Hybrids 101

Caloi

Semi-Pro
I know nothing about hybrids, other than I see them with a poly, kevlar or nat gut mains and some syn gut or multi as the crosses.

Is it against the rules to hybrid a multi/multi or syn gut/syn gut with different gauge strings?

Maybe it just isn't enough of a difference to worry about.

I don't want to try poly as I've got a wrist that seems to be very sensitive to strings.

Thanks for an explanation.

I searched but didn't find anything to answer my quesiton.
 

nickb

Banned
You can hybrid what you want...this might help you...here are some popular hybrid ideas:

- Natural gut M, Synthetic Gut/Multi X - Cuts the cost of natural gut, adds some crispness and can lock the mains if you string the crosses tighter. Also takes some of the power away. Most people use this to lower cost.
- Multi M, Synthetic Gut X - Same as above. Lowers the cost. Less durable than full multi...good for people that dont break strings.
- Different guages e.g. PSGD 17g M, 16g X - This makes the setup more durable. Thicker crosses saw into the mains less and help stop string movement.
- 16g M, 17/18/19g X - Open up a dense string pattern to add some spin.

- Poly M, Synthetic Gut/Natrual Gut/Multi X - Add comfort, feel and power to the poly. Makes the stringbed more comfortable. Less power than soft main / poly x. Still very good spin from the poly.
- Natural gut/multi/syn M, Poly X - Better done with gut. The poly crosses tame the power and add spin. Amazing setup but some people think its a waste of natural gut. More feel than poly mains as the stringbed plays more like the mains.

- Stiff poly M, soft poly cross - Still very durable but softer and more comfortable. Putting a string like topspin cyberpower in the crosses really adds feel/power. e.g. CyberFlash mains, CyberPower crosses.
- Textured/hex poly M, regular poly cross - some people think that hex strings only work in the mains so putting a poly with more feel in the crosses plays better for some. E.g. Pro Supex Blue Gear M, Pro Supex Big Ace X


Hope that helps

Nick
 
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bladepdb

Professional
Essentially the only thing a hybrid is is using different strings in the mains and crosses. That's all it is.

There are no rules for hybrids. You can use any string you want in the mains and any string in the crosses.

Usually however people hybrid a certain way for a reason.

Poly mains tend to help generate spin and control. However, since poly is harsh and stiff, people will usually put natural got or multifilament (soft strings) in the crosses to bring back some of the soft feeling.

You could also go the other way, with a soft string in the mains and poly in the crosses. This provides a more feel-oriented, softer stringbed but still gets some added spin from the poly.

And again you can just mix and match whatever combinations you like.

The biggest thing to keep in mind is that the mains of your hybrid will dominate the stringbed. That is, if you have poly in the mains, you'll still feel a fairly stiff stringbed even if you have a soft string in the crosses. And vice versa.

You could generalize this to a ratio that about 70% of your racquet's feel and attributes can be linked to the main strings, and the otehr 30% to the string in the crosses.

If you do have a sensitive wrist, you could maybe try a soft string in the mains like a good multifilament and a poly in the cross to give you some help from poly but still maintain an overall soft feel. It all depends on what you're willing to try with hybrids since the possibilities are seemingly endless.

Also, a thing to keep in mind is with hybrids you can also have different tensions in the mains and crosses. For example, people that use poly have to lower their normal tension by usually around 10%, so they might do a poly in the main with 55 lbs of tension and, say, natural gut in the crosses with 58 lbs of tension (or the other way around..nat gut in mains with 58 and poly in crosses with 55). Try not to go for more than a 5 lb difference though, and you don't necessarily have to have such a difference if you don't want to. Usually the reason is if you have poly somewhere, you have to have it at a lower tension than normal.

That about sums it up. If you need tips on what hybrid combinations to try, I would suggest a poly & nat gut/multi hybrid. Look around for some combinations on that. Some people use natural gut in the mains and a cheap synthetic string like PSGD in the crosses to get more out of their one set of natural gut (cost efficiency at a small expense of having syn gut crosses).

Like I said it all depends on what you're willing to try. From your sig it looks like you have your own stringing machine, so you should be able to try some fun combinations out on your own without worrying about expensive stringing charges :)
 

Caloi

Semi-Pro
Thank you both for the informative messages, that helped a lot.

Yes I have a new stringer and have only done one racquet so far.

I still haven't actually purchased string yet, but I've got 11 packs left from Gamma that came with the stringer.

My racquets indicate a 1 piece stringing but I've seen my racquets string 2 piece as well from TW and want to try it next.

I'll try a hybrid from the strings I have in the near future, just to try it out.

Again, thanks for the info!
 

Loco4Tennis

Hall of Fame
cost is also a big factor when doing a hybrid
a single pack of good main strings will last me twice as long when i cross it with a cheaper string that i like on volleys
usually putting expensive cross strings does not outway the price vs the playability you get out of them, however, personal feel and preference is a bigger factor when one chooses gut or mutli-filament strings on the cross
 

LOLMT

New User
Wait, so on hybrid strings, if you break your... say, main strings, can you keep your cross strings since they're not connected?
 

Loco4Tennis

Hall of Fame
Wait, so on hybrid strings, if you break your... say, main strings, can you keep your cross strings since they're not connected?

not a good idea once the racquet is fully strung
their is pressure being put on by the strings from the mains side and the crosses side, break a string and that pressure is released, but the pressure from the strings that did not break are still there, thus trying to shape the racquet frame by which ever side is still puling, thats why once a string is broken, you should cut the other strings ASAP
one senario of this : an oval shaped racquet whos cross strings where broken, after a couple of days, will not be oval anymore, but rather more round shaped because of the mains still holding its tension, this is more common on softer frame racquets
 

iplaybetter

Hall of Fame
not a good idea once the racquet is fully strung
their is pressure being put on by the strings from the mains side and the crosses side, break a string and that pressure is released, but the pressure from the strings that did not break are still there, thus trying to shape the racquet frame by which ever side is still puling, thats why once a string is broken, you should cut the other strings ASAP
one senario of this : an oval shaped racquet whos cross strings where broken, after a couple of days, will not be oval anymore, but rather more round shaped because of the mains still holding its tension, this is more common on softer frame racquets

this is true only in theory, in reality the friction makes it so only about 2 strings on each side around the broken one are effected
 

Loco4Tennis

Hall of Fame
this is true only in theory, in reality the friction makes it so only about 2 strings on each side around the broken one are effected

your provably right, initially, but that's a lot of pounds being held by just friction from the other strings and the grommet turns
what i think happens is that the longer the broken strings stay on the racquet, the more the friction gives to the point where there is no more tension
how long it takes to get to that point, i dont know,
minutes: provably not
hours: maybe
days: most likely
weeks: certainly
 
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