Best option to soften up strings without losing control

[time_fly]

I just started playing with a new Yonex Ai98 that I had strung with Lux ALU Power 16 at 53 lbs. I use this string in my Prince EXO3 Ignite that I had been playing with and have never had a problem with it. But the Prince O-port racquets are very arm-friendly and during my adjustment to the Yonex I am developing a little elbow stiffness. Because of swingweight and head shape differences, I may be missing the sweet spot a bit more than usual during the adjustment.

Is there a good option to restring the racquet that won't sacrifice control but is a little softer on the arm? I could go to a lower tension or a multi-filament string, but I believe those types of changes add power and decrease control.

 

[Hi I'm Ray]

I've been using Head RIP Control crosses for that purpose. It cushions the impact, is control oriented, power remains low, trajectory about the same as full poly. Just a little less spin than full poly, as expected.

 

[fuzz nation]

I like a crisp string in my racquets and multifibers can be nice when they're fresh, but not too much fun if they get soft and half used up before they snap. I stay away from poly to protect my older joints, but I know that they can be quite an addictive string option for harder hitters out there. Two options come to mind if you want to mildly soften things up for a bit.

The easy one is to drop tension in your poly mains a little bit and hybrid those with a multi cross. Some poly sluggers like a full bed of that string type, but lots of players definitely prefer the added feel and small degree of softness that comes with a softer cross. You could even consider multi mains with a poly cross, but finding good tensions with that setup could take a little trial and error.

The other easy option is to switch into a synthetic gut. Some consider this string type to be too basic to deliver decent performance, but I've been loving it for years and I string my own racquets. Aside from natural gut, I'm not terribly leery of the price tags on different strings, but this stuff gives me exactly what I like in terms of feel and performance along with enough softness to keep my arm in good shape.

I picked up some used Yonex RDS 002 Tours here some years back (98" head) and one frame came strung with a bed of Yonex 850 multi (16 gauge). The tension was somewhat firm and those strings exhibited very good durability for a multi, but after a few uses they softened up and that racquet became a trampoline for me. I had the same experience with the Yonex RD Ti-80 (also a 98") in that it played "big" and required a snug set of string to give me enough control. When I used a 16 ga. syn. gut in those racquets, I got enough of the firmness and control that I wanted along with a moderate degree of softness that need.

I get an extra degree of crispness, feel, and inherent softness with 17 ga. syn. gut, but I also understand that this thinner option will get chewed up more quickly by harder hitters or in frames with very open patterns. Not a problem for me, but I can't recommend it all the time. I personally enjoy Tecnifibre's syn. gut and I've also found Forten Sweet 16 to play especially soft among syn. guts I've tried out (their Sweet 17 was too fragile for me).

 

[3fees]

Luxilon ALU Power or Rough is a bit stiff, if you like luxilon and want to keep using it make it a hybrid with natural gut , this softens up the string bed without losing control and increases feel-dwell time of tennis ball on racquet.

Softer polys abound-Tier One Sports Durafluxx ,Firewire, Tour Status(lots of pop on the ball) fit the bill and are not expensive-free shipping.

Cheers
3Fees

 

[jstenn13]

I just switched to the Yonex AI98 too. I have been using Prince Beast XP 17 strung at 51lbs. I would give that string a try for a softer poly that is excellent all around.

 

[time_fly]

I've used Beast XP in my Prince frames and like it except for the hideous green color. I found it to be comparable to ALU Power, but perhaps slightly stiffer.

With respect to the AI 98, I ordered a second frame for backup purposes and I decided to go with Lux 4G, which is supposed to be a bit softer than ALU Power. I requested 52, thinking it would drop down to around 50 after a couple of sessions. Well, what showed up had a bunch of bowed cross strings and after I straightened them, it measured at 48 with the RacquetTune iPhone app (my first copy measured spot on, 54.4 for my requested 54).

I was annoyed and called TW to complain. They offered to restring it if I shipped it back, or send me a free set of strings. I went with the second option. In the meantime, I played the 4G at 48 ... and loved it. It was much less harsh on off-center hits and didn't seem to add much power, if any. I will probably have the ALU Power cut out of the other frame once the new set of 4G arrives, and have it strung at 49 or 50 (I prefer to plan in advance for a little tension drop).

The only downside to the 4G is the look; I kinda wish they had another color other than "almost looks like natural gut" gold. It clashes with the green on the AI pretty bad.