Could it be from doing too many conventional stringjobs lately? Stifled, suppressed and deprived of letting my creative juices flow?
So, I flipped open my infamous black book. Like one with forbidden spells, that's where my to-do list of esoteric stringing patterns were recorded.
I thought the modern "faux" spaghetti pattern (link) was due. It has been postponed long enough. Moreover, I was feeling lazy, so NO WEAVING sounded attractive!
Surprisingly, even without weaving any crosses, I only managed to shave about 5 minutes from my normal stringing time! (I wasn't speeding, neither taking my time, sort of just cruising along.)
Playtest:
- Since the strings were not inter-woven, every shot created a buzzing sound from strings vibrations.
- On both sides of the stringbed, flat shots felt exactly the same as a regularly strung racket. Despite unwoven, I was very surprised how tight it felt.
- However, any kind of shots that incorporated even the slightest sidewards swipe, whether for topspin, backspin or sidespin, played vastly different.
- On the side of the stringbed with main strings, topspin shots were impressive! However, attempts at other spins were disastrous as the ball simply skidded off or bounced at unimaginable angles.
- On the side with cross strings, topspin attempts completely failed. The ball skidded off the strings. Sidespin shots, such as inside-outs, were executed beautifully.
- Ocassionally, even when the right kind of spin was hit with the correct side of the strings, there was still an odd reaction from the stringbed. Odd in that sometimes there was massive spin, sometimes the ball dived straight into the net, and sometimes a weird high rebound. We could not pinpoint how or why it happened, neither repeat any deliberately.
- Overall, I think this has been an interesting venture although not very rewarding.
- The greatest pitfall was the unpredictability of this stringbed. Clearly, the original three-planed stringbed with mains tied together in the full spaghetti pattern was superior, better conceived and executed.
- For now, I'll leave the other spaghetti patterns in my black book. This has been invigorating enough for me.
I tried stinging a 3 plane pattern, rather than 2, so that both sides of the racquet play the same. It's a sandwich of main-cross-main. It's easy to achieve. Just sting the mains as normal, weave the first couple rows of crosses normally, then repeat the weave pattern instead of alternating it. I finish the last few rows normally as well. I think it plays great, but then I'm only a 3.5-4.0 on a good day. It feels very plush and easy on the arm, with good spin. I'd love to hear someone else's opinion.
ReplyDeleteI recall trying something similar to yours.
ReplyDeleteHowever, do note these patterns are illegal for official match play.
I don't play in a league or anything, so that's not an issue for me. What is, though, is the shock to my shoulder and elbow. I find it very comfortable. It's like the ball sinks into the string bed, because the strings move out of the way. I don't feel any trampoline effect though, just a nice lively pop. It might really help folks with arm/elbow problems that can no longer play without pain. I've been using it exclusively for a few months now, and a regular string job feels a lot harsher and board-like. Perhaps leagues could make exemptions with doctor's excuses. (Just kidding.)
ReplyDelete