

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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