How to Find Your Perfect Tension

What is the best string tennis? How do you choose a string tension? What does the manufacturer recommended tension mean?

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00:00 Manufacturer Recommendations
01:03 Where Beginner's Should Start
01:59 What Does Tension Actually Change?
02:40 What Does Power Mean?
03:20 Do Lower Tensions Increase Power?
04:51 Can Higher Tensions Increase Power?
06:19 What Tension Hits the Most Spin?
06:54 Issues with String Studies
07:37 Tension Based Allusions of Spin
08:19 Player Recommendations
09:12 Stringing for Your New Racquet
09:31 Racquet Specs and Stringbed Stiffness
10:10 The Worst Dubbing You've Ever Seen
11:33 Why Tension Doesn't Matter (lol)

*Grapplesnake USA only ships to the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico. Cannot ship to Europe or Asia unfortunately.
**Regular priced racquet must be valued at $175 CAD or higher.

[achec]

I very much agree with what was said about launch angles and depth, it really makes a difference. I used to string my AeroPro at 45 and it just zoomed off the string bed higher than I expected. I’ve tried the full spectrum, even cracking a racquet by stringing 6 lbs over the recommended tension. I would recommend taking 25 very aggressive cuts and seeing how the ball responds compared to what you expect. If it’s going higher and deeper than expected go up 2-3 lbs, or do the opposite if it’s going lower or shorter. I’m currently at 57 with a full bed of Dunlop Black Widow with very aggressive western forehand and one handed backhand. I’m close, may try 59. I’ve also modified the handle with Tungsten puddy to deaden the racquet a bit. Only bad thing is I only get about 2 hours out of a 16 gauge poly.

[DearDextra]

I bought a used yonex vcore 100 for $100 that had a copoly on it with 48lbs and my shots and serves were going out, so I changed it to MLT at 55lbs and I can now hit consistently.

[gnerd]

Grateful for the insight. Using 45 lbs in a 18x20 microgel prestige atm.
Used to be in the mid 50s but realized i always like how the tension felt right before the strings broke.
Will def try closer to 40 next and see how that feels.

[FBtnnis]

I love how you have articulated the thoughts that have rattled around my head for years. 🤔
Some days/weeks/years, tension "felt" like it was giving me more whatever. Other times, it's been the string and other times, the racquet. Of course, most of the time, it was "mostly" me, not the equipment. As I've gained experience playing tennis for 30+ yrs, I've noticed that very few technologies have "altered" the results of the ball on the other side of the net for me to where my opponent would notice the difference. Most of the time, it's just how I adjust myself to playing that makes the biggest difference. That's the biggest and most salient variable to consider.

[joaopedronerva]

Funny fact: lowering the tension made me hit with more spin and harder, also freely. But I do remember struggling with technique to do it at the beginning. IMO: Don’t be afraid with lowering your tensions by 3-7lbs, just don’t compensate hitting slower/badly or with a shorter swing… change the swing path and it will work fine :) go crush the ball and hit with confidence after this

[vijaynarsapur]

String tension basically helps optimize the "feel" you get. And "feel" in turn will help you with more consistent footwork. And more consistent foot work will create more consistent swing paths. This will in turn help with an overall better game. When you have a very stiff string bed and a slow swing speed, meaning if you naturally cannot generate a high swing speed, you tend to overswing, or muscle, or "fall" on the ball, which leads to a breakdown in technique, and ultimately a game below your own potential. If you have a very loose string bed, you tend to slow down and become deliberate, which doesn't produce your optimum game. I found this out after much experimentation - I now play my racquets at a specific tension (for a specific string, which I have stuck to), and it has dramatically elevated the effectiveness of my game.

My experience with almost all sports has been like that - I am very sensitive to the stiffness of my golf clubs, to the stack and reach of my road bike, and of course, the tension/balance/grip size of my tennis racquets.

[francoisbisschoff]

Great video! I usually string wilson blade v9 18x20 at about 53lbs, with full bed of hyper G. Great feedback, love the control, and being able to use more angles, bought a roll of luxilon alu rough, suggestion for stringing it from your side?

[ZeroLoveTennis]

Tension is such a wild variable. It is funny to me that these suggestions on racquets come with no mention of what gauge. Because 18g at 50 will feel very different from 16g at the same. Maybe Mid tension, 17g, would be a satisfactory starting point. But with no mention of gauge, then you just leave another variable to be discovered the hard way or never at all.

[BRATANA]

Thanks. Great analysis without the endless bs.

[b.lakeberg]

When I use a synthetic gut, mid tension of the frame. When I use a polyester string, 45 to 48 lbs. Using syn gut/poly hybrid, syn gut mains at 55 lbs and poly cross at 51 lbs.

[leftyspinn]

Starting the drop the cross tensions to try to get a more forgiving string bed and a bit more pocketing. Ive got an rf97 with lynx tour at 48/44lbs and an old iprestige 18x20 at 46/42lbs with poly tour strike

[luckyintheorder]

I FINALLY stopped using the old adage, tighter tension equals more control. It might have meant something before modern rackets but is meaningless to a mid level old dude who is still working to improve. Playing the pre-Auxetic version of the Head Gravity Pro with Triax 17 (not a string breaker, flat ball hitter) and moved from mid 50's (55, 56, 57) tensions to 51 mains, 48 crosses two string jobs ago without any loss of control on groundstrokes, more spin/bounce and a bit bigger serve. I have always hit it deep in the court anyways but definitely more clearance over the net and would swear that I'm hitting fewer balls long and when I take shorter balls and apply a better stroke (more brushing) have added more angle shots that pull opponents off the court (do hit more wide balls sometimes but working on it). Love Triax, love the Gravity Pro and working on loving my game. Going to try the Solinco Whiteout 305 and newer Auxetic versions of the Head line soon too. I liked the feel of Auxetic in the pre-2024 Speed Pro, it was just a little light but they've upped the swingweight and lowered the RA so wanna give it and the Prestige's a shot.

[ad-rock]

That was a fun journey, appreciate the humor too

[stevenm]

I’m an “older” player used to string 62 lbs with syngut in my wood Kramer ProStaff. After 40 years took up the game again and adopted semi western forehand, 2 handed backhand, poly strings and 100 sq in racquet. So much easier but still can’t get used to low string tensions. I usually string at 57 lbs with Solinco Confidential or Polytour Pro in my Ezone 100. Tried so many times in the 40’s playing around different strings, fortunate to tinker cause I string my own, just play terrible, no confidence, especially backhand. I need different string or tension for forehand or backhand I think. Higher tensions is only way I can hit with any consistency and fortunate no arm issues. Maybe 57 on a lock out stringer is closer to 52 on a constant pull? I guess I’ll need an ERT 300 someday. Btw I also prefer thinner gauge strings too, 1.2 or 1.15 mm probably allows higher tensions too. Thanks Beckett! Keep up the great videos.

[docstranger]

I go high tension (58) so that I can swing freely, create more rhs and feel confident the ball will land in. I don’t have problem with power, I have a problem with over hitting

[PrecisionPointTennis]

I was beating an opponent easily at 24/23 when my butt cap came off and switched to my 23/22, and I was mentally afraid to hit out it seemed and my balls weren’t working as well. It was mental that I had more control with the higher tension but after more time on the court, I realised that the higher tension gave me the confidence to hit out and it was that small adjustment that made me happy to know my best string tension, one kilo made a big mental difference

[marcink]

Always great content! I would add, that different strings play different with the same tension, also different jauge(diameter)of string plays different at the same tension. I play at 20kg, have enough control, nice launch angle et not so harsh for my elbow. Balls and temperature take a role in subjective tension feeling, so as you said, there is a room to adapt.

[maxgreene]

Hey Beckett, great video. Been following a lot of your content. IMO the best on YouTube for tennis nerds like myself.

I need your advice: should you wait an entire day or more after stringing a brand new racquet, before hitting some balls? Or is this a myth?

[seantiwanak]

Thanks. I have a new vcore and was thinking I need to adjust tension

[BenQ]

Awesome video: well argued and really useful to debunk some of the myths (or at least question some of the "conventional wisdom"). I wonder whether you have any related thoughts on what really happens when a string (especially a poly) loses tension. Does it really become objectively uncontrolled and unplayable, or is this just psychology also?