ASHAWAY MAINS & CROSSES: String your own
Racquet?
by Steve Crandall
There's a mystique about people who string their own racquets. They
seem so dedicated to racquetball, so technically astute, so...into it.
But for every player you know who does their own stringing, how many
own stringing machines that are gathering dust in the attic? Stringing
machines are like home exercise machines: they're full of good
intentions, and they offer true potential benefits, but they rarely
fulfill their promises. Should you do your own stringing? Let's look
at the pros and cons.
The most obvious benefit of home stringing is economy. Most strings
cost $5 to $10 per set, while professional stringing jobs usually cost
$20-25. For anyone who needs to re-string frequently and that
includes chronic string breakers and other power players, large
racquetball families, and competitive tournament players the
savings can add up pretty quickly.
Convenience is another benefit. The do-it-yourself stringer can get
a string job whenever they want it, without having to drive anywhere
or wait for anyone.
By stringing your own, you take control over your equipment. You
purchase the string you want, and select the tension that suits you
best. You can experiment with different strings and tensions whenever
you feel like it. With practice, every string job will be consistent,
which will help improve your game.
For the tournament player, stringing your own means no more anxious
waits at the tournament stringer's booth, and not having to rely upon
a rushed stringer who doesn't know you or your preferences, and who
might not even have your brand of string on hand.
There's also the satisfaction of doing it yourself, of becoming
expert in another aspect of your sport, or understanding how things
work. And there is the potential to bring in a few extra dollars by
stringing for others.
That said, there are also a lot of reasons not to become an amateur
racquet stringer. Start with the cost of the equipment. Most
professional-quality floor-model machines cost $1,000 or more. On the
other hand, some consumer-quality tabletop machines that use
drop-weights to tension the string cost as little as $100-$200.
Don Hightower, Associate Director of the United States Racquet
Stringers Association (USRSA) urges consumers to proceed with caution.
"Especially for beginning stringers, it can take a surprising
amount of time to string a racquet on a drop-weight machine," he
said. "These machines are not very user-friendly, and may offer
less convenience than taking the racquet to a pro."
Even assuming that the machine is a good one, some players simply
don't have the time to spare, so home stringing becomes a burden, not
a convenience. For many, it's easier to leave the racquet at the
club's pro shop, and pick it up next time they play.
Few amateur stringers attain the skill and expertise that pros can
provide. Most home stringers work in an information vacuum, and do not
know how to fine-tune their equipment to obtain the best results. When
confronted with a new racquet, home stringers may be at a loss to find
the recommended string pattern and tension.
Through trial and error, most home stringers can achieve
respectable, consistent results on their own racquets. But it is
unfair for an amateur to charge his or her friends and club co-members
for work that is of questionable quality.
Although chronic string breakers are often good candidates to become
do-it-yourselfers, Don Hightower told me that seeking advice from a
professional stringer may be a better route. "A pro may be able
to solve a breakage or playability problem through string selection or
racquet tuning," he said. "Going the home-stringing route is
not always the best way to obtain better quality and economy."
Don recommends that players who need expert stringing service or
advice should seek out a USRSA Certified Stringer or Certified Racquet
Technician (CRT). If you need help finding one in your area, call the
USRSA at: (619) 481-3545.
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