Trying to pick out new tennis strings for your child can be a daunting task. There are so many different string choices and combinations it is easy to get overwhelmed as a parent. However, picking the right strings for your child can be incredibly helpful to your child’s game if done correctly. The right strings can not only give your child some slight improvements in their game but can also prevent injury and save you money in the long run. In this article, we will be covering changing strings due to durability issues and due to injury prevention.
Durability Issues
If your child is breaking their strings every other day or more, it might be time for a change. As your child gets better at tennis, they will naturally start to break their strings more often. However, this shouldn’t be something that occurs every day (unless they’re playing 5+ hours a day). The first thing you should do is start looking into polyester or poly strings (you can find more info on them in another post here) for your kid. Polys tend to last much longer than your typical tennis string and can be great for getting some extra spin on shots. If your child does not use poly strings already, I would start off by hybriding (using a different set of strings for the mains and crosses in a racquet). I am suggesting this because polyester strings tend to be harsher on one’s body and can lead to tendinitis. Using two different strings can help prevent this from happening. Your child should start out by hybriding a poly and a softer multifilament or synthetic gut string (You can find more info on these strings in another post here). If your child is hybriding and breaking a lot of strings, then they should try using a softer poly or consider going full poly. If your child is already using 100% polyester strings, then it’s time to look for a softer polyester string. If your child has decided to switch to using 100% poly as their string, it is important that you watch out for tendinitis as mentioned before. Even the softest polyester string is stiff compared to most other options out in the market. Its stiffness is what makes it durable, but it also causes it to be tough on the body and can lead to tendinitis. If after switching to a poly string your child starts to develops tendinitis, I would suggest you either try to find a softer poly or go back to their old string.
Tendinitis issues
If your child tends to get tendinitis in their elbow and shoulder often then changing their strings might be able to solve the problem. Tendinitis can often be caused by using stiff strings (you can check out which type of strings are stiff in our strings post here). One of the easiest ways to prevent injuries such as tendinitis is to use softer strings such as multifilament, gut, or synthetic gut. I would start by hybriding one of these types of string with your child’s old string and move on from there. If the tendinitis persists, then it’s time to switch to only using soft string. If your child is strongly against changing their strings then you can start by lowering the tension they get their racquet strung. The lower tension should be able to help a bit, but if problems persist, then they should switch their string immediately.
We hope this article was helpful! Please let us know in the comments below!
Leave a Reply