You’ve bought yourself a nice racket, but how can you get the most out of it?

There are many factors that help the performance of your racket, here we

will look at the key factors.

1. When should I restring my racket

The strings can account for up to 50% of the performance of a racket  so it is

very important  to keep them in good condition,  Strings that have lost their

elasticity provide less power, less feel & send more vibration to the user which

can cause injuries.

a) Basic Rule - You should restring you racket at least once per year, but the 

accepted rule of thumb is - ‘You should restring as often in a

year as you play in a week’ eg If you play 3 times a week,

restring 3 times a year

b) Other factors - You may also want to consider a restring if there is visible

damage (ie. notching,discoloration or fluffiness) or if the

strings sound dead when either hitting a ball or when

bounced of your hand.

2. Caring for you strings

There are a number of factors that can shorten the life span of strings or

impede their performance.  There is little we can do about factors such as

hitting with power or spin, however there are things to be done

a) Avoid Temperature fluctuations -

Leaving your racket in a cold shed or in your car over night forces the strings

to expand and contract, stressing their structure,  making them age prematurely.

b) Avoid Dampness -

Water is terrible for strings. Avoid storing you racket anywhere damp.  If you

are forced to play in the wet we advice toweling your strings dry - do not

use a heater as this is equally damaging.

c) Where possible avoid miss hits -

We realise this is not always possible, but it is a major cause of string breaks

particularly for badminton players.

d) Maintain your grommets -

Grommets are the plastic tubes that the strings pass through.  If these get

damaged they can cut into the string & cause breakages.  We will usually

warn you if this is required when you are getting a restring, but if you have

repeated breaks in the same place, this may be a factor.

e) Avoid air travel -

Its great being able to take your racket on holiday, however be aware that

the changes in pressure make your strings expand & contract,  reducing the

performance of the string bed

3. Replace your grip -

This seems like an obvious one, but you should replace your grip regularly.

If it begins to feel slippy then you should change, this is because over gripping

can cause injury or you may loose grip of your racket.

4. Caring for the Racket Frame -

Racket damage is an inevitable part of our sport, but there are things that you

can do to reduce the risk of problems.

a) Racket Stringers and their Equipment -

We have seen lots of very bad restrings over the years and many of these have resulted in grommet or frame damage. So there is no better way to protect your precious racket than to put in into the hands of the experts - people who had deep knowledge of their trade and who only use the most advanced stringing equipment available today.

b) Avoid clashes -

The most common reason for racket breakages are impacts with other rackets

or hard surfaces such as net posts or the ground.  Racket frames are hollow

and designed to take a huge amount of force from the racket face but will not

take a big impact from the outside. The analogy I often use is “They are like

toilet rolls - strong when you squeeze the ends, but they crumple if you squeeze

the sides”

c) Maintain your grommets -

Grommets are the plastic tubes that the strings pass through.  If these get

damaged they can cut into the string & cause breakages as mentioned earlier,

but they also protect the frame from the strings cutting into the frame.

d) Protect against ‘scuffs’ -

If you are prone to rubbing your racket off the ground when you play tennis, badminton or

squash, it may be worth considering using bumper guard tape.  This is a

cheap way to protect you grommet string & frame from serious damage.