syngut + multi -> poly strings

[FifteenThirty]

Hi everyone,

New to forums here, what's up?

After playing basically my whole tennis life with synthetic gut (and most recently, multis), I decided to give poly strings a shot to see what the fuss was about.


Slazenger V98 Tour + Wilson Ripspin 17 @ 53lbs

Normally I run a syngut or multi (X1 biphase) @ 60lbs


Logged in about 2.5 hours of playing time in a private lesson setting (no serious match play yet)

Some thoughts/observations:

I can see how poly strings would destroy someone's arm over time. I don't know if it was because poly strings have "break in" period (do they?), but the first 20 minutes of hitting cause some discomfort in my elbow and shoulder. I have never experienced shoulder discomfort playing tennis, ever. It was a baaad feeling.

On the bright side, these poly strings felt like I was playing with a cheat code on. I literally couldn't hit anything out of bounds. Even my mishits were going in. Shots that looked to be clearly going out would dive down at the last second on the baseline. With syngut or multi, my errors were coming from hitting out too long. With poly, my errors were coming from dumping balls into the net. Any spin I put on the ball very visibly changed the trajectory and bounce. Backhand slices are NASTY with poly strings.

After the initial 20 minutes, I decided to slow down and hit a little softer/slowly to save my arm. By this time my arm was hurting!

I was hitting at a casual, warm up rally intensity, and found that the ball still had good control and pace, which was strange. When I was trying to crush the ball, it felt as if i was hitting a whiffleball. The sensation of crushing a ball with poly is very different than crushing a ball with syngut or multi.

So is this how poly strings are meant to be played? More relaxed swing speed and let the strings/racquet do the work?

Again, this is my first attempt at poly strings and I feel that you can't swing at the ball the same way you swing with syngut or multis if you care at all about your arm health.

Any thoughts?

 

[Korso]

You are more than likely hitting the ball late. Using synthetic and multi allows to you control the ball with the speed of your swing, even when your late.
Poly strings are controlled best with a fast swing with the contact point out in front of you. If your technique is good, you should not be getting any arm discomfort from fresh poly. Saying that though, you know your joint and body aches better than anyone. If you continue to feel pain, you probably should go back to your normal string setup.

 

[FifteenThirty]

That's a good suggestion; I will try to take note of my form the next time I'm out on the courts

The pain was most noticeable the first 20 minutes of hitting around. Do polys have a break-in period?

I'm still not sure if I like polys; the feel of it is in a whole different level. I'll probably finish off hitting with these strings before I make a final decision

 

[dfwTennis]

you can try to put muti sync-gut on main with poly on cross and lower poly tension a bit lower. This will give you soft feel with benefit of poly.

 

[Korso]

I would not say poly has a break in period but some people like the control after they loose some of their elasiticity. I find poly fairly powerful and comfortable off the stringer.

 

[usmc.action]

You should give poly/syn gut a try. A softer and slick synthetic gut like N.vy should make it easier on the arm, and you can still keep the spin.

 

[Bhairava]

Next time string it at 50lbs instead of 53.you will feel much less discomfort.
Or, to get che best from both world,put poly on main and multi or syngut on crosses. You will get a "softer poly" feel. With multi Mains and poly crosses you wil get more of a "harder,more controlled multi".
In both cases, with poly is much more needed to focus on hitting in the racquet center(sweetspot). I get che most of discomfort from mishitting and hits near tip.

 

[THESEXPISTOL]

You are more than likely hitting the ball late. Using synthetic and multi allows to you control the ball with the speed of your swing, even when your late.
Poly strings are controlled best with a fast swing with the contact point out in front of you. If your technique is good, you should not be getting any arm discomfort from fresh poly. Saying that though, you know your joint and body aches better than anyone. If you continue to feel pain, you probably should go back to your normal string setup.

Here come the technique nazies... :roll: :roll: :roll:

 

[Korso]

Here come the technique nazies... :roll: :roll: :roll:

Yes sir. Played doubles with Ripspin 17g this morning and I was late more often than not. Elbow and shoulder are not feeling too good right now. I hate playing in the morning sometimes.
Played some singles yesterday no issues at all. Seeing the ball early and striking it cleanly.
This is my first time playing with ripspin and I have to say it is a bit stiff but not harsh like some other polys out there.

 

[FifteenThirty]

side note: why does the forum always kick me out to the login screen when I click on "post reply"?

I played some casual tennis on a cold Friday noon. This time making sure to meet the ball out in front and not really trying to hit the ball too hard. Some minor shoulder discomfort, and a little bit of tennis elbow, not any more from the usual stuff I get when hitting with other string types. The strings felt like they got a LOT softer. I was actually hitting balls out of bounds. Not sure if it's the tension loss or me just not trying to hit the ball so hard.

The real test will come tomorrow when I play a match game for a league I'm in. I'll post updates on Tuesday.

 

[Korso]

Good luck in your match. I am feeling some discomfort as well after using these strings for 2 weeks. Working a lot so my timing is inconsistant. Going to hybrid this with a multi or drop the tension below 50 lbs next time I use it.
There are a lot more arm friendlier polys available. Volkl Cyclone Tour or Dunlop Black Widow would be some good options for full beds.
The website can be buggy sometimes when you try to reply.

 

[FifteenThirty]

So far, logged in a total of about 6 hours on these ripspin strings. My game yesterday was the 4th-6th hour.

LOVE these strings at this stage in its life.. but I don't like what it does to my elbow. Unfortunately, I choose health and longevity over all else.

These strings at this stage are so much more different than when freshly strung in terms of shock to the arm. These are like butter. A little bit of rocket launcher mode has been activated, but nothing like a broken-in multi.

There was no discomfort whatsoever during my match. However, I have to say that prior to this match I changed to a leather grip + overgrip setup, so maybe the added mass (however insignificant) plus cushioning reduced the overall impact on my arm.

What bothered me was the day after. I always run a "tennis elbow" test to see the extent of my condition. If anyone is curious, flex my bicep like a bodybuilder, keep my wrist flexed inward and extend my elbow out and feel for any pain. Then I flex my bicep again, this time with my knuckles facing out and do the same. I generally feel discomfort toward the end range of motion when my knuckles are faced outward (golfers elbow).

Anyway, the discomfort was a little more severe than what I usually get playing non polys, so considering this was my first 6 hours into polys, the future of my arm health does not look to bright with continued usage.

I might use polys here and there, but they certainly will not be my go to strings.

And to those suggesting hybrids, I'm trying to keep my costs down so I don't want to be investing in too much money. Plus I'm still learning how to string.

Thanks for all your feedback!

 

[Muppet]

Iontec Semi Gut from Mamba?

sorry, mis-placed post