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AIR ON A RE-STRING

Let’s start with a short quiz. Question No. 1: Have you ever had a brand new racket re-strung? Question No. 2: Have you ever had your racket re-strung apart from when a string broke? Question No. 3: Do you think a re-string could make a significant difference to your game? If you answered ‘No’ to any of these questions, read on because you could be missing out on a whole new dimension to your game. (Published in the November issue of The Squash Player.)

The fact is that in the UK almost all rackets come ready-strung (which is not the case in, say, the States or Germany) and most of them are strung with cheap, low-quality strings, often at too high a tension. There’s not much point in spending £100 or more on a top-of-the-range racket if you’re only getting bottom-of-the-range strings. After all, it’s the strings, not the racket, which actually hit the ball and propel it through the air (at least in theory). But what kind of strings should you have and how much difference will they make and how much will it all cost?

Although there are numerous variations (as shown by the chart below), there are basically three types of string: mono-filament synthetic (the cheapest and most widely used), multi-filament synthetic, and gut (the most expensive), and in simple terms what you gain in performance with the more expensive strings you lose in durability, and vice versa. Gut strings (which are normally made from the intestines of cows or sheep, not cats, and are of multi-filament construction) offer the ultimate in power and feel due to their high elasticity and ‘grippy’ texture but wear out quickly and cost up to five times as much as synthetic strings. Synthetic multi-filaments also offer plenty of power and feel (in proportion to the number of filaments) but vary in durability (depending on the string gauge and the number of layers around the central core) and tend more to tension loss. Mono-filaments are least susceptible to tension loss and vary in durability as well as performance, but generally have lower elasticity, generating less power, and allow the ball to ‘skid’, giving less control. So why are most rackets pre-strung with mono-filament strings? Not only because the strings themselves are cheaper, but because more money can be saved by pulling the strings in faster; the more fibrous multi-filament strings would burn if subjected to Far Eastern manufacturing processes.

But for as little as £12 you can treat yourself to a better quality string and actually feel the difference. First though, there are one or two choices to be made. To begin with you’ll need to decide on the gauge of your new strings. Squash strings usually vary between 1.10 mm and 1.30 mm in diameter, the most common gauge being 1.20–1.25 mm. The thicker the string, the better the durability; the thinner the string, the better the performance. There are strings as thin as 0.95 mm. Then there’s the vexed question of tension (the strings’, not yours). The theory, as we all know, is that higher tensions (above 30 lbs) provide better control and lower tensions greater power, but in practice it isn’t quite as simple as that. There are other factors to be taken into consideration, such as the elasticity of the strings and the head speed at the moment of impact. High tension strings can give you a lot of power if both the ball and the racket are travelling at high speed (and the ball hits the sweet spot), but at slower speeds the ball will not have enough force to stretch the strings so there will appear to be a loss of power. Conversely, you will have plenty of control at low speeds even with low tension strings. So a lot depends on your game: if you tend to hit the ball hard, you should actually go for a higher tension string-bed, whereas if you are more of a touch player, lower tension stringing could be to your advantage. Size of racket head will also influence ‘effective’ string tension: a larger head will seem to be at a lower tension, but will compensate by giving you a bigger sweet spot and consequently more control. Court temperature is a factor too: in the summer, when the ball flies that much faster, you should use a slightly higher tension for greater control: Gefen Sports recommend an extra 5 lb or so.

As if all that weren’t enough, there is now the option of having different tensions on different strings! In the days when racket heads were more or less round, stringers would apply the same tension to each string, but the introduction of ‘tear-drop’ rackets has meant that the longer main strings need to be strung tighter than the shorter cross strings so that they ‘feel’ the same tension. Going one stage further, using ‘star-locks’ in place of ordinary grommets, it is even possible to put a different tension on each individual string in order to create a more uniform string-bed, which not only enhances the sweet spot, but also reduces stress on the frame and lessens the risk of frame breakage. Although this is a feature which involves complex stringing techniques (and we’ll be looking into those another time), it is now quite common in tennis rackets and will almost certainly spread to squash rackets before long. In fact String Electric tell us that their Electre range already boasts variable string tension.

To complicate the situation even further, as we saw last month when comparing the different rackets currently available, there is a choice of string patterns (determined by the number of string holes in the frame). A denser pattern (say 16 mains and 19 or more crosses) will generally give you better ball control (and make the strings themselves last longer), whereas a more open pattern (with say 14 mains and 17 or 18 crosses) will usually give you more power, but at the expense of durability.

So, in case your head is now spinning with the effort of calculating so many variables, let’s attempt to sum up. First find out what type of strings your racket has (the chances are they’ll be mono-filament). Then decide which of the many different kinds of multi-filament or gut strings (see table opposite) might suit your game (and your pocket) best. Will it be a thinner gauge for maximum performance or a thicker one for greater durability? Will you go for higher or lower tension stringing – do you need more power or better control? Even if you’ve just invested in a new racket with a dense string pattern and decide you want more power from it, you can alter its playing characteristics by having it re-strung with finer gauge strings at a lower tension.

Finally, how often are you prepared to have your racket(s) re-strung – before every tournament or only two or three times a year? To put it another way, would you rather have an extra pint after the game or treat yourself to a new set of strings every so often? You won’t really know how much difference it makes until you try it. Just bear in mind though that when you win, you have to buy the drinks as well.

A CHOICE OF MULTI-FILAMENT & GUT STRINGS

Manufacturer String
(new brands in bold type)
Structure
(br = braided, C = core,
fil = filament, W = wrap)
Gauge
(mm)
Cost
est.
(£)*
Ashaway PowerNick multi-fil Zyex C, multi-fil W 1.25 20
  SuperNick XL/
SuperNick Pro
multi-fil nylon C, double-br multi-fil W 1.25 16
  SuperNick XL Micro multi-fil nylon C, double-br multi-fil W 1.15 16
Blue Star High Energy multi-fil 1.25 17
Bow Brand Championship weatherproofed gut 1.10-1.20 22
  Classic oiled gut 1.10-1.20 22
  Extra Life XL heavy duty weather-proofed gut 1.10-1.20 22
  Spot On br Kevlar main/gut cross 1.20 20
  Zyex Super Pro mono-fil Zyex C, Zyex W 1.28 17
  Court Control main: br Kevlar/cross: mono-fil polyamide co-polymer C, multi-fil W 1.20 16
  Missile multi-fil polyamide co-polymer C, br multi-fil W 1.22 14
  Khan Super Pro Multi-fil fibres between mono-fil poly-amide C and multi-fil W 1.20 13
  Synthetic Gut mono-fil polyamide co-polymer C, multi-fil W 1.28 13
  Reflex Edge mono-fil polyamide co-polymer C, multi-fil W 1.28 13
Corona Squash polycoat finish gut 1.20-1.25 16
Forten Progear micro C, ‘gear teeth’ W 1.32 18
  Proflex nylon multi-fil 1.32 14
  Prolong polyamide multi- fil 1.32 12
Gosen Court-Tex Pro multi-fil C, braided W 1.20-1.25 15
  Proform solid C, high-modulus Promilan W 1.30 13
Karakal Pulse high-modulus 88 nylon C, braided nylon microfibre W 1.15-1.25 17
  Classic co-polymer C, single nylon 66 monofilament W 1.30 12
Maillot- Super Jet solid C, multi-fil W 1.21-1.25 16
Savarez HT Tonic solid C, multi-fil W 1.21-1.25 14
Pacific Tournament Pro surface sealing gut 1.10-1.20 30
  Club Line surface sealing gut 1.10-1.20 25
  Braid Power br nylon 1.20 18
  Power Pro polymer 1.16-1.25 18
  Top Elast co-polymer 1.20-1.25 15
  Nyltec nylon 1.29 13
Prince DNA Helix nylon composite with coiled HeliFlex 1.25 17
  Synthetic Gut Duraflex nylon composite with Duraflex 1.10-1.25 15
Rucanor Hy-O-Sheep Vibless gel-filled C, double-W 1.25 16
  Og-Sheep Pro single-W 1.20 14
Sufix Multitex   1.25 16
Tecnifibre details not supplied
Tennis Tech Natural Gut gut 1.30 19
  Synthetic Gut solid C, multi-fil W 1.27 TBA
  Maxi Gut solid C, multi-fil W 1.30 TBA
  Pro Kevlar multi-fil Kevlar 1.10 16
  Kevlar Mate Kevlar main/synthetic cross 0.95-1.20 15
  Squash Power solid C, single W 1.20-1.25 14
  Squash Fibre micro-fil C, multi-fil W 1.25 14
  TN multi-fil 1.20 12

* including re-stringing