starting early?

I am a little bit confused with your question. According to my own experience, I know ppl doing string (personal or as a business) are all from various ages. The youngest I know are like teenagers (16, 17 around), and the old ones could be 60+ yrs old.

I don't think there's a limit on age for string a racket. If just for personal usage as well as making a little bit profit among friends / club members, a cheap machine (2 point, drop weight might be as little as US$100 around) is good enough for tension as high as 25 or 26 lb. I think as long as ur eyes are fine, it should be ok. However, if u want to use it for business, then, i think good functional multi (4, 6 pt) support machines are highly recommended. Those ones could be close to $1000 or even more.

Therefore, if u r really interested to learn, willing to save several $$$, and more toward a fanatic , invest USD$200 around, will get u start right there.

 

I think start at what age is not very important. Just build enough experience, u will be good enough to get the work done. More experience will let u speed up, and be more accurate in some sort of sense (i.e. manually pulling string for drop weight machine, etc). Of course, for higher tension, old racket (espeically with minor cracks), and special method of stringing, u might need to gain even more experience to be able to a acceptable job.

I am not very close with the teenager I am talking about, and lately did not go to that club often. Plus, I have my own machine, so, never even bother to ask them to string for me.

 

I would suggest that you don't try stringing 25/26 lbs on a 2 point machine but LB is right, there is no age limit on when you can start stringing BUT I, myself, will be leery with bringing my racquet to a teenager to string (unless the quality of their string job has been verified by others - like little Badrad ).

Learning to string is easy enough and if you want to make a career out of it (at least part-time on the side), you can go for your certification and be able to string tennish, squash, racquetball, etc.

 

Agree. 25, 26 is a little bit too aggressive on 2 point machine.

According to my own experience, the highest I ever go is 23*25 on SOTX STB 8080+. I assume, doing 25 on cross after 23 on main, is a little bit safer than applying 25lb directly on the racket on main?

Anyways, the tension is a little bit too high for me, and I think next time I might just go back to 22*24.

Plus, for 1st time stringer, maybe start some demo-run on an old crappy racket with 18-20 lb is good enough. Never do the 1st run with a pricy racket @ high tension.

 

There is a shop in HK that used a teenager as a stringer. He was doing a decent job. In fact, he did much better stringing than a much more senior (in age) person in the same shop. So I do not think age is an issue here. You just have to be meticulous to string well.

You have to step back and ask yourself what your life's goal is. If it is to be the best stringer, then by all means start as young as you can. Best way probably is to try and find a sports equipment shop who wants to hire a stringer so you may have lots of rackets to practice on. If you are only working on your own rackets, you are not going to get much work. You should also learn to string tennis and squash rackets, 'cause that's where the money is.

However, if you want to be a good badminton player who can also string his own rackets, then I would suggest that you concentrate on the badminton while you are young, then take up stringing as you get older as a form of occupational therapy and meditation.

 

Former badminton team world champion Dong Jiong gestures during an interview at a badminton court in Beijing July 6, 2006. Olympic silver medallist Dong believes China's state-run sports system should not force children to choose between education and a sporting careers. REUTERS/Alfred Cheng Jin (CHINA)

 

Errr...this post is about stringing.

 

oops, i glanced the thread title 'starting early' too quick

 

I started when I was about 18 by stringing tennis racquet. IMHO, it is the attention to the detail, experience, knowledge of the strings and racquets and string machine are what I am looking for in a stringer(in that order too). speed is only good if you can achieve all 4 and you are stringing racquet to make money (I string badminton and tennis racquets because I love these sports and save money.) I think "speed kill" from driving also apply here in stringing job.

 

I agree with SilentHeart here. Speed kills the string job. Besides the top of the list attention to details, we need a stringer who has enough sleep and is awake at the machine .

 

Speed should just be a minor factor (unless you are running a business) to be considered, once come to string job. Most of the player-stringer I talked to, give me the same answer as why they purchased their own machine and "do it yourself". Most of us are NOT intend to get a 2nd job, but more for the love of the game, and not satisfied with the string job been done to our rackets (or, at least, the price vs. service quality ratio). Therefore, get our own machines, and take care the baby rackets with our own hands. To us, quality is much more important than quatity.

 

I agree with Pete. Make sure you don't start your stringing job 5:00am or prior. That is too early.

 

There were several times, I was doing rackets when it's 2am or even 4 once. Friday night session ends around 11pm, won't get home until 12. Then, find out need to deliver several rackets by 10am on sat morning...

 

I heard sleep waking before. Is this a sleep stringing? I hope you get pay extra for that. I will also tell the player to get a backup racquet (unless she is a good looking girl.)

 

Well, I only do this when it's absolutely necessary. Usually, that means for close friends, who does not have any backup rackets. It's not like business anymore, more like doing them a favor. I feel bad for them, if they have to running around to borrow a racket, to train/play.

Guess I just spoiled them...