The Confusing Science of Strings

06 Dec The Confusing Science of Strings

by Russell Durant

Ping!!!

You’ve swung, hit the ball and heard an all-mighty ping and seen the ball sail a mile long. You look at your racket in despair as you realise you’ve broken a string.

You know you need new strings, and realise you know nothing about them. So, you head for your trusted resource on everything www.google.co.uk and see multiple forums talking about brands, gauge, odd-shaped strings (who knew!) and page after page on tension and co-polys. Suddenly, your trusted Google friend has let you down!

Fear not! Help is at hand.

For the average recreational player, we care about one thing only. Arm-friendly comfort, to keep tennis and golfer’s elbow away! Here are the three main considerations when replacing string.

Composition. Just because Nadal uses a thick poly, doesn’t mean you should too. It’s stiff and will awaken any arm problems quicker than that alarm on Monday morning. A multifilament or synthetic gut is soft and will absorb more vibration, especially for anything hit off-centre. They also hold their tension much longer than poly, which will have lost most of its tension in a few weeks. No good if you don’t pick up that racket much!

Tension. This is a very personal preference but in general, higher tension will give you more control but the strings also have less give in them when the racket hits the ball. That impact has to go somewhere… that’s right, down your arm. The lower the tension, the more impact will be absorbed by the strings, also helping the ball to travel further as it leaves the strings. Choose a tension towards the lower to middle of your racket’s recommended range.

Finally, gauge, or string thickness. The thicker the string, the stiffer it is. The average recreational player is not breaking strings every week or two. You can opt for something thinner which will lessen the torture on your arm and again add to the catapult effect as the ball leaves the strings. Do your arm a favour and get some thinner strings!

If you have any questions, please get in touch!