RACKET STRINGING

RACKET RESTRINGS TERMS AND CONDITIONS

• All restrings are conducted by fully qualified stringers from the United Kingdom Racket Stringers Association (UKRSA). We have been stringing rackets for over 4 decades.

• Any restrings undertaken are NOT guaranteed against breakage at any time. This can occur during the first time of using it, either by a mishit or the strings being damaged by grit or ground contact. However please contact us should this occur and we will look at the cause for you.

• All restring MUST be paid for prior to the restring taking place, failure to do so could result in the delay of the repair.

• Prepayments can be made either by bank transfer (favoured choice) or by cash.

• Restrings can be First Service (Same Day or Next Day) Second Service (Up to 3 Days or One Week)

• There would be a delay for any strings required by the customer that we need to order.

• We can “Club Collect & Drop-Off” on set days at any designated linked club with String It!  “Receive Home Delivery” at pre-arranged times or “by Post” (however "by post" there will be additional postal charges to pay by the customer).

• We will string the racket at the medium recommended tension shown on the racket unless the customer specifies their personal requirements.

• We can advise the customer on string type and tension prior to restring for the best results.

• We will from time to time send you email reminders of future restring offers that you may be interested in. If you do not wish to receive these, please indicate this to us and we will not send them to you.

• If for any reason you are not satisfied with the restring DO NOT remove the strings from the racket as doing this would invalidate any restring we may offer if the fault is on our side.

• If you would like us to replace your grip for you please indicate this at the time of the restring, so you can receive your racket back in excellent condition according to your requirements.

• Any grommet replacement and fitting by us to the racket are subject to extra charges. This will be quoted to you prior to the restring.

• Restring prices shown include strings & labour charges.

• If you supply your own strings, you only need to pay the labour charge of £20 per racket.

We look forward to servicing your racket repair needs, including restrings, re-grips, vibration dampeners and grommet changes. Our service is always fully professional. 

How Often Should I String My Tennis Racket?

The first answer to this for most players is when the strings in the racket break.  However, most thoughts are that you would restring your tennis racket as many times in a year as you would regularly play during a week, so 3 times a year if you play 3 times a week.

Other options are to string the racket at least twice per year, once for the spring/summer season and then again for the autumn/winter period.

Restringing a racket regularly gives the feeling of holding a new frame, it adds vitality to the racket. String tension can drop off rapidly in rackets and leaving them to break before a restring is done can undermine the playing characteristics without you even noticing it.

Advanced players regularly string their rackets every tournament or every few weeks to keep the feel-factor the same every time they play.

So, my recommendations are:

• At least twice a year (Seasonal weather changes affecting the strings)

• Restring as many times in a year as the number of times you play in a week.

• Restring every month if you are a tournament player.

• Do not wait for a breakage before you get a restring!

Tennis Elbow Remedies

For those players who have tennis elbow you should know there are ways to help recover from it by the various ways you can customise your racket. Roughly 1 in 200 players suffer from tennis elbow (outer area of the elbow), golfer’s elbow (inner area of the elbow) is another variant of this.

Obviously the first things to help you is good technique on your strokes with help from a qualified tennis professional, plus rest and recovery in between your playing time.

When you come down to the racket helping you out with curing tennis elbow then look at these options.

Racket Weight

The heavier the racket is (within your capability to control it) the more solid and stable the impact is, therefore putting less strain on the arm. The lighter the racket the more twisting and vibration will occur so damaging the arm more. A basic rule of thumb in grams:

• For men racket weights of 300, 305, 310, 315 and 320.

• For women racket weights of 270, 275, 280, 285, 290.

Obviously if you have certain preferences then it is your own personal choice. 

These are simply guidelines to help you choose.

Racket Balance

You can get three types of racket balance. Head light, head heavy and even balance.  Although head heavy (in a light-weight racket) may appear to give you more punch, it would mean there is less weight in the handle, therefore this would create bigger vibration issues on your arm. Therefore, a slightly heavier racket that is head light in balance would mean that the handle would be heavier are therefore absorb these vibrations to the arm, resulting in less stress on the muscles.

Racket Stiffness

This is simple, the stiffer the racket is, the harsher the vibrations are in your arm. So, a more flexible racket with a lower stiffness rating would provide a softer feel when striking the ball.

Racket Head Size

The larger the head-size (100-110 square inch) the more flex is available from the string area, therefore producing a softer touch than a smaller headed racket (90-95 square inch).

Racket Materials

All rackets are made of graphite, but also look to what else is in the racket to help protect your arm. Materials like Twaron, Graphene, Textreme and Kevlar to name but a few. These help with reducing vibrations to your arm.

Strings

Two issues to consider here, firstly multifilament strings provide a softer feel than monofilament strings. They are a more powerful choice too. However, the trade-off is that multifilament strings break easier and lose control at contact more.

Monofilament strings “snap-back” into position easier therefore the spin and control are better plus they are more durable. But watch out if you get arm issues.

You can use a monofilament at a lower tension or a multifilament at a slightly higher tension, which would give you a personal choice.

 Having a mix of the two types would also be a good thought to provide the best of both worlds. Using a Kevlar string can also provide a little arm protection too.

The manufacturers provide information on the side of the racket frame for string tensions that you can use, but the stringer of your racket can personally help you choose what is right for you.

Grips

Using a larger grip rather than a smaller grip would give your hand more to hold onto, this would give you less strain than if your grip is too small. A basic guide to choosing the correct grip is:

• For men, a Grip 3 (4 ¾”), Grip 4 (4 ½”)

• For ladies, a Grip 2 (4 ¼”), Grip 3 (4 ¾”)

Once again, it is a preferential choice, some players like a small grip and build up the size with thinner over-grips. Your choice, but make sure it is comfortable for you to use.

Vibration Dampening 

Vibration dampeners are a personal choice. They do not dampen the vibrations from the racket frame to your arm. What they do is dampen the acoustic sound of the vibrations when the racket hits the ball. This gives the feeling of softer hitting on your arm. This takes away the harsh feel and sound when hitting the ball.

Remember to choose your racket and string requirements very wisely, do not just pick up a racket based on either price, racket manufacturer, colour/fashion or which professional player endorses the racket.

Choose a racket for you. Your stringer can also advise on the string options which give you a chance to personalise a racket for your style of play. In the end you will have to experiment with different things before you go “YES!” to the best racket and string for your game.

STRINGS EXPLAINED

There are many different string types on the market. Sometimes it seems too confusing for a club player to pick a string for their racket.

So, to narrow down these options I will give you 4 choices:

1. Natural Gut

This is animal intestine, often used by professional players, but not so popular these days. It has great feel and power, but is expensive, has a short life span and is affected by damp conditions, but a lot of players love the feel of it. If you want to buy this for your tennis racket then I will string it for you, but I do not hold stock of natural gut.

2. Multifilament String

Lots of fibres are put together to provide a soft feel and a responsive ball strike and more power. They are a great choice if you do not break strings very often. This is the nearest synthetic option to natural gut and a lot cheaper too. The negative aspect to these strings is mainly durability and a little loss of ball control.

3. Monofilament String

These polyester strings are popular with professional players and club players alike and they give you plenty of spin and control. They are very predictable because of the “snap-back” effect of the strings at contact. They are also extremely durable, so are a good option for string breakers. However, they can lose a little tension and are less powerful than multifilament. The biggest issue is that if you have tennis elbow or wrist problems due to playing tennis then these will not help that. 

Combining a multifilament and monofilament string in your mains and crosses would give you the best of both options.

4. Synthetic Gut

This is a low budget solid core string. It has good playability factors including power, ball control and spin. It is a popular choice for many players and is at the cheaper end of the market.

This is a great starting point for players who are not sure what strings to purchase. It will give you good combination of all playing characteristics.

STRING GAUGES

Diameter in mm

Gauge

Player type

1.35-1.40

15

Control and durability

1.25-1.30

16

Good feel and control

1.20-1.25

17

Good power and spin

1.15-1.20

18

More power and spin

The most common gauges are 15 & 16 amongst club players. Without getting too technical think that the more feel and spin you want then the 16 gauge may be your personal choice. The more durability you want then aim for the 15 gauge.

My personal recommendation is to choose between the 15 and 16 gauge.