Did I jump on the wrong bandwagons?

[sansaephanh]

So there are two very diverse groups with a ton of subcategories I don't really care to get into for now, but here are my two match ups. These matchups particularly molded my tennis in very important ways.

"Classic Players frames vs Babolats(or tweeners)" I know this sounds stupid for now but please hold in your rage and finish reading before typing a hateful comment.

My stance on this was always, "I love a good players stick. Control, headlight heft is the only way to go really."

and

"Budget Strings vs Performance Polys" for Average Weekend Warriors

My stance on strings was/is. "I'm a lowly. 3.0-4.0 player. I don't need polys. They're just going to kill all my money and hurt my arm/wrist/shoulder!"
____________________

BUT

I got my mind blown tonight really. I started out with a head ti6 as my first purchased (including both new and used) and moved straight to players rackets afterwords, but I'm not really sure why I did. I just plain don't remember. These Exo3 Rebels are probably my fourth or fifth main ever, but these are the also the first rackets I ever purchased with the knowledge of specs I have now. This takes us into the first bandwagon.

I believed that a players stick would make me better. I want to say it did, but all my hard work obviously wasn't wasted. I worked hard, got a little better and just got used to what I have and never planned on looking back... Until tonight anyways.

I got off a 9 hour shift of work as usual. Felt like crap so there could only be two things to cheer me up. Love or tennis. Girlfriend is away, so i went for tennis as my only option. Wearing a blazer, jeans, and boots when I found a couple of familiar locals that were playing points just for fun, so I joined in the doubles. One guy sat down and lent me his Hyper Pro Staff Carbon with a full bed of signum Tornado. A bit stiff with no feel. Immense spin. Told him i didn't like it, he told me to switch with the my partner next to me. A babo aero storm .. "Ewww. a babo", my first instincts said. I tried this particular racket and hated its harshness, its lack of feel, and its lack of plow. Everything a classic players frame is, in comparison anyways.

Some random blue poly in it. The guy didn't know what it was... I facepalmed on the spot when he said it. But I hated myself so hard the second i took a decent cut at it. It had intense power, spin, and I could still flatten it out for the driving winner? What is this thing??!!!? It was still a harsh racket, but I can't argue with it at all because I felt I was playing my twin on the other side of the court. Average height, flat penetrating strokes, and hits pretty heavy when he wants them to be. But I was killing it all back. It was so light and agile I could take a big backhand cut on his low forehand and still place it in the corner, blasting it into the fence. I used to HATE babo cause everyone was switching to them when I fist started playing tennis. I didn't like to be main stream and that still seems to be the case today. In some degree anyways, but today my mind was really blown away by its playability in my hands...Though this particular babo was harsh on my wrist. I feel it in my wrist already.

I only hit with it for fourty minutes max before the lights cut off, but... Dam, if I jumped on the Babolat bandwagon, maybe I would have played better tennis with rackets in tweener specs and grew to love those specs like I did with players frames with a classic feel.

I started to think about my serve, because I want to be a player who relies on variety and spin to offset his opponent and just take the penetrating shots until an error is forced. That's of course best case scenario at my level.

Same with the string... Since I got off work and didn't bring my rackets today, I hit with four rackets...

BLX 90 with OGSM/Tornado Mains. A bit mushy but ridiculously soft and spinny.
K90 with an orange poly in there. The guy said he got it for a tw playtest a long time ago and never broke it. A bit more feel and pop then the tornado hybrid, but a bit too powerful for my tastes. Soft as well.
Pro Staff Hyper Carbon Tour 90 (ithink Didn't get a good look) with a full bed of Tornado. No feel, but insane pop for a big swinger though. I hit the best shots swinging for the fences. Very stiff.

And of course, The Babolat Aero something or other. Not even quite sure what it was. Unknown bright blue poly. Felt like a synthetic. just a tiny bit soft, crisp, but a ton of spin compared to a synthetic. Great pop and great depth control.

It just really makes me feel that everything I stuck to was wrong. I hate that feeling, but I was always biased because of how limited i was to experimenting with strings and rackets. I stuck to what worked. But it really just worked well compared to all the random stuff I've played in the past.

Conclusion: Back to confused. I really thought I was happy with budget strings at the right tension. I don't think I remembered the playability potentiial of poly... The only other time i was in this kind of disbelief was when i was playing everyday in highschool and tried my teammates Pure storm with full PHT 17.

I'm very confused about what's best for me now. And the guys I played with are on a USTA team. Said there is no way I'm under 4.0. But I still stand strong at me being a 3.5 cause my volleys are worse than a child's. That's no exaggeration. I have no flow for it, I don't know why.

So my question is... who has felt this way? What did you do about it?

This applies to the vice versa. Tweener players falling for Classic sticks and poly players falling for synthetics or other types of strings.

 

[Hi I'm Ray]

Well I used to play with a 90sq in, then played college with a demanding classic players frame that I hit really well with when I was on, but that was already the wrong choice - I should have gone with a much easier to use frame that I could play better with more often on a consistent basis: the Wilson 6.1 OG which was my 2nd choice. In a way that's like tweener vs players racket IMO. Right now I'm using a tweener - APDGT. I took out the old college sticks strung up with good ol' familiar OGSM and beat the heck out of my college level hitting partner, actually busted up his hand that night. He had to scramble from side to side and dig up hard flat shots all night, and after hitting one too many off center his hand gave up and he called it quits. But that lasted 1 day, the next day I wasn't up to hitting well with that frame much, very inconsistent. I'd rather play well often with my easy to use tweener.

I have to admit to adding quite a bit of weight to my APDGT's but thats another advantage to a tweener, having room to customize and experiment with weight/weight distrubution. Not much room to do that with a frame over 12oz and didn't understand the effects of weight distrubution before being able to experiment.

BTW I was shocked how much pop full syn gut has vs poly and there is actually good spin, but for me that only lasts about 1.5 hours, then the tension and spin are gone. Thats worse than poly!

 

[Overheadsmash]

Try the new Head Prestige S model. 98 inches, 3 points HL, but loaded with that nice feel and very stable on impact.

That, plus lessons. Never underestimate the value of lessons where you learn good technique. My pro can beat the crap out of me with a junky KMart $20 Prince stick from the 1990s.

 

[BC1]

Maybe try the the thinner beam player type tweeners, babolat pure storm, radicals, blx blade 98, or Rebel 98. All of these have qualities of tweeners and player sticks and are more forgiving and easier to swing then a 12+ oz racquet, yet they have better feel and control then most power tweeners.

As far as strings, my reccomendation is always a soft poly at around 54-56 tension. Works for almost any racquet and provides control and spin and enough pop. At low tension a soft poly should be ok on your arm.

 

[fuzz nation]

I like your observation about expecting the player's racquets to make you play better - I know what you mean there. My experience with them seems to run along the same lines as your results. It seems to me that those racquets don't necessarily make us play better so much as they only produce good results when we put the right habits to work with them. Play lazy and our games can be perfectly crummy with a player's frame!

 

[sansaephanh]

Well I used to play with a 90sq in, then played college with a demanding classic players frame that I hit really well with when I was on, but that was already the wrong choice - I should have gone with a much easier to use frame that I could play better with more often on a consistent basis: the Wilson 6.1 OG which was my 2nd choice. In a way that's like tweener vs players racket IMO. Right now I'm using a tweener - APDGT. I took out the old college sticks strung up with good ol' familiar OGSM and beat the heck out of my college level hitting partner, actually busted up his hand that night. He had to scramble from side to side and dig up hard flat shots all night, and after hitting one too many off center his hand gave up and he called it quits. But that lasted 1 day, the next day I wasn't up to hitting well with that frame much, very inconsistent. I'd rather play well often with my easy to use tweener.

I have to admit to adding quite a bit of weight to my APDGT's but thats another advantage to a tweener, having room to customize and experiment with weight/weight distrubution. Not much room to do that with a frame over 12oz and didn't understand the effects of weight distrubution before being able to experiment.

BTW I was shocked how much pop full syn gut has vs poly and there is actually good spin, but for me that only lasts about 1.5 hours, then the tension and spin are gone. Thats worse than poly!

I know right? I'm wondering what the disadvantages of a tweener are. I've played the rebel 98, a few different blades, tested a pro tour, etc. Most of them felt really good, but it was kind of difficult for me to hit flat or drive it really well with the 16x20 pattern. I think I have my best results/variety with a 98+ headsize 18x20 rackets. They are astill dense enough to kill floaters while letting me brush like no tomorrow!
I've had a ton of bad luck with strings. I'm still testing really. I just met up with a stringer that may be able to hook me up with a hybrid, but now i'm looking at rackets all over again... lol.

Try the new Head Prestige S model. 98 inches, 3 points HL, but loaded with that nice feel and very stable on impact.

That, plus lessons. Never underestimate the value of lessons where you learn good technique. My pro can beat the crap out of me with a junky KMart $20 Prince stick from the 1990s.

I know, but I love my Rebels. I've played the best tennis I've ever played with these things. I really believe I just need to find my holy grail of strings. Because I have 3 of the sofest strings in their class and it really doesn't work in the racket brand with some of the most flexible rackets around.

Maybe try the the thinner beam player type tweeners, babolat pure storm, radicals, blx blade 98, or Rebel 98. All of these have qualities of tweeners and player sticks and are more forgiving and easier to swing then a 12+ oz racquet, yet they have better feel and control then most power tweeners.

As far as strings, my reccomendation is always a soft poly at around 54-56 tension. Works for almost any racquet and provides control and spin and enough pop. At low tension a soft poly should be ok on your arm.

As stated above, I really have looked around, but money and time will always be an issue of course. I rarely have shoulder problems anymore, but i'm sure that was me and my horrible serving form. Which I will be working on soon. I used to be really smooth and balanced before, but I haven't practiced in a while.

As for polys, I just never believed they could feel so different from what I'm used to. Wow, the spin potential and power just make things ridiculously easy to keep up with big hitters. Even on my short swing i could still place it on the line with plenty of pace. But, I really

I like your observation about expecting the player's racquets to make you play better - I know what you mean there. My experience with them seems to run along the same lines as your results. It seems to me that those racquets don't necessarily make us play better so much as they only produce good results when we put the right habits to work with them. Play lazy and our games can be perfectly crummy with a player's frame!

This is also another reason I fell in love with my Rebels. They fixed my game. They were soo low powered when I first started playing with them. I was feeding balls into the net... I really tried to fix my form and I found my forehand. My overall game improved by adapting to this players stick. After I adapted, my serves were more accurate, i could pull the trigger on the Djokovic 2hbh dtl (my favorite shot), my approaches were 100 times better, and it didn't tire me out like some of my previous rackets did. It just made me an overall more efficient player. That was when my footwork was as fluid as water though. People used to give me props at how well I moved for a fat guy =D

The only cons I can see after a year of playing these are lack of pop on serve and me hating to string it lol. Again the lack of pop really takes me back to strings though.

Tweeners look so tempting... I dunno what to do

 

[BC1]

Tweeners look so tempting... I dunno what to do

Demo the Rebel 98 with alu power rough at 56/53lbs. It will have the Prince Rebel feel you are use to, more power, good control, good flex, and will be more forgiving and easier to swing then the regular rebel. You will however miss a little of the plow-through due to the less weight. It's worth a demo!!

Rebel + Tweener = Rebel 98

(Sansae... I see where you did demo the 98 earlier in the exo3 rebel club thread. So I guess you have tried it, but went with the rebel 95?)

 

[The Wreck]

I'm in the opposite camp as you. My racket of choice for the last year or so has been a Babolat APDGT. I played amazing with it at first, and still play well with it today. But I feel like it just masks all my short comings when I play, so I wind up not improving or getting lazier while still producing the same results. That's not what I'm after as high level, 20 year old looking to improve. I demo'd a BLXPS90 this past week and just loved every minute of it. Really made me concentrate, and produced great results when I did. I'm all for having a frame that forces me to be on point, at least right now. May change my tune later on.

 

[sansaephanh]

Demo the Rebel 98 with alu power rough at 56/53lbs. It will have the Prince Rebel feel you are use to, more power, good control, good flex, and will be more forgiving and easier to swing then the regular rebel. You will however miss a little of the plow-through due to the less weight. It's worth a demo!!

Rebel + Tweener = Rebel 98

(Sansae... I see where you did demo the 98 earlier in the exo3 rebel club thread. So I guess you have tried it, but went with the rebel 95?)

Yeah a quick short demo. It was really hard to get pop with whatever the demo strings were, but it might have also been my bad tennnis day. The 98 in head felt... wobbly. It wasn't stability through contact, it just felt so big while i was taking it back and bringing it towards contact. I got used to it and hit pretty well by the end, but I couldn't find all the power everyone was talking about until I was taking nice long cuts at the ball. With most other tweeners I can just follow through and it will get me back in the game with all of its power potential. I would love to try it again, but I really shouldn't be picking up more rackets unless they're dirt cheap.

I'm in the opposite camp as you. My racket of choice for the last year or so has been a Babolat APDGT. I played amazing with it at first, and still play well with it today. But I feel like it just masks all my short comings when I play, so I wind up not improving or getting lazier while still producing the same results. That's not what I'm after as high level, 20 year old looking to improve. I demo'd a BLXPS90 this past week and just loved every minute of it. Really made me concentrate, and produced great results when I did. I'm all for having a frame that forces me to be on point, at least right now. May change my tune later on.

I couldn't agree more with this. I'm 21 looking to improve. I was looking at how hard players frames make me play and how easy it was to pick up a babo and win. Oh no, am I going to pull a Sampras???? D= Anyways I think that at this level in my tennis career I, maybe I should switch for results? That means I would have to demo again =( lol.

But I'm thinking my technique is solid for a crap street baller. People say I have "the strokes" from time to time and it feels good to get a compliment for tennis. Especially since I think I suck so much.

I want to become the best I can be, within the time frame I have. I don't know I'll report back if I go and hit tonight. Which I probably will since my gf is giving me a hard time.::-|

 

[LeeD]

You level of play changes.
Each day, your interest, desire, energy, and stoke CHANGES.
Each opponent is different.
Your tastes change.
That's why I have 3 PrinceThundersticks, 3 DunlopMfil and Aero200's, 3 Aero 500's, 2 LMRadMids.
Bring a couple each time I go to the courts, use what I feel like.

 

[The Wreck]

It's hard to generalize what a players frame or tweener frame can do for you, because there are always exceptions. Tons of pros play with Pure Drives and the like, so you can't say they're bad rackets.

If you're all about results and want to win now, maybe a more tweener racket is right for you.

And maybe my fling with a more demanding players racket will only be short term. Just long enough to improve my ball striking before I yearn for the easy power and spin of something like a PDR+.

I think it's just whatever you like and get used to, and it's totally fine if that changes every six months (if you can afford it anyway).

 

[loosegroove]

As far as strings, my reccomendation is always a soft poly at around 54-56 tension. Works for almost any racquet and provides control and spin and enough pop. At low tension a soft poly should be ok on your arm.

For a poly, that is not low tension...

 

[KFwinds]

For a poly, that is not low tension...

I was thinking the same thing; polys work best for me between 45-50 lbs., and I only use them as a cross string with something soft in the mains like a multi or gut. Tried poly in the mains of a few of my sticks and it's just too harsh.

 

[Larrysümmers]

i played a few years with a midsized heavy frame because i thought it was going to make me better. then it kind of clicked that they make tweeners for a reason, they give more margin of error on your swing. now i use a radical mp and am playing my best tennis

 

[BC1]

For a poly, that is not low tension...

Very True... I was suggesting in the lower range of the recommended tension. I myself have only gone as low as 48 with poly, but I know there are many who love poly in the thirtys.

I personally have found that if I string it 56 or below it feels fine and so far no problems. I usually try to let it settle and loosen up for a few days if possible and I suspect it drops 4-5lbs during that time as well.

 

[Sreeram]

I'm in the opposite camp as you. My racket of choice for the last year or so has been a Babolat APDGT. I played amazing with it at first, and still play well with it today. But I feel like it just masks all my short comings when I play, so I wind up not improving or getting lazier while still producing the same results. That's not what I'm after as high level, 20 year old looking to improve. I demo'd a BLXPS90 this past week and just loved every minute of it. Really made me concentrate, and produced great results when I did. I'm all for having a frame that forces me to be on point, at least right now. May change my tune later on.

I would recommend you not to switch. Many times when I play a racquet I get the wow feel. It is because a new racquet will make you concentrate on the ball better leading to good ball striking. The problem comes in Match situation when your hands get stiff due to tension and your swing speed is limited. Your Tweener will be able to help you better than players frame.

 

[Larrysümmers]

^^great advise

 

[2Hare]

My suggestion is try the midsize rackets with gut/poly setup at mid low 50s. Players rackets are extremely sensitive to string setups as all control sticks are.

I've played with the sixone 90s for years and tried many different setups. Here's the thing, you WILL be handicapped using full poly or syn/poly in them going up against tweeners. I've went through the same thinking process back then, and even switched to a tweener once. But now I'm convinced that gut/poly is the only setup that'll give you the full benefits of midsizes. It opens up sweet spot, increases power and spin quite significantly, it gives you better touches and controlled power.

Give gut/poly a try before you jumpoff the players bandwagon, because gut/poly is a whole different bandwagon that people don't jump off from.

 

[DNShade]

Wearing a blazer, jeans, and boots when I found a couple of familiar locals that were playing points just for fun, so I joined in the doubles.

I think maybe you should quite worrying about what stick or bandwagon you are on and maybe think a bit more about your apparel and footwear.

If you are on the court in jeans and boots -- you are officially not allowed to even consider what frame or strings you should be using...lol

 

[LeeD]

A former top 5 NorCal A mens used to arrive at the courts with brown cords, longsleeve shirt, and ONE racket with no cover. He was maybe 20 at the time, so peak of his tennis career.
He actually got seeded into the first round to get crushed by BobbyLutz. He was moving weird and nobody had seen him in shorts for years.

 

[The Wreck]

I would recommend you not to switch. Many times when I play a racquet I get the wow feel. It is because a new racquet will make you concentrate on the ball better leading to good ball striking. The problem comes in Match situation when your hands get stiff due to tension and your swing speed is limited. Your Tweener will be able to help you better than players frame.

Eh, the love-hate of my relationship with my APDGT has shifted a whole lot of hate lately. I'm making a switch regardless.

I demo'd a BLXPS90 (though it wasn't my original intention, I wanted the 95), the new IG Youtek Prestige Pro, and a 2012 PDR+. I hit them all well, to be honest. The Babolat had some sick power, But the PDR+ was uncomfortable, the Prestige Pro felt good but not GREAT, and the PS90 was demanding but awesome. I think I well covered the spectrum of heavier rackets with that demo. I have all three for another week, so I'm not totally decided.

I would know how the PS 90 held up in a tough match situation, but on the second point of the match I hit a winner that snapped a string, so I haven't been able to hit with it since. I know it's probably not the BEST idea in the world, but I just want one, and it's not going to kill my game...I hope.

 

[sansaephanh]

I think maybe you should quite worrying about what stick or bandwagon you are on and maybe think a bit more about your apparel and footwear.

If you are on the court in jeans and boots -- you are officially not allowed to even consider what frame or strings you should be using...lol

haha, I just got off work okay? And i was pwning them even with jeans. It was just really hard to change direction cause of the boots and hard to run down balls cause of the jeans. I was still outhitting them, but striking first in a normal rally doesn't give me any sort of pride lol... I think its kind of ill mannered. To just kill random shots until they get pissed.

A former top 5 NorCal A mens used to arrive at the courts with brown cords, longsleeve shirt, and ONE racket with no cover. He was maybe 20 at the time, so peak of his tennis career.
He actually got seeded into the first round to get crushed by BobbyLutz. He was moving weird and nobody had seen him in shorts for years.

Haha. Am I being compared to #1 seed?? This will probably be the first and last time, but its still appreciated haha

 

[Hi I'm Ray]

Well I wouldn't jump bandwagons too soon. In the "can't hit x shot with x racket" thread there seems to be some agreement that some rackets are better suited for hitting certain shots for some players. In the same way, I think for some ppl there could be rackets that are better suited for playing against certain players/situations. For example this from a thread you posted in: http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showpost.php?p=6350943&postcount=12

I don't think anyone can tell you at this point what kind of racket would be best for you. I think the only way to really find out is to have both a tweener and players racket that suit your game well, try them out long term in different situations and see what your results are. Unfortunately that probably means trying out a bunch of demos. I haven't used my Volkl PB10 mid in a long time but I'm finally getting some new strings in and will get back to some players frame vs tweener comparisons.

Btw if you don't usually use Poly that could have a lot to do with your experience that day. I'm a convert and believer in poly. Only thing left to try (besides diff polys) is a gut/poly hybrid.

 

[sansaephanh]

Tell me about the bandwagon phases you guys went through. I'd like to hear more people's experiences.

Quick Edit:

Went to hit with my Rebels today. No footwork or backhand whatsoever. I was ripping my forehands like a pro though. I don't like isospeed mains/gosen crosses. I can't tell if it's stiff or soft lol. Feels like it has high power since I was really pounding with depth, but it felt like it shrunk my sweetspot... Maybe it was my form though. I'm having a OGSM Cross/BHBR installed soon on my other rebel. Hopefully it will feel give me some decent ball pocketing and intense spin.

I'll try to keep myself from switching from tweeners for now.... Just work on conditioning and form. Mostly conditioning, I personally think i have great form for my level when I'm hitting well.

Anyways, I'll keep this thread up for a bit. Tell me about the bandwagons you got on!

EDIT #2: So the the guy had BHBR 17 in the Babolat. Found out today. That string is popular for a reason i see...

 

[sansaephanh]

I don't want to start a thread, but I was playing the k90 and it felt light and comfortable... When I first started playing(years ago), I thot it was horrible, harshly stiff, and heavy.

I hated the racket only cause i couldn't control the 16x19 as well as i wanted, but I was thinking of getting my hands on a k95 to test.... It's so tempting... I NEED TO STOP SPENDING MONEY ON TENNIS LOL. My car is literally falling apart. And I'm a mechanic, I've done what I can. someone tell me to stop lol.

 

[sunof tennis]

For a poly, that is not low tension...

I am sure I am old school and am biased, but unless a player is quite good or really hits hard, I don't see the need for poly. That, and it goes dead fairly quickly. Most player 4.0 or under are probably better off with a synthetic gut or a multi. People buy polys because that is what the pros use. But we are not the pros. They do things we will never dream of doing.

P.S. I actually do use a soft poly in the crosses (with gut in the mains).

 

[sunof tennis]

I don't want to start a thread, but I was playing the k90 and it felt light and comfortable... When I first started playing(years ago), I thot it was horrible, harshly stiff, and heavy.

I hated the racket only cause i couldn't control the 16x19 as well as i wanted, but I was thinking of getting my hands on a k95 to test.... It's so tempting... I NEED TO STOP SPENDING MONEY ON TENNIS LOL. My car is literally falling apart. And I'm a mechanic, I've done what I can. someone tell me to stop lol.

Don't try the K95. The K90 is better. The K95 is a board. The K90 is a great racquet if you can handle the weight. If not, the K95 won't be any better since the swingweight is actually higher than the K90
There, I saved you some money. lol.

 

[BC1]

I am sure I am old school and am biased, but unless a player is quite good or really hits hard, I don't see the need for poly. That, and it goes dead fairly quickly. Most player 4.0 or under are probably better off with a synthetic gut or a multi. People buy polys because that is what the pros use. But we are not the pros. They do things we will never dream of doing.

P.S. I actually do use a soft poly in the crosses (with gut in the mains).

I understand your argument but for what its worth, i personally love poly, and it has nothing to do with the pros, or how hard i hit. I dont hit especially hard and i dont break strings. So i dont need it for those reasons. However, after trying and using poly for a while i cant seem to go back. And i've tried. I like the poly feel, or lack of feel. I hate my strings to move, and i like the control and spin it seems to help with. And with poly you never get that trampoline feel that you sometimes get with other strings which i hate. Once you start playing with a good poly nothing else compares and it doesnt matter what level you are at. I think anyone half decent, 3.5 or up will be able to notice the difference. Its got to the point where its hard to test a demo because they are usually strung with a cheap syn gut, and i know a poly will give it a totally different feel amd playing charactristics. And i dont believe other people know or care what strings are in your racquet, so i dont think using poly is a "pro" image thing for most people. Ive found most players ae clueless about strings all together. Anyway, im obviously a poly believer (soft at semi low tension) and i recommend those that havent tried it to give it a shot. It sure converted me.

 

[Power Player]

I've changed sticks a lot and have learnd that the racquet doesn't matter that much once u figure out the power level u prefer.

So just figure that out and pick something,,it's not going to make a huge differenc compared to what a lot of court time will do.

 

[BC1]

^^^^ great advice, wish i could make myself follow it.

 

[loosegroove]

I am sure I am old school and am biased, but unless a player is quite good or really hits hard, I don't see the need for poly. That, and it goes dead fairly quickly. Most player 4.0 or under are probably better off with a synthetic gut or a multi. People buy polys because that is what the pros use. But we are not the pros. They do things we will never dream of doing.

P.S. I actually do use a soft poly in the crosses (with gut in the mains).

Actually I agree with you. I play with some 3.5-4.0 guys who use poly, and I don't see how it benefits them. Their strokes aren't of the nature where they're reaping the spin potential of poly, and in the end it's to their detriment because they leave the strings in well after they've gone dead.

I'm a 4.0 myself and play with a soft co-poly hybrid in the mains. But I'm a home stringer and string frequently, and have the racket head speed and modern strokes where poly does make a difference. Though to be honest, I'd probably have stuck with synthetic gut if I didn't break it so often. And with the frequent restringing of my soft co-poly hybrid (though still less frequent than with the full syn gut), and keeping the tensions quite low, I find the comfort level to be as good, or even a bit better.

 

[jayserinos99]

I'm currently sticking with my Rebels although I picked up some Pure Drives recently just to have around. I'm getting to a point where I'm not playing everyday so I need a little bit of help but my friend tells me I play best with 18x20 frames + thin poly. I'm just glad I can keep playing with polys at low tension so I don't have to restring often until it starts getting hotter.

 

[Power Player]

If you play with poly you will want to restring every 10 hours or so and thats pushing it.

 

[sansaephanh]

If you play with poly you will want to restring every 10 hours or so and thats pushing it.

Geez. This sounds rough. Since I probably take more than 10 hrs to break synthgut lol.

I'm loving this hybrid, but now I'm all interested in b7.

 

[Power Player]

Geez. This sounds rough. Since I probably take more than 10 hrs to break synthgut lol.

I'm loving this hybrid, but now I'm all interested in b7.

If you can't break synthgut in 3 hours you are wasting your time with poly. First off, you dont hit hard enough to full utilize it, and secondly you are slowly hurting your tendons.

You could probably get by with a hyrbid, but why? Just use a multi and play until it breaks. You will save money and your arm.

 

[Fuji]

Come to the dark side of tweeners....

Seriously bud, I have my "players sticks" for when I'm on, and my tweeners for when I'm not. If I am playing well the player sticks will provide me with enough plow to get me through, my tweeners give me more margin for error and a lot more forgiveness.

Play with whatever gives you the best results bud! Your not sponsored by any brand so shop around and do lots of experimentation! :razz:

-Fuji

 

[sansaephanh]

If you can't break synthgut in 3 hours you are wasting your time with poly. First off, you dont hit hard enough to full utilize it, and secondly you are slowly hurting your tendons.

You could probably get by with a hyrbid, but why? Just use a multi and play until it breaks. You will save money and your arm.

3 hours is pretty quick. I notice it go dead at around 4, but I've never been a strng popper. Flat strokes and dense patterns? I've popped a few multis from between 2 and 6 hours. It's just hard to really want to kill people I randomly hit with at the park... Whenever I pop strings its with my friends. Cause we don't give a poo and go for everything under the sun lol.

I don't think I can FULLY utilize poly, but I believe I am making good use of its playability. Kicks are killing my partners, flats are one bouncing again and staying low, my loopy defensive shots and slice have more pop then I ever had with the Rebels, and overall I think the feel is great. It's just that tad bit of control i'm missing...

Come to the dark side of tweeners....

Seriously bud, I have my "players sticks" for when I'm on, and my tweeners for when I'm not. If I am playing well the player sticks will provide me with enough plow to get me through, my tweeners give me more margin for error and a lot more forgiveness.

Play with whatever gives you the best results bud! Your not sponsored by any brand so shop around and do lots of experimentation! :razz:

-Fuji

Just toss me some! I can't affort all the rackets I want to try =D

 

[Power Player]

You should be able to hit the same kicks with a multi since you are not generating the speed to break strings. I always read about guys hitting big kicks and massive spin but they are playing below 5.0 tennis so I fail to see how that can be. Nothing personal, but I am quite sure you could do the same thing with a good multi.

For flat strokes and dense patterns you could definitle have some serious butter feeling strings in yur racquet that will feel better than week old poly.

 

[sansaephanh]

You should be able to hit the same kicks with a multi since you are not generating the speed to break strings. I always read about guys hitting big kicks and massive spin but they are playing below 5.0 tennis so I fail to see how that can be. Nothing personal, but I am quite sure you could do the same thing with a good multi.

For flat strokes and dense patterns you could definitle have some serious butter feeling strings in yur racquet that will feel better than week old poly.

Ouch but I guess its true. I can get the ball like 6-7 feet at a lower pace while disguising my toss(i can hit it faster at the same height if i toss it obviously behind me), but I'm pretty sure i've done it with fresh synthetic before. Which was my reason for starting this thread. The playability of poly really surprised me, but there has to be an alternative for someone of my level right? I play well with full synth, but it does die quicky and I don't feel as much spin potential as poly. Which is what I wanted to add to my game.

But Yeah, I just got the hybrid cause someone strung it for free lol. Said I might do better with poly since i swing out so much with my rebels. Definite difference in playability, but I'm still wondering if there is a holy grail for me out there that doesn't include poly. I actually loved playing full multi, but I popped it too fast or they moved around/lost tension too quickly.

Let's say I wanted a non poly hybrid with plenty of spin and decent feel? What would i use as main? Probably with a synthetic gut cross, but will experiment with budget multis.