My Journey with String

[jryle1]

Geoff,

I would love to be able to implement Natural Gut into my string set-up but I'm afraid that the weather over here mightn't allow that to happen. I presume that the damp, cold, wet Irish weather will cause the Natural Gut to break quicker?

Jono.

[GeoffWilliams]

big hitter blue rough made by Tourna.

[hmkuchta]

what is bhbr?

[GeoffWilliams]

His arm hurts due to the pht, which can cause arm problems, and the stiffness rating of the frame at 63, the mp tour diablo?
That's a 16 x 18. The nxt sensation has a lot of tens. loss. Big hitting of any kind will cause it and arm pain, but the pht is hurting him, not the nxt. 66lbs is higher than most string, but tens. loss is a big issue with him. I would at least try: bhbr/bbo, strung at 66lbs on bhbr mains, and the bbo at the top of the hoop: 64lbs, for the first 11 crosses down from the top of the hoop, and then for the last seven crosses down, up to 75lbs. That will firm up the job more until it breaks, but some say it causes more frame stress. I've never had a problem with that technique, and it helps me with the same issue. If he's a big hitter he will love that combo, as the bhbr has way more spin pop than the pht but since it's a copoly, it feels softer than pht but pht is listed as less stiff, the stiffness ratings (188 vs 233) don't always pan out, and will cause less arm pain! Copolys feel softer than polys even if listed stiffer. One of the advancements of string technology is the softness and fewer injuries caused by copolys. The springy feeling he's complaining about is the tension and how it relates to his frame/string he's using. Try it once and see if it works for him. To be part of the article, we would need to ask or see how he plays.

[hmkuchta]

Geoff - after reading your article, I'm ready to start experimenting with my stringing. My son and I string our rackets, but with no real creativity I hate to admit. He's 6-3 and a big hitter; enjoys the big drive but occasionally sees the value in increasing the amount of spin. He uses a prince tour mp and strings both the main and cross at 66 lbs. I've heard him mention once in awhile that his upper arm gets a little sore. He's using babolat pro hurricane 16 and wilson sensation 16; no more than two hitting days for a string job and if not used within a 5 days it loses tension and turns into a trampoline. He often complains about a fresh 66 string job as feeling springy. I could use some advice. I may even take you up on the "experiment". Give me the details. thanks for the informative article.
Hank

[GeoffWilliams]

Best to stay with an all gut job, then, due to its softness. The elasto bands, and the flex bar, are good for shoulder/elbow injuries. If I were you, I'd at least try the alu on cross and the vs as main. You are too low at 46lbs. Too hard to keep gut in the park at that low tension. You could do as Raonic does, string at 42/44. He increased it at altitude up to 45/47. The higher cross tension combats trampoline effect for a short while, until the tensioning crosses lose tension. It's the crosses that keep the ball in the court.

The reason that Fed and joker love that so much is the penetration and controlled pure power, the heavy ball on demand, that hybrid strikes mass into the ball.

[llll]

want to give kudos to geoff
i asked him some questions which he promptly and in a very detailed way
answered them.
if not for a history of elbow and shoulder issues which havent bothered me for the last few years im reluctant to try any major change to the vs team i use now
otherwise i would jump at the chance to be the experimental student to work with geoff.
larrry

[GeoffWilliams]

It's the best string piece I've ever seen, due to the global picture, the intent also to do good for the members, and the grit and resiliency it took to write it. Hard on John. He said to me, "It hurt me.", today, re; how hard it was to edit. It's a 3G article: global/good/grit piece. I would like to do a piece, if a member wants to hire me to customize their frame/string for the best result/in their game. Anybody want to do it? I'd need either to see video of your game, or ask a lot of detailed questions about your playing style. We would then write the article about the process, work together as a unit, to improve your game through the piece.

[johnyandell]

Share your thoughts on Geoff's piece "My Journey with String".