200709 racquet sports industry

September/October 2007Volume 35 Number 9 $5.00

DEPARTMENTS

R S I S E P / O C T 2 0 0 7Contents

September/October 2007 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY 3

ContentsINDUSTRY NEWS

7 New Boris Becker Tennisbrand debuts

7 Top speakers to headline USPTA’sWorld Conference

8 Nex-LvL is new licensee forHead apparel

8 Babolat offers new racquets

8 Bud Collins moves to ESPN

8 Bryan Brothers switch to Prince

9 Sacramento captures WorldTeamTennis title

9 PTR sets first Mini Symposiumin Southern Cal

9 USPTA offers new benefits

10 Industry veteran Gary Wakleyjoins Fila

10 Tennis Channel adds Wimbledonto lineup

10 Ferris State partners withMidtown Clubs

4 Our Serve

16 Corporate Leagues

17 TIA News & Updates

21 Facility Manager’s Manual

24 Community Tennis

42 String Playtest: Head C3 Rocket 16

44 Ask the Experts

46 Tips and Techniques

48 Your Serve, by Mark O’Bryan

FEATURES26 Swinging in Style

Court apparel for spring is all in the details. Look for a rainbow of colors,exciting prints, innovative fabrications, classics revived, and much more.

30 Foot SoldiersWhat can a hundred bucks get? For your customers, it can get a lot of greattechnology for their feet.

32 Frames of ReferenceFor recreational players, the newest racquets offer something for everyone.

34 String It Up!Selecting a string and deciding when to restring can be daunting tasks foryour customers. Our exclusive String Selector can help.

GUIDE TO STRINGS

e at Racquet Sports Industry are proud to be a part

of the Tennis Industry Association. And now,

we’ve taken steps to expand our partnership with the

TIA—and as a result, you’ll enjoy greater coverage of

industry news and events.For those involved in the tennis business, the TIA is one of the

most important organizations, providing key industry research,programs, products, and services that all help to promote the eco-nomic vitality of tennis in the U.S. The TIA serves as a unifyingforce for everyone involved in the tennis industry. And RSI, whichis published 10 times a year, is the world’s largest trade publica-tion dedicated to tennis and the racquet sports industry.

Starting with this issue (see page 17), each edition of RSI willcontain a dedicated TIA section highlighting the important indus-try efforts to grow the game, including related research and tech-nology innovations. These features also will be catalogued andarchived in a dedicated, searchable TIA section on RSI’s website,www.RacquetSportsIndustry.com.

The result will be to put the TIA and grow-the-game programsfront and center in the minds of tennis industry professionals. Inshort, we, along with the TIA, will be helping you to stay even bet-ter informed about the things that not only affect your business,but affect tennis participation, too.

“RSI is a natural fit to share important news about the industryand all our partners’ collaborative efforts to help grow our sport,”says TIA Executive Director Jolyn de Boer. “We look forward tothis expanded relationship with RSI, as the official publication ofthe TIA, in helping to deliver the industry news and also the focuson tools to keep our industry healthy and businesses vital.”

Our relationship with the TIA always has been strong, but we’reexcited to be building on that relationship even more. We’vealways supported the TIA and its important mission to unite thetennis industry to increase participation in the sport. And now,we’ll be a much more important ingredient in that recipe.

If you’re not a member of the TIA, check out the websites atwww.TennisIndustry.com or www.GrowingTennis.com. Yourparticipation in this industry is vital, too.

Peter FrancesconiEditorial Director

Our ServeStrong, And Getting Stronger

(Incorporating Racquet Tech and Tennis Industry)Publishers

David Bone Jeff Williams

Editor-in-ChiefCrawford Lindsey

Editorial DirectorPeter Francesconi

Associate EditorGreg Raven

Design/Art DirectorKristine Thom

Contributing EditorsRobin BatemanCynthia Cantrell

Rod CrossKristen DaleyJoe DinofferLiza Horan

James MartinGreg Moran

Chris NicholsonBob Patterson

Cynthia Sherman

RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRYCorporate Offices

330 Main St., Vista, CA 92084Phone: 760-536-1177 Fax: 760-536-1171

Email: [email protected]: www.racquetTECH.com

Office Hours: Mon.-Fri.,8 a.m.-5 p.m. Pacific Time

Advertising DirectorJohn Hanna

770-650-1102, [email protected]

Apparel AdvertisingCynthia Sherman203-263-5243

[email protected]

Racquet Sports Industry (USPS 347-8300. ISSN 0191-5851) is published 10 times per year: monthly Janu-ary through August and combined issues inSeptember/October and November/December byTennis Industry and USRSA, 330 Main St., Vista, CA92084. Periodicals postage paid at Hurley, NY 12443and additional mailing offices. September/October2007, Volume 35, Number 9 © 2007 by USRSA andTennis Industry. All rights reserved. Racquet SportsIndustry, RSI and logo are trademarks of USRSA.Printed in the U.S.A. Phone advertising: 770-650-1102 x 125. Phone circulation and editorial: 760-536-1177. Yearly subscriptions $25 in the U.S., $40elsewhere. POSTMASTER: Send address changes toRacquet Sports Industry, 330 Main St., Vista, CA92084.

4 RACQUET SPORTS INDUSTRY September/October 2007

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RSI is the official magazine of the USRSA, TIA,and ASBA

Peter Francesconi

INDUSTRY NEWSINDUSTRY NEWSR S I S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 0 7

I N F O R M A T I O N T O H E L P Y O U R U N Y O U R B U S I N E S S

The newest racquet brand is named for one of thegame’s all-time great players. The Boris Becker Ten-nis brand debuted recently with three new racquets

and an apparel line. Boris Becker has been a 50 percentowner of Völkl Tennis since 1999, and his new brandwill co-exist with the Völkl Tennis brand, says SeanFrost, the managing director of Völkl/Boris Becker Ten-nis, based in San Diego, the North American distributorfor both brands.

“Becker always wanted to have a brand,” says Frost.“As a player, he had a lot of interest and passion forbrands and is very brand-conscious. When he becameinvolved in Völkl, part of the collaboration was to beinvolved in product development and to develop a col-lection under his name.”

But the two-brand strategy is more than just Becker wanting his own nameon a line of racquets, says Frost. “It really came down to activating the biggestasset we have,” he says. “We should be embracing Becker more. He has anincredibly marketable image in tennis.” Frost says the name recognition forBecker among tennis players is tremendous.

“We’ve spent 14 years building a great brand in Völkl, and we don’t wantto let go of that,” Frost says. “Völkl will be the tried-and-true brand, and theBoris Becker brand will become the higher end, with more technology, be morefashion-driven and more edgy. That will come through on both the apparel side and theracquet side.”

BB Tennis products will have the “Serveman” logo—a silhouetted image ofa man tossing the ball to serve, with knees bent—an image that’s clearly rem-iniscent of Becker himself during his 15 years on the pro tour.

The three Boris Becker racquets available now are the Becker V1 Midplus,Becker V1 Oversize, and Becker 11. A lighter version of the Becker 11 (295 grams vs. 325grams) is also available. All racquets, according to Frost, have been co-designed and testedby Becker himself. All the frames have Völkl’s DNX material,which the company says provides stability, precision, andpower.

The Becker V1 MP is 102 square inches and weighs 10.1ounces, with a length of 27 inches. The V1 OS is 110 squareinches and 27.6 inches long. Both version have a 16 x 19string pattern.

The Becker 11 has a 98-square-inch head size and is 27inches long. The 325-gram version has an 18 x 20 string patternwhile the lighter version is 16 x 19. The Becker 11 carries a sug-gested retail price of $200 and the V1 is $240.

For more information, contact [email protected] or 866-554-7872, or visit

Top SpeakersHeadline USPTA’s WorldConferenceThe USPTA’sWorld Confer-ence on Tennis,held Sept. 17 to 22at SaddlebrookResort in WesleyChapel, Fla., will feature some of theworld’s top tennis speakers. More than35 seminars and four-hour specialtycourses will be offered during theevent.

Speakers scheduled to appear includeNick Bollettieri, Jack Groppel, RickMacci, Todd Martin, Kirk Anderson,Emilio Sanchez Vicario, and Anne Smith,sharing their insights on topics fromtennis teaching to nutrition to business.About 1,500 tennis professionals andcoaches, manufacturer representatives,and media attend theWorld Conferenceeach year. USPTA members and non-members are welcome.

The conference includes several otherevents, including the InternationalChampionships (Sept. 17-20), USPTAdivision parties (Sept. 18), welcomeparty (Sept. 19), awards breakfast, buy-ing show and silent auction (Sept. 20),and the National Cardio Tennis FeedingShootout finals (Sept. 21). Also, on Sept.21, the USTA will sponsor a High SchoolCoachesWorkshop at theWorld Confer-ence, which will consist of a full day ofeducation that will include team prac-tice information, drills, and more.

For more information, including regis-tration information, visitwww.uspta.com.Audio tapes of previ-ousWorld Conference seminar presen-tations are also available in thedistance learning center atwww.uspta.com at no charge.


New Boris Becker Tennis Brand Debuts

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Nex-LvL Inc. Is NewLicensee For Head Apparel

Nex-LvL Inc., based in Toronto, is the newNorth American licensee for Head Tennisand Golf sportswear. The company,

which has U.S. sales offices inTraverse City, Mich., is headedby a team of sports apparelindustry veterans.

The founder of Nex-LvL isGidon Fisher (top left), a 35-yeartextile veteran, inventor, andentrepreneur. Fisher is theinventor of GCool, a patent-pending proprietary fabricationand process that offers moisture-management/breathbility, andanti-microbial and UV protec-tion without the use of chemicaltreatments. GCool's "InFibertechnology" means that per-formance attributes remainthroughout the life of the gar-ment and can never be washedout, says the company.

Nex-LvL President Robert"Bob" Fenton (middle) is theformer North American vicepresident of sales for PrinceSports Group/Benetton Sport-system. Fenton has more than25 years of experience repre-senting global brands including

Prince, Ektelon, Rollerblade, Nordica, andHedstrom.

Katie Curry (above), vice president of mar-keting and merchandising, was formerly withthe LBH Group as vice president of marketingand merchandising and has more than 20years in the sports apparel business, spanningsales, marketing/promotions, and merchan-dising.

"Head has been a global sporting-goodsicon brand for decades," says Fenton. "Andnow, Head Tennis and Golf apparel will reen-gage with tennis and golf pro/specialty shopsin North America that cater to sports enthusi-asts who demand cutting-edge fashion cou-pled with fabrication technology that 'worksand plays' as hard as they do. Using GCoolfabrication as our signature trademark, wewill create dynamic fashion-forward sports-wear for men, women, and children."

For more information, or to inquire aboutdistribution, contact Fenton at 231-223-8880or [email protected].

Bud Collins Moves to ESPN

Veteran tennis journalist and TV tennis commentator Bud Collins, whowas dropped by NBC after the 2007 Wimbledon in July, will be on the airfor ESPN. Starting this month at the US Open, Collins will report on ten-

nis news for “SportsCenter,” ESPNews, and ESPN Radio. Then starting in2008, he will appear on ESPN2’s coverage of the Australian Open, FrenchOpen, and Wimbledon.

Collins, who also continues as a correspondent for the Boston Globe, waswith NBC for 35 years. In his new role with ESPN, he will be reunited withlongtime partner Dick Enberg, with whom he worked for 20 years at NBC.Enberg has been with ESPN since 2004. Collins will also be teamed withESPN commentator Cliff Drysdale.

Babolat Offers New Racquets

Babolat has three new frames available now, the Drive Z110, Drive Z 118, and Aero 112, designed for club players.The Drive Z 110 and 118 are for players looking for power

and maneuverability. Both weigh a light 8.9ounces and are 27.5 inches long. The110-square-inch headsize carries a sug-gested retail price of $199, while the118 sells for $229.

The Aero 112, with a 112-square-inch head size, weighs 9.1 ounces andis 27.5 inches long. It’s designed forclub players looking for a faster swing,more topspin, and a greater balance ofpower with control, says Babolat. It hasa recommended retail price of $219.

All three frames feature Babolat’s Cor-tex System, designed to filter and dampenvibration. The frames also have Smart Grip,an ergonomic grip that Babolat says offers“optimized contact between the grip and thehand,” resulting in more power, control, andcomfort.

For information, visit www.babolat.com orcall 877-316-9435.

AERO 112DR I V E Z 1 1 0DR I V E Z 1 1 8

Bryan Brothers Switch to Prince

Top men’s doubles team Mike and Bob Bryanhave switched to Prince, after nearly 25 years atWilson. The 29-year-old twins are now playing

with the new Prince O3 Speedport Black, which fea-tures customizable stringing options using “stringport inserts.”

“Without question, O3 technology is turning alot of heads on tour,” says Bob Bryan. “The aerody-namic benefits allow us to add some weight to theframe while still generating the racquet-head speedwe need. The result is a feel that is just awesome.”At the Countrywide Classic in Los Angeles in lateJuly, the Bryans won the doubles title withoutdropping a set. For more information, visitwww.princetennis.com.


I N D U S T R Y N E W S

Sacramento Captures WTT Title

The Sacramento Capitals defeated the New York Buzz24-20 in overtime on July 29 to win a record sixthWorld TeamTennis Championship in Roseville, Calif.

The Caps last won the WTT title in 2002. It was NewYork’s third appearance in the WTT Championshipmatch, only to lose to Sacramento each time.

After opening the 2007 season with two losses, theCaps won 11 of their final 12 matches to advance to theWTT Championship on their home court in Roseville,where they received boisterous support from the morethan 4,000 hometown fans who packed the stands forthe final. The festive atmosphere even included a pre-match photo with an Elvis impersonator and WTT co-founder Billie Jean King.

Playing for the Capitals were Mark Knowles, ElenaLikhovtseva, Sam Warburg and Michelle Larcher de Brito.The team is coached by Wayne Bryan. Rik de Voest of the Buzz won WTT Finals MVP honors.

USPTA Offers New Benefits

The USPTA has launched a new website—www.highschoolcoaches.uspta.com—to offerresources to high school tennis coaches and

others who work with high school tennis teamsand players. And, the association is offering free 18-month subscrip-tions for members to the resource site Tennisplayer.net.

The USPTA developed the High School Coaches Resource Center atwww.highschoolcoaches.uspta.com to provide resources that enablecoaches to organize effective team practices for large groups. The sitesupports the “no-cut” tennis team program that has been promotedby the USTA.

“We need to do all we can to provide high school coaches with thetools they need to run effective programs,” says USTA President JaneBrown Grimes. “We are particularly excited about how this can helpdevelop more ‘no-cut’ high school teams.”

The information in the extensive Resource Center comes frommany sources, including nearly four years’ worth of TV shows for “OnCourt With USPTA,” video recordings of both specialty courses andseminars from past USPTA World Conferences, audio seminars, DVDproductions from special events, and more. The site is free to USPTAmembers and available through a subscription for non-members.

The Tennisplayer.net benefit will be found on USPTA members’personal websites. Tennisplayer.net, founded by USPTA member JohnYandell, offers extensive online information and visual resources andhas hundreds of instructional articles illustrated with digital photogra-phy and video. Those appearing on the site include Nick Bollettieri,Jack Goppel, Jim Loehr, Pat Etcheberry, Robert Lansdorp, Rick Macci,and Allen Fox.

The stroke archives on the site contain more than 20,000 strokeclips that allow viewers to examine frame by frame the technicalgame of more than 60 top players, including Roger Federer, RafaelNadal, and Justine Henin. Viewers can also discuss the resources ininteractive forums.

For more information on these and other benefits, visitwww.uspta.com or call 800-877-8248.

PTR Sets First MiniSymposium in Southern Cal

The PTR will hold its firstSouthern California MiniSymposium Sept. 9-10 at

the SeaCliff Country Club inHuntington Beach. The event,with the theme “Excellence inTeaching,” is open to all PTR and USPTA teaching pros,high school and college coaches, and students who areor will be teaching tennis.

The Mini Symposium will feature presentations byPam Austin, PTR Master Pro Ken DeHart (below), Dave

Hagler, Don Hen-son, and more. Theevent opens Sundayafternoon whenattendees will watchthe US Open men’sfinal with a discus-sion afterward, andcontinues all dayMonday with on-court presentations.Cost is $95 for PTRmembers, $125 fornon-members. Dis-counts are availablefor high school andcollege coaches.

For more infor-mation or to regis-ter, call PTR at800-421-6289.

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Tennis Channel AddsWimbledon to Lineup

Tennis Channel announced a wide-ranging, multi-year deal that in2008 gives the network telecast

rights to Wimbledon. Tennis Channelcurrently broadcasts the French Openand the Australian Open.

The deal with Wimbledon will bring more than 100hours of programming to Tennis Channel during TheChampionships next year and in the weeks leading up toit. Coverage will include a four-hour, nightly prime-timeprogram, “Wimbledon After Dark.”

Tennis Channel will produce all matches it covers atWimbledon, utilizing the network’s own on-air talent atthe tournament grounds.

Industry Veteran Wakley Joins Fila

Footwear and apparel industry veteranGary Wakley is the new vice president offootwear for Fila. Wakley will manage a

team that is responsible for product manage-ment, development, and sourcing, workingclosely with the Fila design and marketinggroups.

Wakley, 58, joins Fila from Prince Sports,where he spent the past three years as seniordirector of footwear and apparel. In his morethan 36 years of experience in the footwearand apparel industry, Wakley has held positions at Endicott John-son, Bata Shoe Company, Romika, Lotto, and Adidas.

He will be based out of Fila’s New York office and will report toY.C. Cho, Fila’s president of global operations. Wakley joins Fila USAPresident Jon Epstein, VP Footwear and Apparel Sales Bruce Fend-ell, and VP and COO Andrea Greco as the newest members of thecompany’s senior management team.

Classic Turf Courts Jobs in Aspen

Classic Turf Co. of Woodbury, Conn., will be spending time inthe Aspen, Colo., area working on at least eight tenniscourts. Two courts will be completely redone with the Clas-

sic Turf System, a cushioned sheet-goods surfacing system, whileothers are existing Classic Turf courts that will be recoated,including four courts installed nearly a dozen years ago.

The two new courts will be at the private Meadowood com-munity. “The existing hard courts have been unusable and closedfor two years,” says Classic Turf President Tumer Eren. “We’llredo the courts with 8mm Classic Turf rubber.”

Four Classic Turf courts at the Aspen Institute, installed 11years ago by Eren, will be recoated for the first time. “They areextremely pleased with the product, and it’s performed well forthem all this time,” says Eren. Two other Classic Turf courts at theAspen Alps community, installed five years ago, also will berecoated. For more information, visit www.Classicturf.org or call800-246-7951.

L E T T E R SDee Henry a ‘Shining Example’

A big thank you to Kristen Daley for her “Your Serve”article "Going the Distance,” in the August issue. Shehighlighted Dee Henry, women's tennis coach at BiolaUniversity in La Mirada, Calif., and as she so aptly under-stands, Dee's willingness to invest in the lives of othersis significant. Dee is a shining example of commitmentto others that is characteristic of those who serve atBiola. Thank you for noting Dee's accomplishments.

—Gary A. MillerProvost & Senior Vice President, Biola University

We welcome your letters and comments. Please email them to [email protected] or fax themto 760-536-1171.

US Open Prize Money Sets Records

The base purse at the 2007 US Open will top $19.6 mil-lion, with the potential to exceed $22.2 million—thelargest ever increase to Open prize money. The base

purse increased by a record $1 million over last year.In addition to the $19.6 million, the top three men’s and

top three women’s finishers in the US Open Series mayearn up to an additional $2.6 million in bonus prize moneyat the US Open. Both the men’s and women’s Open singleschampions will earn $1.4 million, with the ability to earnanother $1 million each in bonus prize money based ontheir performance in the US Open Series. The 2007 Openwill be from Aug. 27 to Sept. 9.

Ferris State Partners with Midtown Clubs

The Ferris State University Professional Tennis Man-agement program and Midtown Clubs haveannounced a partnership in which the Midtown Clubs

will identify talented and motivated students from theirjunior development programs interested in pursuing acareer in the tennis industry.

The Ferris State PTM program will educate and trainthe students through their comprehensive bachelor of sci-ence degree program. Upon graduation, the students willenter the industry through Midtown Clubs and facilitiesacross the nation.

Midtown is a leader in upscale athletic club and sportsresort management. The company currently operates 13clubs throughout the U.S. and Canada. Midtown Tennisand Athletic Clubs is one of four divisions of the TennisCorporation of America. Ferris State University’s PTMprogram offers a four-year bachelor of science degree inProfessional Tennis Management with a choice of a Mar-keting or Resort Management concentration. For moreinformation visit www.ferris.edu/ptm andwww.midtown.com.

I N D U S T R Y N E W S


• Fischer player Anna Chakve-tadze kicked off the U.S. hard-court

season in style by winning two con-secutive WTA titles at the Western &Southern Financial Group Women’sOpen and Bank of the West Classic. Asof early August, Chakvetadze, rankedNo. 6 in the world, has won four titlesin 2007. She plays with the new FischerM Pro No. 1 98 racquet.

• USRSA Master Racquet TechniciansLindsay and Craig Willeford donated allthe proceeds from the more than 100racquets strung at TennisExpress duringa three-day fundraiser for the HoustonTennis Association’s NJTL Chapter. Thefundraiser, “Stringing for NJTL,” washeld in conjunction with the HTA’sChampionships Junior Major Zone Tour-nament. Brad Blume, owner of Tennis-Express, matched the dollars raised andpresented a $1,500 check to the Hous-ton Parks and Recreation Department.

• Tommy Robredo of Spain, playingwith a Dunlop Aerogel 3Hundred rac-quet, won his first ATP singles title of2007 in early August at the OrangeProkom Open in Poland. It was the fifthcareer title for Robredo, who is rankedNo. 7 in the world.

• Scott Schultz of Big Rapids, Mich.,and Bob Love of Lexington, Ky., wereinducted into the USPTA Midwest Divi-sion Hall of Fame at a ceremony heldduring the Western & Southern Finan-cial Group Masters tournament inCincinnati. Schultz is currently the man-aging director of Recreational Tennis forthe USTA. Love, a longtime teachingpro, is a USPTA Master Professional.

• International Tennis Hall of Fame Exec-utive Director Mark Stenning has beenawarded Rhode Island College’s 2007Charles B. Willard Achievement Award.Stenning is a 1978 graduate of theschool.

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> Construction continues on a new indoor,multi-purpose venue at the USTA Billie JeanKing National Tennis Center in FlushingMeadows, N.Y., home of the US Open. Thenew indoor building, scheduled to be com-pleted in time for the 2008 US Open, willfeature 12 tennis courts, an expanded fit-ness center, a full-service pro shop, a USOpen superstore, space for the AmericanTennis Hall of Fame, and more.

> The 15th Annual Advanta World TeamTen-nis Smash Hits, held Oct. 10 at the Pavilion atVillanova University in Villanova, Pa., will fea-ture music legend Elton John, along with BillieJean King, Andy Roddick, Lindsay Davenport,and Anna Kournikova. The event will raisemoney for the fight against HIV and AIDS.More information is at www.wtt.com, andtickets are available by calling 215-981-3346or visiting www.ticketmaster.com.

SHORT SETS> The USTA and Continental Airlineshave renewed their US Open partner-ship through 2009. Continental is theofficial airline of the US Open.

> The 11 home courts of the WorldTeamTennis Professional League sea-son, which was played throughout July,were once again DecoTurf courts. Thecourts were a unique, WTT multicol-ored design that consisted of a calicopattern featuring blue, green, brown,and maroon.

> The 2008 U.S. Men’s Clay CourtChampionships will move to the RiverOaks Country Club in Houston. For thelast seven years, the event was held atthe Westside Tennis Club in Houston.

> The USTA Player Developmentgroup is scheduled to move into itsnew national headquarters located atthe Evert Tennis Academy in BocaRaton, Fla., in October. Player Develop-ment has been located in Key Biscayne,Fla. The USTA formed an alliance withthe Evert Academy in July 2006 tobuild a world-class training facility fortop junior players. The new facility willinclude a learning center, weight andfitness center, conference center,offices, and dorm-style living arrange-ments for two dozen players.

U S R S A M E M B E RC L A S S I F I E D S

FOR SALE: Silent Partner Aria ElectricStringer. Base clamps upgraded. Alsoincluded: string clamps, manual andtools. Working in excellent condition.Please contact Ron Condio at 716-763-0106 or [email protected] - USRSA#31177

HELP WANTED: Full-time position (withbenefits) in South Florida. Responsibili-ties include stringing and customizing:racquet, apparel and footware sales.Must be computer literate and haveclean drivers license. Salary commen-surate with experience. Email resumeto: [email protected]


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New Websitefor Finding Pros

Anew website—

www.TennisLessons.com—launched in April is

designed to make searching forlocal tennis lessons easier forconsumers. According to web-site creator Tomer Grassiany,the site has information onmore than 500 coaches orclubs, covering about 200 citiesin 20 countries.

Grassiany says the site isreceiving about 1,000 uniquehits a week. Tennis teachingprofessionals can post theirinformation for free. For moreinformation, visit the site, orcontact Grassiany attomer@tennislessons .com or212-995-0654.

Conditioning Guidefor TennisIn “Complete Conditioning forTennis,” the USTA's managingdirector of high performance, E.Paul Roetert, and chairman ofnational sport science committee,Todd Ellenbecker, share the provenexercises and practice drills thattranslate directly to optimal on-court performance. This compre-hensive book and DVD packagefeatures exercises, sample pro-grams, and footwork drills thatdevelop speed, quickness, flexibili-ty, and strength as they relate totennis. The book ($23.95) coversevery facet of conditioning fromfitness testing and warming up todesigning a program that meets aplayer's individual needs and per-

formance goals. The accompanying 90-minute DVD provides visual demonstra-tions of the most advanced tests and exercises used by the pros. For moreinformation, contact 800-747-4457 or visit www.HumanKinetics.com.

LEAGUES


tions play each other, or intracompany,made up of teams within the same com-pany. According to Mast, league coordi-nators have had the most luck findingcompany teams by contacting local ten-nis players, asking them where they workand if they’d like to start a team.

In Key Biscayne, Fla., Elaine Wing-field’s corporate league is made up of aunique mix of organizations, includingthe military, a fire department, and facul-ty and staff from the University of Miami.“It’s not your typical definition of ‘corpo-rate,’” says Wingfield, director of MiamiRecreational and Corporate Leagues.“You have to think outside the box a lit-tle.” A company team can enter a leagueas long as all employee-players are onthe same payroll. And as long as half itsmembers are employees, a team canrecruit family and friends to play as well.

Convincing a company to join aleague can be an easy sell, with a formatthat caters to people with busy lives. Itdoesn’t matter how many people showup to play, as long as two men and twowomen are available to compete. “Theyknow exactly the time commitment,”says Mast. “Everything’s done in twohours.”

Major corporations like General Elec-tric and American Express have gotten onboard. “We see a trend in companieslooking to connect with and engage theiremployees in a social setting,” saysArrington. “There’s a definitive need forteam building in the workplace. Corpo-rate tennis leagues can help addressthese needs.” �

corporate�

lubs and pros looking to generaterevenue easily and effectively, andreach a whole new audience, can

now create business by catering tobusiness.

More than 100 companies nowparticipate in corporate tennis leaguesin 20 cities across the U.S. The pro-gram, presented by the USTA andWorld TeamTennis, offers thousands ofplayers the chance to hit the courtswith their colleagues for fun, co-edcompetition. “It’s a great networkingopportunity, socially and professional-ly,” says Ilana Kloss, CEO and commis-sioner of World TeamTennis.

For those in the tennis industry whomake the leagues happen as coordina-tors, the benefits to their business andthe game are numerous. “You put alot of people on a limited number ofcourts, and you get to expose yourfacilities to companies in the area,”says Delaine Mast, WTT RecreationalLeague national director. Once leaguecompetition begins, several facets ofyour business will reap the benefits—from equipment sales at the pro shop,to membership sales, to private lessonsfor league players looking to raise theirgame.

The corporate league that AnnetteBroersma, a USTA tournament direc-

tor, organized in Irvine, Calif., turned outto be good news for the bottom line ofthe restaurant at the Newport BeachTennis Club, the host site. Each Sundayin April and May, five teams of teachingpros and staff from local private tennisclubs competed for bragging rights, thenwould meet up after the matches at therestaurant. The participants are employ-ees of clubs that Broersma collaborateswith to present junior tournaments. “Weinterface all the time, so I was happy todo this,” she says. “It’s easy.”

“Overall, league management is notmuch harder than recruiting teams andscheduling matches,” says Glenn Arring-ton, USTA national manager of Colle-giate and Corporate Tennis. “The gluethat holds all of this together is the abilityto provide adequate communication toparticipants.”

Pros and clubs interested in organiz-ing and hosting a corporate tennisleague can get help from WorldTeamTennis (866-PLAY-WTT). Facilitiesneed a site license; for the $350 invest-ment they get professionally-designedmarketing materials, a free WTT webpage, the ability to send teams to theWTT Nationals, and much more.

Once a facility is registered, organizerscan scout league teams. Leagues can beintercompany, where different corpora-

C

In Good CompanyCreating a corporatetennis league in yourarea will bring more

business to your facility.B Y K R I S T E N D A L E Y

For more information about corporate tennis leagues,contact Delaine Mast at 866-PLAY-WTT or visitwww.WTT.com.

T I A N E W S S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 0 7

The first TIA Tennis Forum, presented by Tennis Magazine,will be held Monday, Aug. 27, at the Grand Hyatt in NewYork City, during the USTA Tennis Teachers Conference.

The hour-long Forum, which is free to attendees, will “share thegood news” in tennis and serve as a rallying point for the industry.“There’s been a growing interest to have a gathering place for those

in the industry to network, hear the news, and be brought up to date onindustry happenings,” says Jolyn de Boer, the executive director of the TIA.“We see this Tennis Forum as the beginning ofan ongoing event to fulfill that need.”Speakers at the event will include USTA

President Jane Brown Grimes, TIA PresidentDave Haggerty, USTA Community Tennis ChiefExecutive Kurt Kamperman, and Tennis Maga-zine Publisher Jeff Williams. Topics will includenew research in tennis, the new schools pro-gram, Project 36/60, online enrollment for ten-nis programs, the new Tennis Health Indexand Court Activity Monitor, Cardio Tennis, Ten-nis Welcome Centers, and more.“We want to share the good news,” says de

Boer. “So many people have been working tokeep our sport growing and healthy.”Admission to the Forum is free and includes breakfast for all attendees, along with an

information packet. Because of the tight schedule, there will not be a question-and-answersession. However, attendees will be able to submit questions for any speaker, which willthen be answered online in an open forum at TennisIndustryForum.com.For more information, visit TennisIndustry.org, and to post questions, visit TennisIndus-

tryForum.com.


Industry Gears Up for NYC Debut of Tennis ForumNews You Can Use!Welcome to the first edi-tion of a special newssection for the TennisIndustry Association. Aspart of our expandedpartnership with RacquetSports Industry, TIA

News & Updates will be appearing inevery issue. Articles will also appearonline at RacquetSportsIndustry.com.

With second-quarter numbers just in,industry growth for the first six monthscontinues to show increases in racquetand ball sales. These latest figures con-tinue the bullish streak that began fouryears ago. In addition, research showsthat dealer and consumer confidencehave grown, the number of new playerstrying tennis for the first time hasincreased, league play has grown, andpro tournament attendance is up. Theefforts to grow the game at the grass-roots level have also intensified with allareas of the industry working closelywith our industry partners and USTA.

We hope you find this edition informa-tive. Your input/suggestions are welcome.Please contact us [email protected] or visit TennisIn-dustry.org or GrowingTennis.com

NEWS & UPDATESNEWS & UPDATES

MONDAY, AUGUS T 2 78 : 4 0 - 9 : 4 0 A .M .GRAND BAL L ROOM BGRAND HYAT T, N EW YORK , NYF EATURED SP EAKERS :

JaneBrown Grimes

DaveHaggerty

KurtKamperman

JeffWilliams

(Source: TIA/Sports Marketing Surveys)

Top-Selling Racquetsat Specialty StoresBy year-to-date dollars, January-June 2007Best-Sellers1. Babolat Pure Drive Cortex MP $1722. Prince O3White MP $1863. Prince O3 Speedport Red OS $2314.Wilson K Six One Team 95 MS $1775.Wilson K Six One 95 (16 x 18) MS $174“Hot New Racquets”(Introduced in the past 12 months)1. Prince O3 Speedport Red OS $2312.Wilson K Six One Team 95 MS $1773.Wilson K Six One 95 (16 x 18) MS $1744.Wilson K Six One Tour 90 MS $1845. Prince O3 Speedport Silver OS $269

Tennis RacquetPerformanceSpecialty Stores, January-June,2007 vs. 2006

Units 2007 352, 3422006 333,915% Change vs. ’06 6%

Dollars 2007 48,239,0002006 44,035,000% Change vs. ’06 10%

Price 2007 $1372006 $132% Change vs. ’06 4%

Top-SellingTennis Shoesat SpecialtyStoresBy year-to-date dollars,January-June 20071. AdidasBarricade IV $100

2. NikeAir Breathe Free 2 $95

3. AdidasBarricade II $83

4. PrinceT10 $77

5. PrinceMV4 $95

Top-SellingTennis Stringsat SpecialtyStoresBy year-to-date dollars,January-June 20071. PrinceSynthetic Gut Duraflex

2. WilsonNXT

3. WilsonSensation

4. PrinceLightning XX

5. LuxilonAlu Power

Join the TIA . . . Increase Your Profits . . . Grow the Game . . . www.TennisIndustry.org

Jolyn de Boer

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Cardio Tennisin the News

With more than 1,600Cardio Tennis sites in the U.S. to date, the program continues toget great press and media attention—and it continues to bring in

revenue for facilities. In 2006, more than 100 news and feature storiesappeared, 20 TV stations ran stories on Cardio Tennis, and there were over200 million impressions.� 30+ major daily newspapers coveredCardio Tennis, including: Miami Herald,Los Angeles Times, New York Times,Houston Chronicle, Washington Post.

� 20+ magazines had features and otherarticles, including Time, Shape, Parade,Health, Reader's Digest, SaturdayEvening Post.

� 60+ other newspapers featured Cardio,and at least a dozen online magazines,including Health.com, gave the programcoverage.And you have much more to gain by

becoming an official Cardio Tennis site.Research shows that the average CardioTennis facility had 20 players playing morefrequently as a result of the program. Also, 71 percent of Cardio Tennis facil-ities reported an increase in lesson revenue as a direct result. And 47 percentreport an increase in program fees.Stay tuned as Cardio Tennis is launching a new, improved website. For

official Cardio Tennis sites, the new website will feature a passcode-protect-ed section to receive new drills, video, special sponsor offers and discounts,and more.

Tennis Welcome Centers:Growing Strong

The Tennis Welcome Center initiative isgoing strong, with more than 2,000official TWCs to date. In 2007, all Car-

dio Tennis sites were also signed on as TWCs.How does being a TWC help your business?

Research on current TWCs is revealing: Theaverage Tennis Welcome Center brought in 39new players to tennis,and the average TWCalso brought back totennis 34 former play-ers. In addition, 82percent of TWCsreport an increase inlesson revenue as aresult of the initia-tive.When it comes

to growing yourbusiness and your profits,numbers like these are hard to ignore.

Growing Tennis News

Better Your Business WorkshopsFeaturing the Cardio Tennis model.

Explore programming, customer service,technology, and public relations in thisinteractive workshop, which can help you

increase your business by attracting and retainingmore tennis players, and offer solutions to helpimpact your tennis membership and better your bottom line.

Better Your Business Workshop Schedule:� USTA Tennis Teachers Conference, New York City, Aug. 28� Midtown Tennis Club, Chicago, Oct. 1For more information, visit www.GrowingTennisTraining.com.

Cardio Tennis Hits the Road!� Aug. 26-29: USTA Tennis Teachers Conference, New York, NY� Sept. 15-16: PTR Professional Development Weekend, Hilton Head, SC� Sept. 17-22: USPTA World Conference, Tampa, FL� Sept. 29-30: Better Your Body Expo, Navy Pier, Chicago� Oct. 6: Tracy Austin Tour, Hawaii� Oct. 12-14: Tracy Austin Tour, Phoenix-El Paso

Why Become a TennisWelcome Center orCardio Tennis Site?

You’ll receive great benefits and exposure,and that will translate into bottom-line prof-its for you! One example is the current Lever

2000 “Try Tennis for Free” promotion, which guidespotential players to participating facilities on theUSTA.com/Lever website.And here are more reasons why you should go to

GrowingTennis.com to sign up your facility as a Ten-nis Welcome Center or Cardio Tennis site or a par-ticipating Lever 2000 site:

� You’ll receive free national and local exposureas part of a comprehensive marketing cam-paign that drives people in your area to yourfacility through the industry and consumerwebsites. Targeted marketing campaigns willreach millions of potential new players through



T I A N E W S

New Tennis Welcome Centers and Cardio Tennis Sites

More than two dozen facilities signed on recently to become Tennis Welcome Centersor Cardio Tennis sites. There are now 2,036 TWCs and 1,603 Cardio sites in the U.S.For more on these programs, and how your facility can become a TWC or CT site,

visit www.growingtennis.com or contact the TIA toll-free at 866-686-3036.

New Cardio Tennis Facilities(as of July 17)

Bentley School, Lafayette, CAHampshire Hills, Milford, NHBasin Harbor Club, Vergennes, VTMiddlebury Indoor Tennis Facility,Middlebury, VTNorthwestern College, Roseville, MNMisquamicut Club, Watch Hill, RIFlaherty Park Tennis Center, Wake Forest, NCDobson Ranch La Casita Tennis Center, Mesa, AZHurst Tennis Center, Hurst, TXNewport Bay Club, Boca Raton, FLMission Valley Country Club, Laurel, FLLyon College, Batesville, AR

a variety of promotions, including racquethang-tags, tennis ball can logos, and mediaexposure.

� Free listing on the consumer website pro-moting your facility and its program.

� Your facility receives FREE of charge: ban-ner, celebrity posters, fliers, racquet and balldiscount programs, and more.

� Opportunity to showcase your facility inleading tennis publications.

� Priority placement on USTA.com throughthe TennisWelcomeCenter website. The pro-gram is supported by the USTA, TIA, andindustry organizations in an effort to getmore people to play tennis and stay in thegame … you can do your part to help growthe game by making your program and yourfacility part of the Tennis Welcome Centerinitiative.

Help grow the game while growing your business!

New Tennis Welcome Centers(as of July 27)

Porter Valley Country Club, Northridge, CAFremont Family YMCA, Fremont, NEOshkosh North High School, Oshkosh, WIMission Valley Country Club, Nokomis, FLGreendale YMCA, Worcester, MAChaplin Park, Hilton Head Island, SCByerly Park, Darlington, SCTurkey Creek Country Club, Alachua, FLSanta Monica High School, Topanga, CASeton Park, Bronx, NYWoodlake Swim & Racquet Club, Midlothian, VAWoodlake Estates Tennis & Swim Club, Kenner, LAGolden Bear Tennis Club, Hilton Head Island, SC

To help meet the needs ofretailers and facilities, the TIAhas expanded its insuranceofferings to members withTIA TennisInsure. The newprogram includes liability,property, auto, umbrella, andworkers' compensation insur-ance. Previously, the TIAoffered only product liabilityinsurance for manufacturers.

"Now, through the TIA, facili-ty and retailer members willreceive expanded coverage,at a great rate, with a highlyrated national insurancecompany," says TIA ExecutiveDirector Jolyn de Boer.Citadel Insurance Serviceswill provide the comprehen-sive insurance package, andTIA members will receive a 5percent to 10 percent pack-age discount.

In addition to researchreports, the TIA offers manyother benefits to its mem-bers, including:

� Merchant Card Services� Shipping Discounts� Media and PR Services� Travel Discounts� Publication Discounts

New Benefit

Online Enrollment—Made Easy!

Looking for a simple way to get people into your pro-grams? Get ready for online enrollment. The TIA andUSTA are exploring various online enrollment opportuni-

ties for tennis facilities that want to collect online registrationsand fees upfront.With an online enrollment system, players and visitors can

instantly register for programs and pay online, via a link placedright on your Tennis Welcome Center or Cardio Tennis facility

postcard and your facilitywebsite.Online registration is a

proven business-builder. You’llnot only grow your business,but you’ll also keep your cus-tomers happy, increase your revenue and participants’ com-mitment levels, and have the tools you need to compete intoday’s marketplace. Visit www.GrowingTennis.com and clickthe Online Enrollment tab.


Technology News

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Each year, the TIA produces more than 70 researchreports and surveys in conjunction with our leadingresearch partner, Sports Marketing Surveys. Two

recent reports for this industry—and for your business—include the Court Activity Monitor (which will be part of theTennis Health Index) and the Cost of Doing Business Sur-vey–Facilities.The Tennis Health Index will be a measure of the overall

health of the industry and is being developed together withthe USTA. The index will consist of seven components,including a Court Activity Monitor, similar to golf’s “roundsplayed” statistic. You will see an instant report and a quar-terly summary on the level of tennis activity in your area,plus a quarterly summary of grassroots tennis activity in yourarea from the TIA. Your participation in the Tennis HealthIndex is important—go to www.GrowingTennis.com/publicand enter your facility details.

Cost of Doing Business Survey–Facilities indicates that62 percent of facilities report that court usage is up comparedto the same period last year. The 80-page report, which pro-vides a comprehensive study of operational data by regionand type of facility, includes trends and comparisons, withinformation on programming and operational costs. A num-ber of other surveys are under way, including Cost of DoingBusiness for retailers and a soon-to-be-conducted survey forcourt contractors.

TIA Research: Gauging the Health of TennisCourt ActivityMonitorFor all courts for June 2007

Total courts booked/usedIncreased 61.1%Stayed the same 28.7%Decreased 4.4%Don't know 5.8%

League playIncreased 46.9%Stayed the same 30.5%Decreased 7.8%Don't know 14.8%

New playersIncreased 67.8%Stayed the same 22.6%Decreased 4.2%Don't know 5.5%

Tournament playIncreased 27.1%Stayed the same 42.9%Decreased 8.9%Don't know 21.2%

Welcome,New Members!The following have joined the TIA in July(for more on TIA membership, visitwww.tennisindustry.org or call843-686-3036):

Supporting MemberDrymax Sports, Paso Robles, CAEKM Sports, Inc., Mishawaka, INRebounces, LLC, Harrison, AZ

TennisConnect MemberBadon Tennis, Altadena, CAEMG, Falls Church, VASkip Jackson Tennis, Inc.,West Palm Beach, FLTennis Star Camps, Rockville, MD

TennisConnect Lite MemberCompetitor Sports, Santa Rosa, CATexas Tennis Warehouse, McAllen, TX

Associate Member–FacilityBabson College, Dudley, MA

Associate Member–RetailArthur Canizares, Fredericksburg, VACraig Arthur Scherer,Woodstock, GA

Individual MemberAlmighty LLC, Boston, MAThe Tennis Company, Henderson, NVScott Giovanni, Brookville, NY

TennisConnect is the industry’s No. 1 business builder,with some amazing features that can be used in yourexisting website or create a new top-notch website for

your club or facility...to help you keep in touch with your mem-bers, schedule your courts, promote events, and much more.Some of the key features include:� Website Builder � Contact Manager � Group Email� eCalendar � Tennis Court SchedulerAnd now, TennisConnect has added new features that

include new templates, drawsheets, forums, a calendar for Ten-nisConnect Lite, and more.Also, participate in TennisConnect’s new Online Open

House series. The Online Open House is aseries of free “webinars” offered every Monday,Wednesday, and Thursday at 11 a.m. Easterntime that allows for web-based screen sharingso users and those considering TennisConnectcan become familiar with the system. (TheOnline Open House series uses GoToMeetingfor screen sharing, and you’ll need high-speedinternet access and a separate phone line for

the audio portion of the presentation.) With Online OpenHouse, TennisConnect is easier than ever to evaluate and testout. Visit www.TennisConnect.org for more information.

TennisConnect Will Connect with Your Members

“In a matter of a month's time, we had a website up and runningfor our facility, which has four indoor courts and 20 outdoor

courts. TennisConnect has been instrumental in helping us serveour customers more efficiently, providing them with quick linksto all of our information on programs, events, lessons, and clin-ics, a means to contact the staff easily, a calendar to see daily

events including drop-in classes and more, and a way to finallyreserve courts online! The process to get our site up and running

was easy and whenever we had a question, we were quicklyanswered. This site has helped by modifying programs to better

serve our needs and increase revenues. Our web-site has 500 members and by January 2008 weexpect this number to be doubled. As a director

and tennis professional, TennisConnect has takenmy life and professionalism to a higher level.”

Mark TownsendUSPTA Professional, Director of TennisUpper Main Line YMCA, Berwyn, Pa.

www.umlytennis.net


In other research news, the Sporting Goods ManufacturersAssociation (SGMA) recently released its 2007 Sports & Fit-ness Participation Report, which shows tennis still leadingthe pack among traditional sports—up 12.2 percent.


makes you more responsive to people, andas a consequence, perfect for the serviceindustry.

We’re not talking about being overlysensitive, we are talking about being intouch with what is taking place around you.When you truly care about your members,they’re no longer customers, they are fellowmembers. They’re not a source of income,but a source of information and energy thatyou want to interact with to better the club’satmosphere.

Ever hear someone say, "That guy is agreat club member”? What does that mean?It means he is putting something back intothe club that you value. It also means thatyou can facilitate and enjoy helping himaccomplish that feat. It is the combination ofyour management skills and the input ofyour membership that will shape the charac-ter of your club. What can you do toenhance this process?

ou’re at the drug-store, buying a tubeof toothpaste, and

as you check out, the cashierasks you, “Did you findeverything okay?”

“Well, I did have a prob-lem finding the cold medi-cine,” you reply.

“Oh, really,” sheresponds. “I’ll look intothat.” As you leave, sheasks, “Do you need help onthe way out?” At this point,you’re almost tempted toanswer yes, even thoughyou’ve only bought a smalltube of toothpaste.

Welcome to the automat-ed world of customer service.It’s one of the downfalls of acorporate-run industry. Train-ing becomes automatic andnot intuitive. The messagestarts at the top, and by the time it has fil-tered down to the employee who is actuallyinteracting with the customer, it has beenwashed down to a series of redundantresponses.

What happened to that great motivationalbeginning that was initiated at managementlevel? Maybe it’s not the message that’s beinglost, but the purpose behind the message.

The club industry is a different animal thanmost service industries. You are going to beinteracting with the same people day afterday, hopefully for years. You can’t afford toburn too many bridges and make too manyavoidable mistakes. This is why so many man-agers in this industry fail after only three orfour years. They build up a catalogue of mem-bers who have lost faith in their ability to dotheir job.

Through the years you can recover fromsome of these mistakes and shortcomings, butthe best policy to adopt is a policy of develop-

ing an honest and sincere interaction withthe membership. That means you need todrop the corporate automated lines and lis-ten and talk to people in the good old-fash-ioned way: As a friend.

BE IN TOUCHHopefully you’ve gone into the club industrybecause it was attractive to you from thebeginning. You like working and dealingwith people in this environment. If this isnot the case, you’ve got real problems. Youhave to like people and enjoy their compa-ny, and maybe more importantly, you haveto want them to feel good about you.

When someone is angry with you, itshould feel uncomfortable, no matter whatthe cause. The reverse is also true, if some-one feels good about what you have doneas a manager, you should feel pleased. It’snot a weakness to have feelings like this—it’s an important part of your character that

Y

Strokes, or Service?Lose the automated, feel-good responses, and interacthonestly and sincerely with your members.

B Y R O D H E C K E L M A N

��

Rod Heckelman is the generalmanager and tennis pro atthe Mount Tam Racquet Clubin Marin County, Calif., wherehe has been for the last 31years. His career in the indus-try started in 1967 at the

famed John Gardiner’s Tennis Ranch. In 1970,when Gardiner opened his resort on CamelbackMountain in Scottsdale, Ariz., Heckelman, atage 20, became one of the youngest head prosin the country. He created the “Facility Manag-er’s Manual” based on his years of experiencein the tennis business.

First, as I mentioned, create an honestrapport with the members. This means getrid of the line “the customer’s alwaysright.” That’s a slogan that just won’t workin the club world. If the customer is alwaysright, how do you answer someone whofeels the pool temperature should be 84degrees and someone else who thinks itshould be 80 degrees? Or someone whowould like the music louder in the workoutarea while others would like it quieter.

That fact is, you are trying to get sever-al hundred people to coexist, and it’simpossible for the customer to always beright. What is true is that the customer hasa point of view you are willing to listen to,and that you will find out what works bestfor the majority.

GO FOR THE SMILESecond, hire the smile person, not thesuper-efficient person. Surround yourselfwith a staff that enjoys being at work andnaturally enjoys dealing with others, evenwhen those “others” are not always thenicest in the world. It’s not that you don’twant to have an efficient person, or a reli-able person, it’s just that the quality that


�

�

you want at the top of the list for hiring is thepersonality. In an age of computers and face-less conversations, it may be a task to findthese people, but they’re out there and youwill be more likely to discover them whenyou have the same characteristics.

As a manager, you may find it hard topass on to your employees the mood you aretrying to achieve in your club through a man-ual or the written word. Try having seminar-type meetings that will allow your staff toexpress themselves and have input. Seasonalget-togethers are great, and special unex-pected bonuses will be very well received.Use your business credit card to gathermileage and pass that on to your deservingemployees. Getting quality employees towork for you is the first step, keeping themhappy is your job after that.

Third, send the message to your employ-ees and your members that your goal is tocontinue to look for ways to improve youroperation. When issues arise, let them knowthat you are trying to find solutions that willwork for everyone. Members don’t want tohear a rehearsed answer, they want to get onwith their day and enjoy the use of the club.They don’t need to hear your opinions or a

long dissertation about how things shouldbe or why they are the way they are. Nolectures, just quick and smooth resolu-tions.

So, what is service in this industry? Tosum it up, it’s the development of an hon-est relationship with your members andyour staff. It is demonstrating that youare consistent in your actions, but open tosuggestions and change. Finally, that youcan be yourself, and provide an environ-ment that allows your members to realizethat the greatest value of their member-ship is belonging to your club. �

ave you ever fished around in thepockets of your favorite pair ofjeans, looking for that wadded up

$20 bill you knew was there, somewhere?Losing $20 dollars isn’t fun. But what

if it were $2.3 million? And what if youwouldn’t lose it just once, but annually.$2.3 million, gone, year after year.

The City of Macon, Ga., faced this$2.3 million dilemma a year ago when theUSTA Southern Section announced itcould no longer award tournament bidsto the John Drew Smith Tennis Centerbecause of the condition of the courts.After nearly 30 years of use, it was no sur-prise they displayed signs of age, with sur-face cracks, deep cracks, and worst of all,drainage problems. Since these tourna-ments along with others help pump hugedollars into our local economy every year,losing them would spell disaster for thearea.

The cost for fixing 24 age-worn tenniscourts? $700,000. Where would that kindof money come from? Macon scrambledto find sources. The ultimate answerwas—everywhere!

At first, initial attempts to acquirefunding fell victim to political battles. But

then things got cranking, and this pastMay, a year later, there I sat at the rededi-cation ceremony, surrounded by 24 brand-new courts. As the city’s mayor thanked thecountless people and organizations thathelped make it possible, I admired the new“US Open blue” courts, the black coatedfencing and new black windscreens, thenew metal benches on each court. It wasan electrifying sight, and I couldn’t wait totry my new serve on these courts.

“This is a firstfor us,” said Mar-shall Dye, presi-dent of CourtMakers of Mariet-ta, Ga., the com-pany responsiblefor our Deco-sur-faced courts. “It’sa feather in ourcap.” Dye, whobegan working inthe tennis courtconstruction industry some 27 years ago,added, “We’ve never been invited to arededication ceremony before.”

Macon’s community involvementimpressed Dye the most. “So many groupswere truly interested in what was goingon.” Dye, who has done work for Jimmy

Carter and Hank Aaron and whose compa-ny is one of the largest in the Southeast,was amazed at the level of professionalismexhibited from the various organizations.“With funding coming from so manysources, everyone wanted a successful out-come,” he said. “People showed up everyday to see what was going on.”

Among those giving thanks during theceremony was Donna Bailey, president ofUSTA Georgia. She reminded us how thearea tennis players had been patient, will-ing, and understanding while construction

took place. Amaz-ingly, league par-ticipation actuallyincreased! Match-es were relocatedto other park andrec courts, but theprogram wasnever compro-mised. Neitherwere USTA tour-naments, whichwere held on

schedule. All park and rec programs, alongwith Macon Tennis Connect’s programs,never skipped a beat. High school tennisbarely noticed the inconvenience. It allspeaks volumes for league and programcoordinators, for the city’s tennis director,and for the players themselves.

TENNISCommunity�


Blue Chip InvestmentA community rallies together to refurbish 24 courts at a parkand rec facility in Georgia.

H

BY ROB IN BAT EMAN

Are new or refurbished courts on youragenda? Carl Hodge, Macon’s tennis direc-tor, says follow this plan:

WHO’S AT STAKE?Identify the stakeholders and pinpoint spe-cific benefits each would reap—as well asthe loss each would feel if repairs weren’tmade. In Macon, several organizationsstood to gain:� The City of Macon: Every year, the city

generated revenue from players comingto the facility, and we’re talking new dol-lars here.

� Bibb County: While the county holds zerofiscal responsibility, it receives a percent-age of tax revenue from retail sales andhotel rentals, as well as the ability to claimsuch events when enticing folks to moveinto the area.

� USTA: It generates small fees through Ten-nisLink and claims numbers of partici-pants. These tournaments cap off severalof their programs as well as provide apathway for others.

� Our local CTA’s: Both the Macon TennisAssociation and Macon Tennis Connectstand to gain in memberships, fees, etc.

� Private tennis clubs in our community:Since John Drew Smith T.C. is the heart oftennis in Macon, we teach all players, andsome feed into the private clubs in thearea.

THE PAPER TRAILOnce stakeholders are identified, prepareyour reports, presentations, and grants.Providing documentation is crucial.

Macon supplied important informationthrough data collected from tournamentplayers during the check-in process, includ-ing the number of participants and whereplayers are staying. The John Drew SmithCenter hosts about 20 tournaments a year,and two-thirds of these require hotel infor-mation from their players—proof that theyare eating, shopping, playing, and spendingmoney in the city.

BUILDING YOUR “TEAM”A six-digit price tag guarantees heated dis-cussions. And when it comes to lobbyingfor money, it all comes down to who youknow. Macon recruited tennis players. Whobetter to sing the praises than those in thetrenches?

But in addition, “We interviewed every-one who came through our doors,” saidHodge. “Who is your commissioner? What

city council members do you know?“And the grants,” continued Hodge,

“written by a tennis player. She captains a3.0 tennis team.”

ANY NEWS IS GOOD NEWSThe media, a key element to success,recorded every twist and turn of the ten-nis center’s path to refurbished courts,including the intense rounds of debatesthat ensued upon request for such a largesum of money.

Were tennis courts more importantthan new automobiles for the policeforce? Among those spotlighting theplights and progress were—you guessedit—tennis players who work for themedia: a weekend anchor and reporterfor a local TV station, two regular colum-nists for the local paper, all of whom cov-ered the story extensively.

And it always came back to themoney—the $2.3 million the tennis cen-ter generates in the local economy. “Wecompeted against new police cars—andwon,” said Hodge who was involved inthe entire process from start to finish.

With a green light, money wasapproved and budgeted. Reconstructionstarted in late November 2006.

NET RESULTSIn the end, the City of Macon and BibbCounty contributed close to $540,000 tothe project. The national office of theUSTA donated $100,00 through anAdopt-a-Court grant. The Macon TennisAssociation raised about $50,000 via vari-ous local community grants. Idle HourCountry Club, a local private facility, helda tournament to raise $11,000. And play-ers themselves donated $200 each topurchase 24 of the new metal benches,while Lowe’s Home Improvement donat-ed the remaining 24 benches.

In the words of Larry Fennelly, a long-time tennis player and columnist for The(Macon) Telegraph newspaper: “Theachievement at our public tennis facilitiesis just a small example of what can beaccomplished when we join hands andpull together.” �

Robin Bateman is the site coordi-nator for the Tattnall Tennis Cen-ter in Macon, Ga., where shecoordinates tennis programs andleagues, is a tournament direc-tor, serves as a team captain andassists junior teams competing

at district, regional, and section events.


B Y C Y N T H I A S H E R M A N

T E N N I S A P P A R E L

SWINGINGIN

STYLECourt fashion for springis all in the details. Lookfor a rainbow of colors,exciting prints, innova-tive fabrications, classicsrevived, and much more.

LejaySome of Lejay’s new lines will feature 50 UV protection, anti-micro-bial tightly woven poly-lycra fabrics in “Body-Care,” which cancross over to golf, the gym, and about-town wear. A variety ofpieces in the “Eclipse” line lights up in sunshine yellow and bluebell. Tops feature white mesh details along the side panels.

“Bubblebath” reveals a monochronistic pink dot print and ispaired with white and navy. In “Orchid Island,” a pale purple dom-inates and the line features a number of pieces including a smartbaby-doll style dress. “Cotton Candy” uses orange, white, and yel-low to convey motion and energy. These poly-lycras are full ofcolor, interesting textures, smaller prints, and great silhouettes.

www.lejay.com, 800-932-7535

SWINGINGIN

STYLE


BollePerformance and wearability are key compo-nents for Bolle, and they're already striking achord in the retail market for January 2008 withthe "Full Bloom" collection. With a strong pinkthat sings spring, the line features a fun floralprint and a bubble texture, very fashion-orientedand tailored. While Bolle has always been fash-ion-forward, it also features more classic looksthat are great for team wear. “Capri,” forinstance, which makes its appearance in Febru-ary, is more athletic-looking, utilizing a cool mid-range blue with navy and white.

Rounding off early spring '08 is “A Touch ofPink”—a fun, flirty, feminine group with a varietyof looks and pieces. Pink has continued to be astrong popular color, and this collection highlightslots of it in prints and multicolor shadow stripes,and it includes a retro ’60s pleated skirt in a funpink floral print.

www.bolletenniswear.com, 888-977-7272

DiadoraDiadora is constantly revisiting itsItalian heritage in stylish, slimmer-cut fashions geared to the youngercrowd. Solid and color-blockedpieces convey sporty femininestyles. Besides a variety of tops andbottoms, Diadora’s bold navy,white, and red “Alisa” line containsa court tank and modified halterdress—dresses and skirts will beshorter in length. Technical fabricsare moisture-wicking, very light-weight, and feature high UV pro-tection, which is woven into theyarn. Details are further empha-sized with the use of smallerembroidering.

www.diadoraamerica.com,253-520-8868


TailTail rolls into 2008 with a variety of colors, pieces, and styles to accommodateevery body and taste. From clothing that captures a team spirit, to contemporaryfashion looks, Tail will offer eight lines in vibrant blues, reds, black and white,navy and gold, tropical colors, and prints. Mesh inserts serve as ventilation andfashion statement, and detailing is everywhere.

“Ultra Orchid” in a Meryl Lycra blend combines orchid with black, and shim-mers with silver accents in contemporary designs: color-block polos, a strappydress, performance-fabric tanks, cap and long-sleeve tops, “cardio” skirts, and acolor-block jacket make this line a complete fashion statement.

www.tailinc.com, 800-678-8245

LBHThe “Arcadia” line from LBH combines blues and browns in sophisticated designs ofsolids, stripes, and blocking with mix-and-match pieces to go from court to yoga totown. The clearwater blue pieces are a polyester-nylon-lycra with a slight sheen,while the chocolate brown pieces are fabricated of Tactel nylon-spandex.

LBH’s Wimbledon spring collection, “Whites,” features a variety of pieces in poly-spandex jacquards, including a flounce skirt, racerback dress and camisole tank,both of which have built-in bras.

www.lbhgroup.com, 800-421-4474


FilaFila’s mantra, “looking at the past, design-ing for the future,” recalls the classics withits Collezione line for men and women,which takes its cues from the ’70s withclean lines and small stripes in updatedperformance fabrics. Black, Chinese red,and white dominate styles. For women,zip polos, racerback tanks, T-shirts,cami’s, dresses, side-stripe skirts, andwarm-ups make up this line.

Just in time for the Australian Open,men will see a classic but modern look innavy, and lime and with white stripes inT’s, polos, shorts, warm-ups—all inbreathable, moisture-wicking fabrics. Alllines carry the signature “F box” logo.

www.fila.com, 410-773-3000


PrincePrince’s Aerotech system in racquets nowcarries over into its new line of apparel inwhat the company calls an “inspired focus onfabric, fit, and technology.” The three com-ponents of the fabric Aerotech system are:AeroFit, to facilitate movement and stretchwith the body for maximum comfort andmobility; AeroShield, UV and bacterial pro-tection within the fiber itself; and AeroVent,qualities in the fabric to provide ventilationand moisture-wicking.

Aerotech lines come in “Gold,” an athlet-ic-fitting “premier court collection” in fash-ion-forward colors and accents, whichPrince’s touring pros will be wearing; “Sil-ver,” in a more relaxed fit with smartaccents; and “Black,” a line full of classic sil-houettes, colors, and designs in a contempo-rary look that is great for team wear.

www.princesports.com, 800-2-TENNIS

Ace CollectionsAce Collections out of Canada is a premiumline of tennis wear. “Ace Classic” sports thesignature Ace plaid trim in light pink and darkpink on its skort and tops. Geared to a 35-plusmarket, the fit is more flattering and forgivingand tops, skirts, and dresses are longer inlength. The new warm-up in a brown mousseand white is fabricated in a lycra-nylon Sup-plex. “Ace Diva,” at the lower price point,comes in a very lightweight moisture-wick-ing, anti-microbial sueded poly-spandex.White and neon green pieces are standouts,as well as skirts, shorts, and tops trimmed inyellow and navy plaids, green and raspberry,and a blue nautical plaid.

www.ace-collections.com,419-932-3308

B Y P E T E R F R A N C E S C O N I


AdidasTop tennis shoe models from Adidas include the men’s Accelera-tor and women’s ClimaCool Divine. The top-of-the-line Accelera-tor is designed for elite players, says Adidas, and features alow-profile a3 “microride” cushioning system for better comfortand control. The open mesh nylon upper aids in breathability andquick drying, and the toe area has adiTuff to help resist abrasion.The molded EVA insole offers comfort. Suggested retail price is$130.

The women’s ClimaCool Divine adds a bit of flash with Swarovski jew-eled eyelets. ClimaCool in the upper provides all around cooling for theentire foot, says Adidas, while the ClimaLite lining provides moisture man-agement and comfort. Suggested retail is $100.

www.adidasus.com, 800-448-1796

T E N N I S S H O E S

What can a hundred bucks get nowadays? For yourcustomers, it can get a lot of great technology fortheir feet.

BabolatThe Babolat Propulse shoe carries pro Andy Roddick’s signature and features threeinnovations: a Michelin rubber outsole compound for durability (Babolat says it offers40 percent more resistance to abrasion than other shoes), an exclusive Michelin outsolesculpture to enhance the “grip” on all court surfaces (using Optimized Cell System tech-nology from Michelin), and the “Exact Pro” propulsion system in the forefoot to aid inrecovery from lateral movements. The Propulse, designed for competitive players, car-

ries a retail price of $120.The Team All Court is designed specifically for lateral movement, featuring

“Exact: The Shoe Energizer,” a rebound system that Babolat says provides sup-port and stability along with quicker starts and better recovery. In addition to aMichelin outsole, the shoe also has Vibrakill, a shock-absorption system for heelcomfort. Suggested retail is $99.

www.babolat.com, 877-316-9435

FOOTSOLDIERSFOOTSOLDIERS

Men’s AcceleratorWomen’s ClimaCool Divine

PropulseTeam All Court


FilaNew from Fila is the Prossimo II, which is engineered on a running lastand designed for the player who uses speed as their primary weapon. TheEvergrind outsole, which comes with a seven-month guarantee, featuresboth sculpted heel and flex groove for comfort and responsiveness, saysFila. FlowCradle supplies midfoot and heel support, says the company,while visible Cordura and molded overlays provide lateral stability. Formen and women, the Prossimo II carries a suggested retail price of $100.

www.fila.com, 410-773-3000

PrinceThe second generation of the T20 shoe offers a high-er level of comfort and flexibility, along with a breath-able synthetic leather and a resilient polyurethanesockliner, says Prince. Forefoot and midfoot TPUstraps are for lateral stability, while a TPU ArchBridge is for torsional stability. The shoe featuresPrince’s ShockEraser insert in the heel and SoftSpringPU forefoot insert. The PRC 1000 outsole compoundcomes with a six-month outsole wear guarantee. TheT20, for both men and women, has a suggested retailprice of $100.

www.princesports.com, 800-2-TENNIS

WilsonNew from Wilson are the men’s Open shoe and the women’s Tour. Both modelsoffer a contoured last and ventilated sockliner. The Open has molded outriggers,360-degree ventilation, a foot-conforming upper and more. The women’s Tour has

DST 3X technology in the heel area, a breathable mesh upper, and 180-degreetoe-drag protection, among other features. The Tour also comes with a six-month outsole guarantee. Suggested retail price for the Open is $130, while theprice for the Tour is $120.

www.wilson.com, 773-714-6400

K-swissTwo new shoes for ’08 offer competitive players light weight and lateral sta-bility. K-Swiss says the Ultra-Natural shoe is the company’s lightest and mostdurable tennis shoe, while the new Stabilor SLS offers the most lateral stabili-ty of any K-Swiss tennis shoe. For the Ultra-Natural, durability comes from theAosta II rubber outsole and toe-drag zone combined with a high-abrasion toewrap. The Stabilor’s lateral stability is achieved with a skeletal support cageand sturdy midfoot shank, says K-Swiss, combined with “shock spring” tech-nology for support and cushioning.

www.k-swiss.com, 800-714-4477

Men’s Prossimo IIWomen’s Prossimo II

Ultra-NaturalStabilor SLS

Men’s T20Women’s T20

Men’s OpenWomen’s Tour

B Y J A M E S M A R T I N


Boris BeckerBoris Becker is making a comeback. Well, sort of. Becker, who’s been a co-owner of Völklsince he hung up his racquet in 1999, has been mostly behind the scenes at the racquetcompany. This season, however, Becker is putting his weight—and his name—behind anew brand, “Boris Becker.” Each racquet will have the signature “Serveman” logo, whichbears an unmistakable resemblance to Becker’s trademark deep knee bend when hedelivered his massive serve.The Becker brand has its clear pros and cons. On the one hand, Becker remains a pop-

ular figure in the game, and surely his name and likeness will help move product. On theother hand, you wonder whether the new emphasis on Becker will undermine Völkl, andthe longtime brand loyalty the company has established, particularly among serious play-ers. Is this the last time we’ll see the name “Völkl” on a stick?While we wait for the answer to that question, players can enjoy the Boris Becker 11.

Similar to the Völkl DNX 10, this is a heavy, 12.2-ounce, head-light racquet for advancedplayers. It also comes in a lighter version with a more open string pattern for easier spinproduction.Fans of the Völkl DNX V1, a well-received comfort-oriented racquet, will want to check

out the Boris Becker V1. Like its predecessor, the BB version is a medium-weight racquetwith shock-absorbing materials in the shaft and handle to reduce bad vibes. Available ina mid-plus and an extra-long oversize, the Boris Becker V1 is tailored to players who cravea forgiving response, even on off-center hits, and will also appeal to those with arm issues.

www.borisbecker.com, 866-554-7872

RACQUETS

For recreational players, the newest racquetsoffer something for everyone.

FRAMESOF REFERENCEFRAMESOF REFERENCE

DunlopDunlop made headlines this summer when it announced the re-signing ofJames Blake—you know, the New York Times best-selling author who alsodabbles in tennis. He was with Dunlop for years, then made a switch toPrince (a company on a roll recently when it comes to inking endorsementdeals). But Blake ultimately decided to return to Dunlop.

The company has two new sticks that, while good, are for the game-improvement set: the Aerogel 7Hundred and the Aerogel 9Hundred. The7Hundred is 9.7 ounces and 27.25 inches long, with an ample 108-square-inch head and head-heavy balance. The 9Hundred is even bigger, with a 113-square-inch face, a half-inch extra length, and an extremely stiff construction.Translation: Both racquets will juice up the strokes of players with short andmedium-length swings.

www.dunlopsports.com, 800-768-4727

Boris Becker 11 295gBoris Becker 11 325gBoris Becker V1 MP

Aerogel 7HundredAerogel 9Hundred


FischerThere’s no doubt who Fischer is targeting with its new M Comp 95. With a95-square-inch head, head-light balance, and flexible frame, and tipping thescales at 12.3 ounces, the racquet is designed for advanced players. Fischeris also introducing “No Tolerance Technology,” which eliminates variances inspecs and guarantees that every M Comp 95 will have the exact same weightand balance. Serious players, who can pick up on the slightest differences,will appreciate this feature.

www.fischertennisusa.com, 800-844-7810

PrinceYou can customize the weight and feel of your golf clubs, and now Prince is bringing a similar levelof customization to its racquets with the new O3 Speedport Black and Speedport Tour.

Here’s the deal: Each racquet has the large, grommetless string holes, or Speedports, whichdeliver a dampened feel and bigger sweetspot. These holes also allow the user to generate greaterracquet-head speed, for more power. But the thing is, some players prefer a more traditionalresponse in their racquets, so it’s clear when they nail (and miss) the sweetspot. It helps with theirability to control their shots. No worries here, as Prince includes grommet strips that you can snapinto the racquet head, effectively eliminating the Speedports and giving you a traditional response.In other words, you’re getting two racquets in one.

The Black features a 100-square-inch head, is 27 inches long, and is head light. The Tour isabout 12 ounces (11.8 ounces with the Ports, 12 with the grommet strip), and is very head light.

www.princetennis.com, 800-283-6647

HeadThe big news at Head is the introduction of the MicroGel Radical,the latest installment in the line made popular by Andre Agassi.With this Radical, Head has added MicroGel, a silicone-basedmaterial, to help absorb and distribute vibrations. This Radicalcomes in three versions: the 98-square-inch mid-plus, the 100-square-inch (and heavier) Pro, and the 107-square-inch oversize.The Pro also has a more open string pattern, for more spin pro-duction. Intermediates and advanced players, and perhapsbeginners, will find something to like among the new Radicals.

www.head.com, 800-289-7366

WilsonAside from the cool name, the Wilson [K] Zen has a 103-square-inch head,is 27.25 inches long, weighs 11.2 ounces, and is head light. The construc-tion is also quite stiff. These are the kind of specs that will appeal most toweekend warriors searching for a racquet with a little more power and eas-ier to swing. You can bank on young juniors, who are trying their first seri-ous player’s frame, to try the [K] Zen, too.

www.wilsonsports.com, 773-714-6400

YonexLike other companies this season, Yonex is offering one of its new rac-quets in different versions to find the biggest audience. The RDS-002,which has a 98-square-inch head, comes in a standard version and aTour model. The standard is 11 ounces and has a firm construction,while the Tour is, predictably, heavier (12.1 ounces) and more flexiblefor players who can generate a lot of power on their own.

www.yonex.com, 310-793-3800

Fischer M Comp 95

Head MicroGel Radical

O3 Speedport TourO3 Speedport Black

Wilson [K] Zen

Yonex RDS-002


G U I D E T O S T R I N G S

ur String Selector lists nearly 600 strings, which can easilymake you want to throw up your hands in despair. Given all

these choices, selecting a string is a daunting task. To makethings even more complicated for your customers, decidingwhen to restring can be confusing, too.

When to restring depends on your choice of string to beginwith. So let's look at the interplay of string selected, frequencyof restringing, and performance.

When Should You Restring?Touring pros restring every day. Recreational players restringanywhere from every three or four times they play to once adecade, or until the strings break. But the pros’ frequentrestringing tells us something: String—especially fresh string—matters a lot. Why? What possible difference could restringingyour racquet every day make?

Tennis string has an unfortunate property—beginning fromthe very second it is put into the racquet, it loses tension. A rac-quet strung at 60 pounds will most likely be at 50 pounds thenext day, and tension continues to decline with every secondand with every hit. Tension loss is the only physically signifi-cant process impacting your tennis racquet (and string wear).This is why racquets need to be restrung.

You probably have customers who will say, “Heck, I don’teven pay attention to what tension it gets strung at in the firstplace.” Well, they need to consider what tension loss does toracquet performance.

� More power, less control, change in stroke. As tensiongoes down, the strings stretch more upon impact. This cush-ions the ball’s landing, minimizing the squashing effect.When the ball flattens, it loses a lot of energy. So less squash-ing means more energy for rebound. The strings alwaysreturn almost all the energy that goes into stretching them,whatever the tension. So power is all about what happens tothe ball, not what happens to the strings.Power is good if you want it, can control it, and know

how much to expect from day to day. That is how yougroove your stroke—by responding the same way to thesame situation. But your strings deliver varying amounts ofpower from day to day and from hit to hit. This worksagainst “grooving” anything. As you struggle to keep the ballin, you constantly change your stroke.

� More dwell time, less control, change in stroke. When thestrings stretch more, the ball stays on the strings longer. The

O increase is only a millisecond or two (depending on whereon the racquet you hit and how violent the impact, dwelltime is typically 5 to 7 milliseconds). But, surprisingly, dur-ing that extra millisecond, your racquet will sweep throughboth a larger vertical and horizontal arc. This will launchthe ball on a higher and more sideways trajectory than youare used to. The ball goes long and wide. This coupled withmore ball speed from less ball squashing is a doublewhammy. You can’t figure out what technical flaw hasemerged in your stroke, and you begin to mess with per-fectly good mechanics to fix your mysterious ailment.

� Change in feel, feedback, and stroke. As strings lose ten-sion, you may feel that the racquet is “going dead,” “get-ting mushy,” or “losing its punch.” Obviously it is not,since the ball is going faster and farther. But what is hap-pening is you have lost the “crisp” feel you have becomeaccustomed to. “Crisp” of course means more shock, butshock is feel. The only sensations of striking a ball thatyour hand feels are shock and vibration. This is your feed-back mechanism. When the feel is the same every time,your response is to groove the stroke; when it is different,you respond by continually adapting and adjusting yourstroke.The other feedback that changes is auditory. The sound

the strings make changes. As tension goes down, hittingthe ball goes from a “ping” to a “thud.” Players may inter-pret these sounds differently as to what they mean aboutthe “cleanness” of their hits, and when this sound changes,so does the player’s psychology. It affects what they thinkthey are doing, how they are performing, what the resultsare, and whether they are in “the zone” or not. All thisaffects the mental and physical approach to the next shot.

� Change in spin and stroke. It has been shown that stringtension has very little impact on spin. A ball fired oblique-ly at the same racquet with different tensions rebounds atabout the same spin. However, if tension goes down andyou are thus hitting the ball deeper (too deep), your natur-al response will be to either hit it more softly or to addmore spin. The loose strings don’t cause more spin; rather,they cause you to add more spin. Again, these are usuallyunconscious adjustments to your strokes as your day-to-day racquet performance changes. Your strings changeyour strokes daily. And you thought you were just havinga bad day.

BY CRAWFORD L INDS EY

The Geographyof “Feel”

Finding Your “Feel Good” Location


� To find the string that goes withthe dot, note the dot's coordi-nates and look them up in thetable.

� Find your current string:• If you like it, dots in theneighborhood (i.e., closevertical axes to right or left)will likely play similar (per-haps with better durabilityand cost).

• If you don't like it, moveout of the neighborhood(i.e., vertical axes farther toright or left).

• If you like the feel but itdoesn't last, choose astring farther down on thesame axis.

� Stiffness (horizontal axis) is theMOST important factor in string“feel.”

� The amount of tension lossaffects the consistency of thatfeel.

� “Consistency” is relative anddepends on player sensitivity,string durability, and amount andstyleof play.

� Hard hitters lose more tensionthan light hitters.

� Softer strings are to the left,stiffer strings to the right.

� Strings that lose more tension areat the top; those that lose less areat the bottom.

� All strings on the same vertical lineshould feel about the same, nomatter the tension.

� All strings at different locationson the same horizontal line willfeeldifferent from each other.

� Stringbed power increases to theleft.

� Player supplied power increasesto the right.

� Stringbed control increases to theright.

� “Arm friendly” strings are to theleft.

� “Feedback” intensity (shock)increases to right.

Test Procedure. All strings were tensioned to 62 pounds and allowed to sit for 200 seconds. Thenthe string was hit five times with a force equivalent to hitting a 120 mph serve. The tension loss represents thetotal amount of the relaxation over both time and impact. The stiffness value is a calculation derived from theamount of force created at impact to stretch the string. Lower values represent softer strings and lower impactforces. Higher values represent stiffer strings and higher impact forces.

Hybrids: to look up a hybrid combination,you must look up each string separately. Ifit is a pre-packaged hybrid, most packagingindicates the name of each string.

� More string movement, less durability,less performance. Strings slide acrosseach other more easily at lower tensions.The main strings move back and forthover the crosses. This has a couple ofobvious effects. First, it shortens the lifeof the strings as they saw through eachother. Second, if you don’t move thestrings back into place after each hit, youwill have an uneven string pattern andwill end up with an uneven power andcontrol response across the string face.This will affect the bounce of the ball andyou will be making stroke adjustments tocompensate.

Consistency is KeyI could go on, but you get the idea. If youdon’t restring often enough, chances areyou’ll spend much of your tennis life com-pensating for your changing string tensioninstead of honing your swing. “Consistency”is the key. You want to play with the same

racquet as you did yesterday—one that willbehave the same way in the same situa-tions, so you can let your muscle memorytake care of swinging while you figure outwhat you’ve got to do to beat the guy on theother side of the net.

So, how often should a customerrestring? If they’re a frequent player, theanswer is most probably, “More often thanyou do now!” I’ll bet that for most of therecreational playing population, doublingtheir restringing frequency from what it isnow would not be overkill.

More objectively, a good guide is torestring when the stringbed stiffness (mea-sured by equipment in your pro shop) hasdropped by 20 percent from the readingimmediately after stringing. Your customerwill have to experiment to find what worksand feels best to them.

In the end, though, I think your customerwill find that this is definitely a case wheremore is better. �


Head Intellistring (Cross) Polyolefin 1.28 136 15.14Head Intellitour 17 (Cross) Polyolefin 1.28 136 15.14Isospeed Platinum 16 (cross) Polyolefin 1.27 138 16.62Head Protector 16 (Cross) Polyolefin 1.31 140 15.77Head Intellitour 16 (Cross) Polyolefin 1.33 143 14.77Gamma Live Wire Professional 18 Nylon / Zyex 1.22 144 15.15Ashaway Dynamite 17 Zyex / Nylon 1.24 147 13.72Isospeed Professional 17 Polyolefin 1.27 152 15.06Pro Supex Maxim Touch 1.25 Nylon 1.25 153 12.13Isospeed Control Polyolefin 1.29 154 15.43Head Protector 16 (Mains) Polyolefin / Nylon 1.32 163 11.57Wilson K-Gut Pro 17 Nylon 1.27 163 15.21Isospeed Platinum 16 (main) Polyolefin / Nylon 1.32 165 12.46Ashaway Dynamite WB 16 Zyex / Nylon 1.37 165 13.21Gamma Live Wire Professional 17 Nylon / Zyex 1.29 168 12.37Forten Ti-Blend Cross 16 Nylon 1.32 171 13.56Gamma Asterisk 17 Nylon 1.26 171 14.35Gamma Asterisk Spin Nylon 1.29 172 12.73Gamma Live Wire Professional 16 Nylon / Zyex 1.33 174 13.28Gamma Prodigy 17 Nylon 1.25 175 11.16Prince Premier w/softflex 17 Nylon 1.25 175 11.97Wilson Reaction 17 Nylon 1.27 175 12.00Alpha Axiom 16 Nylon 1.32 175 12.67Pacific Power Twist 16L Nylon 1.29 175 13.01Head Synthetic Gut PPS 18 Nylon 1.16 176 11.93Prince Premier w/Softflex 16 Nylon 1.31 176 11.97Head Intellitour 17 (Main) Nylon / Polyolefin 1.30 177 10.87Fischer Comfort 16 Nylon 1.33 177 17.44Head RIP Control 17 Nylon / Polyolefin 1.28 178 10.25Head Intellistring (Main) Nylon / Polyolefin 1.32 178 10.91Gamma Professional Spin 16 Nylon 1.32 178 11.47Prince Synthetic Gut Multifilament 17 Nylon 1.23 178 16.08Pacific Power Twist 16 Nylon 1.35 179 11.78Gamma Asterisk 16 Nylon 1.29 179 12.15Isospeed Energetic Plus 16 Nylon / Polyolefin 1.32 180 10.41Head Perfect Power 16 Nylon 1.35 180 11.84Head FiberGel Power 17 Nylon 1.26 180 12.28Pro Supex Nylon Kevlar Spiral Nylon 1.35 180 16.49Tecnifibre X-One Biphase 18 (1.18) Nylon / Polyurethane 1.19 181 8.96Tecnifibre NRG2 18 Nylon / Polyurethane 1.17 181 9.86Wilson Reaction 16 Nylon 1.30 181 11.00Head Intellitour 16 (Main) Nylon / Polyolefin 1.37 181 11.51Gamma Prodigy 16 Nylon 1.30 181 11.67Head FXP Power 17 Nylon 1.25 181 13.37Babolat Xcel Premium 17 Nylon 1.25 182 10.01Wilson K-Gut Pro 16 Nylon 1.33 182 10.62Gamma ESP 17 Nylon 1.28 182 12.68Tecnifibre 515 17 Nylon / Polyurethane 1.27 182 13.05Babolat Xcel Power 16 Nylon 1.32 183 9.64Blue Star Laser 130 16 Nylon 1.31 183 10.94Wilson K-Gut 17 Nylon 1.28 183 11.59Klip Venom 17 Nylon 1.26 183 12.46Velociti Plus 16 Nylon 1.31 183 12.65Velociti Synthetic Gut 17 Nylon 1.21 183 13.21Pacific PMX 16 Nylon / Polyurethane 1.33 184 10.80Head RIP Control 16 Nylon / Polyolefin 1.38 184 11.02Forten Tiegut 16 Nylon 1.32 184 12.08Alpha Firecable 16 Nylon / Polyester 1.31 184 14.73Head Perfect Control 16 Nylon 1.38 185 10.70Head RIP Ti.Fiber 16 Nylon 1.33 185 11.23Yonex Tough Brid 125 (cross) Nylon / Vectran 1.35 185 12.02Velociti Plus 17 Nylon 1.26 185 13.63Babolat Attraction Power 17 Nylon 1.26 186 9.84Babolat Syntronic Brio 17 Nylon 1.25 186 10.41Blue Star Fibergut XL 15L Nylon 1.39 186 11.71Volkl Power-Fiber II 17 Nylon 1.25 186 12.20Gamma ESP 16 Nylon 1.32 186 12.64Blue Star Stargut 16 Nylon 1.36 186 12.94Gamma Revelation 17 Nylon 1.26 186 13.08Babolat Xcel Premium 16 Nylon 1.31 187 10.12Alpha Gut 2000 Nylon 1.33 187 11.23Gamma Gut 2 16 Nylon 1.34 187 12.00

Isospeed Energetic Polyolefin / Nylon 1.19 187 14.64Yonex Tour Super 880 Ti Soft 16L Nylon 1.28 188 9.77Prince Lightning XX w/ Powerfoil 16 Nylon / Polyester 1.32 188 10.96Silent Partner Filament Frenzy 16 Nylon 1.31 188 11.55Gamma Live Wire 17 Nylon / Zyex 1.24 188 13.74Tecnifibre Multifeel 16 Nylon / Polyurethane 189 9.81Babolat Attraction 16 Nylon 1.30 189 10.03Volkl Power-Fiber II 18 Nylon 1.19 189 10.39Head RIP Ti.Fiber 17 Nylon / Polyolefin 1.23 189 10.56Alpha Element 16 Nylon 1.32 189 10.89Pacific Futura TXT 16L Nylon 1.29 189 11.16Head FiberGel Power 16 Nylon 1.31 189 11.62Tecnifibre NRG2 17 Nylon / Polyurethane 1.24 190 9.55Yonex Tour Super 850 16 Nylon 1.31 190 10.89Kirschbaum Touch Multifibre 1.25 Nylon 1.25 190 11.20Head Synthetic Gut PPS 17 Nylon 1.22 190 11.38Unique Tournafiber Irradiated 17 Nylon 1.27 190 11.62Klip Kicker 17 Nylon 1.24 190 11.68Gamma Live Wire XP 16 Nylon / Zyex 1.32 190 12.04Gosen OG-Sheep Micro 18 Nylon 1.19 190 12.28Gamma Live Wire 16 Nylon / Zyex 1.31 190 12.87Pro Supex Maxim Touch 1.30 Nylon 1.29 190 13.06Ashaway Synthetic Gut 17 Nylon 1.26 190 14.93Gamma TNT2 Rx 17 Nylon 1.26 191 10.96Wilson K-Gut 16 Nylon 1.31 191 11.98Gamma Live Wire XP 17 Nylon / Zyex 1.25 191 12.35Gamma TNT Fat Core 17 Nylon 1.27 191 13.36Tecnifibre X-One Biphase 16 (1.30) Nylon / Polyurethane 1.31 192 10.08Tecnifibre X-One Biphase 17 (1.24) Nylon / Polyurethane 1.28 192 10.12Prince Lightning XX w/ Powerfoil 17 Nylon / Polyester 1.24 192 10.94PowerAngle Duo-Color TNT 17 Nylon 1.20 192 12.01Pro Supex Maxim Touch 1.35 Nylon 1.34 192 12.39Pro Supex Synthetic Gut 1.20 Nylon 1.19 192 12.55Gamma TNT2 Pro Plus 17L Nylon 1.25 192 12.74Kirschbaum Touch MultiFibre 1.30 Nylon 1.31 192 14.07Tecnifibre Multifeel 17 Nylon / Polyurethane 1.27 193 9.92Gosen OG-Sheep Micro Super 17 Nylon 1.24 193 11.51Forten Omni Spin 15L Nylon 1.37 193 12.44Wilson NXT 17 Nylon 1.24 193 12.99Klip Venom 16 Nylon 1.32 194 9.96Babolat FiberTour 16 Nylon 1.32 194 10.45Head FXP 17 Nylon / Polyester 1.25 194 10.59Prince Lightning XX 16 Nylon 1.29 194 10.76Volkl Power-Fiber II 16 Nylon 1.30 194 11.20Yonex Tournament 80 Spin 15L Nylon / Vectran 1.35 194 11.33Silent Partner Ultimatum 18 Nylon 1.19 194 12.04Forten Sweet 17 Nylon 1.27 194 12.62Gamma TNT Fat Core 16 Nylon 1.31 194 12.77Ashaway Liberty 16 Nylon 1.33 194 12.90Alpha Claycourt Plus 16 Nylon 1.32 194 13.80Tecnifibre Synthetic Gut 17 Nylon 1.27 194 13.96Wilson Super Spin Nylon 1.29 194 14.20Volkl Power-Fiber 18 Nylon 1.19 195 9.57Unique Tournafiber SpinPlus 16 Nylon 1.32 195 11.14Klip Excellerator 16 Nylon 1.30 195 11.44Klip Excellerator 17 Nylon 1.30 195 11.66Gamma TNT2 Ruff 16 Nylon 1.52 195 11.95Pro Supex Synthetic Gut Spiral Flex 16 Nylon 1.28 195 14.80Yonex Tour Super 850 Pro 16 Nylon 1.34 196 11.13Gamma TNT2 Pro Plus 16 Nylon 1.32 196 11.16Head Synthetic Gut PPS 16 Nylon 1.31 196 11.69Alpha Prodigy 16 Nylon 1.32 196 11.95Pacific Space Power TX 16L Nylon 1.31 196 12.26Ashaway Liberty L15 Nylon 1.41 196 16.25Tecnifibre NRG2 16 Nylon / Polyurethane 1.31 197 8.05Babolat Syntronic Brio 16 Nylon 1.34 197 10.52Forten Spin Gear 15 Nylon 1.43 197 11.22Dunlop M-Fil Tour 16 Nylon 1.33 197 11.87Gamma Revelation 16 Nylon / Zyex 1.32 197 11.88Wilson Sensation 17 Nylon 1.25 197 11.91Wilson NXT 16 Nylon 1.30 198 10.69Yonex Tournament 50 16L Nylon 1.29 198 11.53

Stiff- Tension Stiff- TensionCompany String Material Gauge ness Loss Company String Material Gauge ness Loss

(lb/in.) (lbs) (lb/in.) (lbs)

Nylon, Zyex, & Polyolefin (Sorted by Stiffness)

Head FiberGel 16 Nylon 1.34 198 11.97Ashaway Synthetic Gut 16 Nylon 1.34 198 12.12Pacific Premium Power X 16L Nylon 1.29 198 12.74Velociti Synthetic Gut 16 Nylon 1.30 198 12.88Forten Dynamix 18 Nylon 1.21 198 13.01Blue Star Original 15L Nylon 1.43 198 13.92Wilson NXT OS 16L Nylon 1.32 199 10.43Tecnifibre 515 16 Nylon / Polyurethane 1.35 199 10.58Dunlop Max Comfort 17 Nylon 1.23 199 11.78Yonex Tough Brid 130 (cross) Nylon / Vectran 1.40 199 11.90Gosen OG-Sheep Micro 17 Nylon 1.24 199 12.35Prince Tournament Nylon 15L Nylon 1.40 199 13.19Babolat Xcel Premium 15L Nylon 1.39 200 10.17Dunlop Max Comfort 16 Nylon 1.32 200 11.07Bow Brand Micro Tournament 17 Nylon 1.24 200 12.50Blue Star Focus 130 16 Nylon 1.33 201 10.76Bow Brand t2000 15L Nylon 1.37 201 11.38Forten Dynamix 15L Nylon 1.33 201 11.82Wilson Staminia Spin 15L Nylon 1.38 201 12.15Forten Ti-Blend Main 16 Nylon 1.34 201 12.57Silent Partner Ultimatum 17 Nylon 1.28 201 12.66Gamma Gut 3 17 Nylon 1.25 202 10.09Alpha Sensor Fibre 16 Nylon 1.35 202 11.02Gamma Challenger 17 Nylon 1.27 202 11.33Klip Synthetic Gut 17 Nylon 1.25 202 12.87Pacific Premium Power X 16 Nylon 1.33 202 13.67Gamma Synthetic Gut 17 w/Wearguard Nylon 1.26 203 9.15Gamma Synthetic Gut w/Weargurard 18 Nylon 1.21 203 9.68Gamma TNT2 Rx 16 Nylon 1.36 203 9.81Kirschbaum Touch Classic 1.30 Nylon 1.30 203 10.94Kirschbaum Touch Classic 1.25 Nylon 1.24 203 11.23Prince Synthetic Gut 18 w/Duraflex Nylon 1.20 203 11.51Wilson NXT Tour 17 Nylon 1.27 203 12.46Klip Screamer Titanium 16 Nylon / Titanium 1.30 203 12.54Gosen OG-Sheep Micro 16 Nylon 1.29 203 12.96Gamma Dura Spin 15L Nylon 1.37 204 9.63Gamma Synthetic Gut 16 w/Wearguard Nylon 1.31 204 10.03Gosen OG Sheep Micro Super 16 Nylon 1.30 204 11.29Unique Tournafiber Synthetic Gut 17 Nylon 1.22 204 11.31Unique Tournafiber Irradiated 16 Nylon 1.33 204 11.44Forten Sweet 15 Nylon 1.36 204 11.55Pacific Syntec 16L Nylon 1.32 204 12.37Klip Excellerator 15L Nylon 1.34 204 12.68Silent Partner Head Spin 15L Nylon 1.38 204 13.18Silent Partner Titanium 16 Nylon 1.32 204 13.19Gamma Zo Plus 16L Nylon 1.32 204 13.56Gosen OG-Sheep Micro Spin 15L Nylon 1.35 205 10.25Wilson Extreme Synthetic Gut 16 Nylon 1.28 205 10.30Dunlop Tour Performance 16 Nylon 1.34 205 10.85Gosen Micro 16 Nylon 1.31 205 10.94Forten Dynamix 17 Nylon 1.26 205 11.14Head Synthetic Gut 16 Nylon 1.29 205 11.27Pacific Power Spin 16 Nylon 1.38 205 12.48Fischer Tournament Pro 16 Nylon 1.36 205 13.54Bow Brand Ballistic 15L Nylon 1.35 206 10.59Velociti Synthetic Gut 15L Nylon 1.35 206 10.83Silent Partner Ultimatum 16 Nylon 1.33 206 12.81Klip Scorcher 17 Nylon 1.27 206 13.51Prince Lightning XX 17 Nylon 1.26 207 9.68Pro Supex Synthetic Gut 1.30 Nylon 1.30 207 11.27Alpha Tourna Blend (Cross) Nylon 1.29 207 11.29Pacific Futura TXT 16 Nylon 1.39 207 11.51Silent Partner Original Syn 16 Nylon 1.33 207 13.89Wilson NXT Max 15L Nylon 1.35 208 9.88Bow Brand Synthetic Gut XT 16 Nylon 1.33 208 10.85Forten Dynamix 16 Nylon 1.34 208 10.95Klip Blast 17 (Cross) Nylon 1.26 208 11.46Babolat Superfine Play 17 Nylon 1.25 208 11.49Kirschbaum Touch Titanium 1.30 Nylon / Titanium 1.30 208 12.11Klip Scorcher 16 Nylon 1.31 208 12.83Wilson NXT Tour 18 Nylon 1.24 209 9.53Wilson Stamina 17 Nylon 1.25 209 9.68

Gamma TNT2 17 Nylon 1.27 209 9.85Prince Topspin Plus 16 Nylon 1.29 209 10.06Head FXP 16 Nylon / Polyester 1.34 209 10.83Prince Synthetic Gut 15L w/Duraflex Nylon 1.35 209 11.13Gamma Synthetic Gut 17 Nylon 1.26 209 11.51Wilson Sensation 16 Nylon 1.32 209 11.55Prince Topspin 15L Nylon 1.30 209 11.92Klip Kicker 16 Nylon 1.32 209 12.55Gamma TNT2 16 Nylon 1.31 210 10.34Wilson Extreme Synthetic Gut 17 Nylon 1.25 210 10.39Head Synthetic Gut 17 Nylon 1.24 210 11.27Gosen Tecgut Remplir 16 Nylon 1.32 210 11.62Bow Brand Tournament 16L Nylon 1.32 210 11.97Tecnifibre Synthetic Gut 16 Nylon 1.34 210 12.70Babolat Superfine Play 16 Nylon 1.32 210 12.76Wilson NXT Max 16 Nylon 1.34 211 9.71Gosen Tecgut Super Tec AK Speed 16 Nylon 1.32 211 10.45Forten Competition Nylon 15L Nylon 1.41 211 10.89Gamma Marathon DPC 16 Nylon 1.32 211 11.51Klip Blast 16 (Coss) Nylon 1.32 211 11.62Unique Tournafiber Synthetic Gut 16 Nylon 1.34 211 12.76Babolat Powergy 16 Nylon 1.34 211 13.10Prince Synthetic Gut 17 w/Duraflex Nylon 1.26 212 10.69Forten Sweet 16 Nylon 1.33 212 10.78Gosen OG-Sheep Micro Super JC 16 Nylon 1.30 212 11.05Gosen Tecgut Super Tec Ak Pro 16 Nylon 1.34 212 11.64Alpha Viper 16 Nylon 1.29 212 12.35RAB Endura Classic (Coss) Nylon 1.32 213 11.62Prince Synthetic Gut 16 w/Duraflex Nylon 1.30 213 12.04Prince Synthetic Gut Original 17 Nylon 1.24 214 10.59Klip Synthetic Gut 16 Nylon 1.33 214 10.98Gamma TNT2 18 Nylon 1.18 214 11.05Babolat Razor Spin 16 Nylon 1.30 214 13.76Klip Synthetic Gut 15L Nylon 1.37 214 13.76Gamma Synthetic Gut 15L w/Wearguard Nylon 1.38 215 11.18Gamma Ruff 16 Nylon 1.48 215 11.33Unique Tournafiber Nylon 16 Nylon 1.32 215 12.33Klip Twister 15L Nylon 1.43 215 12.53Dunlop Synthetic Gut 16 Nylon 1.31 215 13.21Pacific Syntec 16 Nylon 1.37 216 12.15Pacific Dura Tech 16 Nylon / Aramid 1.32 216 12.85Alpha Sphere 16 Nylon 1.31 216 14.88Gamma Dura Spin w/ Wearguard 16 Nylon 1.37 217 8.95Gosen Nanocubic 16 Nylon 1.32 217 10.81Gamma Challenger 16 Nylon 1.32 217 10.95Prince Synthetic Gut Original 16 Nylon 1.30 217 11.67Babolat Conquest 16 Nylon 1.33 217 14.99Gamma Synthetic Gut 16 Nylon 1.30 218 9.86Wilson Ultra Synthetic Gut 16 Nylon 1.32 218 10.28Gosen OG-Sheep Proform Tuff 15L Nylon 1.38 218 11.16Bow Brand Super Pro 15L Nylon 1.43 218 11.42Bow Brand Calibre 15L Nylon 1.36 218 12.28Babolat Conquest 17 Nylon 1.27 218 12.64Babolat Conquest Ti 16 Nylon 1.33 218 16.23Wilson NXT Tour 16 Nylon 1.31 219 8.98Dunlop Synthetic Gut 17 Nylon 1.24 219 10.04Wilson Stamina 16 Nylon 1.32 219 10.10Gamma Marathon DPC 15L Nylon 1.44 219 10.80Gamma XL 16 Nylon 1.29 219 11.40Head Master 15L Nylon 1.39 219 11.58Head Master 16L Nylon 1.31 221 9.57Gamma Synthetic Gut 18 Nylon 1.22 221 10.14Gosen Tecgut Power 16 Nylon 1.31 221 14.58Bow Brand Superspin 1.33 Nylon 1.43 222 11.29Gamma Dura Spin 16 Nylon 1.39 223 8.93Gamma Synthetic Gut 15L Nylon 1.37 224 11.42Fischer Pro Number One 16 Nylon 1.32 224 12.66Gamma Advantage 15L Nylon 1.39 227 9.90Gamma Marathon DPC 17 Nylon 1.27 228 9.42Ashaway MonoGut 17 Nylon 1.22 233 20.20Ashaway MonoGut 16L Nylon 1.27 242 19.40

Stiff- Tension Stiff- TensionCompany String Material Gauge ness Loss Company String Material Gauge ness Loss

(lb/in.) (lbs) (lb/in.) (lbs)

Nylon, Zyex, & Polyolefin (Sorted by Stiffness) Cont.


Polyester (Sorted by Stiffness)Stiff- Tension Stiff- Tension

Company String Material Gauge ness Loss Company String Material Gauge ness Loss(lb/in.) (lbs) (lb/in.) (lbs)

Babolat Pro Hurricane 18 Polyester 1.21 187 22.29Tecnifibre Promix 17 (1.25) Polyester 1.27 199 13.72Head Sonic Pro Polyester 1.23 199 23.09Pacific Poly Power 18 Polyester 1.09 201 21.17Tecnifibre Promix 16 (1.30) Polyester 1.29 204 14.99Gosen Polylon Comfort 17 Polyester 1.26 215 19.91Gosen Polylon SP 17 Polyester 1.25 215 20.70Pro Supex Poly Power Soft 1.15 Polyester 1.13 216 19.69Kirschbaum Competition 1.20 Polyester 1.19 219 19.09Isospeed Pyramid Polyester 1.28 219 24.19Signum Pro Poly-Deluxe 1.22 Polyester 1.20 220 19.11Pacific Force 18 Polyester 1.19 222 17.09Tecnifibre Pro Red Code 18 Polyester 1.19 222 18.89Klip K-Boom 18 Polyester 1.19 223 18.88Wilson Enduro Pro 18 Polyester 1.21 224 17.02Gamma Zo True 18 Polyester 1.13 224 17.55Kirschbaum Pro Line No.2 1.15 Polyester 1.16 224 18.92Pro Supex Big Ace 1.22 Polyester 1.21 225 18.68Babolat Pro Hurricane 17 Polyester 1.25 226 16.83Luxilon Big Banger Alu Power Fluoro 123Polyester 1.23 226 17.64Toalson Thermaxe 123 Polyester 1.23 226 17.97Signum Pro Poly Megaforce 1.19 Polyester 1.19 227 16.67Kirschbaum P2 1.20 Polyester 1.18 227 18.10Pro Supex Poly Master 1.25 Polyester 1.25 228 20.59Kirschbaum Pro Line No.2 1.20 Polyester 1.18 229 18.19Unique Big Hitter Blue 17 Polyester 1.26 229 18.21Silent Partner Roly Poly 17 Polyester 1.27 229 19.62Kirschbaum Touch Turbo 1.25 Polyester 1.25 229 21.41Unique Tourna Poly Big Hitter 17 Polyester 1.26 231 18.15Pacific Poly Soft 16 Polyester 1.29 231 19.16Luxilon Big Banger Ace 112 Polyester 1.16 232 17.05Yonex Tough Brid 125 (main) Polyester 1.24 232 20.95Signum Pro Poly Plasma 1.23 Polyester 1.25 233 17.48Signum Pro Poly-Deluxe 1.30 Polyester 1.24 233 18.31Gamma Stinger (Mains) Polyester 1.28 233 19.53Signum Pro Poly-Power 1.30 Polyester 1.32 233 19.58Kirschbaum Pro Line No.1 1.15 Polyester 1.16 234 17.09Pro Supex Premier Ace 1.25 Polyester 1.24 234 17.57Klip K-Boom 17 Polyester 1.23 234 17.99Volkl V-Rex 16L Polyester 1.24 234 18.32Pro Supex Big Ace 1.25 Polyester 1.25 234 19.16Tecnifibre Pro Red Code 17 Polyester 1.26 235 16.27Pro Supex Poly Control 1.25 Polyester 1.26 235 17.23Kirschbaum Competition 1.25 Polyester 1.28 235 19.07Kirschbaum Super Smash 1.20 Polyester 1.21 235 19.98Signum Pro Poly-Special 1.25 Polyester 1.23 235 20.64Gosen Polylon SP 16 Polyester 1.29 235 21.06Topspin Polypolar 1.30 Polyester 1.28 235 24.72Klip Optic Nerve 17 Polyester 1.23 236 17.49Kirschbaum Pro Line No.2 1.25 Polyester 1.24 236 19.14RAB Endura Classic (Main) Polyester 1.29 236 20.26Goson Polylon Polybreak 18 Polyester 1.21 236 21.26Signum Pro Poly-Fiber Titan 1.25 Polyester 1.26 236 24.10Gosen Polylon Polybreak 17 Polyester 1.23 238 17.47Pro Supex Big Ace 1.28 Polyester 1.25 238 18.68Forten Pro Select 17 Polyester 1.20 238 18.92Pacific Poly Dura 15L Polyester 1.34 238 22.32Signum Pro Poly Plasma 1.18 Polyester 1.19 239 15.65Wilson Enduro Pro 17 Polyester 1.25 239 15.77Gamma Zo Power 16L Polyester 1.20 239 17.29Topspin Cyber Flash 1.25 Polyester 1.23 240 15.54Pro Supex Premier Ace 1.30 Polyester 1.28 240 16.83Pro Supex Poly Control 1.30 Polyester 1.28 240 16.94Luxilon Big Banger Alu Power Rough 125Polyester 1.25 240 18.98Babolat Pro Hurricane 16 Polyester 1.31 241 13.61Luxilon Big Banger TiMO 110 Polyester 1.15 241 16.91Unique Tourna Poly Big Hitter 16 Polyester 1.29 241 17.62Forten Poly-Blast 17 Polyester 1.23 241 18.41Pacific Poly Spin 16L Polyester 1.25 241 19.12Prince Tournament Poly 17 Polyester 1.24 241 24.23Pacific Poly Power 15L Polyester 1.33 241 24.83

Klip Optic Nerve 16 Polyester 1.28 242 13.58Luxilon Big Banger Alu Power 125 Polyester 1.23 242 17.13Gosen Nancubic 17 Polyester 1.26 242 17.33Signum Pro Poly-Fiber Titan 1.30 Polyester 1.30 242 24.89Klip Hardcore 17 Polyester 1.24 243 17.05Luxilon Big Banger XP 125 Polyester 1.25 243 17.78Pro Supex Blue Gear 1.25 Polyester 1.24 243 18.55Pro Supex Poly Power Soft 1.30 Polyester 1.32 243 18.76Signum Pro Poly-Power 1.20 Polyester 1.20 243 19.50Kirschbaum Touch Turbo 1.30 Polyester 1.30 243 19.58Signum Pro Poly-Special 1.30 Polyester 1.28 243 20.33Signum Pro Poly-Speed Excl. 1.25 Polyester 1.27 244 19.56Babolat Ballistic Polymono 17 Polyester 1.25 244 20.89Alpha Vengence 16L Polyester 1.29 244 22.05Pacific PolySpin 16 Polyester 1.32 245 20.29Signum Pro Plasma Hextreme 1.25 Polyester 1.25 246 16.23Signum Pro Poly-Power 1.25 Polyester 1.26 247 17.88Dunlop Explosive 17 Polyester 1.26 247 18.00Kirschbaum Competition 1.30 Polyester 1.30 247 18.50Kirschbaum Pro Line No.2 1.30 Polyester 1.27 247 18.61Yonex Tough Brid 130 (main) Polyester 1.30 247 22.42RAB MonoFlex 16L Polyester 1.26 248 17.95Luxilon Big Banger Original 130 Polyester 1.28 249 17.11Pro Supex Blue Gear 1.28 Polyester 1.26 249 18.04Gosen Polylon 17 Polyester 1.24 249 19.52Tecnifibre Polyspin 16 (1.275) Polyester 1.27 249 19.87Prince Tour 17 Polyester 1.25 249 21.37Luxilon Monotec Supersense 125 Polyester 1.26 250 19.21Signum Pro Poly-Power 1.35 Polyester 1.35 250 19.38Signum Pro Poly Speed Excl. 1.30 Polyester 1.30 250 19.63Toalson Thermaxe 130 Polyester 1.29 250 22.21Gamma Zo Life 16 Polyester 1.28 251 15.50Kirschbaum Pro Line No.1 1.20 Polyester 1.19 251 18.96Signum Pro Poly-Deluxe 1.25 Polyester 1.32 252 17.40Kirschbaum Super Smash 1.325 Polyester 1.33 252 20.75Kirschbaum Pro Line No.1 1.25 Polyester 1.22 253 16.67Dunlop Explosive 16 Polyester 1.29 253 16.98Forten Flexion 16L Polyester 1.24 254 15.53Gosen Polylon 16 Polyester 1.30 254 21.23Kirschbaum P2 1.275 Polyester 1.24 255 16.47Klip K-Boom 16 Polyester 1.31 255 16.96Head UltraTour 17 Polyester 1.22 255 19.29Yonex Poly Tour 125 16 Polyester 1.24 255 19.78Signum Pro Plasma Hextreme 1.30 Polyester 1.29 256 16.63Forten Flexion 16 Polyester 1.28 256 16.76Babolat Pro Hurricane Tour 17 Polyester 1.25 256 17.58Forten Intimidator 16 Polyester 1.30 256 17.91Gosen Polylon Comfort 16 Polyester 1.30 256 19.65Prince Tour 16 Polyester 1.28 256 21.57Kirschbaum Super Smash Spiky 1.25 Polyester 1.26 256 22.02Signum Pro Poly Megaforce 1.24 Polyester 1.24 257 14.91Kirschbaum P2 1.25 Polyester 1.25 257 15.48Kirschbaum Super Smash 1.25 Polyester 1.25 257 19.55Signum Pro Poly-Speed Excl. 1.35 Polyester 1.39 257 20.00Babolat Ballistic Polymono 16 Polyester 1.30 257 20.31Alpha Polycable 16 Polyester 1.33 257 23.44Tecnifibre Pro Red Code 16 Polyester 1.28 258 14.90Signum Pro Poly Megaforce 1.29 Polyester 1.30 258 15.06Topspin Cyber Flash 1.30 Polyester 1.27 258 15.28Wilson Enduro Gold 16 Polyester 1.32 258 17.60Klip Hardcore 16 Polyester 1.27 258 19.42Kirschbaum Super Smash Spiky 1.275 Polyester 1.27 258 20.84Kirschbaum Pro Line No.1 1.30 Polyester 1.27 258 22.09Gamma Zo Sweet (Mains) Polyester 1.22 259 15.75Ashaway Monofire XL 17 Polyester 1.26 259 17.13Pro Supex Poly Power Soft 1.25 Polyester 1.27 259 18.57Wilson Enduro Pro 16 Polyester 1.30 260 14.33Signum Pro Poly Plasma 1.28 Polyester 1.27 260 15.98Luxilon Big Banger TiMO 117 Polyester 1.23 261 16.29Toalson Thermaxe 127 Polyester 1.27 261 18.99Pacific Force 17 Polyester 1.25 262 13.47



Yonex Poly Tour 130 16 Polyester 1.32 262 19.65Head UltraTour 16L Polyester 1.27 263 17.97Kirschbaum Super Smash 1.35 Polyester 1.37 263 19.36Fischer Poly Pro 17 Polyester 1.27 263 21.06Gamma Dura Blast 17 Polyester 1.26 264 16.82Pacific Poly Power 16 Polyester 1.29 265 17.16Luxilon Big Banger Original Rough 130 Polyester 1.28 266 19.21Kirschbaum Super Smash 1.30 Polyester 1.29 266 19.58Gamma Zo True 17 Polyester 1.24 267 14.58Signum Pro Poly Plasma 1.33 Polyester 1.34 270 14.26Babolat Pro Hurricane Tour 16 Polyester 1.28 270 16.61

Unique Tourna Poly Premium 18 Polyester 1.21 271 15.39Kirschbaum P2 1.30 Polyester 1.30 273 15.74Signum Pro Poly Megaforce 1.34 Polyester 1.34 278 15.69Ashaway Monofire XL 16 Polyester 1.29 278 16.14Kirschbaum Long Life 1.38 Polyester 1.40 281 20.71Signum Pro Poly Speed Spin 1.28 Polyester 1.29 283 18.00Signum Pro Poly Speed Spin 1.33 Polyester 1.32 289 18.34Luxilon Big Banger 5-Star 138 Polyester 1.37 290 17.94Pacific Poly Force 17 Polyester 1.24 294 13.41Gamma Dura Blast 16 Polyester 1.30 303 12.68Pacific Poly Force 16L Polyester 1.30 320 17.84

Polyester (Sorted by Stiffness) Cont.Stiff- Tension Stiff- Tension


Kevlar/Technora/Vectran (Sorted by Stiffness)Stiff- Tension Stiff- Tension


Gut (Sorted by Stiffness)Stiff- Tension Stiff- Tension


Ashaway Composite XL Pro 15 Kevlar 1.38 444 16.36Ashaway Composite XT Pro 16 Vectran 1.30 470 14.34Pacific Powercraft 18 Kevlar / Nylon 1.10 508 14.67Forten New Age 18 Kevlar / Nylon 1.13 511 18.43Forten Aramid Composite 18 Kevlar / Nylon 1.11 516 15.04Forten Ultra Thin Blend 18 Kevlar 1.12 545 15.12Forten Thin Blend 18 Kevlar 1.15 557 14.33Wilson Hyperlast Spin 19 Technora 1.21 562 13.72Head FXP Blend (Mains) Kevlar 1.24 574 15.73Dunlop Max Touch 17 Kevlar 1.22 586 15.08Dunlop Max Touch Hybrid (Main) Kevlar 1.24 588 2.76Forten Aramid Composite 17 Kevlar / Nylon 1.17 597 11.27Pacific Aramid 16 Kevlar 1.27 601 12.17Forten Aramid Gear 16L Kevlar 1.42 610 10.43Forten Aramid Composite 16 Kevlar / Nylon 1.28 619 9.55Silent Partner Gutsy Aramid 17 Kevlar 1.15 623 11.38Forten Aramid Gear 15 Kevlar 1.45 627 11.84Pacific Gear Blend (Mains) Kevlar / Nylon 1.32 628 9.33Pacific Power Blend (Mains) Kevlar / Nylon 1.32 628 9.33

Forten Sweet Aramid 16L Kevlar 1.27 632 11.60Gamma TNT2 Fusion Plus 19 (Mains) Kevlar 1.23 640 17.33Gamma Infinity 18 (Mains) Kevlar 1.17 641 17.00Gamma Infinity 17 (Mains) Kevlar 1.24 641 20.57Alpha Tourna Blend (Mains) Kevlar 1.24 647 20.64Ashaway Kevlar18 Kevlar 1.08 671 27.21Gamma TNT2 Fusion Plus 16 (Mains) Kevlar 1.28 674 16.36Gosen Arammix Pro 18 Kevlar 1.09 697 17.03Wilson Hyperlast 15 Technora 1.41 709 13.15Prince Problend 17 Kevlar 1.24 720 16.39Gamma Infinity 15L (Mains) Kevlar 1.35 729 17.90Gamma Infinity 16 (Mains) Kevlar 1.30 736 17.90Ashaway Kevlar17 Kevlar 1.22 757 28.37Klip Atomic 16 Kevlar 1.29 758 28.36Forten Sweet Aramid 15L Kevlar 1.36 761 13.01Ashaway Kevlar16 Kevlar 1.29 764 26.68Gosen Arammix Pro 16 Kevlar 1.28 795 19.14Prince Pro Blend 16 (Main) Kevlar 1.30 981 15.88

Unique Tourna Gut 17 Natural Gut 1.22 84 8.75Pacific Tough Gut 16 Natural Gut 1.26 88 6.75Pacific Classic Gut 16L Natural Gut 1.28 92 6.39Pacific Prime Gut 16L Natural Gut 1.30 92 6.86Pacific Prime Gut 16 Natural Gut 1.28 97 5.75Grand Slam Gut Ti. Power 16 (uncoated) Natural Gut 1.30 97 10.92Pacific Tough Gut 15 Natural Gut 1.37 100 7.37Grand Slam Gut Grand Slam Gut 15L (coated) Natural Gut 1.36 100 8.58Wilson Natural 16 Natural Gut 1.31 102 8.43Babolat VS Team 17 Natural Gut 1.26 102 8.45Wilson Natural 17 Natural Gut 1.26 103 8.13Grand Slam Gut Black Knight Gut 16 (Coated) Natural Gut 1.32 103 11.91Klip Armour Pro 16 Natural Gut 1.30 105 7.43Klip Armour Pro 17 Natural Gut 1.28 105 7.70Grand Slam Gut Grand Slam Gut 17 (uncoated) Natural Gut 1.28 105 7.87Pacific Prime Gut 17 Natural Gut 1.22 105 8.45

Pacific Classic Gut 16 Natural Gut 1.30 106 11.01Babolat VS Touch 16 Natural Gut 1.30 107 8.31Wilson Natural 15L Natural Gut 1.34 110 9.28Bow Brand Championship 16 Natural Gut 1.30 111 7.36Grand Slam Gut Ti. Power 16 (coated) Natural Gut 1.36 112 9.31Klip Legend 1.30 Natural Gut 1.28 113 8.77Grand Slam Gut Grand Slam Gut 16 (coated) Natural Gut 1.41 113 9.28Klip Legend 17 Natural Gut 1.27 113 9.31Prince Natural Gut 16 Natural Gut 1.31 114 8.49Babolat Tonic+ Ball Feel Natural Gut 1.35 114 8.84Bow Brand Championship 15L Natural Gut 1.34 116 8.53Babolat VS Touch 15L Natural Gut 1.35 118 8.68Unique Tourna Gut 16 Natural Gut 1.30 119 9.06Babolat Tonic+ Longevity Natural Gut 1.38 119 9.26Grand Slam Gut Grand Slam Gut 15L (uncoated) Natural Gut 1.48 129 11.22

Hybrid GuideUse this hybrid guide to look up the properties of the individ-ual strings used in the crosses and mains. You can vary thestiffness of the stringbed by choosing strings that vary fromeach other in stiffness. This variance will also occur if onestring loses tension faster than the other. Then you can varywhich string you put in the mains and which in the crosses.Variety is good. But here is the bad news. There are 16 dif-ferent combinations of low/high stiffness and low/high ten-

sion loss when combining crosses and mains. So for the truehybrid fanatic, you have 520 strings combinable with 520 oth-ers with 16 variations of each combination.

The string manufacturers have limited your choices byputting together what they consider the best hybrid combina-tions into packages and telling you which string to use in themains and which in the crosses. Using the String Selectorcharts, you can see what kind of stringbed to expect with eachcombination compared with others.


Alpha Gut 2000 Poly Gut 2000 Poly Gut 2000Alpha Tourna Blend Tourna Blend Tourna BlendAshaway Crossfire 17 Kevlar 17 Synthetic Gut 16Ashaway Crossfire 18 Kevlar 18 Synthetic Gut 16Ashaway Crossfire II Kevlar 16 Synthetic Gut 16Ashaway Crossfire MonoGut 16 MonoGut 16L Synthetic Gut 16Ashaway Crossfire MonoGut 17 MonoGut 16L Synthetic Gut 17

Babolat Pro Hurricane Pro Hurricane Tour 16 Conquest 17Tour 16 & Conquest 17

Babolat Pro Hurricane Pro Hurricane Tour 16 VS Team 17Tour 16 & VS Team 17

Babolat Pro Hurricane Pro Hurricane Tour 16 VS Touch 16Tour 16 & VS Touch 16

Babolat Pro Hurricane Pro Hurricane Tour 16 Xcel Premium 16Tour 16 & Xcel Premium 16

Babolat Pro Hurricane Pro Hurricane Tour 16 Xcel Premium 17Tour 16 & Xcel Premium 17

Dunlop Max Touch Hybrid Max Touch Hybrid Synthetic Gut 17Gamma Infinity 15L Infinity 15L Marathon DPC 15LGamma Infinity 16 Infinity 16 Marathon DPC 16Gamma Infinity 17 Infinity 17 Marathon DPC 17Gamma Infinity 18 Infinity 18 Marathon DPC 17Gamma Stinger 16/17 Stinger Mains Synthetic Gut 17Gamma TNT2 Fusion Plus 16 TNT2 Fusion Plus 16 TNT2 Rx 16Gamma TNT2 Fusion Plus 19 TNT2 Fusion Plus 19 TNT2 Rx 17Gamma Zo Pro Zo Power 16L Live Wire Professional 16Gamma Zo Pro Spin Zo Power 16L Professional Spin 16Gamma Zo Sweet Zo Sweet Professional Spin16Gosen Arammix Blend 18 Aramix Pro 18 OG-Sheep Micro 18Gosen Arammix Blend 16 Aramix Pro 16 OG-Sheep Micro 16Head FiberGel Blend FiberGel Blend FiberGel 16Head FXP Blend FXP Blend FXP Power 17Head Intellistring IntelliString IntelliStringHead Intellitour 16 IntelliTour 16 IntelliTour 16Head Intellitour 17 Intellitour 17 Intellitour 17Head Protector 16 Protector 16 Protector 16Klip Adrenalin Legend 16 Hardcore 16

Klip Blast 16 Hardcore 16 Blast 16Klip Blast 17 Hardcore 16 Blast 17Klip Detonator Excellerator 16 K-Boom 17Klip Lightning Legend 16 Excellerator 17Klip Screamer Legend 16 Scorcher 17Klip Stamina Atomic 16 Synthetic Gut 17Klip X-Plosive Legend 16 K-Boom 17Klipper Klipper Blend Kevlar 16 Synthetic Gut Ultra-Fibre 16Klipper Klipper Blend Lite Kevlar 18 Synthetic Gut Ultra-Fibre 18Luxilon Ace Touch Big Banger Ace 18 Monotec Supersense 16LLuxilon Alu Touch Big Banger Alu Power 16L Monotec Supersense 16LLuxilon Timo Touch Big Banger TiMO 18 Monotec Supersense 16LPacific Gear Blend Gear Blend Powerline 17Pacific Hybrid PMX Poly Force 16L PMX 16Pacific Poly Gut 8.5 Poly Force 17 Tough Gut 16LPacific Poly Gut 9.0 Poly Force 17 Tough Gut 16Pacific Power Poly Force 17 Powerline 16LPacific Power Blend Power Blend Powerline 16Pacific Spin Blend Power Spin 16 Powerline 17Pacific Synergy Gut Space Power TX 16L Classic Gut 16LPrince Pro Blend Pro Blend 16 Synthetic Gut 16 w/DuraflexPrince Synthetic Gut Poly Blend Tournament Poly 17 Synthetic Gut 16 w/DuraflexPrince Tour Blend Tour 16 Premier w/Softflex 16Pro Supex P.F. Blend Premier Ace 1.25 Maxim Touch 1.30Pro Supex P.S. Blend Poly Master 1.25 Synthetic Gut 1.30RAB Endura Classic Endura Classic Endura Classic

Wilson Champion’s Choice Big Banger Natural 16 xAlu Power Rough 16L

Wilson Sensation Duo Enduro Pro 17 Sensation 16 xWilson Sensation Duo Enduro Pro 17 Sensation 16Wilson Ultimate Duo 16 Big Banger Alu Power 16L NXT Tour 16Wilson Hyperlast Hyperlast 15 Stamina DT 15Wilson Hyperlast Spin Hyperlast Spin 19 Stamina 16Yonex Tough Brid 125 Tough Brid 125 Tough Brid 125Yonex Tough Brid 130 Tough Brid 130 Tough Brid 130

Inter- Inter-Company String Hybrid Mains Hybrid Cross change- Company String Hybrid Mainds Hybrid Cross change-

able able

Hybrids


string PLAYTEST

EASE OF STRINGING(compared to other strings)Number of testers who said it was:much easier 0somewhat easier 13about as easy 23not quite as easy 2not nearly as easy 0

OVERALL PLAYABILITY(compared to string played most often)Number of testers who said it was:much better 0somewhat better 12about as playable 9not quite as playable 16not nearly as playable 1

OVERALL DURABILITY(compared to other stringsof similar gauge)Number of testers who said it was:much better 1somewhat better 6about as durable 23not quite as durable 6not nearly as durable 2

RATING AVERAGESFrom 1 to 5 (best)Playability 3.4Durability 3.4Power 3.4Control 3.5Comfort 3.5Touch/Feel 3.3Spin Potential 3.4Holding Tension 3.3Resistance to Movement 3.2

C3 Rocket is a new multifilament con-

trol-oriented string from Head. As with

several other Head strings, C3 Rocket

uses ribbon-shaped strands. These rib-

bons surround a solid core, but are not

bonded to the core.The “C3” stands for Crystal Coaxial

Construction. The “Crystal” portion is arefined polyamide material, which is lessstiff for better playability and easier string-ing. The “Coaxial” refers to the free-mov-ing monofilament core, which accordingto Head allows for better feel, control,and power. The “Construction” refers tothe C3 Rocket’s elasticity, which Headclaims gives C3 Rocket better touch andsound at impact.

According to Head, C3 Rocket is anall-around high-performance string for allplayer types, with control, power, feel,and durability, as well as good spin prop-erties.

C3 Rocket is available in 16 and 17 inwhite only. It is priced from $14 per 40-foot set. For more information or toorder, contact Head at 800-289-7366, orvisit www.head.com. Be sure to read theconclusion for more information aboutgetting a free set to try for yourself.

IN THE LABWe tested the 16-gauge C3 Rocket. Thecoil measured 40 feet. The diameter mea-sured 1.29-1.33 mm prior to stringing,and 1.24-1.26 mm after stringing. Werecorded a stringbed stiffness of 73 RDCunits immediately after stringing at 60pounds in a Wilson Pro Staff 6.1 95 (16 x18 pattern) on a constant-pull machine.

After 24 hours (no playing), stringbedstiffness measured 66 RDC units, repre-senting a 10 percent tension loss. Ourcontrol string, Prince Synthetic Gut Origi-nal Gold 16, measured 78 RDC unitsimmediately after stringing and 71 RDCunits after 24 hours, representing a 9 per-cent tension loss. C3 Rocket added 15grams to the weight of our unstrungframe.

The string was tested for five weeks

by 38 USRSA playtesters, with NTRP rat-ings from 3.0 to 6.0. These are blindtests, with playtesters receivingunmarked strings in unmarked pack-ages. Average number of hours playtest-ed was 34.8.

Installing C3 Rocket is easy, eventhough the ribbon construction gives it anatural texture. There was little coil mem-ory, and tangles were quickly cleared.

No playtester broke his sample duringstringing, one reported problems with coilmemory, two reported problems tyingknots, and two reported friction burn.

ON THE COURTOur playtest team reports show that C3Rocket is a very well balanced string. Infact, C3 Rocket is the second most bal-anced string we’ve seen, in terms of hav-ing comparable scores in each of ourscoring categories. Of course, balance isonly half of the picture. If the scores arecomparable from category to category,you want those scores to be as high aspossible. As it turns out, C3 Rocketscored well above average in Playability,Power, Control, Touch, Comfort, andSpin, and above average in Durability,Tension Holding, and Resistance toMovement. C3 Rocket’s overall score iseven well above average of the 114strings we’ve tested to date.

Four of our team members broke C3Rocket during the playtest, two at 4hours, and one each at 5 and 6 hours.

CONCLUSIONHead tells us that it had a difficult timeclassifying C3 Rocket as a control stringbecause it does everything well, and itsscores certainly support this.

Our playtest team gave C3 Rockethigh scores across the board, with nodeficiencies anywhere. Based on theseresults, C3 Rocket could be the string ofchoice for players who are picky aboutstring performance in a couple of areas,but still don’t want to give up too muchin other areas. And if you as a stringerhave to deal with that vast body of play-ers out there who don’t know whatstring they want, but they want some-thing good, C3 Rocket’s performance inour playtest shows it could become yourgo-to string.

If you think that Head C3 Rocketmight be for you, fill out the coupon toget a free set to try.

. —Greg Raven �

Head C3 Rocket 16

TESTERS TALK

FREE PLAYTEST STRING PROGRAMHead has generously offered to send a free set of the C3 Rocket 16 to the

first 500 USRSA members who request it. Just cut out (or copy) this couponand mail it to: USRSA, Attn: Head C3 Rocket String Offer,

330 Main Street, Vista, CA 92084or fax to 760-536-1171,

or email the info below to [email protected] expires 15 September 07

Offer only available to USRSA members in the US.Name:

USRSA Member number:

Phone:

Email:If you print your email clearly, we will notify you when your sample will be sent.


“ String plays excellent for the first 10hours. After that, though, there is some ten-sion loss. This adds some welcomed pop toserves but compromises control.” 4.0 maleall-court player using Head i.Radical OSstrung at 63 pounds LO (Head Intellitour 16)

“ This is a superb control string. Power isnot overwhelming, but it is there when need-ed. Whether taking a full swing from thebaseline or executing a touch volley, thedepth and trajectory are alwayspredictable.” 4.5 male all-court player usingDunlop Aerogel 5 Hundred strung at 62pounds LO (Prince Lightning XX w/Powerfoil17)

“ This string has a muted feel and a lowpower level. Full swings are required. There isnot quite enough bite, but the comfort andtension maintenance are good.” 4.0 maleall-court player using Babolat Pure Drivestrung at 55 pounds CP (Babolat VS Team 17)

“ This string has great bite and it’s veryeasy on the arm. It’s not quite as playable asnatural gut, but it is definitely a very user-friendly string.” 3.5 male serve-and-volleyplayer using Wilson K4 strung at 60 poundsLO (Babolat VS Touch 16)

For the rest of the tester comments, visit

www.racquetsportsindustry.com.

“ This string has very high dwell time. Theball feels like it’s on the strings longer. Thisallows for great spin control. The comfort,durability, and playability make this one ofthe better all-around strings I’ve used in along time.” 3.0 male all-court player usingWilson nPro strung at 64 pounds CP (PrincePremier w/Softflex 17)

“ This string not only has that magic com-bination of power and control, the comfortis right on the mark.” 4.0 male baselinerwith moderate spin using Prince O3 HybridTour (16x18) strung at 63 pounds LO(Gamma TNT 2 16)

“ This is a very comfortable string withgreat control from the baseline. Both flatand topspin strokes consistently find theirmark. It’s very easy “right out of the box.”By the end of my first session, I was playingextremely confident tennis.” 4.5 male all-court player using Wilson Hyper Pro Staff5.1 Surge strung at 60 pounds LO (HeadIntellistring 16)

“ Excellent string! Crisp response on vol-leys and great feel on touch shots. Decentpower on serves and plenty of spin whenneeded.”5.0 male all-court player using Wilson n5Force strung at 63 pounds CP (WilsonEnduro Pro 16)

the EXPERTSask

RELEASING THE SIDEMOUNTS DURING STRINGING

I FINISHED INSTALLING THE MAINSin a racquet, had tensioned thesecond cross (working from the

head down) and was trying to insert thestring into the grommet hole for the thirdcross, but the side support at 10 o’clockwas blocking the way.

A friend of mine who was watching mestruggle told me to pull back the 10o’clock side support in order to gainaccess to the hole. I told him that I didn’tthink you should ever release a side sup-port while the racquet is being strung, buthe assured me there is no problem at alldoing this. What is the correct procedurein these cases?

WITH ALL THE MAINS INSTALLED,the racquet is at its maximum defor-

mation, which is to say that it is in a con-dition where it most needs the full support

of the mounting system. Releasing the 10o’clock supports at this juncture would putextraordinary stress on the hoop, possiblyleading to damage.

Even though the side supports do restrictaccess to the hoop at the contact points, youshould still be able to get the string throughfairly easily on all but the most difficult rac-quets. One approach, if the grommet holeseems blocked from one side of the support,is to feed the string through the relief in theside support, and approach the grommethole from the other side. In any case, youshould not need to release the side supportsto gain access to the grommet holes.

POLY TENSION LOSSWE ARE GETTING SOME complaintsfrom customers who say that a cer-tain poly plays really well, but loses a

lot of tension in a short period of time. Istrung one for myself and the string reallydoes lose tension quickly — much more than

it should be losing. I checked the USRSAstring lab test data, and found that ten-sion loss of this string is quite similar toother polys we usually string in otherracquets. Can we pre-stretch this partic-ular string to reduce tension loss? How itshould be done?

ALTHOUGH STRINGS IN THIS classare all called “poly,” there are

actually different formulations. Differentformulations are likely to feel differentduring play, and when you factor in thebuilt-in differences in response and feelthat occur due to tension loss, it’s notsurprising to find that one string seemsto play better after a few days thananother, seemingly comparable string.So, unless you are somehow measuringthe tension loss, you have to be carefulabout saying that one is losing tensionmuch more quickly than it should. If youare going by feel alone, you can be

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Your Equipment Hotline


deceived by the difference in charac-teristics among the various formula-tions.

Pre-stretching will reduce tensionloss, but it will also make thestringbed play more stiffly. As polystypically feel fairly stiff to begin with,this may be unacceptable to your cus-tomers. You can either pre-stretch at45 pounds for 45 seconds, as outlinedin Racquet Service Techniques, or youcan use machine pre-stretch on elec-tronic machines that offer that fea-ture.

If either the feel or the tension lossstill are not what your customersexpect, you might try another poly.

STRINGING WITH17-GAUGE STRING

A CUSTOMER LEFT TWO rac-quets to be strung with 17-gauge synthetic gut, but I’ve

never used a light-gauge stringbefore. I am worried that the startingknot will come through the grommetas we pull tension. Should I use thedeadman’s knot that is shown in theDigest?

THAT SHOULD WORK. EVENthough 17-gauge string has a

smaller outside diameter than 16-gauge string, it’s still not so thin thatyou always have to take extraordinarymeasures when installing it. However,if you do run into trouble with thestarting knot pulling through — withany gauge string — your best bet is touse a starting clamp instead of start-ing knot. Pull tension against thestarting clamp to begin the crosses,and then come back later, retensionthat first cross (so you can remove thestarting clamp), hold the string withthe machine clamp, and then tie offas you normally would on any otherstring.

CHOOSING ATIE-OFF HOLEI WAS STRINGING A RACQUET the

other day, and just by lookingat it I could tell that there weretie-off holes at 6T and 8T. I

was going to tie off the mains at 6T,but the Digest indicates that they

should be tied off at 8T. Why do I have touse one instead of the other? Will I voidthe warranty if I tie off the mains at 6T?

MANUFACTURERS AND THE USRSAspecify tie-off holes in hopes of mak-ing life easier for stringers who have

trouble locating the tie-off holes them-selves. In your case using 6T for the maintie-off holes shouldn’t void your warranty,but it will block the tie-off hole for thecrosses at that end of the racquet. It is

usually easier to get a string past a blockedhole when the blocking string is the tie-off,but why make life more difficult for your-self? Unless you have some compelling rea-son to swap tie-off holes like this, it’s goingto be easier to use the holes as recommend-ed. The playability of the racquet will besame, and you avoid even the potential of awarranty problem.

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

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5 sets of Prince Premier with Softflex16 to:Dr. Carl Love, Albany, OR

OVERGRIP REMOVALI have gotten feedback from several ofthe players that I service that the over-wrap they use tears the grip as theyremove it. Perforated grips seem to bethe biggest problem. I now install onlysmooth grips for these players. Thesmooth surface grip seems to release theovergrip much better, increasing thelongevity substantially.

5 sets of BabolatXcel Premium 16to:Dan Kerr, Wiarton,ONT

Editor’s note: Youmay find thatsome combina-

and TECHNIQUES

EASILY END COIL MEMORYI hate fighting coil memory, so I found away to get around it. I hang the string outstraight with a three-pound lead weightattached as a load. If you don’t have a 40-foot-long room, attach one end of thestring to an eyebolt at one end of yourstringing area, loop the string around aone-inch dowel on the other side of theroom, and then run the end back throughthe eyebolt. After one hour of stretching, Iget zero coil memory. It takes about 15seconds to attach the string, and willshave several minutes off each string job.


tips

tions of grip and overgrip work bettertogether than others. Some overgripswill stick like crazy to certain replace-ment grips, but peel right off of a dif-ferent make or model.

COLORFUL LABELS

I have a"low-tech" tipfor thoseof us who don't like the rather largelabels provided to us by string manufac-turers. I use colorful self-adhesive labels.They are available at all office supply

Readers’ Know-How in Action


Tips and Techniques submitted since 2000 byUSRSA members, and appearing in this column,have all been gathered into a single volume ofthe Stringer’s Digest—Racquet Service Tech-niques which is a benefit of USRSA membership.Submit tips to: Greg Raven, USRSA, 330 Main St.,Vista, CA 92804; or email [email protected].

stores and they are very inexpensive.You can color coordinate them with thestrings and grip wrap. They stick to theracquet until you want to take themoff, and they leave no residue. There isjust enough space on them for vitalinformation such as the date and stringtension. Best of all, they are small andattractive.5 sets of Gamma Professional Spin16 to:Fred S. McWilliams, Arlington, TX

RESTORING LEATHER GRIPSThis is the method I’ve been using toclean leather grips. I’ve been using thismethod for a while now, and it workswell. Wet a cloth in methylated spirits(denatured wood alcohol) and rubdown the grip to remove the dirt. Wait30 minutes for the alcohol to evaporateout of the leather. Then, apply a smallamount of castor oil. If you apply toomuch, the grip will feel greasy. Afterapplying, wait eight hours for the castoroil to penetrate the leather. Your gripfeel as good as new.

I buy methylated spirits and castor oilat my local pharmacy, although I’ve alsoseen methylated spirits for sale at hard-ware stores.5 sets of Pro Supex P.F. Blend to:Jonathan NguyenCupertino, CA

EASY MACHINE MOVINGFor those people who have their stringmachine on a carpeted surface, theymay find it very easy to move it withthe aid of "furniture movers" placedunder the feet. The machine is stableand it is a breeze to move if needed. Ifound my "furniture movers" in a boxof eight at Home Depot for about$9.00.5 sets of Forten Dynamix 16 to:Gerald O’Hara, Pittsburgh, PA

DON'T FORGET TO RESETBefore tying off the last main, somestringers add a few pounds to the refer-ence tension to mitigate the normal lossof tension when tying off. The only prob-lem is, if you forget to go back and resetthe tension to its original setting, youmay install each of the cross strings at thehigher tension, too. To avoid this, afterpulling tension on that last main — butbefore you tie off — reset your referencetension. This practice could save you thetime and expense of having to restring anewly strung racquet.

5 sets of Ashaway Crossfire 17 to:Mike Trinchitella, Mahopac NY

Editor’s note: This practice is not nec-essary on machines with “push but-ton” knot tension, which increasetension only for one pull.

—Greg Raven �

Career ChoicesA recent college graduate says a Professional TennisManagement program was just what he needed tohelp him pursue his dreams.

When I graduated last May from theProfessional Tennis Management(PTM) program at Ferris State Uni-

versity, I left Big Rapids, Mich., convinced that Ihad received the best education I possibly couldto prepare me for a career in the sport that Ilove. And so far, that has certainly proven to bethe case.

I’ve played tennis since I was a kid andhave always loved the sport. But as I wasgoing through high school and consideringcolleges, I didn’t realize that I could make aserious career out of tennis. My parents andI have seen tennis pros try unsuccessfully tostart or maintain a career, and it’s safe tosay that we were somewhat skepticalabout tennis as a career choice.

As I was considering what my choiceswere, a Ferris alum (who now works at anelite club in the Atlanta area) told meabout the PTM program, and how goingthrough such a course of study really pre-pared him for the tennis business. I wasimpressed with what he told me about thebusiness courses he took, along with theworkshops, clinics, and internships thatgave him the foundation for what wouldlater become his career.

When my father and I visited the cam-pus during the annual alumni weekend, weboth were impressed with the professional-ism and enthusiasm of the students, faculty,and alumni, along with the business degreeprogram specializing in tennis. I knew I hadfound a program that would lead me suc-cessfully into the tennis business.

Now, I’m the head tennis pro at theCartersville Country Club, in Cartersville,Ga., and I love it. Everything I’m doing—giv-ing lessons, running clinics and camps, pro-gramming, organizing tournaments andevents, doing the administrative and bud-geting work, and more—I was completelyprepared for. The practical experience Igained by going through a PTM program,plus the excellent internships I had (first at

the Grand Slam Tennis Club in Bedford,N.Y., then at the Chevy Chase Club inMaryland, then at Saddlebrook Resort inTampa, Fla.), really prepared me well.

And what’s great about a PTM pro-gram is that you develop a bond withyour classmates, with your teachers, andwith alumni—all of which form a net-work that has helped me in the past andI’m sure will help me down the road. Ikeep in touch with a lot of my class-mates, too, and they’re doing well forthemselves in their post-graduation jobs.

Going through the Ferris program hasallowed me to avoid a lot of the pitfallsthat other pros have had to learn thehard way. Things like returning phonecalls, being punctual, dealing with cus-tomers, and much more—all of this Iwas able to learn through off-campusinternships and through the real-worldexperience we gained by organizing andrunning events and programs throughthe PTM program. I feel that with theexperience I have, I’ve been able to sepa-rate myself from a lot of pros out there.

I realize that I am a newcomer to thisfull-time tennis business. But I do think Ihave some valuable advice for teachingpros and high school coaches: If youhave a student who really loves thesport, encourage them to enter the ten-nis business. And beyond that, encour-

B Y M A R K O ’ B R Y A N

age them to seek out a college programthat will provide them with both the busi-ness experience and practical experienceto help ensure their success.

Had I not talked to that PTM alumyears ago and realized that you can get acomplete and well-rounded education inthe tennis business, I probably neverwould have entered this field. I’ve alreadyrecommended the PTM program to anumber of friends, and I hope they willseriously consider tennis as a career,because this business needs more youngpeople to get involved, at every level.Most high school or college studentsdon’t realize the opportunities that existin tennis: teaching pro, club or shopowner and manager, the sales and mar-keting of the sport, tournaments, manu-facturers, tennis organizations, and muchmore.

I personally look forward to the oppor-tunity to grow the programming at thecountry club where I now work, as well asto develop the junior and adult players Iwork with. There’s no question that adegree from a PTM program wasabsolutely the right choice for me, and Iknow that wherever my career leads mein tennis, I’ll have the skills, experience,and network of friends and colleagues tohelp me achieve my goals.

These PTM programs, whether at Fer-ris State or at other colleges, will be thebreeding grounds for the next generationof tennis leaders. I’m glad that I enteredthis business through that door. �

Your Serve

Ferris State University 2007 PTM graduate MarkO’Bryan is the head tennis pro at the CartersvilleCountry Club in Cartersville, Ga.

We welcome your opinions. Please emailcomments to [email protected] or faxthem to 760-536-1171.


“If you have a student

who really loves the

sport, encourage them

to enter the tennis

business ... and encour-

age them to seek out a

college [PTM] program.”

200709 racquet sports industry

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