Around The Bend September Newsletter

AROUND THE BEND

SEPTEMBER 2018

PAGE 13

H B C C T E N N I S N E W S

TENNIS TIP By Luke Burden, Director of Athletics

What tension should I string my racket at?

In addition to the type of string, the tension that you string your racket is very important and can make a huge difference. Each racket will have a specific tension range, however the tensions through-out this range will allow the racket to perform very differently. In general, a higher tension will offer more control and a lower tension will offer more power. To begin we recommend to start in the middle of the range and then adjust from there. Contrary to what most people believe, breaking a string isn’t the only time you should restring your racket. For most players, a good rule of thumb is to have your racket restrung as many times in a year as you play in a week. For example, if you play 4 times a week, you should get your racket restrung 4 times per year. You may have noticed that even though your strings have not broken, they may feel as though you have no power, or feel “dead”. This is because over time the string will have lost tension and will effect play-ability. When should I get my racket restrung?

Restringing Your Racket

With many players taking a break or playing less over the summer period, we are all getting ready for a busy fall season. When we talk about getting ready for the season, everyone looks to improve their forehand or backhand or maybe even change their racket, however one of the most important aspects and one that is usually overlooked is the racket strings. Over the last 15 years they greatest advancement in technology has been to do with tennis strings. Are you taking advantage of this?

What type of string should I use?

There are four main types of strings with their different advantages and disadvantages:

Polyester Upsides: Durable. Lots of control. Lots of spin. Downsides: Harder of the arm. Loses tension faster Multi-filament Upsides: Great play-ability. Softer on the arm. Very good tension maintenance. Closest thing to natural gut. Downsides: Less control oriented. Doesn’t offer the solid feel some players like. Lacks durability for bigger hitters. Synthetic Gut Upsides: Economically priced. Downsides: Average overall performance and play- ability. Not extraordinary in any category. Natural Gut Upsides: Optimum play-ability. Holds tension the best. Easy on the arm. Play ability even at very high tensions. Downsides: High priced. Effected easily by weather.