Category Archives: Tension
Big 10 Tennis Player of the Week.
Jack Anthrop has been playing extraordinary tennis for a long time and was recently named Big 10 Tennis Player of the Week after an impressive outing in Dallas!
The link below will take you to the Ohio State post; however, I want to share some of the things Jack has done to secure the game he has.
Jack uses a Head Speed SMU racquet. The head size is 96 square inches and has a swing weight of 333 kg/cm^. This inertia couples with the overall weight of 352 grams (12.4 oz) to create stability and power.
Jack uses MonoGut ZX Pro natural at a reference tension of 56 pounds and string bed stiffness of 60 pounds. This creates a dynamic stiffness of 393.6 PPI.
Jack has been using Ashaway MonoGut ZX Pro since the age of 9! Yep, that’s right, age 9! MonoGut ZX and ZX Pro material is PEEK, a unique string that offers outstanding comfort, feel, and power with better durability than some other materials.
It is our position that more players of any level should consider MonoGut ZX or ZX Pro (thinner). It really just makes sense…just ask Jack, Big 10 Men’s Tennis Player of the Week!
Let us know if you have questions about Jack’s racquet or string. We have been working with Jack since age 9, and we would like to share what we can to help achieve your tennis goal(s).
Thank you, Head and Ashaway, for your continued support!
mens-tennis-anthrop-earns-big-ten-player-of-the-week
Congratulations, Jack, your new Head Speed SMU’s are on the way.
Head Speed SMU
Head Speed SMU
Cross String Tension…Yikes!
Cross-string tensions, or actually reference tensions, are the topic of this brief post.
First, every tennis racquet has a “natural” ratio, that is, if the reference tension (and machine setting ) is 50 for both the main string and cross string when the racquet is removed from the stringing machine, the tensions remaining will be in the area of around 50 for the mains and 37 for the cross.
The resultant tension is the natural ratio of that specific racquet.
The issue with changing cross-string tension either higher or lower than the main is that the racquet has changed shape. That is why we test for In-Plane stiffness for every racquet. The higher the In-Plane stiffness, the higher the cross-string tension will remain upon removal from the machine.
If the racquet has very low In-Plane stiffness, it has expanded in width with only the main string installed, so the cross strings need to pull the racquet back into a better (hopefully original) shape.
So, when deciding how much variation you want between the main and cross strings, please consider the racquet! In most cases, we suggest using the same string tension setting for both the main and the cross, since the cross string tension will naturally be lower.
Our True Tension Professional stringing equipment supports the racquet in such a way that we install the main string and cross string at the natural ratio, so the racquet does not change shape and the string bed is consistent.
If you are curious about In-Plane stiffness for a specific tennis racquet, please leave a comment below.
Launch Angle…what is it and how do we use it?
In the simplest terms, “launch angle” is the angle the ball leaves the tennis racquet relative to the court. That does seem simple enough, but how do we, or can we, contribute to it?
We are getting more and more calls asking what to do to reduce launch angle, as the game is changing to a flatter style, which generates a little more energy.
- Racquet Trajectory plays an important role in launch angle. That is why we hear “low to high” so often.
- A flat stroke can generate more ball speed but less spin.
- String Bed Stiffness is another property that contributes to launch angle.
- A stiffer string bed can reduce launch angle.
Many, many factors contribute to this, so we think this way:
As a player, you do not want to change too many things about your stroke; you want the racquet to do the changing for you!
OK, then! The first, and maybe the only thing you would do is pick up a racquet with an 18 x 19 string pattern! In most cases, you do not even need to change your reference tension(s).
We believe the 18 x 19 pattern is slightly more compatible than an 18 x 20, but either would work to help keep your launch angle under your control!
A Couple of Stringing Basics
Racquet Quest is happy to welcome our new clients!
If you stop by the World Headquarters, we can discuss anything you’d like to know about stringing in general, as well as what we do and why. If you can not stop by, you can take a look at our YouTube Channel for this information.
Either way is good, and we welcome questions and suggestions about anything we do.
Please leave a comment on this page below the post, or you can text us @407.491.4755
Racquet Quest, LLC
