The J011yroger guide to strings.

[J011yroger]

Yea, the ALU crosses will saw through the gut mains faster. Tension won't really enter into it.

It will probably feel better to you. It is a question of cost depending on how fast you break.

J

 

[game set match 46 TIMES!!]

hey j0lly my 10 year old student keeps trying new strings but cant find the perfect string.he likes sppp 17 and likes it alot. also he hits around 55-65 mph hes hits very hard.when i check his serve it was 82 mph but he's really tall 5.1.he doesnt mind to spend 20$ a string but trys to get it under.what do you think he should use on a k blade 98.

 

[J011yroger]

Is he breaking strings yet? I have a hard time reccomending poly to a 10 year old, so I would say basic syngut, or multi if he likes the feel of it better.

J

 

[0range]

Should it be as many hours we play per week.
JR, Thanks a lot for the guide.

Wow I'm suppose to string my racquet 8 times a year (I play 7~8 hours per week)? No wonder after 6 month of playing my poly string was catapulting tennis balls in all directions during mini-court rally...

Thanks Jolly, what you wrote make a lot of sense. I'm gonna get my racquet restrung with Syn Gut now. I've always string my racquet with poly coz it's the "recommanded string" for my racquet... but it's really, really harsh on my arm (especially during the first couple of weeks) even when I string it at the lowest tention. Your guide opened my eyes.

 

[game set match 46 TIMES!!]

Is he breaking strings yet? I have a hard time reccomending poly to a 10 year old, so I would say basic syngut, or multi if he likes the feel of it better.

J

yeah he's breaking strings he has the hardest hitting shots in the 10 years old i think he hit me a 87 mph serve.can you name what strings you would use if you were him.

 

[J011yroger]

yeah he's breaking strings he has the hardest hitting shots in the 10 years old i think he hit me a 87 mph serve.can you name what strings you would use if you were him.

What are you trying to accomplish by switching?

What would you like more or less of?

J

 

[game set match 46 TIMES!!]

more spin... not worried to much about power but need some (around nxt power), durable and soft. he uses sppp 17 but im thinking you know a better one.

 

[ls206]

more spin... not worried to much about power but need some (around nxt power), durable and soft. he uses sppp 17 but im thinking you know a better one.

he could try SP Hextreme 1.25 in the mains and SPPP 1.18 in the crosses. It would add a bit more spin with a very similar feel to full SPPP

 

[J011yroger]

more spin... not worried to much about power but need some (around nxt power), durable and soft. he uses sppp 17 but im thinking you know a better one.

I would say try something like RIP control, and if he doesn't like that, you could go to a hybrid to get a little more pop.

Maybe something like Prince Premier/Pacific poly force xtreme.

J

 

[Charlie_Boy]

Jolly, I was considering restringing with a better synthetic gut, but I might just keep my regular cheap Gosen.

If I made a step up to some Laserfibre syn. gut (which I have on my old Prince triple threat, I like it), would there be any real benefits from using this more expensive string? Thanks man!

 

[J011yroger]

I don't know. My buddy hits the best ball with gosen syngut. He will be switching frames, ones strung with Lux, Ballistic, VS Gut, during the hit, and everytime I say "That is a better ball, which string is that." It is always the **** cheap gosen.

J

 

[Charlie_Boy]

I hear ya. I suppose I'll hold off for now, I have arguably the best ground strokes at the group lessons I take, although that's not saying much lol.

 

[game set match 46 TIMES!!]

thanks alot j011y but not gonna try out the hybird for while he breaks prince to much...

 

[Charlie_Boy]

Jolly....think it's worth it to have a go with the set of poly strings I have laying around?

The place that carries the Gosen I'm using now is taking a damn long time restringing peoples racquets (multiple weeks). And my coach can get my racquet back to me within a day's time.

 

[J011yroger]

Jolly....think it's worth it to have a go with the set of poly strings I have laying around?

The place that carries the Gosen I'm using now is taking a damn long time restringing peoples racquets (multiple weeks). And my coach can get my racquet back to me within a day's time.

Nope, just mail them on up to me

On a more serious note, sure give them a shot, just so you understand that it is an experiment. If you have multiple frames, ask your hitting partner which you hit the better quality ball with.

What strings exactly are they?

J

 

[Charlie_Boy]

Babolat Pro Hurricane 16 gauge strings.

I got 'em for free at a tennis camp, lol.

 

[J011yroger]

Babolat Pro Hurricane 16 gauge strings.

I got 'em for free at a tennis camp, lol.

Plug em in at about 5lb lower than you string the Gosen, then after you have knocked it around as long as it takes you to see what all the fuss is about, you can cut em out and go back to the Gosen.

J

 

[Charlie_Boy]

Any particular reason why I'd string at a lower tension like that?

 

[J011yroger]

Any particular reason why I'd string at a lower tension like that?

Ya, the poly is a stiffer string, (If you don't believe me, open your pack and stab yourself in the finger with the end of the string) so you string it looser in order to get it to feel the same or closer to the same anyway, poly will never feel like syngut.

J

 

[crazy8tiger]

Hey Jolly, how well would you say the tension maintenance of ALU compares to other co-polys? I liked the playability of Luxilon Ace but I want a thicker gauge and the tension maintenance didn't seem too well.

 

[Charlie_Boy]

Jolly, any particular reason why you string at 70 pounds?

Just wondering if it does something for you that a lower tension doesn't.

 

[J011yroger]

Hey Jolly, how well would you say the tension maintenance of ALU compares to other co-polys? I liked the playability of Luxilon Ace but I want a thicker gauge and the tension maintenance didn't seem too well.

I am a bad person to ask. I don't find that it loses tension much beyond the initial while just sitting in my bag, and then when I play with the frame, it is very rare for me to use the same stringjob more than 2 days.

When I use other stuff than Lux, I am usually playtesting, so I just get my frame strung, and go play until it breaks or I say "This stuff sucks" and cut it out.

So, I guess my answer is, I don't know.

J

 

[J011yroger]

Jolly, any particular reason why you string at 70 pounds?

Just wondering if it does something for you that a lower tension doesn't.

Well when I played my N90s I strung at 58.

Then I switched to the J90, and started at 58-60. And was hitting everything long, and so adjusted, never assumed that I would end up at 70 in my wildest dreams.

With the looser tension, I have to hit more top, and put more arc in my ball than I care to in order to keep it in. So I raised the tension until I was hitting the ball at a trajectory that I was happy with. 68 fresh off the machine was perfect, so I string all my frames at 70 and don't play with them for at least 3 days after they come off the machine and go through the initial tension loss.

Now with the 70 I can blast flat balls corner to corner, but retain the ability to hit heavy top, or just a heavy deep rally ball.

Higher than 70 I would have to hit flatter than I want to get the ball through the court, and lower I would have to hit more top than I wanted.

Basically I looked at my style of play, and thought of what would be ideal to me. And adjusted to the tension that best allowed me to hit that way.

J

 

[martin8768]

Well when I played my N90s I strung at 58.

Then I switched to the J90, and started at 58-60. And was hitting everything long, and so adjusted, never assumed that I would end up at 70 in my wildest dreams.

With the looser tension, I have to hit more top, and put more arc in my ball than I care to in order to keep it in. So I raised the tension until I was hitting the ball at a trajectory that I was happy with. 68 fresh off the machine was perfect, so I string all my frames at 70 and don't play with them for at least 3 days after they come off the machine and go through the initial tension loss.

Now with the 70 I can blast flat balls corner to corner, but retain the ability to hit heavy top, or just a heavy deep rally ball.

Higher than 70 I would have to hit flatter than I want to get the ball through the court, and lower I would have to hit more top than I wanted.

Basically I looked at my style of play, and thought of what would be ideal to me. And adjusted to the tension that best allowed me to hit that way.

J

thats really similar to my procedure, average tragectory, spin and depth/control is what i look for in fresh strings

 

[Charlie_Boy]

I'll see how I like the poly.

I'm sort of hoping I fall in love with it as so many people here seem to.

 

[0range]

Jo11y, I used to string my racquet with full poly. Usually my arm would really hurt during the first two weeks of hitting; after the strung racquet had been used for two weeks my arm would stop hurting.

Was that because my poly lost a lot more tension after two weeks of play?

If I want to feel comfortable hitting with a freshly strung racquet, should I drop my string tension even further? (I usually string it at 52... already the lowest recommanded tension from the racquet manufacture). I want to also mention that, after the intial uncomfortable two weeks, my poly string will play great for a while, then the ball will start to "trampoline" off the string bed.

I know poly is probably too harsh for me and it is stupid to keep doing something that hurts, but I have tried other strings and I get the best consistency and spin off poly. What are my options here? String it at an even lowered tension, try that Prince Recoil (which is very expensive for me), or try something else?

 

[ls206]

Hey 0range, have you tested the tension of the string bed while it's nice to play with?
also, what poly are you using at the moment? there may be softer polys or polys that hold tension better that you could try

 

[0range]

Test the tension of the string bed? can we do that??

I use Head Sonic Pro.

 

[ls206]

yea, you can either buy a machine (and spend lots of money) or take a look at this thread
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=28657

the link in the first post no longer works, here's the web address to download the software.
http://marc.roettig.org/tennis/freqmess.php

if you have a microphone (e.g from a skype headset) you can measure fairly accurately the tension. (you have to add 22.2lbs to get the "strung" tension)

with regards to your string, I've done a bit of reading and the general views are that the tension stability is v.bad.

some strings you could consider are:
Signum pro - poly plasma,
Pro supex - big ace
Msv - co focus
these strings are considered soft for polys (more comfort, maybe less arm pain)
also they hold tension well so you won't find yourself having to adjust constantly as you strings become "slack"
oo, and I think the prices are easy on the wallet/purse too

We'll see what jo11y has to say, but I hope I've helped

 

[J011yroger]

Jo11y, I used to string my racquet with full poly. Usually my arm would really hurt during the first two weeks of hitting; after the strung racquet had been used for two weeks my arm would stop hurting.

Was that because my poly lost a lot more tension after two weeks of play?

If I want to feel comfortable hitting with a freshly strung racquet, should I drop my string tension even further? (I usually string it at 52... already the lowest recommanded tension from the racquet manufacture). I want to also mention that, after the intial uncomfortable two weeks, my poly string will play great for a while, then the ball will start to "trampoline" off the string bed.

I know poly is probably too harsh for me and it is stupid to keep doing something that hurts, but I have tried other strings and I get the best consistency and spin off poly. What are my options here? String it at an even lowered tension, try that Prince Recoil (which is very expensive for me), or try something else?

Approx what level are you?

What you describe is the main problem with Poly, even if you can't break it, it isn't for those who don't want to restring often.

There is no way to make it play well/the same for a long time.

You can string below the minimum reccomended without any trouble, so I would certainly advise that.

But if something is hurting your arm at all, it is probably a bad idea to keep using it for a long time.

For your game and your health, you are most likely better off getting used to playing with a multi or syngut.

If you can't get the hang of that, then you can also try a hybrid.

J

 

[0range]

Thanks IS206 for the cool link, I'll try that out.

Jo11y, I'm not that good. A coach thinks I'm about 3.5.

I've actually just ordered a Klippermate online (sick of paying $35 every 2 month)... so that'll probably help me experiment with more strings.

When I get my stringing machine, I'm gonna try Sonic Pro main 52 and Syn Gut cross 62. I've never tried hybrid before, do you think that a good starting point?

 

[J011yroger]

Thanks IS206 for the cool link, I'll try that out.

Jo11y, I'm not that good. A coach thinks I'm about 3.5.

I've actually just ordered a Klippermate online (sick of paying $35 every 2 month)... so that'll probably help me experiment with more strings.

When I get my stringing machine, I'm gonna try Sonic Pro main 52 and Syn Gut cross 62. I've never tried hybrid before, do you think that a good starting point?

I would really stay away from poly. If you do go with it, and run a poly main/syn cross, I would string the poly mains only 4lb looser than the syn cross. 10lb is too much differential, esp since you are stringing the mains looser than the crosses. Don't need to be egging your frame.

Also find out what machine your current frames are strung on, because your tension with the Klipper will be much lower.

Also understand if I don't look for you to be as economical, because I am just so numb to paying for stringing. I drop frames off to be strung 4-6 at a time in the outdoor season. So your annual stringing budget is just a good summer week for me. Not working much in the retail part, I am just not used to that. When I am at my stringer and someone is complaining that this string is fraying after 2 months, and their last stringjob lasted 2 years, I just stare in shock at someone who plays 5 times a week and is unwilling to pay less than a cup of coffee a week for equipment expenses for a game they play so often.

Usually for any solid intermediate to low advanced tennis player I think looking to get more than 20 hours out of a stringjob is pushing it.

So when people ask about durability, I think about what would last them 20 hours.

J

 

[0range]

This is not related to strinigng... since I play competitively 3 times a week all year round, I am seriously thinking about buying another racquet identical to the one I'm using right now.

Seeing that you own more than 4 racquet, could you give some advice on purchasing a 2nd racquet? Should I go back to the store that I bought my first racquet or it doesn't matter? Thanks!

 

[J011yroger]

This is not related to strinigng... since I play competitively 3 times a week all year round, I am seriously thinking about buying another racquet identical to the one I'm using right now.

Seeing that you own more than 4 racquet, could you give some advice on purchasing a 2nd racquet? Should I go back to the store that I bought my first racquet or it doesn't matter? Thanks!

Right now it doesn't really matter. I guess the best thing you could do is have your racquet specs taken unstrung, and try to have the store, (or TW) match them and give you the frame they have that is closest.

What is best, and what I do is buy them in batches, and have them all pulled from the same lot.

You will most likely be fine just buying another, really depends on the Mfr.

Yonex, Fischer, and some others are very good, Wilson is very bad. (hope my Wilson Rep. isn't reading this).

J

 

[Craigs]

I figure I would ask in here because anyone that has read this far must take their strings seriously.

Before you type out the “Just get more court time moron!” response please understand that as an engineer being this analytical is one of the curses that I have to live with daily.

After fifteen years of not picking up a racquet the group at work that hits at lunch talked me into coming out. After two lunch sessions I ended up hitting with the guy at work that played in college and instructed during the summers. Next thing I knew I was making plans to play in his after work doubles league.

I hadn’t touched a racquet since high school when I used to hit with a few guys on the team (I played baseball so no team tennis for me). I read some reviews on-line and purchased a new Wilson N5 that my wife knows about. Two more are in the trunk of my car – they were on sale!

The first couple of times out the racquet/strings were fine. But after two to three hours the stings were loose and I was hitting out beyond the baseline. My game is pretty one dimensional – stand at the baseline and wack away with top spin almost equal to the guy that played in college. I’ll go to the net often enough to pick up balls, but that’s it.

I will be playing in a doubles league and hitting around playing singles. I am 35 years old and still play baseball competatively. I have never been a big string breaker. I have never had tennis injury issues. I have had rotator cuff tendon surgery and bone spurs removed – both baseball related.

My plan for string selection is as follows:
String one racquet with VS Team 17, one with NXT Tour 17 mains and VS crosses, and one with SPPP 1.18 mains and VS crosses. The full VS at 60, the hybrids at 56 and 60.

Hit with each and evaluate them by:
1. Asking my partner which I hit better with and
2.Make sure I do not break a string within the first two hours. If I do then probably select the next more “aggressive” setup of my three.

I will also be checking for depth of shots.

What else should I test? What else should I be looking for?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Craig

 

[0d1n]

I'm an Automation/Computer Science engineer myself and I don't think that being analytical is a bad thing (...not surprisingly ...).
With regards to your trial, I say go for it. However, I would ditch the multi main/gut cross one and pick another setup. Gut will be wasted in the crosses in that particular setup. Use gut in the mains multi cross (to cut down costs) or use full multi.
My 2 pence.

 

[J011yroger]

I'm an Automation/Computer Science engineer myself and I don't think that being analytical is a bad thing (...not surprisingly ...).
With regards to your trial, I say go for it. However, I would ditch the multi main/gut cross one and pick another setup. Gut will be wasted in the crosses in that particular setup. Use gut in the mains multi cross (to cut down costs) or use full multi.
My 2 pence.

2nded. Gut M/Multi X is the way to go, or as suggested full multi setup.

Let us know what you think of these setups, and we can fine tune from there.

J

 

[samster]

Jo11y, I used power pads when I restrung my K90s today. Will it affect playability? If so, what should I be looking forward to?

 

[J011yroger]

Jo11y, I used power pads when I restrung my K90s today. Will it affect playability? If so, what should I be looking forward to?

It shouldn't at all affect playablity, I would suspect you would get a somewhat softer feeling stringbed, dampened bed vibration, and for lack of a better word, a warmer quality to your hit.

I have only used power pads in wooden racquets, never in graphite ones, so I can't really tell you from personal experience.

J

 

[samster]

Okay. Thanks Jo11y. The pads did add weight to the already heavy K90. I replaced my Gamma Supreme Overgrip with the lighter/thinner Wilson Pro Overgrip.

Here they are:

 

[J011yroger]

Have you tried a leaded AK90 ala Dr. Clark?

J

 

[J011yroger]

Then you could leave a little room at the top of the weight range so you wouldn't have to cut it so close.

J

 

[samster]

Have you tried a leaded AK90 ala Dr. Clark?

J

No Sir, I have not tried his AK90s. Did you like it?

 

[samster]

The K90s with the power pads and Wilson overgrip and strings are about ~362 grams +/- 1 gram.

 

[J011yroger]

No Sir, I have not tried his AK90s. Did you like it?

It was a fine stick, but less than ideal for me and the game which I endevor to play.

(I know you are shocked to hear that I prefer and play better with my own personal frames that I had custom made for me)

I have one I am not using if you want to fool around with it for a while I will drop it in the mail. It has a pretty sweet stringjob in it that you will probably enjoy.

J

 

[samster]

It was a fine stick, but less than ideal for me and the game which I endevor to play.

(I know you are shocked to hear that I prefer and play better with my own personal frames that I had custom made for me)

I have one I am not using if you want to fool around with it for a while I will drop it in the mail. It has a pretty sweet stringjob in it that you will probably enjoy.

J

Is that the 400 grams J90???

 

[samster]

Let me order some anabolic steroids before you mail that beast.

 

[J011yroger]

Is that the 400 grams J90???

Let me order some anabolic steroids before you mail that beast.

No I meant the AK90.

If you wanted to try the [J]90, I can drop one of those in the box too.

J

 

[0range]

Jo11y does all 4~6 of your racquet have the same weight and balance?

I just bought two racquets... they have 0.5 pt difference in balance, is that a lot? (same weight.. I got them there's only two left in the store.)

 

[J011yroger]

Jo11y does all 4~6 of your racquet have the same weight and balance?

I just bought two racquets... they have 0.5 pt difference in balance, is that a lot? (same weight.. I got them there's only two left in the store.)

Yes but all of my frames are heavily customized. I can switch back and forth between all 20 or so of them without being able to tell the difference, and I keep a log of how many times each is strung.

I am wierd, and a bit ocd/over the top with this stuff (and not particularly good at this game to boot), so most of the stuff I do is highly unnecessary for most anyone.

In your case, the .5 difference shouldn't bother you a bit, and the two frames should play nearly identically.

With my old racquets I had 17 of them, and the spec differences were off the charts bad. 20 grams apart, and 6 points difference between the extremes. They weren't even the same length.

That is one third of the reason I switched frames.

J