Lets say the recommended tension for a racket is 18-24. In that range, what is the best tension to get the most power out of your racket? Does the initial tension change very much after its played? For example, if i string it at 18, will it drop to 17 or 16 after playing?
Tension will definitely drop after it is played. For power, depends largely on your strength. If you are strong, the higher tension is best for power as less repulsion, you can transfer most of your energy to your shot.
to be honest... stringing with a tension of 18 is pretty much considered very very low, and I doubt it will result in the loss of even 1 lb. Rackets strung with the tension-losing strings have recorded a loss of tension of no more than 2 lbs at most, when strung at 26-29 lbs... and that is if the string even lasts an entire year. Tension at about 18-24 aren't likely to offer the ideal repulsion, because the string bed will not likely recover to cause the repulsive effect. All that being said, to get a maximum power out of your strings, you need to understand the strength of your wrist, technique and raw muscle power, rather than the string. If you're hitting it accurately right in the sweet spot with the right technique... then a tension of even 30 lbs (tiny but focused sweet spot) would unleashed tremendous power. In fact that would unleash more repulsion power than what a tension of 24 lbs would offer. So it's down to the person holding the racket. JMHO.
I don't think I have tremendous strength in my arm. I can smash and clear, but it takes a bit of effort from me. I want to have a little more power from my racket to make clearing easier on my arm. My racket's recommended tension says 18-24, I'd rather not go above that to avoid the risk of breaking the racket. So what tension do you think would provide the most power to make clearing easier, given I dont' have a very strong arm?
If you do not think yourself very strong and/or your technique level is not high up there, I think 23 or 24 lb with BG65 will be a safe choice for most of guys, and 1 or 2 lbs lower for most of ladies. The tension will be loose after some playing time, and you will find out your comfortable zone. So, next time when re-string, you can easily re-adjust according to your own feed back.
zuangcorp: What was your tension previously? Or are you playing with the strings that came with your racket from the store? The factory strings that come with an off-the-shelf type of racket are strung somewhere between 18 and 20 lbs. Definitely the tension falls by a couple pounds over time. If this case applies to you, then I would be hesitant to suggest a jump to 24lb. If you leap more than 2 lbs from what you are used to, you will likely find clearing much harder. Within your parameters of 18-24, I'd suggest you start at 21-22 lb and adjust further as you please. Of course the best idea for improving your clears is to work on your technique. Good Luck!
I agree. It really depends on the player's skill level. My initial suggestion was made under the assumption of regular club level adult players. However, if new to the game, or if the player is junior/senior, then I will go 2 lbs lower than my initial suggestion.