Warming up your strings?

**bigredlemon** · 01-30-2003, 08:25 PM

This probably sounds silly, but have you ever warmed up your strings after it's been outside in the cold? By the time I get to the gym, my racquet is usually half frozen, including the strings., which seems as stiff as my racquet. I warmed the string bed with a hair dryer when i got home today, and noticed a huge improvement in repulsion afterwards. (I bounced a bird up and down, which isn't exactly scientific, but I do think there is a difference.) I heard some talk awhile back about steaming your birds before playing... so does anyone steam/heat their strings before playing?

**coops241180** · 01-31-2003, 03:06 AM

i've heard that if it is fairly cold and you don't have ur rackets in a thermo bag it is usually advisable to warm the strings up to prevent them snapping - since the elastic properties of strings are somewhat dependant on their temperature

i usually rub my hands together with the strings inbetween i usually deem to that to be enought - then the knock up does the trick - but i do have my racquets in a bag and with the racquet head covers on to warm up with

See ya

Neil

**jwu** · 01-31-2003, 08:32 AM

never really do that since i always have my racquets in a bag. this thread is somewhat related to what I posted about warming up a racquet.

**bigredlemon** · 01-31-2003, 02:12 PM

I have a pretty thick bag too but since I bike to the gym, and end up spending quite awhile in the -30'C weather until i'm inside, the strings are usually pretty forzen up by then. You know how your glassess fogs up when you enter a warm room from outside? I can see the "fog" water condensation on the racquet by the time I get there, which isn't too good for the racquet I guess, as mentioned in your other thread. Actually, kwun, could you merge the two threads? I started this before I noticed you guys talking about strings. I'd keep my racquet warmer, but i'd have no where to put it. It's already in a thermo bag with 4 layers of plastic shell sandwhiched in two layers of foam. It's alot warmer in TO now so I guess I dont have to worry about that too much now (only -2'C this evening.)

**LazyBuddy** · 01-31-2003, 02:33 PM

After read "jwu" 's scary thread about racket, now, I just run to gym from parking lot to make sure my beloved rackets won't follow the same fate.

Well, since I can't run fast, guess it just a matter of 3 min vs 5 min, which does not do too much against the frozen air outside. Well, at least, I tried, and consider this as a little warm up for my legs, too.

Errr... Did I metioned that since I "run" so slow, ppl still think I was walking? Or, jogging?