Can you feel it too?

[ktncnttl]

Sometimes I get this feeling when I am playing with an open pattern racquet and swing really hard at the ball. I can feel the strings "giving in" to the ball, holds the ball and launches it. Nothing beats that feeling and that is why I love tennis. Kind of makes me wonder why anyone would use a dense pattern racquet.

 

[joe sch]

A denser string pattern or higher tension offer the same feel but help to control the "trampoline" effect so higher level players or players that want more control of this spin effect can swing out more. The more open the pattern, the higher the tension that is required to limit the power or launching effect. Its really just what you get use to given the racket you like since you can play with lots of spin or hit hard and flat by choosing the right string and tension parameters with any racket, ofcourse stiffer rackets and strings will also help limit the power and transfer the stresses more to your arm.

 

[AndrewD]

Probably because quite a lot of us can also feel those strings separating and providing a very irregular response. Nothing worse on a reflex volley than to have an unpredictable response. Great for getting in to net but can be hazardous when you have to hit your volley.

Of course, it does depend how open a string pattern you're talking about. 16x20 I find okay, 16x19 is pushing it. Just not predictable enough and I find you loose tension far sooner.

 

[larrhall]

The 'launch' of an open pattern feels great. The control of a closed pattern is better for consistency. Hitting the ball near the center of the strings will create the launch 'feel' on a closed pattern stringbed as well.

 

[Grimjack]

Sometimes I get this feeling when I am playing with an open pattern racquet and swing really hard at the ball. I can feel the strings "giving in" to the ball, holds the ball and launches it. Nothing beats that feeling and that is why I love tennis. Kind of makes me wonder why anyone would use a dense pattern racquet.

I play with an 18x20 with poly mains. I do my damndest to swing just about the same way every rally shot, and have my sticks and my swing grooved to where that combo gives me the best chance that every ball I strike will land somewhere between the service line and the baseline, going pretty fast.

If I feel my strings "give," and then "launch" anything, I don't even wait to see where the ball lands. I turn around and get ready to serve again and say, "love - fifteen."

 

[HeavyBall]

Which has more of a trampoline effect: 18X20 strung at 55 or 16X19 strung at 60? I would wager the former.

Trampoline effect is 90% tension and 10% pattern.

 

[ferrari_827]

HeavyBall, the 18x20 has a very anti-trampolining effect.

For example, with my IPrestige Mid, then tension has to drop to around 40lbs before it trampolines.

With a 16x19, trampolining starts around 47lbs with a midsize. So if the head sizes are equal, you would need more than 5lbs tension difference to get a trampoline effect.

 

[tarkowski]

I second Ferraris comments.

Having had the luxury to compare apples to apples (nCode6.1 18x20 vs. nCode6.1 16x18, both with NXT-Tour), the 18x20 with 18@55 still has less trampoline effect than 16x18 with 16@60.

 

[007]

I agree 100% with the previous post: the more open the pattern the more trampoling effect you get. I too demo'd both NCODE 6.1's and the difference is very noticeable. Frankly, the 18x20 with 17g gives a lot of spin.