String Tension

Key Points

• String Tension Basics – Summary Key Points
  
• Tension Selection Comes Last
  – After string type and gauge, the final choice is tension.
  – Recommended starting point: ~48 lbs to self-calibrate.
  – Adjust based on your ball trajectory:
  Hitting long → Increase tension
  Hitting short or into the net → Decrease tension
  – Adjustment Range:
  High-level players: change by 2 lbs
  Recreational players: change by 4 lbs
• What Tension Actually Affects
  – Ball speed and spin change only slightly with tension (1–2%)
  – Main impact is trajectory and landing depth:
  Lower tension → Ball sinks into strings → Launches higher → Travels farther
  Higher tension → Ball comes off flatter → Travels lower and shorter
• Example: 44 lbs vs. 54 lbs Tension Test
  – Ball traveled ~0.5m farther at 44 lbs vs. 54 lbs
  – Speed/spin nearly identical, but launch angle increased at lower tension
• Playing Tension vs. Machine Tension
  – What you string at ≠ what you play at
  – Strings lose ~20% of tension after stringing
  Example: 56 lbs strung = ~46–48 lbs playing tension after a few hours
  – Lower tensions degrade less, so actual playing tension is closer to requested
• Bottom Line
  – Tension is about feel and control, not power
  – Adjust based on how the ball lands, not how fast it travels
  – Lower tensions = more depth and height
  – Higher tensions = flatter trajectory and more control over shorter shots