Want More Control?

Want more control?
First of all, I should be specific about the type of control I'm describing. I'm talking about depth control. The ability to hit the ball consistently deep, but not long.
If this is the kind of control you are looking for, there are a few ways to achieve it though equipment. The first is with rackets. If you are hitting lots of shots long, your racket may be too powerful. A racket with a smaller head, thinner beam or denser string pattern will all reduce depth. This does not come without some cost. With less depth comes less power.
The other way to gain control is with your strings. Going a little tighter on the tension will add some depth control. You can also go to a firmer string. This will decrease the trampoline effect and add control. As mentioned above about rackets, going firmer or tighter on your strings will reduce your power and increase the amount of effort to get the ball deep.
There is another, non-equipment way to add control. Increase your topspin. More topspin will help the ball drop down and in play, keeping you from hitting as many long.
Stop in and we can show you ways to gain control with the least amount of power loss.

Tennis Racket Grommets....What Do They Do?

If you look closely at your tennis or racquetball rackets, most will have one thing in common. The use of grommets.
Grommets are the plastic tubes extending out from the inside of the frame that the string passes through. They are there to form a protective barrier from the sharp edge of the frame. Eventually, you will find that some of the grommets wear out and break off. This is a problem because the string will be able to rub against the frame leading to string breakage.
If some of your grommets have broken off, there are ways that we can still string your racket with some confidence in the strings holding up. Assuming that only a few grommets have broken, we can use a Teflon tubing in the holes to act as a buffer to the frame. This usually holds up well and is a good option to keep playing with your racket.
Stop in and we'll take a look at your racket and let you know what can be done to keep it playing like new.

Stringing Over The Range

"Can I get my racket strung above the recommended range?" The first thing to consider when answering this question is why? Many of the people who want their racket string 5lbs or more over the max are trying to get depth control. One line of thought is that if you have to go that far over to gain control, you have the wrong racket. A less powerful racket would play better and do so without having to go to tension extremes to make it work. Another thing to consider is if your racket is under a year old, there is a warranty on it. Stringing over the max recommended tension can void that warranty. If you are looking for more control without going over the recommended range, a poly string may be an answer. Poly strings are stiffer and less powerful. While there are some negatives to poly strings, many players find the extra control they need this way. While not the best thing to do, going a little over the max (less than 5lbs) isn't a big deal and something we see from time to time. Over that, it is not recommended. If control is a problem, stop in and we'd be glad to show you the string options that may work for you.

We get many people coming in with questions about hybrid strings. The most common is, "what types of strings should I use?"
First of all, the main reason for using a hybrid string is because you need a combination of benefits that one string alone can not provide. An example of this is someone who wants the durability of a poly string but needs a softer feel than poly alone will have. By pairing the poly with a softer string, he can get some of the benefits of both strings and reducing the negatives in both.
As for what to use, a good way of thinking of it is apples and oranges. Most often the strings will be fairly different. Some players will use two poly strings as a hybrid, but that is like using apples and apples. The majority of the hybrids we string are a stiff, durable poly string paired with a softer,  multifilament or synthetic gut (in feel and performance, apples and oranges). Using two very similar strings, while not out of the question, will not give you the benefits of an "apples and oranges" hybrid like improved feel and added performance.
Stop in and we'd be glad to help you determine if a hybrid string job would be best for you and what combinations will have you playing better tennis.

Strings for tennis and racquetball are a lot like rubber bands. At impact they give, stretching out, then snapping back, returning the energy to the ball. The more a string can be made to give at impact, the more energy goes into the ball for more power.
Softer, multifilament strings are more elastic and will give more. For players who want more power and depth on their shots, these strings are a great option. In addition to the added power, they also absorb more of the impact, making them easier on the arm.
Poly strings are less elastic, and therefore have less power for most players, For the really big hitters who can make poly strings give enough, the power can be great. 
The other thing strings have in common with rubber bands is that over time, they lose the ability to "snap back". After a while, a rubber band left stretched out will not snap back. Tennis strings are the same. After some time, they will not return as much energy to the ball, causing a loss of power and depth on your shots. For harder hitters, this will happen quicker, but eventually, this will happen with all strings. A good rule of thumb is to restring after a six months to a year if the strings have not broken, as they will have lost a good deal of the "snap back" and the performance will have dropped.
Not sure you're ready for a new string job? Stop in and we'll be glad to help, and if needed, help you pick the best string for your game.

Low Tensions....Are They Good for You?

A trend in tennis right now is to string rackets at lower tensions. On some rackets, such as the Wilson Clash, stringing at 45-50lbs is recommended.
Should you be stringing that low?
That depends mostly on the racket you are using.
Just because someone you play with is playing great with a racket strung at 45lbs, doesn't mean that it will work on your racket. All rackets have a recommended tension range. Depending on your racket, 60lbs could be at the high end of the range or the low end and will play very differently.
Another thing to consider is the strings being used. Some poly strings such as Luxilon, suggest stringing 10% less than with other, softer strings. Like with rackets, 60lbs with a poly string will feel much different than with a multifilament.
The main thing to know is what are you using now, both racket and string-wise, and what sort of results are you looking for. We can help you find the string/tension that will be fit your needs and your racket.

Cooler Weather...Different Strings?

Now that the weather has finally cooled off, some of our customers have asked if they should change anything about their strings for the colder temps.
If you live here in Florida year round, you'll be fine with what you use the rest of the year. It just doesn't get cold enough, long enough, to make changing strings or tensions worth it. If the weather were to get really cold (for the Tampa Bay area), you might notice the ball feels "harder" and maybe a little less pop on your shots, but really cold snaps are usually short, and again, not worth restringing for.
If you are a frequent string breaker, you might adapt slightly to the cooler conditions, knowing that any strings will probably not be in the racket long. For the rest of us, unless you are feeling a real difference in your strings in the cooler weather,  you should keep going with your normal strings and tension.
Have questions? Stop in and we'll be glad to help you find the strings and tension best for you.

Fairly often, we will get someone come into our store with two rackets with broken strings. The question they usually ask is,
"why did the strings break on both in the same match?"
The reason is pretty simple.
They were equally used, therefore, equally worn.
Think of it like this. You have two identical trees in your front yard and you are going to chop them down. You decide to hit one tree with an ax, then the other. You keep taking turns, hitting one, then the other. When the first tree goes over, the other should be very close to falling as well.
It is the same thing with your strings on multiple rackets. If you are alternating them perfectly, when a string goes on one, they are going to be very close to breaking on the other.
So, what should you do?
There are a few ways to avoid this problem. The first and most obvious is to use one until it breaks and save the other. This will greatly increase the chance of getting through a tournament without the other breaking or just until you can get the other restrung.
There are some players who don't like saving a racket. For those, a good way to do it would be to use one racket more than the other (think 70% of the time for one, 30% for the other). This will keep enough difference in wear that you should be able to get through a match or two with some confidence.
One thing to keep in mind is that I am talking about string breakage through wear and use. Mis-hit breaks and breaks caused by things other than wear are unpredictable and the above won't help.
The biggest thing to consider is that you want to be able to get through the rest of your match or tournament with your backup racket without unnecessary fear of breakage. By making sure your backup has significantly less wear will help get you through with much less worry.