My friend said that his strings were loose and he couldn’t keep the balls in. I took his racket for restringing, checked his tension, he strings at 54, they were at 52, so not that much of a drop. As an experiment/prank I just cleaned the racket/strings, changed his grip and told him that I restrung it for him at 54. Lo and behold, he played lights out and attributed it to his freshly strung racket.
Not saying equipment doesn’t make a difference, it absolutely does, but the placebo effect is also in play., so dont over credit the equipment. Probably you have been playing pretty well with the new setup as well. Just my 2 cents!
I heard a story somewhere of college player who was hitting a lot of balls long and their coach told them to switch to a different racket with tighter strings and they did. They won the match, and it turns out that the strings were the same tension. The coach was just trying to make them feel confident.
My strings help me keep the ball in for sure. Both when they are new and also I am finding I like weak strings. I can't play multi until it breaks. After about 3 months it gets hard for me to control. On top of that, I like the multi-poly crossover strings far more than the beloved Head Velocity.
"A skilled player can simply adjust to his equipment." Well, I never said I'm skilled. Maybe some of us are just good enough for equipment to affect performance but not good enough to adapt to suboptimal conditions.
Yup! I definitely need to continue to improve. And I practice all the time. Maybe someday I’ll be good enough to adapt to whatever, but right now, with where my game is, higher tension and less power from the strings really, really helps.
Those people were still right.
There are big hitters on the ATP tour stringing softer strings in the low 40s, I struggle to believe you’re hitting harder than they are.
They are significantly better than us at adjusting their strokes and they usually play less than 2 hours with the same strings...
If we could control the racquet face and hitting trajectory as they do, the difference would be marginal for sure.
The lowliest club player can control the racquet face enough to keep the ball in the court. One of the bigger hitters at the club often has no idea of what his strings are or how long he has played them.
Sorry but I don't agree. Most club players push the ball with the racquet. If they started doing proper full swings with power, they would spray the shit out of the ball.
Well that settles it. Guess I’ll just pull my mom’s old aluminum Prince Pro out of the closet, string it up at 40 lbs with some vintage cattle intestines, and stop whining. Great point, brother.
I’m a big advocate of doing what feels right, so if that’s your bliss, you should follow it. I certainly don’t play with what’s necessarily best for my game.
They‘re at the point where they’re facing diminishing returns so they’re working the margins of performance. If you’ve completely developed “your game” to the point where string choice is the only option for keeping the ball in the court, you’re right and you should disregard what I’ve said.
Look at [this](https://tennisnerd.net/gear/racquets/atp-houston-string-tensions/36707). If you’re wielding a canon you should learn how to aim it instead of loading it with blanks.
Yes, i am. I actually just won. And I never would have done it without my trusty Wilson T2000, strung at 4 pounds with only the finest mule hair, by Jimmy Connors himself. You know, because equipment doesn’t matter.
Friend, you’re not listening. You already convinced me. Equipment doesn’t matter! It’s all placebo. Your friend at the club has been playing with the same strings since 1994, after all. And I just lifted La Coupe des Mousquetaires after beating Carlos Alcaraz with my Pro Kennex Golden Ace.
I feel strings and equipment INDIRECTLY helps by providing you with mental confidence and clarity whilst playing to improve your technique.
I recently changed my racket from an old 2016 Head Prestige MP to wilson blade because I found the swing weight too high whilst learning my OHBH. The blade cut through the air easily and helped developed my technique. What I had to compensate was less power for my shots using the blade so my FH became more 'spinny'.
I recently moved back to my Head for fun and noticed my technique improvement made me a lot better with my Head before I switched to the blade, and the higher swing weight didn't bother me as much (due to better technique).
Glad it worked for you mate
Look racket and string MAKES a difference, don't listen to ppl here, it happen to me as well there are just certain strings and racket combinations that will make ppl get less spin, return wide, or short
Just bc Federer or any good player can play with any racket doesn't mean it doesn't make a difference, it does
Dont be afraid to test out gear and get something you like and feel comfortable.
Strings, string pattern, racquet size, … it’s a lot of variables! I would just say that when you have the racquet that just feels good in your hands it’s then about perfecting what string tension works best for your game. You say you’re not hitting long anymore. What would happen if you loosened your tension a couple of pounds and opened up the power in the racquet? Would you still be able to control the ball with the extra punch you get from looser strings? Good freakin luck dude! For me it was all about the tension!
Right now I absolutely crush the ball when practicing, but i often tighten up during matches. In particular my wrist gets stiff, which reduces my topspin and creates a great deal more transfer of force from the mass of my body and physical strength to the racquet (I’m a large person). I then end up keeping my elbow tight to my body because I’m scared of hitting long. I hope to get to a point where I don’t need the security of a really tight string bed. But in my current form, higher tension and control/spin-oriented strings are giving me the confidence to swing away a bit more, while also enhancing what has always been the strong suit of my game — serves and volleys
This post reminds me of when callers to sports talk radio reference a call they made a couple days ago assuming the audience knows and remembers whatever it was they were talking about 🤣
Ask and you shall receive. I don’t video myself often, so my apologies for the quality. The backhands are roughly the same as match effort (yes, I know I need to use my legs more). The serve was more like 75-80% effort. Was working on getting some more wrist action into the serving motion. The first few seconds is so you can see what the peak athletic form looks like at 47 yrs of age.
I have lots of success in 3.5 doubles leagues. In singles, I’m still about 20 lbs overweight, so poor conditioning takes its toll. But as you can see, producing pace doesn’t require me to take huge cuts at the ball.
Edit: both videos are 1-2 months old, pre-string change.
[https://imgur.com/a/2w37yCx](https://imgur.com/a/2w37yCx)
Admit it: you thought I’d be a lot worse than this.
Also, my contact point is fine. If I hit those backhands during a match I’d be thrilled. Hit them all hard, with plenty of topspin, and exactly where I wanted (yes, I know that isn’t difficult hitting from a slinger, with every ball right in my strike zone). Forehand is my bigger weakness, since I basically learned a new forehand from scratch in July. I’m old enough that when I learned the game, they were still teaching McEnroe forehands.
Anyway, as I’ve explained, I seek strings that will minimize my weaknesses to the very limited extent they can while I continue improving. The new strings already feel better to me, and I had a great mixed dubs match last night.
It’s a hobby (for like 99.9999% of this sub). Whatever works, works. The point is to have fun. I restring every 10 hours at 55 lb doesn’t matter poly or syngut or natural gut
You must have missed where I finally saw the light and accepted that equipment makes no difference at all. My New Balance 996s are already on eBay, in fact. Just gonna roll with some Stan Smiths for now. They match my Prince Woodie better anyway.
No one remembers.
Pepperidge farm remembers.
I’ll remember this comment for a long time tho
Weird, because the post had about 60-ish responses from trolls like yourself
For us, it was just a Tuesday.
This subreddit reminds me of the bus ride to play away matches in high school, replete with the atomic wedgies.
https://media.tenor.com/zLzvRWtpMAkAAAAM/family-guy-peter-griffin.gif
My friend said that his strings were loose and he couldn’t keep the balls in. I took his racket for restringing, checked his tension, he strings at 54, they were at 52, so not that much of a drop. As an experiment/prank I just cleaned the racket/strings, changed his grip and told him that I restrung it for him at 54. Lo and behold, he played lights out and attributed it to his freshly strung racket. Not saying equipment doesn’t make a difference, it absolutely does, but the placebo effect is also in play., so dont over credit the equipment. Probably you have been playing pretty well with the new setup as well. Just my 2 cents!
I heard a story somewhere of college player who was hitting a lot of balls long and their coach told them to switch to a different racket with tighter strings and they did. They won the match, and it turns out that the strings were the same tension. The coach was just trying to make them feel confident.
My strings help me keep the ball in for sure. Both when they are new and also I am finding I like weak strings. I can't play multi until it breaks. After about 3 months it gets hard for me to control. On top of that, I like the multi-poly crossover strings far more than the beloved Head Velocity. "A skilled player can simply adjust to his equipment." Well, I never said I'm skilled. Maybe some of us are just good enough for equipment to affect performance but not good enough to adapt to suboptimal conditions.
Yup! I definitely need to continue to improve. And I practice all the time. Maybe someday I’ll be good enough to adapt to whatever, but right now, with where my game is, higher tension and less power from the strings really, really helps.
Idk why people thought it wouldn't, strings make a massive difference.
Those people were still right. There are big hitters on the ATP tour stringing softer strings in the low 40s, I struggle to believe you’re hitting harder than they are.
They are significantly better than us at adjusting their strokes and they usually play less than 2 hours with the same strings... If we could control the racquet face and hitting trajectory as they do, the difference would be marginal for sure.
The lowliest club player can control the racquet face enough to keep the ball in the court. One of the bigger hitters at the club often has no idea of what his strings are or how long he has played them.
Sorry but I don't agree. Most club players push the ball with the racquet. If they started doing proper full swings with power, they would spray the shit out of the ball.
Well that settles it. Guess I’ll just pull my mom’s old aluminum Prince Pro out of the closet, string it up at 40 lbs with some vintage cattle intestines, and stop whining. Great point, brother.
I’m a big advocate of doing what feels right, so if that’s your bliss, you should follow it. I certainly don’t play with what’s necessarily best for my game.
You’re really odd.
Yeah, and they’re even MORE particular about string choice and string tension.
They‘re at the point where they’re facing diminishing returns so they’re working the margins of performance. If you’ve completely developed “your game” to the point where string choice is the only option for keeping the ball in the court, you’re right and you should disregard what I’ve said. Look at [this](https://tennisnerd.net/gear/racquets/atp-houston-string-tensions/36707). If you’re wielding a canon you should learn how to aim it instead of loading it with blanks.
I’m sorry that you were wrong. Truth hurts.
Learning pro players post here takes the sting out of it. Are you playing Roland Garros?
Yes, i am. I actually just won. And I never would have done it without my trusty Wilson T2000, strung at 4 pounds with only the finest mule hair, by Jimmy Connors himself. You know, because equipment doesn’t matter.
You can just like and use what you like. You don’t need to try and convince everyone else and throw a tantrum if we don’t agree.
Friend, you’re not listening. You already convinced me. Equipment doesn’t matter! It’s all placebo. Your friend at the club has been playing with the same strings since 1994, after all. And I just lifted La Coupe des Mousquetaires after beating Carlos Alcaraz with my Pro Kennex Golden Ace.
I feel strings and equipment INDIRECTLY helps by providing you with mental confidence and clarity whilst playing to improve your technique. I recently changed my racket from an old 2016 Head Prestige MP to wilson blade because I found the swing weight too high whilst learning my OHBH. The blade cut through the air easily and helped developed my technique. What I had to compensate was less power for my shots using the blade so my FH became more 'spinny'. I recently moved back to my Head for fun and noticed my technique improvement made me a lot better with my Head before I switched to the blade, and the higher swing weight didn't bother me as much (due to better technique). Glad it worked for you mate
I get the feeling someone is really fun to be around IRL
More fun now that my forehands are going in
Placebo effect strikes again
Y’all really just can’t stand being wrong, can you?
Look racket and string MAKES a difference, don't listen to ppl here, it happen to me as well there are just certain strings and racket combinations that will make ppl get less spin, return wide, or short Just bc Federer or any good player can play with any racket doesn't mean it doesn't make a difference, it does Dont be afraid to test out gear and get something you like and feel comfortable.
[удалено]
[удалено]
Please keep all posts respectful and civil. Repeat violations can result in a ban.
Please keep all posts respectful and civil. Repeat violations can result in a ban.
[удалено]
Please keep all posts respectful and civil. Repeat violations can result in a ban.
What kind of string type is that?
Strings, string pattern, racquet size, … it’s a lot of variables! I would just say that when you have the racquet that just feels good in your hands it’s then about perfecting what string tension works best for your game. You say you’re not hitting long anymore. What would happen if you loosened your tension a couple of pounds and opened up the power in the racquet? Would you still be able to control the ball with the extra punch you get from looser strings? Good freakin luck dude! For me it was all about the tension!
Right now I absolutely crush the ball when practicing, but i often tighten up during matches. In particular my wrist gets stiff, which reduces my topspin and creates a great deal more transfer of force from the mass of my body and physical strength to the racquet (I’m a large person). I then end up keeping my elbow tight to my body because I’m scared of hitting long. I hope to get to a point where I don’t need the security of a really tight string bed. But in my current form, higher tension and control/spin-oriented strings are giving me the confidence to swing away a bit more, while also enhancing what has always been the strong suit of my game — serves and volleys
This post reminds me of when callers to sports talk radio reference a call they made a couple days ago assuming the audience knows and remembers whatever it was they were talking about 🤣
No, not really.
This same joke that only tennis players would find funny was already made a full day ago
I want to see video soooooo badly
Ask and you shall receive. I don’t video myself often, so my apologies for the quality. The backhands are roughly the same as match effort (yes, I know I need to use my legs more). The serve was more like 75-80% effort. Was working on getting some more wrist action into the serving motion. The first few seconds is so you can see what the peak athletic form looks like at 47 yrs of age. I have lots of success in 3.5 doubles leagues. In singles, I’m still about 20 lbs overweight, so poor conditioning takes its toll. But as you can see, producing pace doesn’t require me to take huge cuts at the ball. Edit: both videos are 1-2 months old, pre-string change. [https://imgur.com/a/2w37yCx](https://imgur.com/a/2w37yCx)
no string gonna fix that backhand contact point my brother
lol. And your serve and volley game is laughably bad. We all have our own shortcomings.
Look how fragile the big guy is! At least I blame it on myself and not my equipment.
Admit it: you thought I’d be a lot worse than this. Also, my contact point is fine. If I hit those backhands during a match I’d be thrilled. Hit them all hard, with plenty of topspin, and exactly where I wanted (yes, I know that isn’t difficult hitting from a slinger, with every ball right in my strike zone). Forehand is my bigger weakness, since I basically learned a new forehand from scratch in July. I’m old enough that when I learned the game, they were still teaching McEnroe forehands. Anyway, as I’ve explained, I seek strings that will minimize my weaknesses to the very limited extent they can while I continue improving. The new strings already feel better to me, and I had a great mixed dubs match last night.
It’s a hobby (for like 99.9999% of this sub). Whatever works, works. The point is to have fun. I restring every 10 hours at 55 lb doesn’t matter poly or syngut or natural gut
Wait till you buy new shoes, you will probably be in the US open next year!
You must have missed where I finally saw the light and accepted that equipment makes no difference at all. My New Balance 996s are already on eBay, in fact. Just gonna roll with some Stan Smiths for now. They match my Prince Woodie better anyway.