Djokovics equipment.

[sfrazeur]

"Snap back experts?" That's a new term for me. Is that anything like a Holla Back Girl?

-Shaun

[GeoffWilliams]

To get the most out of your strings, you have to know a lot about the string and techniques of stringing. Or you just leave it to chance, which most do. Would a top junior violin player know nothing about strings? Or tuning them? Of course not. Although the analogy's not perfect, due to the sonic vibes, it has similarity. Snap back experts will tell you, if it's out of synch, the ball will not feel right. It's not all about strokes and mind. Snap back is not the only thing causing synch less string beds. String itself, matched to frames and playing styles, also count a large amount. It's the whole picture we are after here, not just a piece of it. Isn't that why we like this site?

[sfrazeur]

That depends on how good the junior is, or can become.

How so? What leads you to that conclusion?

-SF

[GeoffWilliams]

That depends on how good the junior is, or can become.

[sfrazeur]

I am not ignoring anything. As I said, I do not know. Because of that it is off the table for me. I may change my mind at some point.

Junior, or Players in general do not need to be experts. If a player feels aided by or in-tune with something they will keep it or discard it if not. Players should experiment occasionally with strings and equipment and see if there is something better. Juniors especially do not need any real expertise with string or equipment as they need to concentrate on their play and mentality.

If you have ever read or seen, heard an interview with pro racquet customizers you will note how simple and inarticulate their language is in regards to pro customization and stringing. They deal with players who react and analyze racquets, strings, etc by non concrete ideas of feeling so that is the language the customizers speak. The new article "Copoly Strings" has quotes by Nate F. which illustrates this point. Terms like "grabbiness" spring to mind.


-Shaun

[GeoffWilliams]

You are ignoring the fact that when you string the mains, they are not equally balanced, as you are always ahead on one side, while that is not so when doing just the crosses. Why is that? If more juniors were string experts, they would have more reliably controlled power, and not be at the mercy of their own hard hitting causing a disconnection in snap back grab.

[sfrazeur]

T

[. . .]

So the perfect string job, only stays perfect, according to those parameters. So doean't it make sense to restring the glide strings when they go off a little? That's just common sense.

Sensical? To you. Common to restring the crosses while leaving the mains? Hardly. Your time and your money. I'm not telling you, you're wrong. I do question the structure stress this can easy place on the racquet. I do not have the answer. So for me it is off the table. I'm not going to potentially harm some else's frame. You're a Tennisplayer.net junkie like myself, so you would understand that I require proof other than someone's word who is an enthusiast and not an recognized expert.

I do find it questionable that this was your prime advice for a male junior playing 18s.

-Shaun

[sfrazeur]

Again, I am not questioning the qualities of gut.

-Shaun

[GeoffWilliams]

The slickness provided for in the copoly strings, increases very quickly with hard hitters. As the string becomes way looser, the snap back increases, and the mains glide too far, and the ball is gone before the mains can "grab" and cut into the ball. Some strings also have outer coatings that wear off too quickly, and the friction increases, and the snap back occurs too fast. This can happen in as little time as 1/2hr, which is how long the big shot pros like Nadal use the string, for 8 games. Any big hitter will moan to you about how short their strings last. This is for self stringers, who want to master their own fates, and not leave it to the trampoline effect. Why do you think so many top pros use vs team/poly hybrids? It is the best controlled power they can come up with.

Many spin strings also have nubs and edges that wear off in 1/2 hr, and become normal round strings very fast.

It is a very fine balancing act, to find the amount of time your hybrid takes to degrade. So while vs team mains and nrg2 crosses may feel perfect, it only lasts as long as: how hard you hit, with how stiff a frame, on what type of surface, in how much humidity, and heat, at what altitude. Any top pro will tell you that's why they change their strings to match the conditions they are playing with. The truth is, they not only change the strings, but the sw, the balance points, and total mass as well, to match conditions. So the perfect string job, only stays perfect, according to those parameters. So doean't it make sense to restring the glide strings when they go off a little? That's just common sense.

[sfrazeur]

I have read it and I think I've read it somewhere else before.

It's funny how research is finding the slickness or glide effect of poly/co-poly strings to aid so much in spin production while more and more manufacturers are bringing out rough, textured strings. At the same time however, a larger number of pros and high level players use a full string bed of poly. Some even use the rough textured versions of strings.

In all it's an interesting combination of strings to get the maximum possible spin potential. You want to mains the have that "grabiness" but a cross string that offers a slick enough surface for the mains to glide on.

I think it comes down to the player finding the right combination of racquet and strings that together have the desired feel, control, spin and power.

Myself, I could probably get more spin if I strung the crosses with a string that provides better glide for the mains. But, with a Pure Drive Roddick GT strung with Solinco Tour 17, do I need or want more spin? When the string are fresh enough, say less than 4 hours play, I have enough spin to control the power of the racquet and my strokes. More use than that and I feel I don't get enough spin and the ball starts sailing a few inches past the baseline.

I've tried softer gut like strings in the crosses and I do not care for the feel of the string bed. It feels too lose, not the strings, but the string bed as a whole.
It doesn't feel as solid as the full poly string bed. Now, if I was still using low powered, midsize racquets then that preference would most likely be dramatically different.

-Shaun

[tennis_chiro]

Just a minute

Hey guys,
this is a great discussion and I am really learning a lot. But when I asked the question of Geoff a little after the beginning of this thread, I didn't know there was going to be an article in this month's issue specifically on copoly strings.

If you haven't read it, you must. But once you have, it may ...or may not, bring more credibility to the argument Geoff is making for restringing the crosses, because (and I'm not at all sure I am reading the article correctly) the tension of the crosses form the "rails" for the mains to slide on when they are springing back and imparting that increased spin. But then, it also argues for the fact that you may be better off (for spin) with the Luxillon than you are with VS in the mains as the increased lubrication allows them to slide back more quickly and completely in the critical 2 milliseconds when that takes place.

I'm going to try to get the author of the article to weigh in here.

Another question I have is this is all about groundstrokes because in groundstrokes you don't have so much sidespin, but in serves there is significant sideways movement of the face on the ball at contact and this difference in the bounce back of the crosses (for sidespin) could have a significant effect on the amount of spin and therefore kick you can get sideways on your serve!

BTW The links at the end of the article to Cross and Lindsey articles are very informative as well.
don

[sfrazeur]

Some stress is put on the frame every time you string, but, with new mains it's worse, due to the stress being applied unequally on each side, not equally, as it already is applied when crosses are cut. I've even seen some stringers string the mains all on one side first, a sure recipe for cracking! This is more for those who string themselves. I see you did not deny never having done it yourself. It's just common sense, that the string as main which holds its tension (vs team) would have no ill effects. None of my frames are cracked from doing it. Federer uses the gut as main, as does Joker. Murray (alu power) and Roddick (pht) use it as cross. Do you know why these top pros use the vs team gut? Controlled power.

I am not arguing against nor questioning the qualities of gut. So that is irrelevant. No. I have not done it myself. I use copoly strings in a Pure Drive Roddick GT. As before, this is a process for a very small, niche group. Regardless of everything else, you still have not posted a compelling case that regularly restringing the crosses will lessen wear on gut mains.

-Shaun

[GeoffWilliams]

Some stress is put on the frame every time you string, but, with new mains it's worse, due to the stress being applied unequally on each side, not equally, as it already is applied when crosses are cut. I've even seen some stringers string the mains all on one side first, a sure recipe for cracking! This is more for those who string themselves. I see you did not deny never having done it yourself. It's just common sense, that the string as main which holds its tension (vs team) would have no ill effects. None of my frames are cracked from doing it. Federer uses the gut as main, as does Joker. Murray (alu power) and Roddick (pht) use it as cross. Do you know why these top pros use the vs team gut? Controlled power.

[sfrazeur]

Chunky Style

He's only turning a phrase. In his own words...

"My comments are intended to entertain, add some flair, flow into a line of reasoning."

I suspect when he makes a comment like, "They just vomit others opinions" he is using an intricate, finely balanced combination of his intentions to illustrate a point...with more of an emphasis on "flow" in this particular choice of a word.

Wiki provides more of the connotation that comes to my mind: ". . .Forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose." That's some chunky flow. . .

-Shaun

[don_budge]

It's only words...and words are all I know.

"Vomit?" Harsh word choice.

He's only turning a phrase. In his own words...

"My comments are intended to entertain, add some flair, flow into a line of reasoning."

I suspect when he makes a comment like, "They just vomit others opinions" he is using an intricate, finely balanced combination of his intentions to illustrate a point...with more of an emphasis on "flow" in this particular choice of a word.