Blog : String Tension
As a squash coach who also restrings about 500 rackets every year, I think it’s worth talking a bit about string tension.
Most club players don’t really know what tension to have when they get their racket restrung so they just opt for an ‘average tension’ and trust the re-stringer to judge this for them. I do not think this is a bad thing as the average, is the average for a reason, it’s the most popular, so people are generally happy with that!
If you want to be more of a connoisseur, then here’s some info to consider:
The general rule is : The tighter the tension – the more control. The looser – the more power.
What is a tight tension and what is a loose tension? I think this can change depending on string type and racket choice, but I’ll come back to that.
So, I would consider Average to be 27 lbs (pounds). Tight is 30-33 lbs. Loose 24-21 lbs.
I would say Prince PowerRing rackets need the average shifting to 29-30 lbs.
I would also say control strings eg. Ashway’s Supernick, also need the average shifting to 29 lbs.
The ever popular Tecnifibre strings can lose a pound after a few matches, due to their elasticity, so you could take this into account when you get your racket restrung.
Finally I would say that if you are unsure it is better to caution toward being slightly too loose than too tight. Rackets that are too tight feel dead like a frying pan! Strings that are slightly too loose, still maintain some feel to them but obviously the strings can move around more, which people don’t like.
For reference; Gregory Gaultier is outrageous and has 18lbs, which is very loose. Nick Matthew has a tighter 30lbs.
I personally opt for 24lbs. I used to be a 27lbs man, but the last 3 years I’ve gone a bit looser. I personally feel it gives great feel. I used a Head 135 Xenon racket, which is a rectangle / squarish head shape.
You must be logged in to post a comment.