Stringing a tennis racquet might sound daunting, but it’s not really. Promise!
With that in mind, having the right tools certainly makes it easier – and if you do it a lot, a stringing machine is a must.
Now, be nice to your racquet. Don’t wait until your strings break to restring it. You need to treat your tennis racquet like a member of your family! Any signs of wear and tear on the strings should be looked at and taken to the string doctor!
Weakened strings can throw the balance of the racquet out, causing more force on different areas of the frame. This can result in the frame becoming warped, and your precious racquet losing its flair.
Moreover, once you learn how to string your own tennis racquet, the extra control it gives you due to you deciding your own tension, will help you take your game to the next level. You could have a racquet strung differently for every surface!
How to do it!
Firstly, secure the tennis racquet into the stringing machine, making sure all clamps are securely tightened. Six point machines are naturally the most secure, with the added advantage of distributing the force around the whole frame preventing accidental misshaping.
Now you need to adjust the tension. This is really a personal preference, but as a general rule, the more tension, the faster that ball flies! The important thing is to not exceed the specified weight of the frame. You definitely don’t want to snap it!
You’ll need about 40 feet of string. Start off with the main holes stringing vertically, from the first top hole, down to the base of the racquet and back up. Continue like this until you reach the end of the mains. Clamp it down to prevent losing the tension, tie a knot, and unclamp.
Now we get to make the pretty patterns across!
Start with the first horizontal hole and weave it over and under the main strings all the way across. Then move to the next hole and repeat back the other way, You may like to clamp at the ends to help hold the tension. This really depends on what machine you are using.
Continue this all the way down the racquet until it’s fully strung. Tie it off, and if clamped, release the clamps to allow the tension to distribute.
That’s it really. It’s as basic as that! Now stop reading and get on out there and hit some balls