200905 Racquet Sports Industry

8/8/2019 200905 Racquet Sports Industry

1/52


2/52


3/52


4/52


5/52


6/52


7/52


8/52


9/52


10/52


11/52


12/52


13/52


14/52


15/52


16/52


17/52


18/52


19/52


20/52


21/52


22/52


23/52


24/52


25/52


26/52


27/52


28/52


29/52


30/52


31/52


32/52


33/52


34/52


35/52


36/52


37/52


38/52


39/52


40/52


41/52


42/52


43/52


44/5242 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY May 2009

String Playtest

EASE OF STRINGING

(compared to other strings)Number of testers who said it was:

much easier 0somewhat easier 4about as easy 24not quite as easy 9not nearly as easy 0

OVERALL PLAYABILITY

(compared to string played most often)Number of testers who said it was:

much better 2somewhat better 8about as playable 10not quite as playable 14not nearly as playable 3

OVERALL DURABILITY

(compared to other stringsof similar gauge)Number of testers who said it was:

much better 8somewhat better 20about as durable 9not quite as durable 0not nearly as durable 0

RATING AVERAGES

From 1 to 5 (best)Playability 3.5Durability (4th overall) 4.5Power (14th overall) 3.6Control (17th overall) 3.8Comfort 3.0Touch/Feel 2.9Spin Potential (4th overall) 3.8Holding Tension 3.6

Resistance to Movement (12th overall) 4.0

M2 Pro is a new string in more thanone way. First, it is one of the latest offerings from Luxilon. Second, M2represents a completely new categoryof string from Luxilon, incorporating abreakthrough in string technology.Third, it is what might be described asa multi-core monofilament. This last one is difficult to imagine, but stickwith us.

The patent-pending M2 consists of 10inner fibers of different shapes and sizessurrounded by a matrix of polymer. Allparts of the string are extruded simulta-

neously using proprietary Luxilon materi-als. It is essentially an internalmonofilament and multifilament hybridin a single string. It has a unique propertyLuxilon calls dynamic flex: Under lowerforce (soft hits) it flexes more like a multi-filament, but under higher force (hardhits) its flex pattern is closer to that of amonofilament.

According to Luxilon, M2 offers a realalternative to traditional hybrids as itcombines the softer feel and comfort of

multifilaments with the control and dura-bility of monofilaments in single string.Luxilon believes that multifilament

players looking for more durability andcontrol will find the string to be an excel-lent alternative to polyester strings. Con-versely, monofilament players looking formore comfort and softer feel will find thisstring to be an ideal alternative to goingto a multifilament.

M2 Pro is available in 1.25 in naturalonly. It is priced from $17 for sets of 40feet, and $281.50 for reels of 720 feet.For more information or to order, contactLuxilon at 773-714-6400, or visit lux-ilon.com. Be sure to read the conclusionfor more information about getting a freeset to try for yourself.

IN THE L ABThe coil measured 40. The diametermeasured 1.31-1.34 mm prior to string-ing, and 1.27-1.28 mm after stringing.We recorded a stringbed stiffness of 75RDC units immediately after stringing at60 pounds in a Wilson Pro Staff 6.1 95

(16 x 18 pattern) on a constant-pullmachine.

After 24 hours (no playing),stringbed stiffness measured 64 RDCunits, representing a 15 percent ten-sion loss. Our control string, PrinceSynthetic Gut Original Gold 16, mea-sured 78 RDC units immediatelyafter stringing and 71 RDC unitsafter 24 hours, representing a 9 percenttension loss. M2 Pro added 16 grams tothe weight of our unstrung frame.

The string was tested for five weeks by37 USRSA playtesters, with NTRP ratingsfrom 3.0 to 6.0. These are blind tests, with

playtesters receiving unmarked strings inunmarked packages. Average number of

hours playtested was 25.7.Installing M2 Pro is virtually identical

to installing any of the more manage-able polys, with perhaps a bit less coil

memory. With its clean, smooth surface,it glides through grommets and acrossmains, yet is easy to grab between yourfingers when weaving the crosses. Cross-es seemed to need less straighteningafterward, it is nicer than some polys toknot, and we saw no friction burning.

No playtester broke his sample dur-ing stringing, seven reported problemswith coil memory, two reported prob-lems tying knots, and one reported fric-tion burn.

ON THE COURTIts fair to say that our playtest teamwent nuts over Luxilon M2 Pro. Of the131 strings weve playtested for publica-tion, M2 Pro comes in at 4th place inDurability, 4th place in Spin Potential,12th place in Resistance to Movement,14th place in Power, and 17th place inControl. Its scores were good enough toput it within 10 percent of the beststring in each of the categories of Dura-bility, Control, Spin Potential, TensionRetention, and Resistance to Movement.Last but not least, M2 Pro also scoredwell above average in Playability, and isthe top poly string in the category of Spin Potential.

What this adds up to is an overallaverage score good enough to put M2Pro in 10th place out of 131 strings. Thisscore is within 10 percent of the top-rated string, and is the best overall aver-age score f or a poly.

One playtester broke his sampleafter eight hours of play.

Luxilon M2 Pro

www.racquetsportsindustry.com


45/52May 2009 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 43

This natural gut user is considering a switch topolyester. I am amazed by the feel andplayability. 4.0 male baseliner with moderate spin using Volkl DNX 8 strung at 60 pounds CP (Babolat VS Touch 16)

Great pop and explosive spin. 3.5 male all- court player using EXO3 Graphite (with port inserts) strung at 53 pounds CP (Tecnifibre Syn- thetic Gut 17)

Easy installation. This is a very responsivestring. Great pocketing. Great feel. Great touch.

4.0 male all-court player using Wilson K Blade Team strung at 54 pounds CP (Kirschbaum Super Smash Spiky 17)

Polyester has come a long way. This plays andholds tension much better than its predecessors.

4.5 male all-court player using Wilson nBlade strung at 57 pounds CP (Wilson Super Spin 16)

I am not a polyester fan, but I like this string. Iwould definitely try this again. 5.0 male baseliner with moderate spin using Head MicroGELRadical Team MP strung at 56 pounds CP (Gosen OG-Sheep Micro 16)

TESTERS TALK If I ever switch to polyester, I will switch tothis string. It has good power and spin. I canonly imagine how friendly a thinner gaugewould be. 4.0 male all-court player using Wilson Triad 4.0 MP strung at 58 pounds CP (Gamma Live Wire 17)

Stiff and durable. Great tension mainte-nance. Comfort and touch are on the lowside. 4.5 male all-court player using Head MicroGEL Extreme Pro strung at 52 pounds CP (Klip Legend 16)

This is a durable string lacking in playabilityand comfort. The power level is high for a poly-ester. 5.0 male all-court player using Prince O3 Speedport Pro White MP strung at 58 pounds LO (Prince Premier LT 17)

This string is lively but difficult to play with.Though control is lacking, there is definitelymore spin. Unfortunately, this string failed mein the third set of a very important match. I lost6-1. 3.0 male all-court player using Wilson nBlade strung at 48 pounds (Wilson NXT 17)

FREE PLAY TESTSTRING PROGR AM

Luxilon will send a free set ofM2 Po to USRSA members who

cut out (or copy) this coupon andmail it to:

Offer expires 15 May 2009Offer only available to USRSA

members in the US.

Name:

USRSA Member number:

Phone:

Email:If you print your email clearly, wewill notify you when your sample

will be sent.

USRSA

Attn: Luxilon String Offer,330 Main Street,Vista, CA 92084

or fax to 760-536-1171,or email the info below to

[email protected]


For the rest of the tester comments, visit www.racquetsportsindustry.com.

CONCLUSION

If you think the scores our playtest teamgave M2 Pro are good, check out the com-ments. In many ways, the scores and com-ments speak for themselves, and provideenough reason for a lot of players to give M2Pro a try. However, this is especially true forplayers struggling with fine-tuning a hybridset-up, as there can be a lot of issues in thesuccessful deployment of a hybrid. Using M2Pro instead of going hybrid might save thema lot of headaches. Of course, theres noth-ing to prevent anyone from using M2 Pro ina hybrid set-up, as noted by a couple of ourplaytesters.

Its no secret that Luxilon is the preferredstring of professionals, with more than 60percent of ATP players and more than 45percent of WTA players using Luxilon string.The playability-oriented M2 Pro seems wellpositioned to broaden that appeal to seriousamateurs and beyond. For players wantingeven more durability, Luxilon also offers M2Plus.

If you think that Luxilon M2 Pro mightbe for you, fill out the coupon to get a freeset to try. Greg Raven Q


46/52

these to the Star Stringing team at the 2009 BNP Paribas Open, and they were a

big hit.

CALIBRATINGYOUR LEAD TAPELike other customizers, I measure, cutand weigh strips of lead tape. There are acouple of additional steps I take to makecustomizing easier and more accurate.Whenever I buy a new roll of lead tape,the first thing I do is cut a 12-inch length,strip off the backing paper, measure theweight of this strip to nearest tenth of agram, and divide by 12. This gives me a

GENERAL CLEAN UPI recently discov-

ered that KirklandBaby Wipes arevery efficient forwiping down mystringing machineand associatedtools. There are576 (or 704) ultrasoft wipes in the

package and each measures 7x8 inches.The cost is approximately three cents perwipe, making this an inexpensive acces-

sory.5 sets of Gamma Professional Spin 16 to:Carl Morris, Yorktown, VA

Editors note: Even if you prefer an alco-hol wi pe for the metal parts of yourequipment, these are great for cleaning

your hands before, between, and afterstring jobs. USRSA supplied a box of

44 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY May 2009

Tips & Techniques

weight per inch for that reel. I write thatvalue on the inside of that reel. I do the

same thing for every width. This leavesme with a simple calculation to deter-mine the length of tape to cut for anygiven weight I need. Of course, I stilldouble-check this weight after cutting.5 sets of Ashaway Monogut 16L to:Albert Lee, MRT, Potomac, MD

FINESSING ABLOCKING STRINGSometimes when starting the crosses ona two-piece job you cant get the end of

Readers Know-How in Action



47/52May 2009 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 45

Tips and Techniques submitted since 2000 by USRSAmembers, and appearing in this column, have all been gathered into a single volume of the Stringers DigestRacquet Service Techniques which is a benefit of USRSAmembership. Submit tips to: Greg Raven, USRSA, 330Main St., Vista, CA 92804; or email

[email protected].

the crosses into the tie-off hole.Instead of risking life and limb withan awl to open up space to insert thestring from outside the frame, runthe end of the string through the tie-off hole the wrong way, pull thecross string through the tie-off holebackwards, and then go into thetop grommet from the outside of the

frame.It works like a charm every time.

Once you get the string through justbe careful not to pull too fast as youcould burn the anchor string andweaken or even sn ap it.5 sets of Wilson Enduro Pro 17 to:Terry Boyle, Columbine Valley, CO

Editors note: You can use a similartechnique on a two-piece job when

you cant get the end of the crosses

into the grommet holes for the topcross. In this case, run both ends of the string through the holes for thetop cross from inside the frame.

SNAPPING YOUR CAPUsually when you are restringing aHead racquet that has the CAPbumperguard on it, tensioning thestring results in a satisfying snap asthe string is pulled through the CAPopening, toward the frame. However,sometimes these bumperguards canwear to the point that the lips on theCAP become so flexible that theymove with the string. This can resultin the loop of the string outside of the frame remainin g outside of thebumperguard.

I have a three-step procedure for gettingthe string to seat properly in the CAP bumper-guard when this happens:1. Try pulling tension again on the string. If

that doesnt work,2. Try pulling tension again with the knot

option on the machine, which is set higherthan reference tension. If that doesnt work,

3. Pull tension and clamp off as you normally

would, and then use your offset awl in thestringbed to pull the problem string to oneside until it seats.Once you get the string seated, re-pull at

the correct tension and clamp off as normal. If


possible, advise the customer that its get-ting close to replacement time for thebumperguard so you dont have to gothrough this next time.5 sets of Dunlop Tour Performance 16 to:

R. Casey Maus, CS, Cathedral City, CA

Greg Raven Q


48/52

Ask the Experts

HEAD CROSSBOW ANDAIRFLOW HYBRID

I'M TRYING TO STRING ONE OFHead's new Crossbow racquets witha hybrid, but I can't figure out how

to do it. According to your stringing instruc-tions, you do the mains and the two bottomcrosses all together. How am I supposed totie off the mains without doing those bot-tom crosses, and then how do I jump thestring to the top to finish the crosses?

AS WITH A NORMAL TWO-PIECEstringing on these frames, stringing

the Crossbow and Airflow CB racquets witha hybrid string set means doing the mainsand two bottom crosses with one string andthe remainder of the crosses with another.It may not result in a "pure" hybrid set-up,but it's the best way to do it on theseframes, and the difference in playabilitybetween this and a "pure" hybrid set-upshould be slight. For this to work, though,you need to have enough string in the

mains to do the mains and the bottom twocrosses. If you don't have enough length inthe main string for this, Roger Petersman atHead recommends that you install themains as per the instructions for this rac-quet, tie them off, and install a piece of scrap string temporarily in the bottom twocrosses. You can then install the crossesfrom the top as you normally would. Whenyou get to the throat of the racquet, cut outand remove the temporary crosses, andcontinue installing the crosses, including thebottom two.

Although stringing some of the crosseswith the main string may seem odd thesedays, over the years there have been otherracquets, notably the Wilson T series metalracquets, that required stringing some of thecrosses along with the mains, and then fin-ishing the crosses wit h a separate piece of string. Also, Michael Chang is said to havehelped develop the stringing techniquewhereby the mains were partially installedwith one string (omitting the outside main),

and another string was used both to com-plete the mains and fill in the crosses.Andre Agassi popularized this techniquewhen he was using aramid mains (that is,before he switched to poly). Today, Weedrecommends a similar installation tech-niquethe Weed Live Periphery sys-temon its 3/4 and Zone models.

PRO R ACQUETSIVE HEARD THAT THE RACQUETcompanies make special racquetsfor the pros ones that the aver-

age player cant buy. Why dont theyallow others to buy pro racquets, so wecan play like the pros?

FROM WHAT WE CAN TELL,manufacturers actually do make

pro racquets available to the public.There are four broad categories of

racquets in use by the pros. They are:1. Stock: The same racquet you can buy

at retail .

A


Your Equipment Hotline

Q


A

Q


49/52

2. Modified stock: The same racquetyou can buy at retail, only withaftermarket modifications per-formed by the player or his rac-quet technician.

3. Partial custom: A racquet that issimilar to one you could buyretail, but with certain featuresunavailable to the retail customer.

4. Full custom: A racquet that mayappear outwardly similar to aretail frame, but with custominternal construction.Stock rac quets are most often

used by lower-ranked players.Modified stock racquets are by

far the most common racquets onthe tour, with the most popular mod-ification being additional weight,added by the player; by the playersracquet technician; or by the manu-

facturer to the players specifications,before delivery to the player. Howev-er, some players have custom-mold-ed pallets from racquet customizerssuch as RPNY and Priority One.

Partial custom racquets are morerare, and usually take the form of racquets that are similar to theirretail counterparts, but are cut longerduring the manufacturing process.However, some manufacturers alsomake available items such as leather

grips and grommet kits to pros,which are not available to retail cus-tomers. These racquets often willalso have the weight, and/or balance,and/or swingweight custom-tuned forthe player. In some cases, they maybe cosmetically altered for marketingpurposes.

Full custom racquets areextremely rare, as they involve anenormous amount of work bothin developing the racquet to beginwith and in providing the racquets inquantity to the player. Virtually any-thing is possible with these frames.

Whether or not the base framefor any given pro is or was availableat retail, a quick glance at the mea-surements of weight, balance, andswingweight of pro racquets isenough to reveal that there is no pro-totypical pro racquet used in oneform or another by all pros. Pro rac-quets run the gamut from extremelyhead light to evenly balanced toextremely head heavy; from midsize

to mid plus to oversize; from flexible to stiff;and from dense stringbed to open stringbed.Ignoring the frame for a moment, stringingand accessorizing vary widely from player toplayer. How would you even know which proplayer to imitate?

If youre determined to have a pro rac-quet experience, grab your favorite frameand weight it up to around 350 grams, with a

swingweight of at least 350 kgcm2 (so mepro racquets are much heavier, and/or withmuch higher swingweights). If your gameimproves with your racquet set up like that,maybe you are ready for the big time.

Before you go out to duplicate a prosracquet by modifying a retail frame,though, keep in mind that no racquet isgoing to make you play like a pro unlessyou already play like a pro. Pros dont playlike pros because of their racquets: Th eyplay like pros because of talent and effort.The racquets they use, and the way thoseracquets are strung and set up, ultimately

owe as much to personal preference asanything else. Greg Raven Q

We welcome your questions. Please send them to Racquet Sports Industry, 330 Main St., Vista, CA, 92084; fax: 760-536-1171; email: [email protected].

May 2009 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 47www.racquetsportsindustry.com


50/52

Building a HealthyRoadmap for the FutureThe TIAs executive director says while the good news in participatiovery positive, we are also focusing on the issues challenging our indu

Tennis participation has been on ahealthy growth trend, thanks to thecombined efforts of everyone in this

industryand of course, to the simple factthat tennis is an attractive, affordable,healthy activity and a sport that one can

play for their entire life.It still amazes me every time I receive

the Southern Tennis yearbook and see 95-year-old ranked tournament players. Whatother sport has that level of competition? Italso amazes me when I look down thecourts to see women of advancing years intheir lycra stretch tops and short skirtswith toned legs and arms. And families,out on the court together, not only beingphysically active, but also enjoying theirtime together. Why isnt everyone playing

this sport?I think the recent growth in tennis par-ticipation indicates that weve been doinga good job over the last few years of build-ing our tennis infrastructure in the U.S.Obviously, we have much more to do inthis area, but every day, we are connectingmore and more consumers to the recre-ational game by helping them find placesto play, people to play with and programs

to learn in. Throughour focus on technol-ogy and our simpleonline search fea-tures, were bringingmore players intotheir local tennis com-munities .

With the help of all industry partners,weve created moreand more programs

and initiatives for consumers of all ages. Just look at how QuickStart Tennis hastaken off, bringing children under 10 tothis sport. Combine that with USTA Jr.

Team Tennis, the No-Cut coach initiativeand successful Tennis on Campus pro-gram, and thousands of kids and youngadults have tennis opportunities theynever would have dreamed of 10 yearsago. Then adult leagues and teams, plus

the popular Cardio Tennis, along with themyriad of other programs that run on thelocal level, keep people playingfor therest of their lives.

We must continue to increase theplayer/consumer base and ensure that itis healthy. But our participation growth,while extremely important, is only one part of this equation.

There are other parts of our industrythat are not as healthy, and in fact, arevery much struggling. As consumers

tighten their belts in this economy, salesat pro/specialty retail stores are declin-ingsome stores have had to close, oth-ers are trying desperately to stay afloat.As product sales slow, tennis manufac-turers lose money, advertising and mar-keting is reduced. Staff is being cut attennis businesses and organizations, inefforts to shore up revenue streams.

We are facing unprecedented eco-nomic challengesnot just in tennis, buteverywhere. And this has great potentialto undermine what weve gained in thelast few years. We are responding byaccelerating our focus on industry issuesand on finding ways out of this econom-ic morass.

One main component is to recognizethat our consumer marketplace has beenchangingit demands online technolo-gy, social marketing, instant gratification,24/7 access, mobility and novelty. It hasbeen evolving, and those that dontchange and adapt will lose out. In yourown businesseswhether as a retailer,facility, manufacturer, publication or

B Y J O LY N D E B O E R

Frequent player Jolyn de Boer has been in the tennis industry for 26 years and is the executivedirector of the Tennis Industry Association.


other tennis-related companylook atwhat others are doing to bring in customersand increase sales. Theyre taking advan-tage of this changing marketplace. And somust you.

The TIA is committed to building a

roadmap for the future health of the indus-try and to engage all areas of this industrymanufacturers, retailers, court contractors,tournaments, facilities, media, organiza-tions and othersto identify and helpdefine areas for new growth.

Below are a just a fe w of the issues weare looking to address while continuing our joint focus on growing participation.Q New technology services to help tennis

pro shops and specialty stores take advan-tage of the online community to help their

businesses.Q Improved research analytics plus estab-lishing benchmarks that identify a healthyindustry.

Q A succession plan to address the aging of industry and teaching professionals.

Q An improved gateway for communicationto spread the word of tennis and educa-tion to help businesses.

While participation growth is para-mount to the health of the industry, weneed defined and actionable plans in placeto address many of the issues facing ourbusinesses in these challenging times. And,based on the spirit of cooperation and col-laboration that weve achieved, were confi-dent well emerge even stronger in theyears ahead. Q

We welcome your opinions. Please email

comments to [email protected] or faxthem to 760-536-1171.

Your Serve


Wed like your input andthoughts on how theeconomy is affecting ourindustry and also any com-ments and suggestions onbuilding a better roadmapfor the future. Please takea quick poll at tennisindus-try.org or email us [email protected].


51/52


52/52

Documents

200905 Racquet Sports Industry