question brought up to me regarding hybrid stringing today

I thought I would address my question here on my blog. I am always happy to answer questions on stringing. Question was :If I had a poly string and a textured synthetic, how would I hybrid them? I know that usually the poly goes in the mains and the syn is used to soften the stringbed. But if it's a textured syn, does being in the crosses make its properties useless

my answer is as follows... I am happy to get any other recommendations as well.... if you use lux alu power rough on the main strings you will get the benefit of a poly string (durability) and the benefit of a rough string (top spin) because the main strings help with the playability. IF you string a synthetic gut on the cross,you can go thinner which is good also, and if you use a multifilament (nxt,technifibre nrg, prince premier,etc) it will help with softening the bed a bit and give you a little feel....

Please remember that poly strings, although they dont break as fast as other strings, lose tension as fast or quicker than some synthetics, so you will lose playablity and control even though your not breaking the strings, so dont leave them in your racket for 3 months if you play 3-4 times a week...

Former no.1 Monica Seles induted into Hall of Fame

With Nine grand slam singles titles and a former #1 singles ranking, it is no doubt that Monica Seles will be inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame. It seems a little soon, if you consider that she could have had some more playing years ahead of her. Nothing is a sure thing and we all need to be thankful for each day. On July 11th of this year Monica and a group of others will be inducted along with Rod Laver being honored that weekend as well. If you are visiting Rhode Island you can check out the ceremony as well during campbell's tour in RH

Ok, on to some other tennis items, I tend to get off the subject of stringing sometimes but always something happening in tennis, yah?..

New releases, Wilson just shipped the [kobra] team fx racket, I would like to get some feedback, find out what the readers think, so please send me a note on this.

STRINGING TIP. PRE STRETCH? When should I prestretch, what types of string,etc... How do I prestretch?.

When stringing tennis rackets for fun or profit, it is important to get the most consistent restring and having the string play 'well' as long as possible. If you prestretch string you will: 1. keep the string from coiling on you when stringing, 2. Keep the string from loosing some tension. If I need to explain this point, please email me and I would be happy to explain.

This idea of prestretching can work with not only natural gut, multifilaments but also synthetics, and polyester strings as well.... Good tip ,can also be added to my consistency tips for stringing..

more on this later..

patrick

a few days to my new consistency post on racket stringing

I have realized that I just cant keep up with posting everyday, I am currently working on some projects, working on my racket stringing business and other job related stuff. I just received my latest issue of RSI ( Racquet Sports Industry trade publication). The latest Industry News was a review about the launch of the Wilson 'Baiardo' string machine, will comment more on this in my next post.

Today I wanted to comment on the advertisement from Tecnifibre in the inside cover and get some feedback from my readers. I beleive Tenifibre to have some good multifilament strings. I especially think that x-one biphase (which I think plays much like the traditional Wilson 'NXT' ) and NRG2 strings are good, a bit pricey but if you are on a good program, purchase them from a good distributer when on special or perhaps EBAY, you might get a deal on occasion. One point regarding this string, its a bitharder to sell because you really need to educate your customer on this string. What I have found when promoting a string, is that I have tried to keep prices of strings in line with the category they fit in. What I mean here is try pricing your multifilaments around the same price, keep basic synthetics around the same price,etc, that way your customer might be willing to try a new string in the same category and you can perhaps find the perfect string for that customer without the customer resisting because of the price difference. Again, this is just my idea, i have not seen to many people follow this philosophy, but if you really want to service your customer, I think this is a good way.

Thats all for now, let me know what you think about technifibre and the various tennis racket strings and if you see some of the other technifibre strings as ones to watch. Maybe TGV, XR3,multifeel and promix.

patrick

tip number 3 in racket stringing consistency

My 10 tips to racket stringing consistency

1. Always mount the racket the same way each time-"buttcap logo facing Up."

2. Install short side mains on the same side of the racket each time. Lets say for example, always install the short side on the right side of the racket. (right side would be looking at the racket straight on, right side.

3. When clamping your strings, always keep the clamps clean, (clean daily with alcohol) and always clamp as close to the frame as possible on all strings, work on doing this consistently. I have seen stringers clamp about 1/2 inch or more and this makes a difference over 20 or 30 pulls, believe me!... simple but useful.

till tomorrow.

patrick

10 tips to racket stringing consistency continued

My 10 tips to racket stringing consistency

1. Always mount the racket the same way each time-"buttcap logo facing Up."

2. Install short side mains on the same side of the racket each time. Lets say for example, always install the short side on the right side of the racket. (right side would be looking at the racket straight on, right side.

Visit tomorrow for tip 3.
have a great night.

patrick

just got done stringing my rackets and wished I had a New Baiardo machine by wilson

just a random photo of a new Adidas racket I strung in Australia
Just got done stringing some rackets, tired now and ready to call it a day, some days I am ok on my trusty Babolat star 3 but other days I wish I had the new wilson stringing machine, its adjustable height table is excellent for those long standing times and the machine is solid and easy to use.

Ok now Im going to start talking about the consistency in stringing tips. So, I am assuming everyone is using constant pull machines to string, here is tip #1. Always mount your racket with the buttcap logo right side up. This way you can always be sure that the racket is mounted the same way, this will important later when we start the stringing and talk about the consistency there. So there you have it, tip one is not a huge revelation but very important. So start putting this in your stringing routine and make it habit, keep your buttcap always pointing the same direction when you mount the racket... This not only is good for consistency but also will be evindent later when you see the notes are facing up too..

more on this and tip 2 tomorrow.

cheers,
patrick

constant pull tennis racket stringing machines are a must try the wilson baiardo

This week and beyond I will focus on consistency in your racket stringing. Before I can go over the first point however I need to discuss some basic stringing machine info. In order to get the most consistent, calibrated and same tension that is true to what most pro's are use too, you need an electronic constant pull machine. A few examples are the Wilson Baiardo, Babolat star 4, sensor, star 5. There are other machines as well but I am more familiar and know the quality of these machines. So again, having the constant pull machines for racket stringing is important, the tension comes out more consistent for two main reasons. Each pull is the same tension, with no variance of tension, and constant pull keeps the tension when you release the clamp to clamp the new string, the crank machines do not do this, so tension becomes looser. I will continue more on this in the next post, i want to really get this point across before i continue.
patrick

consistency in racket stringing is key for professional results atp/wta

Consistancy in your racket stringing is key for professional results What do I mean about consistancy? If you have strung rackets regularly for yourself, others or even in a shop atmosphere you undoubltedly know that its easy to do things differently each racket you complete. The tie off hole is in different spot, you might not remember which hole you tied off at, dont remember how many main strings you pulled on the left side before going to the right side,which side did you start on, did you add lbs for tie off, or were you going to and forget, your tension was off and did not check calibration at start of your day, clamps slipped or you didnt clamp close enough to frame each time.... believe it or not, all these variables will play into how well your string job comes out and if its consistant. This next week I will concentrate on

CONSISTENCY

and how to have your rackets coming out the same so it means your customers know that you know how to string. Please ask questons and email me .....
till tomorrow
patrick

serena williams wins her match friday the 13th

Its friday the 13th, its raining here in the southbay las angeles area, and I just visited the wta site an noticed that Serena Williams won her quarterfinals match in at the Paris Open. Serena is on a role and playing hot! Every tournament location, surface, climate and time of year help the player determine what to string their rackets at. I cannot speak about the Paris Open, but I can shed some light on racket stringing from the Australian Open last month. Generally when a player arrives to a tournament, they have a few rackets handy that were strung from the last tournament, and are good to practice with, the player may also bring in a few, choose a desired tension (maybe one that they are comfortable with), use these for practice also so they can gauge the stringing quality and playing conditions, then the day before the tournament, you might get 7-8 rackets dropped off, in the case of Serena Williams this happens frequently, and rackets are expected quickly. Serena Uses Wilson natural gut (babolat gut packaged for wilson), usually strings between 65-67 lbs depending on conditions. and in a two week tournament you might see 40-50 rackets from her.

Just a little stringing info, please email with questions, etc. happy to help where i can.

have a great weekend,

patrick

a great place to stay when in melbourne to see tennis

The Medina apartments are a great place to stay when visiting melbourne, walking distance to the water and the tennis stadiums and even close enough to watch a cricket match. Medina located at . These apartments look like an IKEA showroom, spacious and simple. You can stay a night or a month, the staff at the front desk are informed about whats happening in the area and they are there to help you.

Tommorrow will get into some stringing stuff.

patrick

its been a long week and im ready to start stringing again

Australia was exhausting and full of great racket stringing experiences. Every tournament on the pro tour that i return from leaves me with new skills and a respect for the world of racket stringing and customization.This was my first time down under to string, I had the opportunity to meet other great stringers from around the world and Australia in particular. Most of the other stringers, aside from the "Aussies" I worked with at the 08 US OPEN. I arrived early in the afternoon on the 9th of january after being up all day (24 hours), but I was ready to settle in and start stringing the next day. I will be continuing tomorrow and blogging regularly again.
later
patrick