|
|
 |
|
 |
 |
|
Frequently Asked Questions
|
|
These are some of questions that we answer most often. Hopefully this page will help to answer some of yours. If not, please do not hesitate to contact us.
|
Where do I find Twin Ports Tennis when it is not summer?
Why should I restring every 3-4 months if I haven't broken strings?
Why do strings break?
What should I do if I am breaking strings too frequently?
What is hybrid stringing?
Why does my elbow hurt when I play and what can I do about it?
Where do I find Twin Ports Tennis when it is not summer?
For the summer we are located at Longview Tennis Club and Northland Country Club. During the rest of the year we can be reached at Arrowhead Tennis and Athletic Center, via our webpage, or by phone at 218-727-9060.
Back to Top
Why should I restring every 3-4 months if I haven't broken strings?
The simple answer is that strings are not designed to last longer than that. Learn to pay attention to your strings. They are your most important piece of equipment. Every day, your strings are losing a bit of tension and are stretching out. Eventually the become "dead". This means that they do not have any resiliency and elasticity left in them. They don't return energy back into the ball upon impact anymore. You can tell if this is happening to you by asking yourself a few questions. Do you need to swing harder to land the ball deep in the court? Are you making good contact on the ball, but not getting good results? Do your strings sound different at point of impact? Does it feel as if the sweetspot has disappeared? If you answer yes to any of these questions it is time to re-string.
Back to Top
Why do strings break?
Strings can break for many different reasons. But, the reason strings should break is because of the friction between the main and cross strings.
Hitting with topspin pushes the main strings (that they touch) toward the side of the frame, sliding across the cross strings as they go. The resulting friction saws into the mains, notching and fraying them until they break.
Main strings break more often than crosses because they slide back and forth across the cross strings at the same spot on the string. The crosses experience friction over a larger area and thus wear less.
To check for notching, pull the cross strings away from their resting positions. Then feel the main strings at that point. Deeper notches or more fraying indicate the areas of most frequent impact.
Back to Top
What should I do if I am breaking strings too frequently?
Contrary to the way many players seem to think, good strings are not supposed to last forever. As strings get older, they lose tension and resiliency. As a result, the player can find himself working harder and harder for fewer and fewer good shots.
The rough industry rule of thumb is that players should restring their racquet as many times each year as they play each week.
But what do you do a player is breaking strings very much faster than this schedule? Too often, players switch directly to a full polyester string job. For most players this is a much too drastic response to a small problem. Instead, we recommend taking smaller steps to correct the problem. If one step doesn't work, then go to the next one. Only a tiny percentage of players should ever have to resort to the harsh, stiff feel of Aramid.
1)Use a thicker gauge of the same string that they already like.
2)Try a more durable construction of the same material.
3)Try a more durable material. But, remember, polyester hybrid before full polyester
4)Try Aramid.
Still breaking strings? Try racquets with denser string patterns.
Back to Top
What is hybrid stringing?
A Hybrid consists of stringing the mains and crosses with different strings. Most hybrids have been durability hybrids. Many manufacturers make pre-packaged hybrid strings, but you can make your own by using two sets of strings. Don't worry about the leftovers from each set because they can be used to string the next racquet.
A durability hybrid usually involves a very durable main string (the ones that break most often) and a more comfortable (but less durable) cross string. Sometimes you might only use a thicker gauge instead of a different kind of string in the mains.
The crosses can use a less durable material (polyester) because they usually take longer to break. However, in hybrids with very durable mains, it is not uncommon to eventually break the crosses before the mains. If this is happening too quickly, it may be necessary to look for a more durable cross string to use in the hybrid as well.
A playability hybrid usually involves a very nice main string (gut, for example) with a lower quality cross string (nylon, perhaps). Many players believe that the main strings are the strings they feel most. So, by using gut in the mains, players get many of the advantages of gut but at reduced cost. Other combinations are more expensive synthetics in the mains and less expensive strings in the crosses.
Back to Top
Why does my elbow hurt when I play and what can I do about it?
Most of you already know that Tennis Elbow is a catch-all term used to describe many different ailments that occur as a result of playing tennis. While there are many ailments, they usually have the same problem at their core. This problem is shock (jarring) of a muscle or tendon while under strain. The best way to avoid tennis elbow is to develop clean, long, smooth strokes with good timing at impact. But, we can't all be perfect all the time. So, we look for other ways to reduce our chances of injury. One way is to use the softest stringbed that a you can play with. There are several ways to do this.
1)Materials: The softest materials are natural gut, and then nylon. These strings will minimize the increase in impact tension rise.
2)Construction: multifilament would be the best followed by multi-core multi-wrap strings. The more fibers the string has, the less the tension will rise on impact.
3)Gauges: the thinner the better.
4)Tension: the lower the better. But, remember that there is such a thing as developing a stringbed that is too soft. If it gets too soft, you may not be able to control your shots. If you then shorten or slow your strokes to keep the ball in play, that could be worse for your body than a stiffer stringbed. Another option may be to purchase a racquet that is less stiff or is specifically desinged to filter out vibrations/shock
Back to Top
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
