String help!!

[Eathers]

Hi all, hopefully someone can help me out! Make yourself a coffee, it’s a long one! (Just trying to give a bit of background because I feel like I’m losing my marbles - and I am pretty clueless with all this!)

So my first issue was I bought what I thought was a Wilson blade 98s bold edition (18x16 stringing pattern). Once it arrived we realised that I’d actually been sold a Pro stock blade frame with a bold paint job. So the stringing pattern was actually 16x19.
Great news that it’s pro stock, not so great that I’m not 100% confident what my racket actually is... never mind, I’ll work it out at some point!

Anyway, I took it to be strung by one of the guys at my club. He’s done mine/my mums etc for years. I’ve never questioned him, I just let him tell me what I needed as I knew no better. So, when I took him my racket, I explained to ignore the spec, it was a paint job etc. He later rang me in a concerned tone saying the spec didn’t line up and he needs to string it 16x19 not 18x20, and he didn’t like the size of the gap on the outside strings. So after about an hour of repeating myself, he finally grasped the ‘paint job’ situation and finally understood that I had already told him it was 16x19. (He corrected me from ‘pro stock’ to pro staff several times, which added to his confusion!)

I explained I wanted less power and more control for the moment. Finally the racquet was strung. I actually have no idea what is in it without asking him, but I believe they’re poly, and the tension is at about 55lb. That’s all I know.

I’ve played with it for a few weeks and I’m not crazy about it. The racket I like, but the strings still feel and sound too similar to a power racket I used - and hated. I find I’m having to be gentle for fear of sending the ball miles without even trying. Don’t get me wrong, I know it’s about technique too - and mines pretty rusty at the moment - still plenty of open racket **** ups causing that etc, I’ve been out of it a few years now!

I’ve since tried a few different rackets out that belong to some of the men at the club. All different rackets (but mainly Babolat) but what they all had on common was higher tension. And I loved it! I found it so much easier to control my shots. I felt like I could put power down and not worry, and I could really swing my arm - I didn’t feel like I was using any additional energy, as I saved plenty from not worrying!

Now I’m a 5ft 9 woman, and I’m pretty strong, and I’m fairly muscular. Not sure how because I don’t try to be! Even when it came to cycling, I always preferred pushing harder gears which people told me I couldn’t sustain, but I did! (Get me to do cardio though and you’ll need a de-fib on standby!)

So taking all this into account, I’ve asked my racket to be restrung with a slightly higher tension from the 55lb just to try out.
Well... I was basically dragged in and given a grilling about it, and he told me that I’m making a big mistake as most women at the club use 54-55lb and prefer it bring somewhere in the middle or more power!

He advised that upping the tension a few lb won’t make a difference so he’ll have to put it at 58lb for me to notice. Is this right?!
I managed to get him to agree to 57 in the end but that was just through panic!

I like being able to hit the ball! I want some power but not loads, and I do seem to have a weird amount of upper body strength! I’m terrible at the net, I much prefer the baseline/nearer to.

The racket I tried on Tuesday was the Babolat pure aero. I’ve just been told it was strung with Babolat Rpm blast (17 1.5mm) the tension was unknown, but it was definitely harder to move the strings in his vs mine. He even commented on the power in mine after having a try.

I know there is a good element of technique I need to work on too, but questions are, am I making a mistake increasing the tension in mine? If not, what tension would you actually suggest.

Should I ask for particular strings rather than just letting him decide what he thinks is best? And can you make any recommendations.

Can my issue be resolved with restringing or should I just buy something like the whole Babolat set up I used Tuesday and just be done with it?

Any comments/tips/recommendations are greatly appreciated!

If you’ve got this far, you’ll probably need to make another coffee before replying as the one you’ve got has probably gone cold!

Thanks!






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[Lefty5]

A. Find a new stringer, he sounds like a jerk and not smart. It sounds like he put a syn gut or multi in your racquet and its generating too much power for you. Then you played with a poly, and you loved it. So first things first, put a poly in your wilson. Either go with RPM Blast 17 or something easier on your arm like the Tourna Black7, which is very similar but cheaper and softer on your arm. Don't go higher than 52 lbs on either poly, you'll still have plenty of control and you have to string them lower than a synthetic gut. If that gets you closer, then you can tweak your tension a couple lbs to either generate more power or more control, depending on what you like.

 

[Muppet]

It depends on how much you're using your upper body strength. As you get better, your power starts at your feet and knees as you coil your torso, travels through the hips, then the coiled torso brings the racquet through the ball w/o using much upper body strength.

As for requesting your string, your tension, and what kind of pattern or how many knots you'd like him to use, this should all be your prerogative. Before I started stringing my own, I would know what I wanted going in my stringer's door. If he had any suggestions, I'd take them into account, but in the end I would tell him what I wanted and he would do it.

It might be that your stringer may be trying to help you use the power of a looser strung racquet to help you learn to let the racquet supply the power instead to your upper body. But I don't think that's the best way to learn proper mechanics. Don't get a powerful racquet like a Babolat strung tight or with polyester. Go for something more middle of the road or even slightly lower powered. For a while you may be using upper body strength too much, but you can work on that and as your mechanics improve your technique will hit through the ball with enough power, even with more of a control racquet. A powerful racquet is a crutch and it will keep you from swinging through the ball with a full follow through. A lot of people who get a powerful racquet learn to bunt.

The string that is the standard for knowing your racquet is synthetic gut, any of them. It isn't the softest or the spinniest, but it gives you an honest connection to the ball. And it's cheap.

Take lessons and good luck!

 

[Muppet]

edit: user error

 

[hurworld]

Agree with the other poster, find a new stringer. Seriously, that exchange sounded pretty condescending IMO.

Another suggestion is to spend an hour or two with a knowledgeable coach at your club, and tell him/her about your concerns, and get recommendation from the coach.

 

[esgee48]

[1] The next time you have your frame strung, have it measured for mass, balance, SW and TW when there are no strings in it. Jot this down and keep. Your racquet may be too light. You stated you like the Babolats that males were using and those are relatively light frames at 11.3-11.5 oz.
[2] If you are concerned about too much power, and the problem is not technique, switch to a dead multi like Velocity 16 and string it around 57-60#. Vel 16 is a cheap low powered multi that lets you swing away. Rip Control 16 is even deader as a multi. If neither of these strings work, then switch to low powered pre-stretched polyesters from the Pro Line family. If you need to switch, start at 50# and adjust.
[3] Assuming you can find a string, work on technique. I am not sure if you are putting enough spin or have the proper racquet orientation if you have issues with SG at 55-57#.

 

[blai212]

sounds like these guys know what they’re talking about...everything is pretty much spot on


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[fuzz nation]

You had me at, "Make yourself a coffee".

I have to admit that this situation you've described is a bit of a yard sale. We're not exactly sure what's up with the racquet aside from what's probably a 16x19 pattern, so that means that the weight and flex could be who knows what. You and your stringer are going back and forth about tensions, but we don't even know what string type or gauge you're dealing with now. While I appreciate that you're a stronger than average lady, I'm usually not wild about the idea of anybody playing with a poly unless they're truly ripping on the ball with huge strokes like a college bound player might do.

I very much agree with our pal esgee48 in terms of checking the specs of your racquet so that you know what sort of hammer you're using to nail that ball. If this racquet is rather light - that can be the case with some pro stocks which are made that way with room for customizing - it could be sort of twitchy and unstable when you play with it. No need to consult with NASA here - just figure out how it compares with other racquets you've tried, including that Pure Aero.

If your stringer has been using poly in this racquet, that would explain his reluctance to tension you above the low-to-mid 50's. Poly is more stiff (less resilient) than other string types like synthetic gut and multifiber, so poly usually works better at lower tensions than those other types. Heavier gauges of poly can be VERY stiff - I'm talking full 16 ga. with actual widths of 1.28mm-1.30mm or even heavier.

I won't be subtle in terms of sounding the alarms concerning that other racquet you tried. The combo of a stiff Babolat frame like a Pure Aero or Pure Drive strung with a full bed of RPM Blast has caused so many arm problems in the world of recreational tennis that it's literally become a cliche. It can be rather seductive when first tried out - easy spin and power - but it can put a lot of impact shock into a player's arm and also promote swinging too hard to drive the ball through the court.

I haven't just read about a couple of cases of arm troubles from this recipe on these boards. I've seen it happen through recent years in my local tennis circles more than rarely and it's put a hurtin' on players of all levels. If you need to experiment with different tensions in this mysterious Wilson of yours, I like the advice from our pal Muppet. Try a 16 ga. synthetic gut at a couple different tensions to build a better picture of what you prefer with it. That string is affordable, it has moderate softness compared with poly, performs great for most of us, and you could probably tension it in that racquet anywhere from the mid 50's right up to 60 or 62 lbs. and be okay - 62 might actually be a touch too much.

If you pull the plug and eventually go for something like a Pure Aero, same deal. Don't string it with poly until you've played it with beds or synthetic gut or even softer multifiber at a tension you like. If you can't get along with those softer strings, my recommendation is to try a poly hybrid with a very light gauge poly main - 1.20mm or lighter - combined with a softer cross. A 16 ga. syn. gut or multifiber should be fine in that role. I've had success with a few locals who wanted a poly option without taking the drastic leap into a full bed of poly that would be too stiff.

 

[LocNetMonster]

I'm with @Lefty5, find a new stringer. He's use to string for women with less coordination and upper body strength.

One thing you might consider is adjusting the balance and making it a wee bit head light. Take the grips and cap off, add a half ounce of weight inside the shaft of the grip, and regrip. Hit for two or three hours to really get the feel of it. This will drop the power level just a bit and you won't feel the need to throttle back to keep the ball in the court. If that feels fine, add another half ounce. If it is too much, remove weight until you find your Goldilock balance.

Good luck.

 

[Traffic]

Since you know what rpm blast feels like, why not string your mystery racquet with it. What’s your normal tension?

If you have none, try 50#. But be sure to cut it out after 15-20hrs. Poly loses tension and the goes dead very quickly.

@esgee48 has a good recommendation of using velocity. I would go -2# from mid tension as a starting point unless you really like that tight string feel.