Hybrid Strining

cnr1guy

Banned
Just curious as to what the differences are in stringing frames with poly (mains) and multi or syn gut (crosses) vs poly (crosses) or Syn gut or multi (mains). Is there a diffenece in playability or comfort or not really?
 

nadalex

Rookie
Whatever, you haven't anything meaningful to any thread that I've ever seen you comment on. All you do is cause trouble and make yourself look like a deushbag!

sorry but torres is right on this one theres like 1 thread everyday on this matter just use the search function man not that i dont mind u asking but just look into it before you make a thread next time
 

pvaudio

Legend
Could you be a bigger troll??? Why do you even bother responding you're just gonna be a a$$neck about it???
Holy crap man, take it easy. I rarely agree with Torres on anything, but he's 100% correct. This is a huge topic in this forum, so please, use the search.
 

cnr1guy

Banned
Fine, I'll bite. Are you talking about the differences in actual stringing, or in playability?

Well in playability. Let's assume two players each have a poly and a syn gut 1/2 set to use. Why would one player go with poly mains and another with poly crosses? What are the advantages to having a poly main or poly cross & syn gut main or a syn gut cross?

I'm relatively new to stringing and am just trying to understand what the pros and cons and benefits of each combo are. Thanks pvaudio!
 
Copy and pasted from another board. I hope this helps some.


"I have been using natty gut mains and copoly crosses for the last 2-3 years - experimenting a little bit with full poly, full natty gut, poly mains and nat gut crosses and ended up with the setup that performed best for me - BY FAR - natty gut mains and copoly crosses !

Full natural gut will be very powerfull and soft but also quite spinny.
If you add the copoly in the crosses and keep the nat gut in the mains you get a sensationel good feeling hybrid, that will keep its tension-feel fixed for much longer compared to the reverse hybrid - copoly mains and natural gut crosses in my view.

The mains string dominate the overall feel in a racquet, therefore you don't feel the tension drop of the copoly in the crosses as much compared to when you use the copoly in the mains.

Copoly mains and natty gut crosses will give you more spin and the feel will be more like a soft poly, while the reverse hybrid with nat gut mains and copoly crosses will give you the soft power feel of the natty gut with the added twist of stiffness amd extra spin from the copoly crosses.

So my advice to you would be to stay away from copoly mains, since you don't break strings often - unless you intend to cut out and change your strings after 6-8-10 hours of use.
If you don't want the extra cost and hassle with changing your strings that often, you should try nat gut mains and copoly crosses since this hybrid will give you 12-15 good lasting playing hours - at least before you will feel the dead poly taking over the hybrid and making it play too dead or uncontrollable for you.

So if you come from full natty gut and want added spin - do like Federer and Djokovic - use nat gut mains and copoly crosses.

I may sound like a broken record - because I always give the same positive advice on this particular hybrid over and over again - but this is because I really feel it's the best hybrid you can get, especially if you're are over 30-35 years of age !!"
 

fuzz nation

G.O.A.T.
Wow, quite the love fest going down here...

I think that any curiosities with the hybrids can only be answered through trial and error, sort of like the demo process with racquets.

The different combos of string types and tensions produce a big spectrum of both response and the oh-so-subjective (but vital in my opinion) aspect of feel. Some players enjoy the super-crisp feel of a full bed of snug poly, etc., while others can't get enough of the plushness in a bed of natural gut or multifiber.

I personally tried out a hybrid of a soft, super-cozy multi in my mains coupled with a rather thin, soft poly at rather low tension in the crosses of an old-school heavy, extra flexy frame I've used off and on. I figured that the feel would be dominated by the multi, since the poly was in the crosses and set up borderline loose. As it turned out, the feel was so harsh that I thought my teeth were gonna rattle loose on me. Trial and error.

The popular hybrid of natural gut mains and poly crosses seems to have something going for it, but then again, that's a layout that works for guys like the Fed-man. I'm not them. I think it's important to remember the distinction between the gear that works for the pros and what's generally better for the tennis playing masses.
 

Steve Huff

G.O.A.T.
Generally, the racket plays mostly like the mains. The crosses make the racket firmer or softer feeling (in the most simple of answers). To me, a poly in the cross at the same tension as the synthetic mains will take away some of the advantages of using the synthetic in the first place. If poly is used in the mains (which I believe is more popular), the mains should last longer. As someone pointed out, how it plays is so subjective that you should try them both out. I put gut/poly and poly/gut hybrids in a racket to see the differences. I liked the gut/poly much better, and they did not play anything alike.
 

TennisCJC

Legend
Agree with most comments above. My view

Mains/Crosses:

Poly/Poly: most spin, least power, excellent directional control; hardest on body; best for baseline topspin and serving; not so good for volleys and touch shots

Poly/Soft (soft is gut, multi, or syn gut): next best for spin, softer than poly/poly and not so hard on body; better feel than poly/poly; still best for baseline topspin and serving; better for volleys and touch shots; not quite as durable

Soft/Poly: better for feel, better for power (generated by racket); better for volleys and touch but still good for topspin and serving; not quite as durable as poly/soft.

Soft/Soft: best for power (genrated by racket); best for volleys and touch; good for topspin and serving but will not generate as much spin as stringbed with poly in the mix; least durable

Durability should not be confused with playbility. Poly will not break as fast as others but many say it loses playability quicker. This is subjective but I tend to agree to a degree. Poly will lost its snap-back characteristic and resiliency faster than soft strings. Gut is the best for keeping playability high.

I am playing soft/poly now but played poly/soft more oftern in past 5 years.

I think it depends on your game and racket as to which one is best. John McEnroe should play all soft or soft/poly - short, slow strokes with lots of volleying and touch. Agassi should play all poly or poly/soft - power baseliner that drives hard thru the ball. Fed play soft/poly and is the most all-court player on tour. Nadal plays all poly as he is a baseline basher.
 

mixedmedia

Professional
What a complete, comprehensive answer, TennisCJC. A big thanks from everyone who has ever wondered about the general principles of hybriding!
 
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