there is a fine line between these things - while i am a stringbreaker and in the mean time have made sort of a "hobby" out of testing strings, i am also the first one to tell that stringperformance is maybe accountable for not more than 3% of what you manage to do on court. it happened that during a very competitive match against a former satellites (in our time there were no futures) player i went through three different strings and still managed to win.

as i also happen to be a stringbreaker, i simply cannot tell anything about playing for too long with any string in the sticks. the only thing i can say about this is that when i started my son to play poly-hybrids at about the age of 12, he used to get some 20hrs on them until they broke, and they were still playing fine at that time. now his time-window has also considerably narrowed, therefore it is difficult for me to have an opinion about this.

what i did notice on the other hand, when i was still playing the 106 nblade with its 18mains pattern, some polys did have a second tension drop around the 8hrs mark which made them almost unplayable until they broke, which usually happened at roughly 10hrs. in the mean time, with the 16mains stick i'm playing, i rarely get above 4hitting hours with any string, even some 1,30 which i generally don't like to play.

personally, i have my fun testing out all sorts of strings and sometimes also some sticks, but this is not what makes me a better player - the most important issue is moving your feet for proper set-up, and that has absolutely nothing to do with what stick you are swinging and what string is on it. once you get regularly properly set-up to smack the ball, you can start thinking about the difference material makes. it does make a difference, but the extent of it is largely overestimated - by this i mean us regular hacks and weekend warriors.

COPEY · Jun 17, 2015

***********c said:
I know an orthopedic surgeon that plays usta league and ladders in my area who tells everyone they should only play with poly for 10-12 hours before replacing it as it will cause tendon damage in the long run within the elbow and shoulder. And I personally know a handful of people who had some serious tendonitis in their shoulders because of long term poly use. It may have been a combination of things though. Like racquet stiffness, string tention ect. But poly does indeed cause arm problems.

Not being obstinate here, but you know "a single doctor" who plays in a league who tells everyone to limit playing with poly 10 to 12 hours. On top of that, you know a handful of people (as opposed to several hundred - there are lot of tennis players using poly) that have issues, presumably from prolonged poly use. If that's definitive proof to you poly damages arms/wrists/shoulders...hey, I'm good with that.

For me, however, that's not nearly enough, and maybe it's because I've been around too long. Could it and has it led to physical issues for some? I'm sure it has, but to proclaim that anyone who leaves poly in their sticks for excessive periods of time will ultimately pay a price as an absolute...I'm not buying it.

fgs · Jun 17, 2015

i don't buy into this poly leads to damage stuff either for the simple reason that people playing tennis in the old days when only natty gut was available also developed tenniselbow, shoulder issues etc.

today, a vastly larger population plays tennis therefore it is reasonable that a lot more people get injured. i don't know if anybody ever bothered to set up a study illustrating that the percentage of injuries relative to the tennis playing population has gone up. we have all sorts of oversized ultra-stiff headheavy sticks that are also "not very healty" etc. so, surely, today there are a lot more options to be doing something wrong and get injured, but today we also have more people dying on the streets than people having a driving license 100 years ago.

while i personally think that poly has limited use for the vast majority of tennis players, it is in the end up for everyone to chose what to string up in his stick. if he gets or not the proper counselling, that's a different story and in the latest issue of TennisIndustry (formerly RSI) this topic is discussed, something i do find very interesting and encouraging.

TennisCJC · Jun 17, 2015

Yes, but think how good these guys would be if they had decent rackets and strings that were customized just for them. Certainly, they would be much better with some new spiffy equipment.

TennisCJC · Jun 17, 2015

Jim Courier won grand slam tournaments with $5 syn gut strings. But, he probably would have doubled his slam count with gut/poly hybrid string setup.

TennisCJC · Jun 17, 2015

fgs said:
i don't buy into this poly leads to damage stuff either for the simple reason that people playing tennis in the old days when only natty gut was available also developed tenniselbow, shoulder issues etc.

today, a vastly larger population plays tennis therefore it is reasonable that a lot more people get injured. i don't know if anybody ever bothered to set up a study illustrating that the percentage of injuries relative to the tennis playing population has gone up. we have all sorts of oversized ultra-stiff headheavy sticks that are also "not very healty" etc. so, surely, today there are a lot more options to be doing something wrong and get injured, but today we also have more people dying on the streets than people having a driving license 100 years ago.

while i personally think that poly has limited use for the vast majority of tennis players, it is in the end up for everyone to chose what to string up in his stick. if he gets or not the proper counselling, that's a different story and in the latest issue of TennisIndustry (formerly RSI) this topic is discussed, something i do find very interesting and encouraging.

I disagree to a certain extent. I think poly at high tensions plays stiffer and provides more shock to the person attached to the end of the racket. I do think this can lead to wrist, elbow or shoulder injuries. I think using poly at lower tensions in decent rackets is relatively safe if you have decent technique and don't over play. Over playing is a big cause of TE and joint issues and is as big as equipment and technique.

fgs · Jun 17, 2015

think of all these super-stiff spin-effect sticks that start flooding the market because everybody thinks he/she will be hitting monsterspin with it. this is to some extent a tricky way to go - i surely will hit monsterspin with it as i already spin the ball heavily with a 16/19, but with such a spin effect stick i end up going through strings in probably less than 2hrs. so what would the benefit of it all be because personally i'd spend more time stringing than playing ....

poly does damage due to widespread use and assumption that if the pros play it it will be good for "me" too. it is funny that people still buy into this - i'd love to wear fed's shoes and as a consequence move like him, but this ain't gonna happen not even if he would give me his personal shoes. it's not the shoes that do the walking, it's the feet that wear them which are responsible for setting up.

some string spin more and some spin less, this is obvious and i'm experiencing it during my tests all the time, but it's me who has to put spin on that darn ball in the first place, otherwise the ball won't spin no matter what stick or string i use. a flat shot will stay flat no matter what spin-effect stick i use and what spinny string i use. there are differences - i'm trying to describe them in my thread - but they are not tremenduous!!! i read questions all the time like: recommend me a string with monsterspin. the answer to this is go and learn the propper stroking mechanics and when you are done with that we can talk further about this issue.

Deleted member 23235 · Jun 17, 2015

4-string said:
No one hits as hard and spinny, and breaks strings, as the internet warriors. I personally find many of the claims here hard to believe, but then again, I'm not a string breaker myself.

A friend of mine (who is a lot better than me) breaks strings frequently in his Steam 99S - anything lighter than 1.30 only lasts a set or two max, so I know this happens. I just find it hard to believe that 3.5 players break poly in a 16x19 (or denser) racket in about an hour.

Those who are able to focus on their game and skills, and don't offer gear a second thought are on the right track though, more power to them!

I just picked up the Steam 99s (haven't updated my sig yet), and broke strings in just over 2hrs.

I'm amazed that these high level players don't break strings. I've played/taken lessons from former tour guys, and they hit old school strokes (eastern fh grip), rely on accuracy (depth), attacking the short ball, and finishing points at the net (vs. grinding out heavy topspin rallys). But for younger folks (like the OP mentioned), I'm surprised they aren't breaking strings every match. Maybe they hit flatter (cleaner), and don't need to rely on excessive topspin (like me) to keep their balls from going long.

I remember watching Berdych practice up close, and he definitely hits with excessive topspin (the ball looks like an egg, and you can here the zzzz of the spin). I'd love to know how his strings last.

Startzel · Jun 17, 2015

While a lot of the TT tales are outlandish, there is no way a 24 year ops former #3 in GB isn't breaking strings consistently.

cknobman · Jun 17, 2015

I had to quit using my Wilson 95s because I was breaking strings in less than 2 sets if I had any kind of multi/syn in there (hybrid or full bed) and on full poly breaking them in less than 2 matches.

Even with my Wilson Pro Staff 97 16x19 I break strings in less than 8 hours of play time.

I'm only a 4.0.

So I restring on a weekly basis. Decided years ago it was too expensive so I invested in my own stringing machine and do all my own string jobs.

Now it costs me time more than anything. Takes me about 45 minutes to string a racquet.

LHM · Jun 17, 2015

Startzel said:
While a lot of the TT tales are outlandish, there is no way a 24 year ops former #3 in GB isn't breaking strings consistently.

read again, he was No3 as a JUNIOR aged 12-16. I hit with the guy regularly and rarely re-strings, but I guess you know best as you are always there.

anubis · Jun 17, 2015

People restring for a host of different reasons. There's no right or wrong reason to do it: do it when it feels right for you, or when you break strings.

Seems we have a lot of the extreme polar ends of the spectrum here: those who restring after a match or two, and those who leave them on forever. I'd rather get the message out to those in the middle: if you're unsure as to when to restring, then a good rule of thumb is this: restring as often as you play per week, per year. What that means is if you play 5 times a week, then restring your frame 5 times per year.

Obviously there's a lot of reasons to restring, but most people who aren't "internet warriors" don't know this kind of information.

lastly, it doesn't matter what strings you use: syn gut or polyester. All heavily used strings can use a fresh re-string. I try to let my customers know that just because polyester is very durable doesn't mean its a good idea to leave a set on forever.

SpinToWin · Jun 17, 2015

Let's put it like this:

Both extremes are wrong.

Both caring only for equipment and caring only for your game are the wrong approach IMO.

You should have a healthy balance of the two, which means a heavy emphasis on your game, but enough care for your equipment that you aren't potentially damaging yourself.

I was a guy who cared only for my game years ago. I used an APD strung up with a full bed of a stiff poly string at fairly high tensions. I used to get severe pains when playing for longer stretches of time and seem to have gotten some kind of permanent damage in my right elbow as a result.

Could it be something else that caused it? Sure. Has the stiff poly string contributed to elbow pains? Quite likely. I don't see why I need to supposedly prove a relation between equipment and health in order to advise a certain care for equipment. These wonderful scientific studies some of you are mentioning aren't any better. They also only take single cases and make vague generalizations about potential harm (which is why I used the cigarette analogy) by using the principal of induction.

I personally already consider a noticeable (and undeniable) trend to be sufficient for me to make such a claim. The health of an individual is more important than the few $ he spends on a stringjob.

Startzel · Jun 17, 2015

LHM said:
read again, he was No3 as a JUNIOR aged 12-16. I hit with the guy regularly and rarely re-strings, but I guess you know best as you are always there.

I have 12 year olds popping big hitter in 10 hours and they're nowhere near his junior level.

Rabbit · Jun 17, 2015

Nate Ferguson of P1 said you should restring as often as you can afford to. He didn't qualify the string type.

I think it's a universal that the vast majority of players pay more attention to all of their other gear rather than their string.

I do think poly goes south after about 10 hours and should be cut out. No some poly, all poly.

gchen · Jun 17, 2015

Many club pros just pick up a loaner racquet and get out there to feed balls and hit. A futures player told me that he forgot his racquet bag once and borrowed a racquet, had it strung in the hotel room with a drop weight. When we hit, he used a racquet strung with loose synthetic gut. Many college players use whatever string is supplied by their school.

Most of the string fanatics (myself included) are not that great and are searching for the holy grail. The the 4.0 level with a dense string pattern and good strokes, strings will last a long time. Yeah, I have seen the 99s racket chew through a synthetic gut job in less than an hour and poly in a few hours. BTW big hitter is not as durable as it seems. My college friend used to break it consistently within a single match, RPM lasts a few days. (99s racquet, Div II/III).

Aretium · Jun 17, 2015

I play in Cheshire (UK). Most guys use Alu/syn or multi hybrids. The 1st team players I speak to don't really care or know anything about strings. Most guys hit a lot flatter than I do so they don't really need full poly. One of the 1st team who hits huge serves uses some fishing line or some stuff because "nothing else lasts".

COPEY · Jun 17, 2015

I'm generally ok with broad, vague guidelines used as a tool for reasoning...that is, until people start passing them off as fact or near absolutes. With respect to the topic at hand, if you're predisposed to such injuries due to genetics, etc., one can reasonably conclude that using poly fresh or old isn't the best idea. If you have knee problems, running on asphalt should probably be avoided, but running on asphalt for years and years doesn't absolutely lead to knee issues. That's my point.

By the by, I for one am not asking anyone to prove anything on this topic; I don't have to because I'm fairly certain they can't. However, when people start throwing around opinion/conjecture/speculation as fact, then yeah, I think it's reasonable to ask for documentation/studies and the like to back up such claims.

Finally, just curious - this friend's grandma who's been smoking for decades and has no signs of lung cancer or other smoking related health issues...(1) who told you she's been smoking for decades; grandma or the grandson? (2) Who performed the extensive physical exam to make such a determination about her health; you or her grandson?

I'm sure that'll be taken the wrong way, and therefore the point I'm making will be missed entirely...but it's a valid point nonetheless.

LHM · Jun 17, 2015

Aretium said:
I play in Cheshire (UK). Most guys use Alu/syn or multi hybrids. The 1st team players I speak to don't really care or know anything about strings. Most guys hit a lot flatter than I do so they don't really need full poly. One of the 1st team who hits huge serves uses some fishing line or some stuff because "nothing else lasts".

Where do you play in Cheshire? I play in Cheshire too.

Aretium · Jun 17, 2015

LHM said:
Where do you play in Cheshire? I play in Cheshire too.

Hale. hehe

SpinToWin · Jun 17, 2015

COPEY said:
I'm generally ok with broad, vague guidelines used as a tool for reasoning...that is, until people start passing them off as fact or near absolutes. With respect to the topic at hand, if you're predisposed to such injuries due to genetics, etc., one can reasonably conclude that using poly fresh or old isn't the best idea. If you have knee problems, running on asphalt should probably be avoided, but running on asphalt for years and years doesn't absolutely lead to knee issues. That's my point.

By the by, I for one am not asking anyone to prove anything on this topic; I don't have to because I'm fairly certain they can't. However, when people start throwing around opinion/conjecture/speculation as fact, then yeah, I think it's reasonable to ask for documentation/studies and the like to back up such claims.

Finally, just curious - this friend's grandma who's been smoking for decades and has no signs of lung cancer or other smoking related health issues...(1) who told you she's been smoking for decades; grandma or the grandson? (2) Who performed the extensive physical exam to make such a determination about her health; you or her grandson?

I'm sure that'll be taken the wrong way, and therefore the point I'm making will be missed entirely...but it's a valid point nonetheless.

1) How do you separate the people susceptible to injuries and the like from those not predisposed to injuries? Do you wait until they get injured?

2) If you really wanna get to the base of it, then the collective opinion/experiences of several people is better than many studies. Scientific studies aren't all as good as the term might make them sound. By the way, depending on what you consider to be a fact, no scientific study concludes with a fact.

3) My friend's parents, he and she herself have all confirmed that she has been a heavy smoker for decades. The one who did the medical exam is a doctor. You can spare your sarcasm.

All you're saying is that some people aren't susceptible to stiffness, dead strings and the like, which I admit. You do not however present an idea, a dominant strategy that is good for every individual. If we just let people keep their poly strings in there for god knows how long (for instance), those who are naturally prone to injuries will likely feel the effects. For the others it's not so bad, but there is a fair amount of people for whom the natural tendency to injuries applies. You cannot seriously be suggesting that we wait for injuries to happen and only then change the stringing habits for said person… Healthy equipment related habits (in this case restringing poly regularly) are desirable because most people benefit from them in one form or the other and nobody suffers from them.

LHM · Jun 17, 2015

Aretium said:
Hale. hehe

ah your close to me, Lymm!

Aretium · Jun 17, 2015

LHM said:
ah your close to me, Lymm!

Ahh yes, lymm. I just checked their 1st team and they are in the 3rd division?! How did that happen, I would have thought they were in the Premier? I know a lot of good players that went to lymm.

LHM · Jun 17, 2015

Aretium said:
Ahh yes, lymm. I just checked their 1st team and they are in the 3rd division?! How did that happen, I would have thought they were in the Premier? I know a lot of good players that went to lymm.

For the NEC, we were in Div 1 last season but most of our regular first team lads play for Mere in the Prem (they get given free membership). We didn't win a match last year and only 5 players turned up for one of our matches so we got kicked down to div 3. I have played every match for our first team in the NEC so far this season.

We also play in the Warrington league and our first team for that is very strong (unbeaten so far this season).

Aretium · Jun 17, 2015

LHM said:
For the NEC, we were in Div 1 last season but most of our regular first team lads play for Mere in the Prem (they get given free membership). We didn't win a match last year and only 5 players turned up for one of our matches so we got kicked down to div 3. I have played every match for our first team in the NEC so far this season.

We also play in the Warrington league and our first team for that is very strong (unbeaten so far this season).

Mere.... eurgh. Enough said haha. Lymm is a nice club, have you played on the grass this season?

LHM · Jun 17, 2015

Aretium said:
Mere.... eurgh. Enough said haha. Lymm is a nice club, have you played on the grass this season?

Yes I have, its actually quite good this year. Apperently we have Bowdons groundsman working on our grass this year so that explains it!

Do you play NEC for Hale? You doing the Bowdon tourney this year?

Aretium · Jun 17, 2015

LHM said:
Yes I have, its actually quite good this year. Apperently we have Bowdons groundsman working on our grass this year so that explains it!

Do you play NEC for Hale? You doing the Bowdon tourney this year?

Ohh I forgot about it, yeah might as well, get to play on the grass. I play NEC but only just joined Hale.

LHM · Jun 17, 2015

Aretium said:
Ohh I forgot about it, yeah might as well, get to play on the grass. I play NEC but only just joined Hale.

get your entry form in quick mate, deadline is this Friday! My mate is letting me know tomorrow if he is going to play with me in the doubles, he won the mens singles event last year at Bowdon, hes a bit of a handy player, but hes had a long term injury.

Aretium · Jun 17, 2015

LHM said:
get your entry form in quick mate, deadline is this Friday! My mate is letting me know tomorrow if he is going to play with me in the doubles, he won the mens singles event last year at Bowdon, hes a bit of a handy player, but hes had a long term injury.

Oh wow, will pop down in the next few days, need to check first if I'm away hehe.

Triskadekaphilia · Jun 17, 2015

Poly is significantly stiffer string fresh compared to nylon and gut. Poly as it ages becomes even stiffer due to notching and locking even tho the tension loss may partially counteract it. Racquets are generally much stiffer these days as well. It stands to reason that this will lead to or exacerbate chronic joint issues like tendinitis.

You can still make educated deductions without running a study!

COPEY · Jun 17, 2015

SpinToWin said:
1) How do you separate the people susceptible to injuries and the like from those not predisposed to injuries? Do you wait until they get injured?

It certainly happens like that often enough. What I'm saying is...well, I had a guy recently come to me for string, wanted my recommendation. Said he wanted to try poly, but was leery because he's suffered from wrist problems from 25 years of doing carpentry work. I suggested he steer clear of poly, gave him a multi instead.

SpinToWin said:
2) If you really wanna get to the base of it, then the collective opinion/experiences of several people is better than many studies. Scientific studies aren't all as good as the term might make them sound. By the way, depending on what you consider to be a fact, no scientific study concludes with a fact.

Never said scientific studies concluded with facts.

"... the collective opinion/experiences of several people is better than many studies."

LOL that's a bold [absolute] statement coming from someone who's still in college or recently graduated (scary). I guess I haven't been around long enough to jump to the conclusion that the collective opinions/experiences of others are better than many studies.

My position is simply this: yes, generally speaking, the experiences and opinions of others often time have merit, and yes, not ALL studies are worth the time/effort put into them.

SpinToWin said:
3) My friend's parents, he and she herself have all confirmed that she has been a heavy smoker for decades. The one who did the medical exam is a doctor. You can spare your sarcasm.

I believe you believe that, but frankly no one in their right mind could possibly believe that a 90-year-old woman who's presumably smoked for decades suffers no effects from the habit. I mean, really - who are you kidding? First of all, at that age you're suffering from a host of bodily malfunctions. They may not be life-threatening or worthy of hospitalization, but she's got health issues, that's a no-brainer. Secondly, it's fairly safe to assume that a number of her health issues were brought on/exacerbated by the cumulative effect of inhaling a foreign substance into the body over an extensive period of time. She may not have lung cancer, COPD or the like, but she absolutely has damage from years of smoking. That's why I called your analogy flimsy (which was too kind), because it absolutely is.

SpinToWin said:
All you're saying is that some people aren't susceptible to stiffness, dead strings and the like, which I admit. You do not however present an idea, a dominant strategy that is good for every individual.

Whoever said that's what I was attempting to do? I believe I said I'm not an advocate of such practices (leaving poly in for long periods of time), but to suggest that dead poly is harmful across the board can't be proven; it's an ill-conceived conclusion based on the experiences of some--period.

SpinToWin said:
If we just let people keep their poly strings in there for god knows how long (for instance), those who are naturally prone to injuries will likely feel the effects. For the others it's not so bad, but there is a fair amount of people for whom the natural tendency to injuries applies. You cannot seriously be suggesting that we wait for injuries to happen and only then change the stringing habits for said person…

Nope, that's not what I'm suggesting - seriously or otherwise.

SpinToWin said:
Healthy equipment related habits (in this case restringing poly regularly) are desirable because most people benefit from them in one form or the other and nobody suffers from them.

Ah, another absolute statement of fact no doubt derived from the opinions/experiences of others. As for the habit of restringing poly regularly, yes, I wholeheartedly agree - never said I didn't or that it was a useless practice.

Imago · Jun 17, 2015

TennisCJC said:
I think poly at high tensions plays stiffer and provides more shock to the person attached to the end of the racket.

This is a rule of thumb rather than strict universal principle, as there are many flexible ("super soft" and thin) poly strings @ 20 kg that give you more shock to the elbow and shoulder than stiff (and thick) strings @ 30 kg. I am also not anymore confident that beginners should start with low-tensioned poly or soft multi until they learn the strokes. String comfort is a *****...

jazzpanther · Jun 17, 2015

Anubis post sounds like sage advice. We may be overthinking this issue. There will always be outliers, those players stand out from the norm; the chronic string breakers and those nearing the quarter century on their Walmart racquet and strings. Like tire manufacturers, companies don't design strings to last indefinitely either.

COPEY · Jun 18, 2015

Triskadekaphilia said:
You can still make educated deductions without running a study!

Must've missed this part...

COPEY said:
I'm generally ok with broad, vague guidelines used as a tool for reasoning...that is, until people start passing them off as fact or near absolutes.

Big_Dangerous · Jun 18, 2015

Roland G said:
One of the best players in my group uses a 280g Prince, about 5 years old. Strings with syn gut maybe twice a year, only changing it when it breaks. His grip is completely shredded and torn. He wouldn't even know there are different string materials out there. Basically, he doesn't give a rats *** about gear, just gets on with playing and enjoying his tennis. Also, many of the top league players at our club will just leave their sticks to be strung and let the stringer decide. He usually just puts in Alu/Syn gut for these guys and again they just play til it snaps

Man in someways the ignorance is truly bliss, yet in other ways I don't envy those guys. I'd like to say I didn't get cheated in my tennis and tried about a bunch of different string set ups, and rackets, etc. Before I finally landed on a setup that I feel works well for me and is comfortable.

Roland G · Jun 18, 2015

In some ways they are enviable, they spend less money and less time worrrying about gear and more time focussing on their game! However, I really enjoy trying different set-ups and sticks etc, so it's whatever takes your fancy I suppose.

1HBHfanatic · Jun 18, 2015

op, yup, ive come across this before
amazing how good tennis players can get without knowing a thing about their tennis gear
often times i get discouraged about constantly offering people other option to their last setup when they come to me for restringing, only to get the usual answer "just do the same as last time",, arrrrrggg

Imago · Jun 18, 2015

Fear of changes.

men8ifr · Jun 18, 2015

SpinToWin said:
Having said that, you may regret misusing strings and the like. Overuse of poly can potentially lead to (long lasting) arm problems.

Is this anecdotal or have TWU ran some tests on this?

I know they ran tests looking at why strings 'feel dead' I seem to think they found poly's become more flexible and return less energy as they age. If they become more flexible that should make them easier on your arm.....

This wouldn't take into account notching but my guess would be the string stiffness would be the dominant factor over sideways string movement (ala snapback) if hitting with spin.

Moveforwardalways · Jun 18, 2015

The obsession with racquet specs and string variations is largely limited to a select few enthusiasts and, I suspect, at least somewhat marketing driven. You see may too many people on here spending $200 on another racquet or different string combinations rather than on taking a lesson from a pro to learn basic fundamentals of tennis and improve their game (and you can get several lessons for the price of a new racquet).

But, then again, this is a hobby, and people can spend money on their hobby however they want. No issues there.

men8ifr · Jun 18, 2015

Move forward -

It can make quite a lot of difference in my experience. E.g. I tried the 'spin' racquets and for me they are helping as my biggest error was length (into net or long). The I restring with Yonex poly tour spin and love it and win more games than expected. Then I restring with something else and loose more games. So it does make a difference but I'm willing to concede some/all of it is mental i.e. think I like something so I put the effort in and my strokes are better, think i don't like it and vice versa....

Re-stringing frequency, have a read....

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