MP Tennis Tip - The Back Swing

New Laserfibre Native Tour

Laserfibre's new Native Tour, the only poly string made in the USA.

One Way to Make Racquetball Strings Last Longer

For those that play a lot of racquetball, string breakage is a fact of life. Often, it is just lots of use or hitting the ball hard that causes strings to break. But there is one cause that can be largely prevented.
Anyone who has played for any amount of time knows that your racket will eventually make contact with the wall. Over time, this wears on the frame. As you can see in the below pictures, with enough wear, the bumper guard will wear down. This will cause more potential damage to the actual frame, eventually leading to a crack or breakage. But it also harms the string.

String exposed by excessive bumper guard wear.

A new bumper guard protecting the strings from

damage from the wall or other rackets.

The bumper guard's other job is to protect the string. The strings should sit below the edge of the guard so that when the racket scrapes the wall, the guard takes the punishment, not the string. Once the bumper wears down to a certain point, the string is exposed to their surroundings. The same scrape to the wall will now damage the strings. Eventually, the strings will look as if sandpaper had been rubbed on it, and they will break sooner than they should.
There are two ways to stop this kind of string wear, and no, not hitting the wall isn't one of them.
First is to use head protection tape on your racket. When the racket scrapes the wall, the tape takes the punishment. When the tape starts to show excessive wear, pull it off and replace it with a new strip. This will also increase the life of the frame itself.
The other way, assuming that they are available, is to replace the bumper guard. Newer rackets are usually easy to find replacement bumper guards for. The guards can be replaced while being restrung and are the best way to reduce damage to the strings and frame. For an older racket, you'll have to go the head tape route to protect the strings and frame.
If you have any questions on rackets, bumper guards or strings, stop in and we'll help you find the right ones for your game.

MP Tennis Tip - "Setting the Wrist"

Tennis Myth - Poly "Lasts" Longer

The number one reason we hear for why people use poly is that it lasts longer.

This assumption is true, but only up to a point.

A poly string is likely to take a longer amount of time to break, but that is only telling half the story. While a string may not break, all strings suffer from tension loss. Given enough time, all strings lose their ability to perform and return energy to the ball. When the strings don't perform to their potential, neither will you.

So what strings should you use?

For those who are likely to break strings in a short amount of time, poly strings are a good option. Chances are, those players are hitting the ball with a good amount of power and can benefit from the added durability and control poly strings offer.

If you are playing more than once a week, and can not break a poly string in under six months, they are probably not a good option. For those players, when you get to six months, a poly string will have lost a good deal of tension. This will result in loss of power, spin potential, and overall performance. True, while they have not broken, they are not "lasting" as long as other options might.

Multifilament strings and even basic synthetic gut strings will lose less tension over the same period of time and will perform better, longer. For players who don't break strings often, these strings will also add power and have a better feel than the stiffer, poly strings.

A good rule of thumb for restringing is to replace your strings as many times in a year as you play in a week. If you play twice a week, this means every six months. For those who do not tend to break strings, the softer, non-poly strings will maintain more of their performance at the six-month mark. For a non-string breaker, this may actually buy you a little more time before the string performance drops to the point of becoming a hindrance to your game.

Again, for those that break strings often, you will likely break the string before the tension loss becomes an issue. For the rest of us, a multifilament will be a more arm-friendly, better performing and very likely, longer lasting option when you re-string.

Stop in and we'll help you pick a string that best fits your needs and your game.

Tennis Myth - Hitting Winners = Winning

Tennis Myth - Tighter Strings = More Power

We hear it all the time at our tennis store.

“I want more power, so make the strings tighter:”

The problem with that is that tighter strings do not make for more power. I know what some of you are thinking, “(insert pro’s name here) strings with really tight strings, and he hits hard”.

It is not the strings. The person in question already hit the ball with plenty of power, no matter the string tension. Often times, those players string tight for more control, not power.

Here’s a good way of explaining it.

Think of someone standing at the top of a ladder. They drop a bowling ball onto the floor. They repeat the drop, only this time onto a bed.

Which ball bounced higher? Most likely, the one dropped on the bed. Imagine the same test using a trampoline. Bringing it all back to your tennis racket, the more the strings can give (think trampoline), the more energy they will return to the ball. More energy to the ball, more depth, and power on the shots.

There are two ways to increase power and depth. String tension and string type.

String type - the more elastic a string is, the more it will give and return that energy to the ball. This will make hitting the ball deep with less effort easier to do, not to mention that all that give in the string absorbs shock. Players with arm issues will reap the benefits of the reduced shock and added comfort on their arm. The additional give in the string can also increase spin potential.

String tension - A current trend on the tour is the use of a stiff string, strung at a low tension (sometimes as low as 40lbs). This allows for more give in the string, more spin potential, and more power and depth. Reducing the tension on stiff, poly strings can also reduce shock at impact. Some players like the more elastic strings at a slightly higher tension. Tension is the way to fine tune the right string to your needs.

Now, what is the right combination for you?

If power is the main concern, a softer, multifilament string will be a very good way to go. Many players moving from a poly string notice the difference right away in added depth and comfort.

For those who need durability due to strings breakage, a poly string at a lower tension would be a good start. Going all the way down to 40lbs is probably not the way to start, but dropping tension 5lbs or so should be noticeable. There are also poly strings that are softer than others, offering added power and comfort.

Something to keep in mind. As with so many things, there is a balance that must be found. Power and depth are only a good thing up to the point you're hitting too many shots long. There is going to be some trial and error, but usually, a balance can be found between string type and the right tension for you and the string you're using.

One last thing...

If you are in need of power, fresh strings are required. Over time, strings will lose their ability to return energy to the ball. The more you play, the quicker it will lose that ability. A good rule of thumb is to restring as many times in a year as you play in a week. The harder you hit, you may want to increase the frequency of restringing.

Even strings that haven't been used much will lose their pop. After about a year, the difference will be noticeable.

Stop into our store and we can help you select the string and tension that best fits YOUR game and needs. We can see what you have in your racket now and with a few questions, give you some options that will have you hitting the ball with more pop and depth.