How to get the best string job for your game.

[kiteboard]

You have to look inside yourself and see if you are a flat hitter or not, if you are a spin hitter or not, if you are a grinder or not, if you are a net player or not, if you want to hit a heavy ball or not, if you are a pusher or not, if you are a blaster who lives for the winner or not, if you care more about control or not, about power or not, or about durability or not, and so on, and when all those questions are truly dealt with, you will know the area to go to.

If you lie to yourself, and don't see, then it's money and time down the drain.

 

[Deleted member 120290]

You have to look inside yourself and see if you are a flat hitter or not, if you are a spin hitter or not, if you are a grinder or not, if you are a net player or not, if you want to hit a heavy ball or not, if you are a pusher or not, if you are a blaster who lives for the winner or not, if you care more about control or not, about power or not, or about durability or not, and so on, and when all those questions are truly dealt with, you will know the area to go to.

If you lie to yourself, and don't see, then it's money and time down the drain.

The funny, weird thing is if you look on TT or stringforum.net, practically ALL reviewers consider themselves "hard hitters." (I'm probably guilty myself.) This is including those in the lower leagues and 3.0. No one is a light or medium hitter, a pusher, a dinker, a moonballer, etc. But on the courts almost every person I see below 5.0 do not hit hard in an actual match.

 

[kiteboard]

The funny, weird thing is if you look on TT or stringforum.net, practically ALL reviewers consider themselves "hard hitters." (I'm probably guilty myself.) This is including those in the lower leagues and 3.0. No one is a light or medium hitter, a pusher, a dinker, a moonballer, etc. But on the courts almost every person I see below 5.0 do not hit hard in an actual match.

That's the nail on the head again. Tenfanla is one of my fav. posters! I am one who hits hard in practice and match and I use an h22 at 365g, to make it easier to produce a heavy ball shot, and to control it in an 18 x 20, at 60lbs.

 

[jim e]

Look at that racquet and count the mains and crosses in that picture and
there is a 20/21 pattern that Agassi used, not the 18/19 that is written
with that article.Seems strange that they comment on the pattern in the
article yet show a racquet with a different pattern, as the racquet Agassi
used was not just a stock racquet leaded differently as that article has
you believe and the extra strings on that pattern was not just added strings
to a 18/19, the racquet was made as a 20/21 pattern, not the 18/19 that
was the stock typical pattern.

^^^And yes, my mistake. Agassi played kevlar/gut in his early OS frames

 

[Doubles]

Look at that racquet and count the mains and crosses in that picture and there is a 20/21 pattern that Agassi used, not the 18/19 that is written with that article.Seems strange that they comment on the pattern in the article yet show a racquet with a different pattern, as the racquet Agassi used was not just a stock racquet leaded differently as that article has you believe.

That's because it was a custom drill pattern which was never available to the public. It's just like when Federer endorsed the N6.1. Some people noticed that the string spacing of the PWS was different on his racket than on the retail model. Yes, there is a difference, but it doesn't make the article any less valid.

 

[Doubles]

The funny, weird thing is if you look on TT or stringforum.net, practically ALL reviewers consider themselves "hard hitters." (I'm probably guilty myself.) This is including those in the lower leagues and 3.0. No one is a light or medium hitter, a pusher, a dinker, a moonballer, etc. But on the courts almost every person I see below 5.0 do not hit hard in an actual match.

I think that the reason for this is that many people don't want to admit that they don't hit the ball as well as they actually do.

 

[mad dog1]

The funny, weird thing is if you look on TT or stringforum.net, practically ALL reviewers consider themselves "hard hitters." (I'm probably guilty myself.) This is including those in the lower leagues and 3.0. No one is a light or medium hitter, a pusher, a dinker, a moonballer, etc. But on the courts almost every person I see below 5.0 do not hit hard in an actual match.

you're absolutely right. however, regardless of their claims, i think it's pretty easy to tell who is a hard hitter. if a poster claims to be a hard hitter but doesn't break 17g syn gut strings with regularity, they're probably not a hard hitter. most every hard hitter i've hit with is a string breaker.

 

[Deleted member 120290]

It's kind of like in golf where many people say they are long hitters who "average" 300 yds per drive. But the only time that happened was when they played in Palm Springs in 118F heat AND the ball bounced on the cart path twice. (Ok, that's my own story.)

 

[mad dog1]

That's because it was a custom drill pattern which was never available to the public. It's just like when Federer endorsed the N6.1. Some people noticed that the string spacing of the PWS was different on his racket than on the retail model. Yes, there is a difference, but it doesn't make the article any less valid.

yes, it does. the article claims that the open string pattern is partially what helps agassi create heavy topspin. unfortunately a 20x21 pattern isn't an open pattern. i have the 18x19 pattern OS and the pattern in the center of the string bed is probably denser than that of the 16x18 pattern in my PS85. this alone makes me question whether the writer knew what he was talking about.

 

[UCSF2012]

This is not obvious because it's not true. Natural gut has the best tension stability of any string made, so at hour 2 and at hour 10, that gut is going to be pretty much the same. Poly, on the other hand, will be dead and will either be a board or a cannon. Natural gut doesn't do this in the slightest. Gut/poly lets YOU take full rips at the ball. If you play a classic forehand and just switch over to gut/poly having been playing 4.5 level tennis with syn gut (I know four guys that fit this description, 4.5s playing full syn gut), that doesn't mean now you can just swing away with reckless abandon. You clearly didn't understand what I posted. I did not say what kiteboard wrote is wrong. It's not, because it's true: having the right string CAN do wonders for you. That is entirely separate from only being your best by looking for the perfect string/equipment setup. Not everyone functions like that, and that's all I meant. In other words: the pursuit of string happiness does not apply to all.

Well no sh it Sherlock, the pursuit of string happiness does not apply to all. To a great many, strings make no difference, especially those that can't tell a difference.

I personally disagree that there is no string selection that lets you play best, because I play better with certain setups. Namely, gut has added incredible consistency to my 1hbh. With synthetic gut, whenever I set and fire, 20% of my shots have a mind of its own. With gut, it does what I tell it to do nearly all the time.

 

[kiteboard]

Nothing like a perfect string job with frame to match style/skill. I was able to hit three return aces in a row with that set up, a VS gut/alu job once, but could not afford the vs cost on shear breaks. Gut also varies, even vs, on set to set on vibrational frequencies at a given higher tension such as: 60/58.

 

[Doubles]

yes, it does. the article claims that the open string pattern is partially what helps agassi create heavy topspin. unfortunately a 20x21 pattern isn't an open pattern. i have the 18x19 pattern OS and the pattern in the center of the string bed is probably denser than that of the 16x18 pattern in my PS85. this alone makes me question whether the writer knew what he was talking about.

You're forgetting that Agassi is a pro. He can generate nearly equal amounts of spin with any string pattern he played with, as he has the technique to do so. If you think that he can't then you're delusional.
In regards to the writer, I'm sure he knew the string pattern of the racket, but it's not like he's going to say "Agassi has a racket with a custom 20x21 drill pattern that you can't buy in the stores." That could potentially cause a drop in sales for the Radical that people were buying because it was "Agassi's Racket".

 

[levy1]

You're forgetting that Agassi is a pro. He can generate nearly equal amounts of spin with any string pattern he played with, as he has the technique to do so. If you think that he can't then you're delusional.
In regards to the writer, I'm sure he knew the string pattern of the racket, but it's not like he's going to say "Agassi has a racket with a custom 20x21 drill pattern that you can't buy in the stores." That could potentially cause a drop in sales for the Radical that people were buying because it was "Agassi's Racket".

Great point!

 

[fgs]

doubles,
surely a pro, agassi or whoever, is creating spin by his stroking mechanics, but i can assure you that the string spacing is contributing considerably to the amount of rpm's imparted on the ball. a wider spacing can produce in a range of 5-10% more spin with the same mechnaics as a narrower spacing.

it is usually assumed that 16 x 18/19 patterns are having wider spacing, but this is not always the case.

 

[Doubles]

doubles,
surely a pro, agassi or whoever, is creating spin by his stroking mechanics, but i can assure you that the string spacing is contributing considerably to the amount of rpm's imparted on the ball. a wider spacing can produce in a range of 5-10% more spin with the same mechnaics as a narrower spacing.

it is usually assumed that 16 x 18/19 patterns are having wider spacing, but this is not always the case.

I will agree with you that it's easier to get more spin from an open pattern than a closed one. When I moved from the Radical to the Prestige Pro, I felt that I did get a bit more spin, or that my shots were kicking up off the court a little bit more. With that said I think that at the pro level, their technique enables them to get ample amounts of spin regardless of spacing.

 

[fgs]

doubles,
you have to look at this issue in the following way: if a pro gets 3% more spin by the wider spacing of the stick, 2% more by the string and another 2% by an appropriate balancing of his stick, he ends up with 7% more action on the ball. that doas make a huge difference at the level they are playing.

if they were to play us, most probably they would win with walmart sticks. but at their level, taking those 7% to the court does make a big difference.

 

[jim e]

In regards to the writer, I'm sure he knew the string pattern of the racket, but it's not like he's going to say "Agassi has a racket with a custom 20x21 drill pattern that you can't buy in the stores." That could potentially cause a drop in sales for the Radical that people were buying because it was "Agassi's Racket".

If that was the case the writer would have been better off not enclosing a picture of the racquet with a 20x21 while describing its a 18x19. It does not lend too much to the writers credibility.

 

[pvaudio]

If that was the case the writer would have been better off not enclosing a picture of the racquet with a 20x21 while describing its a 18x19. It does not lend too much to the writers credibility.

Truly terrible misrepresentation. Can't believe them!

 

[mad dog1]

You're forgetting that Agassi is a pro. He can generate nearly equal amounts of spin with any string pattern he played with, as he has the technique to do so. If you think that he can't then you're delusional.
In regards to the writer, I'm sure he knew the string pattern of the racket, but it's not like he's going to say "Agassi has a racket with a custom 20x21 drill pattern that you can't buy in the stores." That could potentially cause a drop in sales for the Radical that people were buying because it was "Agassi's Racket".

i'm not forgetting anything. no where did i say agassi wasn't capable of generating spin. i've seen him play in person on the champions tour and even in his advanced age, he's capable of generating gobs of spin.

If that was the case the writer would have been better off not enclosing a picture of the racquet with a 20x21 while describing its a 18x19. It does not lend too much to the writers credibility.

thank you, jim e. this is exactly the point i was making especially when the 18x19 pattern isn't very open in the in the center of the racquet to begin with.

 

[kiteboard]

^^^And yes, my mistake. Agassi played kevlar/gut in his early OS frames

I remember when Agassi played with prince pro blend kevlar, but with vs gut as cross, and I think he won his first grand slam with that hybrid. That's a nice find to put up. I played with it, in the old prince frame, and beat the #3 univ. nevada reno player at lakeridge, in 120 degree heat so hot, that the brown metal chairs they put on court to sit in burned my legs. Profiles were not good when you framed a shot, and always flung them long. I stayed at Tahoes' secret beach, and slept in the cave, due to no money for hotel. Little pieces of stone kept falling on me all night long, and the waves kept crashing into beach. Next day, there were a bunch of nudists there.

 

[kiteboard]

doubles,
surely a pro, agassi or whoever, is creating spin by his stroking mechanics, but i can assure you that the string spacing is contributing considerably to the amount of rpm's imparted on the ball. a wider spacing can produce in a range of 5-10% more spin with the same mechnaics as a narrower spacing.

it is usually assumed that 16 x 18/19 patterns are having wider spacing, but this is not always the case.

fed uses a 16 x 19 90 sq. in. frame where the spaces are not very big.

 

[Up&comer]

I remember when Agassi played with prince pro blend kevlar, but with vs gut as cross, and I think he won his first grand slam with that hybrid. That's a nice find to put up. I played with it, in the old prince frame, and beat the #3 univ. nevada reno player at lakeridge, in 120 degree heat so hot, that the brown metal chairs they put on court to sit in burned my legs. Profiles were not good when you framed a shot, and always flung them long. I stayed at Tahoes' secret beach, and slept in the cave, due to no money for hotel. Little pieces of stone kept falling on me all night long, and the waves kept crashing into beach. Next day, there were a bunch of nudists there.

That story started off fine, but by the end of it I was both confused and on the floor laughing. I really lost it at the nudist part.

 

[Muppet]

doubles,
surely a pro, agassi or whoever, is creating spin by his stroking mechanics, but i can assure you that the string spacing is contributing considerably to the amount of rpm's imparted on the ball. a wider spacing can produce in a range of 5-10% more spin with the same mechnaics as a narrower spacing.

it is usually assumed that 16 x 18/19 patterns are having wider spacing, but this is not always the case.

When you consider that it's Agassi, he can probably go for more on his shots with a 20x21 stringbed that is more durable. The amount of spin and pace he can produce may outweigh using a more open pattern.

 

[pvaudio]

I remember when Agassi played with prince pro blend kevlar, but with vs gut as cross, and I think he won his first grand slam with that hybrid. That's a nice find to put up. I played with it, in the old prince frame, and beat the #3 univ. nevada reno player at lakeridge, in 120 degree heat so hot, that the brown metal chairs they put on court to sit in burned my legs. Profiles were not good when you framed a shot, and always flung them long. I stayed at Tahoes' secret beach, and slept in the cave, due to no money for hotel. Little pieces of stone kept falling on me all night long, and the waves kept crashing into beach. Next day, there were a bunch of nudists there.

That story started off fine, but by the end of it I was both confused and on the floor laughing. I really lost it at the nudist part.

:lol: :lol: My face seriously linearly went from *wow!* to *WTF??*

 

[Up&comer]

:lol: :lol: My face seriously linearly went from *wow!* to *WTF??*

You want one even better?

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showpost.php?p=6087125&postcount=42

I fell out of my chair laughing when I read this one. You have to get through a couple paragraphs before it really gets good.

 

[pvaudio]

Yes hahaha it was that post why I decided to try Explosiv! as a cross :lol:

 

[Up&comer]

Yes hahaha it was that post why I decided to try Explosiv! as a cross :lol:

Oh man, I just read it again. Now I have to try NRG at low tensions to get that crispy, delicious feel.

 

[pvaudio]

Yeah, and try not to wear a thong before going down Splash Mountain :lol:

 

[Doubles]

You want one even better?

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showpost.php?p=6087125&postcount=42

I fell out of my chair laughing when I read this one. You have to get through a couple paragraphs before it really gets good.

...wtf did I just read?

 

[Up&comer]

Yeah, and try not to wear a thong before going down Splash Mountain :lol:

"The benefit to that approach to engineering design, is that it's almost like the old school Fischers were designed with a one-size fits all approach. Meaning, they decided to go for ULTIMATE SWEETNESS abo****ely *unmatchable* by any and all offerings, the absolute SWEETEST CRISPY JOY feel you'll ever experience short of skinny dippy on Splash Mountain...just for the thrill of it,thow off those cowgirl strings ladys, and those those thongs men! Everybody's doing it, WHEWWW!!! THIS IS SOOOOooooo...mmmmuch...funnnn!"

 

[kiteboard]

At least he's different. Some of us write like morons, and some like him.

I have an article online this month, with lots of videos, of my back hand, with the h22 at 365g, strung with l-tec os/4s: http://www.tennisplayer.net, if you want to see kb in action.

One of the video clips shows the shot from the baseline, side, and the ball comes into screen, and I hit the shot, and the ball just squashes down so much, that it completely disappears. Lots of discussion on the forum with a comparative clip of Henin and Federer's back hand side by side. Also a great piece by Gordon on the ATP forehand, type 3, that Fed/joker/Nadal all share.

 

[Fuji]

You have to look inside yourself and see if you are a flat hitter or not, if you are a spin hitter or not, if you are a grinder or not, if you are a net player or not, if you want to hit a heavy ball or not, if you are a pusher or not, if you are a blaster who lives for the winner or not, if you care more about control or not, about power or not, or about durability or not, and so on, and when all those questions are truly dealt with, you will know the area to go to.

If you lie to yourself, and don't see, then it's money and time down the drain.

Interesting point. From reading that, I should be playing with Kevlar, although my arm definitely would not handle it! Hahaha!

That's the other problem. I can find strings that are fine and dandy for my play style, but my arm can't stand overly harsh strings. Especially ones with very high vibration tendency. I love an overly cushioned string.

Maybe it's just time I play Gut/Poly, although it's so darn expensive...

-Fuji

 

[levy1]

Interesting point. From reading that, I should be playing with Kevlar, although my arm definitely would not handle it! Hahaha!

That's the other problem. I can find strings that are fine and dandy for my play style, but my arm can't stand overly harsh strings. Especially ones with very high vibration tendency. I love an overly cushioned string.

Maybe it's just time I play Gut/Poly, although it's so darn expensive...

-Fuji

You can get it to $15-$20 with Mamba or Pmaxx gut and a reel of poly. Only about $5 more then a premium poly setup. If you haven't tried it you should and post up.

 

[Up&comer]

At least he's different. Some of us write like morons, and some like him.

I have an article online this month, with lots of videos, of my back hand, with the h22 at 365g, strung with l-tec os/4s: http://www.tennisplayer.net, if you want to see kb in action.

One of the video clips shows the shot from the baseline, side, and the ball comes into screen, and I hit the shot, and the ball just squashes down so much, that it completely disappears. Lots of discussion on the forum with a comparative clip of Henin and Federer's back hand side by side. Also a great piece by Gordon on the ATP forehand, type 3, that Fed/joker/Nadal all share.

I'd love a direct link to a video of you playing.

 

[Fuji]

You can get it to $15-$20 with Mamba or Pmaxx gut and a reel of poly. Only about $5 more then a premium poly setup. If you haven't tried it you should and post up.

Hmmmm, I will definitely have to check that out!

Thanks for the tip!

-Fuji

 

[levy1]

Hmmmm, I will definitely have to check that out!

Thanks for the tip!

-Fuji

Give us a review when you try the setup.

 

[Power Player]

noo..the mamba can't handle the high tensions. I tried it. You want a gut main that can be strung at 60-62 pounds. Cross with Cofocus at 56 and party. I keep trying to top this setup and I can not do it.

Thanks to U&C I just did a "search for more posts" on Clair.

Wow..incredible. Love this guy.


ok..the more I read from CH the more I think this guy really knows his stuff, he is just completely insane on the keyboard, which makes me like him even more.

 

[Up&comer]

noo..the mamba can't handle the high tensions. I tried it. You want a gut main that can be strung at 60-62 pounds. Cross with Cofocus at 56 and party. I keep trying to top this setup and I can not do it.

Thanks to U&C I just did a "search for more posts" on Clair.

Wow..incredible. Love this guy.


ok..the more I read from CH the more I think this guy really knows his stuff, he is just completely insane on the keyboard, which makes me like him even more.

That's my favorite part- he is actually making a point.

 

[Power Player]

Yes, thank you U&C, I am adding this guy to my TT buddys list. I love his posts.

 

[kiteboard]

He is colorful, and I like that about the wandering style of his posts. Did the same. Like an exercise in creative writing, each post of his.

 

[officerdibble]

I find this sort of stuff really interesting.

Undoubtedly tennis stringing remains a mixture of experimentation and art, simply because the science has not been adequately defined yet.

This has given me much food for thought about what to consider when I change my frames next: I'll be going slightly stiffer and it will be interesting to see how the same string set-up performs.

 

[kiteboard]

That is a very thoughtful post, and the nail on the head: art vs. science, not just a craft for the McDonalds servant to perform.

 

[kiteboard]

Look at Maryenyc thread: my poly reviews.