Choosing Tennis strings is something that many people decide to forego. They simply ask their local pro or racquet stringer to make the decision for them and then never experiment. While professional coaches and racquet stringers generally do know what they are talking about you are missing out on a great opportunity for your child to learn more about both tennis and their own game. Picking the right string can help you make sure your child is playing their best by allowing them to both expand their tennis knowledge and give them the best tools to complement their playing style. While tennis strings won’t make a drastic difference in your child’s game, it can certainly give them an edge when they need it most in close matches.
The first thing you and your child needs to think about when trying to figure out what tennis strings to test you need to know what kind of player your child is. Are they a flat hitting aggressive player? Or are they more of a defensive spin player? Do they have a big serve? Do they like to come to net? By answering these questions you and your child can figure out what they need from their strings to compliment their game. For instance, if they are a flat, aggressive player, your child is going to want to find strings that will give them more power. If your child is a spin or defensive player they are going to want strings that give them more spin and control. If your child likes to come up to the net, then they are going to need strings that give them more touch and feel. Once you have this down, then you and your child can start to research strings.
Most tennis strings are labeled with what they do best. The categories are split into spin, feel/touch, control, and power. Polyester strings are generally best for spin or power, and multifilament strings are usually best for feel/touch and control. You can use up to two different strings in a racquet so feel free to experiment with combining strings (called hybriding) to get the results you want. You can learn more about tennis strings in our article HERE.
Don’t worry we aren’t going to leave you in the dark with where to start. Here is a list of strings to try first from our friends at tenniscompanion.org in their article The Best Tennis Strings For 2017.
Spin- Babolat RPM Blast
Power- Tecnifibre X-One Biphase
Control- Babolat Pro Hurricane Tour
Touch/Feel- Prince Premier Touch
They go into much more detail about each string in their article but here is a good place to start.
Once you and your child have picked out some strings, it’s time to test them out! First off it’s important that your child has a racquet strung with their old strings this way they have a reference point. Then it’s time to string a racquet with the new strings. It’s important that your child starts the practice with the old strings. This will help them get a good idea of how they typically play. Then after 10 min or so of using the old strings, they should switch to the new strings. While using the new strings, they should keep track of how they feel and what they are looking to accomplish with the strings. So if they are looking to get more spin, they should be taking note of whether or not they are getting more spin with the new strings. Then they should focus on whether or not the string feels good to them when they use it. This is very subjective, but if your child does not feel confident about a string, then doubt can start to creep into their head while they are playing. The last thing you want is for your child to go out and play a match with doubt in their head, regardless of how much a string might compliment their playing style. At this point, it is simply a matter of experimentation. Keep trying strings until your child finds a string or combination of strings that both fits their playing style and that feels good to them.
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