Basic Facts About Frames & Strings

March 2003

RACQUET FACTS - ALL THINGS BEING EQUAL

• A heavier frame generates more power and vibrates less.
• A heavier frame has a bigger sweetspot
• A stiffer frame generates more power and has a larger sweetspot.
• A stiffer frame transmits more of the shock load to the arm than a more flexible frame.
• A stiffer frame provides more uniform ball response across the entire string plane.
• A larger frame generates more power and is more resistant to twisting.
• A larger frame has a larger sweetspot.
• A longer frame generates more velocity and therefore more power.
• The string bed in a longer frame generates more spin due to increased velocity.

STRING FACTS - ALL THINGS BEING EQUAL

• Lower string tensions generate more power (providing string movement does not occur).
• Higher string tensions generate more ball control (for experienced players).
• A longer string (or string plane) produces more power.
• A lower string density (fewer strings) creates more power.
• Thinner string generates more power.
• More elastic strings generate more power. (Generally, what will produce more power will also absorb more shock load at impact).
• Softer strings, or strings with a softer coating tend to vibrate less.
• Thinner strings tend to produce more spin.
• Lower string density (fewer strings) generates more spin.
• The more elastic the string, the more tension loss in the racquet after the string job.

Excerpt from the 2002 USRSA stringers manual.

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