Switch to multifilament in cold weather?

[Polotechnics]

Hi guys.

I usually play full poly in the summer.

But recently I've switched to a multi for the UK winter.

And it feels fantastic.

Anyone else do the same?

Cheers, Paul

 

[esgee48]

I lower ref tension 3-5 lbs using same string and frame.

 

[Kevo]

I have lowered and raised my tension at times in the winter and summer, but I usually don't change strings. I do love the feel of some multis, but they tend to break easily so I usually stick with poly or poly/syn gut.

If you don't have any breakage issues with the multi, I'd suggest sticking with it all the time if you like it. You might need to bump the tension a little in the middle of summer depending on the particular string, but IMO multi's as a category feel great and probably should be everyone's first choice if they're not a string breaker.

 

[SavvyStringer]

Hi guys.

I usually play full poly in the summer.

But recently I've switched to a multi for the UK winter.

And it feels fantastic.

Anyone else do the same?

Cheers, Paul

I usually switch to Gut mains and poly crosses from Poly main and multi or syngut crosses. The gut main really softens the bed even in the cold.

 

[dct693]

I go from a full poly bed to poly mains with a softer cross. Make a huge difference in power and softer feel.

 

[USPTARF97]

Normally play full poly at 52 or Gut/poly at 57/54-59/56. Go to multi mid 50’s for the winter. Gives the arm a break and plays well in the cold.

 

[mikeler]

I lower ref tension 3-5 lbs using same string and frame.

Funny, I lower my tension 4 pounds in the Florida winter which alternates between spring like weather for most people and mild winter weather.

 

[PBODY99]

Tension drop ~4 lbs string remains the same.

 

[esgee48]

I have to specify a range because the outside temperature can get into the mid-40's in the morning for the early birds. By afternoon, the temperature could be in the high 50's or low 60's for the late risers. The outside temperature affects how much I lower the ref tension.

 

[Hmgraphite1]

So if your inside in the club in the winter and it like 65-70 degrees would you change your strings / tension?

 

[Traffic]

I lower ref tension 3-5 lbs using same string and frame.

Maybe I'll secretly lower the tension for sonny boy. I string HyperG18 @ 49/48. Maybe I'll try 47/46 for the winter.

 

[Traffic]

So if your inside in the club in the winter and it like 65-70 degrees would you change your strings / tension?

I pretty much only play indoors during the winter. But I just played a match last night on courts with no heat. That's the first time I played with my long sleeve hoody (thin) and my fingers were still cold.

My home club is heated. I'd say it's probably around 60-65*. But except for dead of summer, it's pretty temperate around here (cool and wet).

 

[B Cubed]

I have lowered and raised my tension at times in the winter and summer, but I usually don't change strings. I do love the feel of some multis, but they tend to break easily so I usually stick with poly or poly/syn gut.

If you don't have any breakage issues with the multi, I'd suggest sticking with it all the time if you like it. You might need to bump the tension a little in the middle of summer depending on the particular string, but IMO multi's as a category feel great and probably should be everyone's first choice if they're not a string breaker.

Agree with this. There are a lot of decent spin friendly multis out there these days. We always here about poly's predominantly in the newer versions, but a lot of newer multis are much better and tension maintenance and spin as opposed to years past.

 

[ByeByePoly]

Hi guys.

I usually play full poly in the summer.

But recently I've switched to a multi for the UK winter.

And it feels fantastic.

Anyone else do the same?

Cheers, Paul

Which multi? What tension? What racquet?

 

[mikeler]

Tension drop ~4 lbs string remains the same.

I agree, it's not a noticeable difference. It just feels a tad more comfy when the strings get more brittle in the cooler weather.

 

[fuzz nation]

I use synthetic gut in my own racquets all the time. When I'm out in the cold in the spring for coaching my high school boys' team and the temps are often in the low 40's and high 30's (F), I drop tension by 5 lbs. in at least one of my racquets. Makes a big difference.

It makes sense that you like the multi in the cold. I haven't done extensive experiments with multis through the seasons, but that string can usually be depended upon for staying a little softer than average, even when the temps get colder. I currently have a hybrid of multi mains and syn. gut crosses in one racquet and look forward to comparing this layout against another strung with a lower tensioned full bed of syn. gut.

While syn. gut can firm up a good bit in the cold, it seems to me that poly is even more substantially affected by temperature swings and can turn very hard in colder conditions. One of my boys (strong singles player) was suddenly running into some tennis elbow when we were getting out in the cold during our preseason workouts a couple years ago. He was using a racquet strung with full poly and he figured that the cold turned his string bed rock-hard. We decided to try full multifiber - heavier 15L gauge for some durability - and that got his elbow cooled out and working fine after no more than about two weeks.

The temperature swings that we usually see from late March into early May can really give some racquets a personality disorder depending on their string setups. Just curious about what specific strings/gauges/tensions you're enjoying from one season to the other.

 

[noLets]

yes me. I play full multi in cold. One issue is that during wet weather it does absorb too much mosture, compared to poly.

Anyone else do the same?