Strings stuck out of place, should I restring and what else to do

[Niwrad0]

Racquet with stuck strings

Was rallying with a new hitting partner and I found my strings were really stuck out of place, much worse than in the picture I took as I had been flipping my racquet 180 degrees in-between points to force them to slide back the other way. Going to go see the stringer tomorrow to ask about it, but wanted to collect more opinions. I assume this is the case, but will having all the mains stuck out of position be bad for hitting good shots? Even when flipping or physically pushing the strings around, it's still not quite 100% straight.

Background:
Had been experimenting with strings trying to find something that'll work. Previously used full poly but found I lacked power and depth on occasion plus feel is a bit hard, or whatever technique is used to hit the ball very softly and short like a drop shot. Tried full multi but it was quite trampoline-y and sort of just sailed quite often, as well as notching badly enough that I couldn't even push the strings back to their usual straight alignment.

After talking with the stringer about maybe hybrids as it seems to be quite popular, trying a hybrid of the poly I've been using as well as a more durable and notch resistant multi in the crosses, as I overall preferred the setup with poly vs multi. He also advised to lower the tension and also to string crosses higher since it's a multi.

Previously had setup of full multi at 55# and currently poly mains at 51# and multi crosses at 53#.

With this current setup, I found much easier consistency with both direction and depth, as well as still being able to do volleys, however after 2 hours of play the strings were already getting stuck.

Did some research and maybe it's time to just go full poly again, but definitely thinking about hybrid options nonetheless. I've read that lowering tension on crosses may make it easier for the mains to move back into their position.

Lastly, in terms of arm pain, I found that I have wrist "soreness" which completely resolves if I don't play tennis for 1 day. I'd say the soreness is 0/10 unless I'm doing barbell deadlifts (or a similar action) then it's around 4/10. This soreness was noticeably worse with the full bed of multi, so there's really nothing to stop me from just going back to full poly bed.

 

[Rogael Naderer]

Poly mains and multi crosses does tend to 'lock up' rather quickly. A good quality synthetic gut in the crosses should maintain playability for far longer as the poly will be able to slide back and forth easier.

Tension wise personally I'd go equal tensions mains and crosses to start.

 

[princemidplus]

If you not a string breaker then putting the multi in the mains and the poly in the crosses will play more comfortably and give a bit more power. Also will not get stuck out of place as much. If you are a string breaker then this setup doesn't last very long. Plays very nicely IMO

 

[Niwrad0]

definitely gonna have to restring, checking with my Tourna Stringometer, some mains are at 30 lbs and 50lbs and the rest floating around 45, which would be ok if I hadn't already spent a good deal of effort trying to straighten them up before checking

 

[Irvin]

With poly/multi the multi tends to have its slick coating worn off quickly. As the crosses get rough the mains wont snap back. Also the lower the tension on the mains the less kinetic energy there is to pull the string back in place. And the higher the tension on the crosses the more resistance there is for the mains to move. Try stringing the crosses 2-3 lbs lower than the mains instead of the opposite.

Better yet google the online tension advisor. With the strings out of your racket measure the inside dimension of your racket and put those numbers in the app to get a recommendation of tensions to use. More often than not the cross string tension is lower than the mains For a 16x19 racket.

definitely gonna have to restring, checking with my Tourna Stringometer, some mains are at 30 lbs and 50lbs and the rest floating around 45, which would be ok if I hadn't already spent a good deal of effort trying to straighten them up before checking

Makes me wonder about how racket was strung. You might want to check tension as soon as you get it back.

 

[Rabbit]

@Niwrad0 - strings are out of place and Stringmeter gives you some readings. The question I have is how does the racket play? If it plays OK, then you're really overthinking this. Strings move <period>. Some combinations move more than others. It's not a big deal and straightening them used to be what tennis players did between EVERY point before poly became popular. With regard to the scattered tension, I really do not recommend checking tension on individual strings. You need to judge the frame as a whole. If it's still hitting good, it is good.

I can tell you that if I strung for you, I'd explain what I just did above. And, I'd probably give you a free redo on the first one. But after that, I'd recommend some other stringers (whom I do not like).

 

[fuzz nation]

Racquet with stuck strings

Was rallying with a new hitting partner and I found my strings were really stuck out of place, much worse than in the picture I took as I had been flipping my racquet 180 degrees in-between points to force them to slide back the other way. Going to go see the stringer tomorrow to ask about it, but wanted to collect more opinions. I assume this is the case, but will having all the mains stuck out of position be bad for hitting good shots? Even when flipping or physically pushing the strings around, it's still not quite 100% straight.

Background:
Had been experimenting with strings trying to find something that'll work. Previously used full poly but found I lacked power and depth on occasion plus feel is a bit hard, or whatever technique is used to hit the ball very softly and short like a drop shot. Tried full multi but it was quite trampoline-y and sort of just sailed quite often, as well as notching badly enough that I couldn't even push the strings back to their usual straight alignment.

After talking with the stringer about maybe hybrids as it seems to be quite popular, trying a hybrid of the poly I've been using as well as a more durable and notch resistant multi in the crosses, as I overall preferred the setup with poly vs multi. He also advised to lower the tension and also to string crosses higher since it's a multi.

Previously had setup of full multi at 55# and currently poly mains at 51# and multi crosses at 53#.

With this current setup, I found much easier consistency with both direction and depth, as well as still being able to do volleys, however after 2 hours of play the strings were already getting stuck.

Did some research and maybe it's time to just go full poly again, but definitely thinking about hybrid options nonetheless. I've read that lowering tension on crosses may make it easier for the mains to move back into their position.

Lastly, in terms of arm pain, I found that I have wrist "soreness" which completely resolves if I don't play tennis for 1 day. I'd say the soreness is 0/10 unless I'm doing barbell deadlifts (or a similar action) then it's around 4/10. This soreness was noticeably worse with the full bed of multi, so there's really nothing to stop me from just going back to full poly bed.

If you get the impression that you lose significant power with a full bed of poly, it sounds like you don't need it. That string is probably working against you when you use it and it could be tricking you into swinging too hard too often to compensate for the loss of power. That's not good at all.

The string type that you didn't mention is synthetic gut. This is still an ideal option for many of us and a full bed could be worth a try if you want something that doesn't turn into a trampoline as quickly as multifiber sometimes can. Syn. gut probably also won't choke the power out of your racquet like a full bed of poly seems to do for you. Just keep in mind that some are softer than others. Bonus points for syn. gut - it's pretty much the most affordable string around.

If you want some of the performance that can come with poly without getting a layout that seems overly dead when it's fresh off the machine, I think you might get what you want with a poly hybrid, but I'd recommend a syn. gut cross instead of multi. I get great results stringing hybrids for local sluggers when I use Gosen OG Sheep Micro 16 as a cross, but others also work pretty well.

I'm generally rather leery of poly, but the hybrid that has been trouble free for locals who use me for stringing has been a rather light gauge poly main - 1.20mm or lighter - with a syn. gut cross. Lighter gauges of poly seem to lose their resilience and "go dead" at least as quickly as heavier gauges of those strings, but they don't seem to drop off a cliff as drastically when supported by a syn. gut cross. The upside of thinner poly is that it's usually not as clunky as a thicker alternative. Better feel/feedback for those who want that and it seems to be easier on the arm than a heavy gauge.

 

[Niwrad0]

@fuzz nation Hi I'm confused what syn gut is vs multi. The specific string I used was a yonex poly tour spin 1.20 and gamma live wire pro 16 1.32. I think it's more correctly called a syn gut, now that I've read your post

 

[fuzz nation]

@fuzz nation Hi I'm confused what syn gut is vs multi. The specific string I used was a yonex poly tour spin 1.20 and gamma live wire pro 16 1.32. I think it's more correctly called a syn gut, now that I've read your post

I think of multifibers as being a bunch of "micro-filaments" bundled together with perhaps an outer coating and/or durable wrap to form a string. In other words, a string composed of many tiny strings. A traditional synthetic gut is usually a solid nylon core that is often finished with an outer layer of small strands or filaments that aren't quite "micro".

Multifibers generally have a better reputation for softness over syn. gut, but many syn. guts can deliver a moderate degree of softness, especially compared with polys. Forten Sweet is a syn. gut that seems to be soft enough that it can actually work as a lower cost alternative to some premium multifibers. I personally like syn. gut beds in my own frames for the combo of moderate softness and crisp feel I get with them. Since I string at home, durability isn't much of a concern for me overall, but syn. gut is cheap and gives me a more than acceptable life span.

Syn. gut often seems to do a better job of holding tension compared with multifibers, but it also seems to sustain some resilience over its service life. So it doesn't "go dead" well before it physically snaps compared with a lot of poly strings. But one knock against syn. gut is that it can lose its slippery cover, notch, and become "locked" where it won't readily displace and snap back at contact. That's when it supposedly becomes much more harsh feeling and its performance falls off. Not as bad for flatter hitters compared with others who want to hit with healthy spin.

Yaddah-yaddah... I think that Live Wire is considered to be a multifiber, but I haven't worked with it in a long time - can't remember how soft it plays or how well it resists fraying. If the Live Wire is getting scraped up by your poly mains too much and you want to try something else, I've found pretty good results with Prince Original SG, Babolat SG, and Volkl Classic. All three of these seem to play softer than Gosen OGSM and ought to work okay as a cross string in a hybrid.

 

[blai212]

@Niwrad0 - strings are out of place and Stringmeter gives you some readings. The question I have is how does the racket play? If it plays OK, then you're really overthinking this. Strings move <period>. Some combinations move more than others. It's not a big deal and straightening them used to be what tennis players did between EVERY point before poly became popular. With regard to the scattered tension, I really do not recommend checking tension on individual strings. You need to judge the frame as a whole. If it's still hitting good, it is good.

I can tell you that if I strung for you, I'd explain what I just did above. And, I'd probably give you a free redo on the first one. But after that, I'd recommend some other stringers (whom I do not like).

THIS^^^!!! You are overthinking it. Go by personal feel. If it still feels fine, then all is well. As soon as it feels like garbage, get it restrung. Can also check the notching on the mains to see if it’s almost about to break. (~1/3 notched means it’s on its last legs) Probably good idea to carry multiple sticks that you can switch out if you’re highly sensitive but you can always adjust your strokes (using more spin) if the strings get looser. Adrian Mannarino strings his racquet at 24 lbs.

 

[yt9tennis]

With poly/multi the multi tends to have its slick coating worn off quickly. As the crosses get rough the mains wont snap back. Also the lower the tension on the mains the less kinetic energy there is to pull the string back in place. And the higher the tension on the crosses the more resistance there is for the mains to move. Try stringing the crosses 2-3 lbs lower than the mains instead of the opposite.

Better yet google the online tension advisor. With the strings out of your racket measure the inside dimension of your racket and put those numbers in the app to get a recommendation of tensions to use. More often than not the cross string tension is lower than the mains For a 16x19 racket.

This is helpful information Irvin, thanks for sharing.

 

[graycrait]

@Niwrad0 ,

If crooked strings bother you a lot you might want to think hard about getting your own stringing machine. Stringing is something anyone can learn to do in a relatively short amount of time.

 

[1HBHfanatic]

-best multi ive found, head.velocity, good snapback characteristics for a multi, wnt get stuck out of place as quickly
-best soft poly, head.lynx.TOUCH almost as soft as a multi , but with way better snapback characteristics + will last a bit longer than multi

 

[blai212]

currently using multi/poly hybrid due to arm problems…isospeed control 16/GW 17 feels really good in my v7 blade 98, so far the best multi yet.