Hybrid Round and shaped Poly?
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the_faceless_player
Professional
I love my Tour Bite Soft / Isospeed Baseline Spin hybrid. Still get lots of spin but in a crisper feeling setup than a full bed of TB Soft.
anubis
Hall of Fame
What Mikeler said. Actually, I would add: I don't see a reason to use a textured or shaped poly anyway. You're better off with two very smooth round poly strings in mains and crosses. String to string friction coefficient goes both ways. The mains are sliding against the crosses, AND vice versa.
To maximize spin, you need ALL strings, both mains and crosses to get moving. If your mains are very rough, then the crosses will meet too much resistance and won't snap back as nicely.
Shaped polys produce more spin. I think almost everyone that has tried smooth and shaped polys, especially of the same strings (like bhb and bhbr) will vouch for that. How much the string grips the ball is also a factor you have to consider.
Ennismt
Rookie
Textured/shaped polys can increase friction quicker than round and slow the snap, especially with use. I tend to get great spin with textured polys but think they lose this pretty quick. Its probably obvious but best to use low friction textured/shaped polys and crosses. TWU has a good list of low friction polys to choose from. I think a good slippery cross is more important than the friction coeficcient for the textured main. Lots of opinion here, just my experience.
I imagine the benefit would be almost zero compared to same poly in both directions. Hybrid different string types like gut n poly etc makes sense but the actual diff between diff polys in diff directions n getting REAL difference would in my opinion require a sensitivity beyond the people who write here
Ennismt
Rookie
I think you can tell the difference of round vs textured or shaped polys. And, I think you could tell the difference of a hybrid poly set up with the round in the mains vs the crosses (though I've never tried the textured/shaped in the crosses and smooth in the mains). I am not real sure that using a smooth poly helps with spin or its longevity compared to using the textured/shaped in both the mains and the crosses. Probably depends on the string. In theory, it would work.
SCRAP IRON
Professional
This thread has accomplished nothing in terms of better understanding of performance/spin from polys. What is has accomplished is greater confusion and more experimentation from my end!
anubis
Hall of Fame
http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/learning_center/COFreporter.php
check out that link. The reports at the top of the page go into spin production in relation to the different types of string materials, textures and friction.
The more important report is here: http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/learning_center/slidingCOF.php
This lays out for you very simply that spin production is maximized not by texture, but by sliding coefficient of friction.
Textured strings increase spin for players who rely on ball to string friction. These are players with slow swing speeds and lightweight racquets.
Smooth, unshaped poly strings that are very slick, strung in both mains and crosses produce the most spin for people with faster swing speeds -- in other words, people that aren't relying on ball to string friction. Players that fit into this category are producing spin through the ball impact on the string bed: the ball moves and separates both the mains AND crosses during dwell-time.
As the dwell-time finishes and the ball begins to leave the string bed, the mains and cross strings slide over each other to go back to their initial positions, before the ball hit the string bed. This "snap-back" actually grabs onto the ball and spins the ball, producing far more spin than merely "ball to string" friction can allow.
Let's also not forget that even in the above example, there IS still ball to string friction. Even though the poly is technically smooth, it is still producing spin in that way too.
Last but not least, the third and final factor in spin production is technique. Proper swing path, weight transfer and racquet head speed also assist in spin production.
If you can get all three of those factors with a full bed of smooth polyester string, you will be producing more spin on the ball than with any other type of string, hands down.
