Tennis racket strings have a habit of breaking, resulting in expensive stringing if you take it to your club or shop every time. The more you play, the more the strings will need renewing and the cost rises.
If you are a regular player then it is good practice to learn how to restring a racket, not only will it save you money but it is far more convenient. It must be pointed out that you will need a stringing machine as this is imperative to apply the correct tension.
If you are living in the Kings Cross area of Sydney and need to have your racket re-stringed then contact Tennis World Rushcutters Bay and they can certainly help.
Tools That You Will Need
- Tennis Stringing Machine – An indispensable piece of equipment that you must have, without it there is no way you can get the correct tension or hold the racket in place.
There are many different types of machine and vary vastly in cost. Basically there are two types: Table-Top and Standalone.
Machine also come with different tension options, basically how the strings will be tensioned, either drop weight, manual crank and electronic.
The number of contact points that hold the racket in place are called mounts, and there are 2,4 and 6 mounting systems available.
Finally there are clamps to consider, which can either be floating or fixed.
- Strings – There are many types of strings available with different feels and durability, the strings are a matter of personal choice.
The choice of strings include: natural gut, synthetic gut, multi-filament, nylon, polyester, kevlar, hybrids.
Steps For Restringing
- Mount The Racket – Make sure the mounts are tight enough that the racket does not move, but not too tight that the frame gets damaged.
- Find The Starting Point – Look at the throat of the racket and count how many holes there are, if there are 6 start at the throat, if there are 8 start at the top.
- Insert The Main Strings – Slide each end of the strings through the opposing holes, ensuring that there are equal amounts of string on both sides.
- Pull The Main Strings – Clamp one string, then use the machine to pull the string and achieve tension, then secure with a clamp, and continue till you are ready to tie the knots.
- Begin Cross Stringing – Repeat the process above for the cross strings.
- Remove Racket – Remove the clamp and dismount the racket, then inspect your work, checking for miss weaves, kinks or any damage.
The amount of string you will require for an average racket is roughly 40 feet, most standard packages come in this length. Before you start the process you will need to straighten the string out and get rid of any unwanted kinks.
Many social players do not try to string their own rackets, they are either too scared of doing so, or they do not have the correct equipment. If you do not check the tension of the racket strings on a regular basis then this can seriously affect your game.
Most reputable tennis clubs such as Tennis World Rushcutters can either re-string rackets or provide a service to get it done for you. If you are living or working around Darlinghurst area of Sydney you can always pop in for a coffee at Tennis World whilst your racket is being re-strung.
