When to Re-string

[iamanoven]

Hi,

6 months ago I started using Pure Drive/ Kirschbaum MAX Power (Poly) and I developed tennis elbow. Then 3 months ago, I switched to Prince Phantom P100/ Hybrid (VS Gut Main 55lbs / MAX Power 50lbs), tennis elbow is gone.

Last week, I started having tennis elbow again...

My questions:-
Does POLY string go dead and stiffen up after 2-3 months (playing 6-7 times a week)?
Should I re-string (VS Gut Main 55lbs / MAX Power 50lbs) every 2 months? or just go all Gut?

Thank you in advance

 

[Ronaldo]

Hi,

6 months ago I started using Pure Drive/ Kirschbaum MAX Power (Poly) and I developed tennis elbow. Then 3 months ago, I switched to Prince Phantom P100/ Hybrid (VS Gut Main 55lbs / MAX Power 50lbs), tennis elbow is gone.

Last week, I started having tennis elbow again...

My questions:-
Does POLY string go dead and stiffen up after 2-3 months (playing 6-7 times a week)?
Should I re-string (VS Gut Main 55lbs / MAX Power 50lbs) every 2 months? or just go all Gut?

Thank you in advance

It's not your poly, it's your body

 

[Dartagnan64]

Poly goes dead after 10 hours. You should be restringing it every 3 weeks at that level of play.

Sounds like you aren't a string breaker so why use poly at all?

There are some good multi alternatives like Velocity or HDX tour.

 

[esgee48]

Could be strings, could be frame, could be your technique. Restring with something soft and ditch the poly. I suspect that your body can't handle any poly anymore because of the way you hit the ball. Also let the TE heal before doing anything else. Trying to play thru it is a recipe for serious injuries.

 

[Ronaldo]

Poly goes dead after 10 hours. You should be restringing it every 3 weeks at that level of play.

Sounds like you aren't a string breaker so why use poly at all?

There are some good multi alternatives like Velocity or HDX tour.

Once or twice a week re-stringing if playing 6-7X a week.

 

[iamanoven]

Poly goes dead after 10 hours. You should be restringing it every 3 weeks at that level of play.

Sounds like you aren't a string breaker so why use poly at all?

There are some good multi alternatives like Velocity or HDX tour.

Thank you Dartagnan64 and Ronaldo, you are right, I cannot afford to re-string weekly, it is time to say bye to Poly, go full gut.

If I find full gut too powerful, does it make sense to use Gut + Multi hybrid for more spin effect? (sorry, newbie question)

 

[Zavist]

As someone who has had TE, I would suggest you get to a doctor and a physical therapist ASAP. My TE was treated with ultrasound therapy and rest. After that I was given an exercise program to strengthen my elbow. I would also suggest you get with someone, (like a tennis pro) who can take a look at your technique. IMHO just switching up racquets and strings is a recipe for riding the tennis struggle bus for a long time.

 

[Jonathan P.]

Thank you Dartagnan64 and Ronaldo, you are right, I cannot afford to re-string weekly, it is time to say bye to Poly, go full gut.

If I find full gut too powerful, does it make sense to use Gut + Multi hybrid for more spin effect? (sorry, newbie question)

If you find it too powerful increase the tension by 2-3 pounds o cross it with Synthetic gut.

 

[jim e]

String the full gut at high tension. A quality gut can tolerate higher tensions and hits real well and gives great control.This is the beauty of a quality gut.I had one player that had me string his at 70 lbs and string held up fine. I would start mid to low 60's.A more flexible frame would help as well.

 

[fuzz nation]

Thank you Dartagnan64 and Ronaldo, you are right, I cannot afford to re-string weekly, it is time to say bye to Poly, go full gut.

If I find full gut too powerful, does it make sense to use Gut + Multi hybrid for more spin effect? (sorry, newbie question)

I've come to more or less believe that we can get plenty of spin with half-decent technique along with a racquet that's relatively spin-happy for our individual swing styles. As long as a frame isn't strung up with the equivalent of a bed of rubber bands that risk putting our shots on NASA's radar scopes, we ought to be able to do what we want within reason. Sound technique and decent fitting gear will give us a lot more of an edge than subtle differences among string combos I think.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not being snooty. We're free to use whatever we want in our own rigs - that includes you - but I don't think you need to worry about missing out on anything as far as maxing out your racquet/string potential is concerned if you string with something that doesn't have the highest spin effect quotient. The right swing and a spin factory of a racquet will give you all the thrills you're looking for - again, within reason - without needing to install a string that's so un-resilient that it hurts your arm. Poly can put some arms at significantly greater risk for injury.

I agree with lots of the replies here. Priority #1 right now is getting healthy and not rolling the dice by dabbling with any poly that will make your racquet less arm-friendly, even as a cross in a hybrid with natural gut mains. A syn. gut cross could work okay if you don't want to do full gut, but I haven't installed any of those hybrids in my years of stringing, so I don't know what specific combo to recommend. I've only strung full beds of natural gut for folks on a few occasions and I'm convinced that it's the easiest on the arm. No contest really.

Soft string will offer some relief, but keep in mind that you're already protecting an injury. You'll be night-and-day better off in the coming months and years if you adopt some active measures to mend and strengthen that arm going forward. I blew up my arm last November (sampling a full bed of poly at rather low tension in a really soft racquet) and my recovery has been oh-so-slow. But when I've remembered to keep after my exercises, etc., my gains have been much more substantial. Racquet and string performance is not a concern right now compared with the task of mending and protecting your arm.

 

[hotasice]

Hi,

6 months ago I started using Pure Drive/ Kirschbaum MAX Power (Poly) and I developed tennis elbow. Then 3 months ago, I switched to Prince Phantom P100/ Hybrid (VS Gut Main 55lbs / MAX Power 50lbs), tennis elbow is gone.

Last week, I started having tennis elbow again...

My questions:-
Does POLY string go dead and stiffen up after 2-3 months (playing 6-7 times a week)?
Should I re-string (VS Gut Main 55lbs / MAX Power 50lbs) every 2 months? or just go all Gut?

Thank you in advance

I love the spin and control a full bed of poly gives me, but after a week or 2 of hitting 4-5 times a week, my arm hurts. So I have to hybrid in syn gut into the crosses or use a gut/poly hybrid. The hybrids work for me. No sore arm and I still have good spin and at the right tension, the control I want.

I've just accepted my arm cannot handle full poly full time. Maybe once in a while, but not all the time.

 

[1HBHfanatic]

You need to let your arm settle on 1 raket, switching rakets willcause tennis elbow (if not done correctly),
imo/ime choose a raket balance point and stay with it
Poor string choice, and bad form are also factors
choose softer strings until your arm heals,,,
hit the ball more out in front, to start..

 

[Dartagnan64]

Thank you Dartagnan64 and Ronaldo, you are right, I cannot afford to re-string weekly, it is time to say bye to Poly, go full gut.

If I find full gut too powerful, does it make sense to use Gut + Multi hybrid for more spin effect? (sorry, newbie question)

Gut just needs higher tensions to control it's power. It'll still be arm friendlier than poly.

The issue with gut is reduced spin potential which is noticeable coming from full poly setups. You can add some spin potential back in with a smooth slippery multi like velocity in the cross strings, or consider a soft copoly like Isospeed Cream or Double AR Twice Shark as a cross.