Low Powered Hybrid

[FutureF1]

Hi all! Apologies if this has been posted before, but I couldn’t find a thread on the subject. I’m currently playing D3 college tennis and have started to develop elbow pain from the daily hitting sessions. I’m currently playing with hyper g at 50lbs, which is a relatively soft poly in my opinion. It feels soft when I hit, not generating a ton of vibrations, but after a session I start getting a lot of pain. The issue is, I’ve played with polys since I was 13 and am so used to the control, spin, and low power associated with playing with them, though the arm pain keeps building, making me think I might need to step away from them for a bit. Is there a hybrid setup that allows me to maintain the control, power, and especially spin that I’m used to while also saving my arm just a bit.

A bit of background on my play style. I’m a relatively flat hitter with an eastern forehand grip and two handed backhand. Currently playing with a Technifibre TF40 305 so I don’t think I can get that much softer in terms of racquet options. TIA!

 

[EggSalad]

It would be worth stringing up a racquet with Hyper G in the mains and a synthetic gut in the crosses (16G). I like OGSM. That should give you a softer string bed but still let you get the benefit of what Hyper G does.

 

[FutureF1]

It would be worth stringing up a racquet with Hyper G in the mains and a synthetic gut in the crosses (16G). I like OGSM. That should give you a softer string bed but still let you get the benefit of what Hyper G does.

Is synth gut really powerful? I’m a little worried I’ll be going with too much power in the string bed combining a powerful poly with gut.

 

[eah123]

If you were fine before and now getting arm pain, you likely have an injury that is only partially healed. Definitely go see a physiatrist doctor.

Regarding softer setups, I wouldn’t recommend crossing with synthetic gut, multifilament or natural gut as I think these play way different, even as a hybrid, than full poly, and will be difficult to adjust to at your level. Rather, I would suggest trying thinner gauges of Hyper G first, as well as going down on tension by 5-10 pounds. After that, switching to Hyper G soft, and as a last resort, crossing Hyper G with Tier1 Ghostwire or Diadem Flash, both round polys, which in my experience match well with Hyper G in feel and playing characteristics, only slightly softer.

 

[EggSalad]

Is synth gut really powerful? I’m a little worried I’ll be going with too much power in the string bed combining a powerful poly with gut.

It’ll be more powerful than full bed poly but it won’t turn your racquet into a rocket launcher.

I was thinking you might be able to do that set up in a second racquet and hit with it some to see how it feels and if you like how it plays. Not sure I’d jump right into matches with it given you’re playing competitively in college.

The Last post about thinner gauge Hyper G is also a really good option.

 

[FutureF1]

If you were fine before and now getting arm pain, you likely have an injury that is only partially healed. Definitely go see a physiatrist doctor.

Regarding softer setups, I wouldn’t recommend crossing with synthetic gut, multifilament or natural gut as I think these play way different, even as a hybrid, than full poly, and will be difficult to adjust to at your level. Rather, I would suggest trying thinner gauges of Hyper G first, as well as going down on tension by 5-10 pounds. After that, switching to Hyper G soft, and as a last resort, crossing Hyper G with Tier1 Ghostwire or Diadem Flash, both round polys, which in my experience match well with Hyper G in feel and playing characteristics, only slightly softer.

Good idea on the thinner gauge. I’ll give that a shot. Hopefully doesn’t change too much.

It’ll be more powerful than full bed poly but it won’t turn your racquet into a rocket launcher.

I was thinking you might be able to do that set up in a second racquet and hit with it some to see how it feels and if you like how it plays. Not sure I’d jump right into matches with it given you’re playing competitively in college.

The Last post about thinner gauge Hyper G is also a really good option.

And yeah I’d do this in a second racquet just to be able to go back and forth. It’s a good option and might yield some nice results.

Generally I’m just tentative to change this close to the season but I’d rather work around my strokes than be out all together with an injury!

 

[Crimsonchen]

You can definitely try a hybrid like the others said, but it'll saw through multi/synthetic gut. So if durability is a concern, that might not be too good. Have you tried hyper g soft? It's even softer than hyper g and a lot of my customers love it. I have arm issues but a full bed of hgs doesn't do too much on my arm

 

[Deleted member 775108]

Is synth gut really powerful? I’m a little worried I’ll be going with too much power in the string bed combining a powerful poly with gut.

Syngut (specifically OGSM natural color) is low power especially as a cross. Much much lower power than natural gut (gut)

 

[BPlain]

You can definitely try a hybrid like the others said, but it'll saw through multi/synthetic gut. So if durability is a concern, that might not be too good. Have you tried hyper g soft? It's even softer than hyper g and a lot of my customers love it. I have arm issues but a full bed of hgs doesn't do too much on my arm

If you haven't checked it out yet, TW's Compare Strings Tool is a great resource. For example, here's Hyper G 16L (1.25) vs Hyper G Soft 16L (1.25):

Property	Solinco Hyper-G 16L (1.25)	Solinco Hyper-G-Soft 16L (1.25)	Difference %
Material	Polyester	Polyester	NA
Stiffness (lb/in)	218	172	-21
Tension Loss (%)	25	29	16
Energy Return (%)	89	88	-1
Spin Potential	6.1	5.2	-15
String to String Friction (COF)	0.09	0.099	10
String to Ball Friction (COF)	0.55	0.512	-7

 

[Crimsonchen]

Thanks! I use it a lot but was too lazy to quote it lol but yeah, 172 is pretty soft for a poly

 

[BPlain]

Thanks! I use it a lot but was too lazy to quote it lol but yeah, 172 is pretty soft for a poly

Sorry meant to tag the original poster @FutureF1 on this one.

 

[Kawasaki Kanagawa]

Hi all! Apologies if this has been posted before, but I couldn’t find a thread on the subject. I’m currently playing D3 college tennis and have started to develop elbow pain from the daily hitting sessions. I’m currently playing with hyper g at 50lbs, which is a relatively soft poly in my opinion. It feels soft when I hit, not generating a ton of vibrations, but after a session I start getting a lot of pain. The issue is, I’ve played with polys since I was 13 and am so used to the control, spin, and low power associated with playing with them, though the arm pain keeps building, making me think I might need to step away from them for a bit. Is there a hybrid setup that allows me to maintain the control, power, and especially spin that I’m used to while also saving my arm just a bit.

A bit of background on my play style. I’m a relatively flat hitter with an eastern forehand grip and two handed backhand. Currently playing with a Technifibre TF40 305 so I don’t think I can get that much softer in terms of racquet options. TIA!

Have you tried HyperG Soft?

 

[FutureF1]

Think I’ll go lower gauge, ogsm hybrid, and then soft in terms of things to try. HGS worries me because it might get too launchy. Thank you all for your suggestions though. It’s been super helpful!

 

[CosmosMpower]

I love diadem solstice power in the mains and diadem evolution in the crosses. 1.15 star shaped poly main and 1.25 stretchy monofilament polyamide in the cross which stretches to close to a 1.20 during stringing

 

[J D]

HG mains with HG Soft crosses for me have like 90% of the control of full bed HG with about 70% less shock to the arm. I string the crosses a pound or two tighter than the mains because they do drop tension more. It helps keep the bed from getting too launchy.