When you buy your first tennis racquet, it will more than likely come pre-strung from the factory. Generally the strings that come with your racquet are 16 gauge, poly strings. In other words they are pretty much junk, cheap strings. If you just got a new racquet, don’t panic! These strings are good for learning how to play tennis, and they will more than likely remain strung for the life of your tennis racquet.

2011 Tennis String Reviews:

Babolat RPM Blast 17 review - Babolat Pro Hurricane 16 review - Dunlop Black Widow 17 review -Gamma Zo Twist 16 review - Gosen Sidewinder 17 review - Kirschbaum Pro Line Evolution 17 review - L-Tec Premium Hybrid string review - Mantis Power Poly 17 review – MSV Focus Hex 17L review - Pacific X Force String 17 review - Pacific ATP Poly Power Pro 16L review - Polyfibre Black Venom 16 review - Prince Beast XP 16 review - Tourna Big Hitter Rough 16 review - Volkl Cyclone 16 review –  Weiss Cannon Mosquito Bite 18 review

As you will read, see, and hear there are hundreds and hundreds of different types of strings out there. Of course you will hear a lot about whatever string whichever tennis pro is playing with at that time. It’s probably best to hold off on buying that particular string until you are 100% ready to play them. Every string will play differently than the other.

For starters, you should know what the different terminology is when it comes to tennis strings…

First off, let’s talk about the stringing types:

1. One piece (or around the world). This means a tennis racquet is strung with one continuous string, mains and crosses.

2. Hybrid (or Two piece). This is when a tennis racquet is strung with two different (usually) types of strings. One on the mains and the other on the crosses. Generally, this is what most pros are doing these days. More often you will find that a pro’s tennis racquet is strung with a poly on the mains and a natural gut (or synthetic gut) on the crosses.

So why the different stringing types? Well, they all offer a variety of different playability. For example, with a hybrid string job, players will go for more “touch” than power, where a one piece string job will offer more power and spin with less touch. You’re probably scratching your head saying “What string is right for me?”. To be honest, you will probably have to test different strings and different setups, and then you’ll have to test again. It can be a daunting task to get what’s right for you, however; when you find the perfect string job, you will more than likely stick with it for the rest of time.

Now, let’s discuss the different tensions of your string bed. You’ll notice on your tennis racquet there is a “recommended tension” printed somewhere on the throat of the racquet. Typically, manufacturers say that you should string between 52 pounds and 62 pounds per square inch. That doesn’t sound like a much of a difference with the tensions, but you would certainly notice the difference on the tennis court. Rule of thumb (or racquet for all intents and purposes) for tensions; less tension means more power and more tension means more control.  So what tension should you have your racquet strung at? Well, again, you’ll have to play around with the tensions. Sometimes it might just be a better idea to string smack dab in the middle of the recommended tension. This way you’re getting an equal amount of control and power, keep in mind though that after you string a racquet and hit a few balls, you will lose about 5 pounds of tension. As time goes on and you recognize that you need more of one of the above attributes, you’ll start honing in on the string tension that works best for your tennis game.