To BYRONENIUM & others (URGENT)

[AS]

I have been at the receiving end of a lot ridicule with regards to the tension in rackets issue. I asked my racket restringer to restring my Ti-10 at 23lbs and she was very reluctant, but when i mentioned that Peter Gade ha his rackets strung at 32lbs (if im not mistaken) she was having nothing of it and when i mentioned this to my coach he was going to book me in to a mental health clinic.

So guys/gals whats going on here they are of the opinion that there must be a difference in the weight system because if you were to string a racket at those tensions the frame would break, let alone 36lbs according to some peoples postings on this discussion forum.

So can any of you please please please please please provide some evidence to back these statements of high tension stringing.

Many thanks.

[Mag]

There's nothing strange about these tensions. There must be a misunderstanding of some kind between you and your coach,

As to "proof", I emailed Peter Gade's club about this a while ago, and to my surprise I got a response from Peter himself: Peter uses a Super Isometric Slim 10 with BG-65 at 14-15 kg and Camilla uses a Ti 10 with BG-80 at 12-13 kg.

Don't forget that Carlton warrants up to 40 lbs on the AS-1...

[AS]

Whats the name of the site of Peters Gades club please.

Thanks

[Mag]

The club is Gentofte Badminton. I don't remember the address, but I guess you could search at Lycos or something.

[Gladius]

It may be due to the differences in the way tension is being defined in different places? In Singapore, 20 to 24 lbs is a norm among seasoned players. But most shops would try to desuade anyone from trying beyond that. As a regular shop I go to tell me, they have done it for a customers and his rackets lasts some 5-6 months before cracks set in. And they have customers using the same racket (Carb 21) for some 6-7 years without any problems. The other guy had strung at 27 lbs while this guy does it every 2-3 mths at 23 lbs.

Ok, now I suppose for your side most of the stringing is done by machine rather than by hand ?? Machine stringing tends to feel 5-10% higher than hand stringing which is the norm here. Also, machines are dump, they do not know how to compensate and observe if a racket frame is reacting well to the high tension. Experienced stringers ( the shop owner whom I know has been doing it for me for more than 10 years already.) tend to be very careful at high tensions, pulling a little, then slowly increasing till the required tension to spread the tension more evenly. I've observed and he was kind enough to explain.

So, it probably explains why the shop owner and your coach thought you were crazy .... I supppose the norm there is more like 19-22 lbs ?? Because by asking for 24lbs, you're going into the dangerous 24++ stratosphere already, hence the reaction.


In any case, don't believe completely what eveyone says, slowly increase your tension and don't jump the gun. I've tried so many different strings and tensions over the years and I still find 22-24 lbs to be my favourite depending on string used. My MP-100 ans ISO900ss feels the best with BG-85 at 22-23lbs. So for your side if you're using machine stringing, should take 5-10 % off that to be correct adjustment. which workd outs to be about 21lbs right ??

And as for Gade's perported tension, well take it with a pinch of salt, it may be some miscommunication down the line. And by the way, he's a professional. It takes great arm power and wrist power to wield a racket at such high tensions.

Not many people realise that.

[Brett]

Gladius, did you read Mag's posting here about how he obtained the information on Gade's string tension? I assume that you did, given that you posted several hours after he did. Why would you suggest that we doubt his facts or that they result from some 'miscommunication down the line?"

The source of Mag's information was from Peter Gade himself. There was no "line." In my book, that's nearly as authoritative as a statement gets.

[kwun]

AS, your coach maybe out of date with current trend in tension. back 10-20 years ago, tension hardly ever go beyond 20lb as most rackets aren't capable of sustaining such tension without collapsing. but nowadays, rackets are much stronger and can take much higher tension.

as for the stringer, someone has already pointed out, they'd try to disuade you from doing so as it will make the frame weaker and prone to crack. that's a price that most of us are willing to pay, but a risk that most stringers aren't.

[Mag]

I agree with what you're saying, but I don't see why we should take Gade's own words "with a pinch of salt". We've heard before from the stringer for the Danish national squad describing the hardships of stringing at high tensions:

"How long does it take to string a racket ? Normally, it would take me around 20 minutes each, but some players want such a high weight that it can take over 90 minutes. For instance, Jens Eriksen, the Danish double player ranked in the top five in the world uses a weight of 16 kg. But the frame wouldn't hold it so I put the 16 KGs in the Centre of the racket then I have to put on a lower weight as the strings get closer to the frame. And this takes some time and "doigté" ""

16 kg = 35 lbs. Jens uses a Forza racquet whith a max tension of about 24 lbs, by the way, and he also breaks one or two strings every match, heh.

If you watch a match with Gade and compare the sound his racquet makes to that of his opponent's, you'll notice that his racquet usually has a much higher pitch due to the high tension.

I'm not saying it's for us mortals to try, but it's not uncommon with 30+ lbs tensions among the pros. I mean, they have the technique and power to benefit from it, plus they don't have to pay for neither stringing nor broken racquets! We're not talking about "normal use" here...

By the way, I string at 24-26 lbs and that suits me perfect.

[Gladius]

MAG,

that is also my point. That it is not for mere 'mortals' like us. And shop stringers don't like to risk breaking rackets by agreeing to 'high' stringing tensions. Not to mention break strings as the onus is on them to ensure rackets are done and returned in good condition.

What I said about mis-communication down the line is that the message may have come from Gade, but it may have been re-communicated down the line by someone else and the info gets all messed up.

I had a schoolmate who was at that time the national U-17 champ. Well, I didn't know him very well then, just a casual introduction to the team but I was curious who sponsored him. " Yonex" ... was the answer from another friend who talked to him a few times more than I did . And so I thought. Until I got to know him better as we were in the same college team. Then I saw the stuff he was using .. and "Ehh ... ?? "

He was sponsored by Pro-Kennex and not Yonex ...

... That's my point, ... Gade may have said something, someone else may have conveyed another similar but not the said answer forward.... Gade may have replied directly to you, but then again, it may his spokesman who replied for him ... He's a celebrity in Denmark by any margin and they tend to have spokesman be they personal or employed by the Federation as in China.

Please don't get my idea wrong here ...

[Mag]

Duh -- this is getting silly. The e-mail was from Peter, OK?

[AS]

So what the hell going on here? I know that i wouldn't string my racket at very high tensions but i still need something to show that the pros do restring at these high tensions, not that i doubt it.

[Cheung]

I spoke to Chew Chun Eng of M'sia, in real time, in real life (meaning it wasn't a picture or a video image with temporal shift or time warp) at the Japan Open and he clearly stated to me his tension was 28lbs.

[Byro-Nenium]

I would guess that this thread is already very old since i was away for a few days. Sorry AS, that i couldn't answer your thread earlier.

Hopefully everyone else here would have provided you with everything you need to know..... sorry again!

[AS]

Thanks everyone.