Why Re-string?

Why Re-string?

Why do we re-string racquets? After all, as the old saying goes, if it’s not broke, why fix it right? With racquet strings and racquets, the answer is not that simple. In a nutshell, we restring because power is stored in the strings. If you’re in doubt, drop a tennis ball on the court and see how high it bounces. Now, put your racquet on the ground and support it at each end with your feet to make it’s stable and drop the ball from the same height again, only this time, drop it onto the strings of your racquet. See the difference?

So, you may ask “If the strings aren’t broken, why should I spend the money on new ones? After all, I can buy a whole case of beer for the price of a good string job these days”. Well, you’re right about that, and if you drink that case of beer, it’s not going to make a flip about how good your strings are anyway right? But once you get over the hangover you’re might want to play some tennis. If that’s the case here’s something you should know about your strings. Strings stretch when they are tensioned and also at impact when striking a ball. This is called elongation. But their ability to recover to their normal state once they are stretched is the real key. This is called elasticity and this recovery rate is what separates one string from another. If your strings are new, you’ve got the full benefit of a nice elastic material. After several hours of play the string still stretches but you begin to notice a difference. Now your strings recovery rate begins to decline and you lose control and power and you’re working much harder to keep the ball deep in the court.

In summary, you re-string because your strings will not stay elastic forever, and this eventually translates into loss of control and power.  Plus, as we all know, strings break and that’s a completely different ball game.