Why Dwell Time Works for “Pop”

• “Pop” = Ball Rebound Speed, which is heavily tied to how quickly the ball leaves the stringbed.

• A shorter dwell time generally means higher ball exit velocity—the racquet “punches” the ball out faster, which feels like more pop but less “energy.”

• Conversely, longer dwell time gives a “softer” feel, with more ball cupping and potentially more control or spin, but there is a less immediate rebound.

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 Advantages of Using Dwell Time

• ✅ Objective & Measurable: Unlike “feel,” which is subjective,  We calculate dwell time for every racquet we do.

• ✅ String-agnostic: Since you’re isolating the moment of contact, it’s less influenced by the brand, gauge, or material, especially when averaged over several hits.

• ✅ Independent of Vibration Dampers: Since dwell time happens before stringbed vibration even knows what is happening, dampers (which affect post-impact sound/feel) are irrelevant.

 Things to Consider

• Dwell time is still influenced by tension, racquet stiffness, swing speed, and impact location.

• It might not fully capture the subjective “pop” some players describe, because that sometimes includes auditory feedback or even rebound height perception.

However, as a technical baseline, dwell time is an excellent metric for quantifying “pop” without getting bogged down in subjective or brand-dependent language.

We have been calculating dwell time for many years, so below we will associate a frequency (sound) with string bed stiffness so you can hear what “Pop” sounds and feels like!

Dwell Time:  5.677 ms.

String Bed stiffness:

Flex Four=71.1

RDC=74

ERT=42

Dwell Time: 6.829

String Bed Stiffness:

Flex Four=60.0

RDC=47.0

ERT=33.0

Dwell Time:  7.803

String Bed Stiffness:

Flex Four=57.0

RDC=36.0

ERT=27.0

Dwell Time:  7.803