Tennis Racquet String Tension - Tips on How to Decide

Tennis racquet string tension is a commonly misunderstood issue but a very important consideration for your racquet. What racquet string tension should I use? Well, when it comes down to it, it really is a matter of personal preference, but here are some guidelines and facts to keep in mind. First, there is generally a tension range that is provided by the tennis racket manufacturer and is usually located on the throat of the tennis racket. If you ever find yourself unsure or struggling to decide what tension, a number smack dab in the middle of the recommended racquet string tension is usually a good one to start with. You can then increase or decrease your string tension until you find something that feels good.

Since all tennis rackets recommend different tensions (they are generally somewhere in the 50 or 60 pound range), there is not one tension that can be recommended. You can only use the following guidelines. Lower tension increase power and higher tensions increase control. With a lower tension, the racket acts almost like a trampoline. The ball hits the racket, the strings quickly form a small pocket (relative to the tennis string tension) and your swing and strings shoot the ball out of the pocket. Obviously, this is a little over exaggerated, but it is a metaphor to how the strings respond with a lower tension. This all results in a little less control.

Racquet string tension that is on the high side causes the racquet to act more like a board or "brick wall". This tight racket string tension causes the ball to flatten out more, which allows the strings to have a better bite on the ball. This, in essence, provides more control. Many players prefer tighter strings but it does have a board like feel that you may not like. It is also important to keep in mind that racket string tension will feel different with different rackets. Some tennis rackets are flexible while others are stiff. Your current tension may feel very different on a different racket even though they have the same recommended string tension.

Tennis string tension really becomes a matter of personal preference and trial and error. And it starts all over again if you get a new tennis racket. So just remember the basics:

1. Higher string tension means reduced power but more control

2. Lower string means more power but reduced control

Now that I have said all of this, I will throw a kink into the mix. These guidelines really apply to those tennis players who are passed the beginning stage of tennis and are a more intermediate or advanced player. A beginner could be hitting balls all over the place but a higher or tighter racket string tension is not going to help them out with better control. A beginner would most likely benefit from a lower tension because the strings will be more forgiving and help with the number of off center hits that they have. I would suggest that a beginning tennis player stick with the mid-range string tension that is recommend for the tennis racket.

Tennis Racquet String Tension - Tips on How to Decide

String Lights

Tennis Racquet String Tension - Tips on How to Decide

Tennis Racquet String Tension - Tips on How to Decide
Tennis Racquet String Tension - Tips on How to Decide

String Lights

Nascar Party Lights - Practical But Fun

One of the fastest growing sports today is Nascar racing. While I am a gigantic sports fan, Nascar was not something that I paid a lot of attention to in the past. However, with Danica Patrick making the move from Indy car racing to Nascar, I may just become a big Nascar fan after all. As I speak with other fans of racing, they seem to indicate that having a favorite driver is what really holds your interest in the sport, so I guess it is the same as having a favorite baseball or football team in that sense. Like some big football fans hold Super Bowl parties, Nascar fans hold race parties. Of course, these Nascar parties, like all parties, require decorations. Since lighting has become a big part of any occasion, could Nascar party lights be far behind? Of course not.

I would expect that anyone decorating for a racing party would begin much the same as a fan of any other sport. You adorn your home with memorabilia of your favorite team in addition to the normal team logo items that are available. I am also sure that you utilize some images and logos of Nascar as a whole so that your guests are not too put off if they happen not to be a fan of the same driver and race team as you.

When I thought about where to go to purchase Nascar party lights, I began with a search of the Internet and started at Amazon.com. What I found was a couple of generic offerings of string lights that included lights depicting checkered flags and a red and white race car. These and the other string lights I found consist of a ten light set with alternating covers on a twelve foot light string. Much like your usual string Christmas lights, they are constructed like an extension cord so up to two additional sets of string lights can be added. Also available at Amazon are string lights that are white covers with a driver's number painted in black. These seem rather bland for a sport that likes to paint its cars in all kinds of flashy colors and schemes. Besides that, they do not have the Danica Patrick model so I decided to move on.

A further search of the Internet did yield some better results as far as finding light strings with covers depicting more authentically painted cars of some favorite drivers. However, the strings are not as long but do contain the same number of lights. The cars my initial search found belonged to drivers such as Matt Kenseth, Jimmy Johnson and Carl Edwards. I am sure a more thorough search will produce results locating the cars of most of the more popular drivers. Since my search has yet to locate the Danica Patrick string lights I am looking for, I will continue to hold off on the purchase of my Nascar party lights until sometime in the future when Danica makes her way to the senior circuit and becomes more of a main stream driver than just another pretty face.

Nascar Party Lights - Practical But Fun

String Lights

Nascar Party Lights - Practical But Fun

Nascar Party Lights - Practical But Fun
Nascar Party Lights - Practical But Fun

String Lights