How Hard Is It to String Racquets on Your Own?

Are you wondering whether or not you can learn how to string a racquetball racquet on your own? I feel you. The strings of the racquet make all the difference to your performance. Failure to tense the racquetball racquet strings right will affect your game. Strings are all about having control and enhancing power. So stringing might not be a rocket science but the level of its difficulty is rather high.

The Importance of Racquetball Racquet Strings

Stringing the racquetball racquet right is critical. Depending on how the job is done, it will either enhance your performance or keep you from playing right. The strings must allow you to hit the ball with power and have perfect control. If they lack the right level of elasticity, tension, and gauge, you won’t be able to play and might get hurt. So, what do have here?

There are actually some things to consider before restringing the racquet, but it’s also important to know when to restring it. So let’s see.

How Often to Restring the Racquet

As a rule of thumb, strings will lose their elasticity every time you play. Their longevity depends on the quality of the strings, whether or not the racquet was strung right, and whether you are beginners or experienced players. But the general rule is that racquetball racquets should be restrung each year as many times as you play each month. Hence, if you play 4 hours each week, it’s best to restring the racquet about 4 times each year.

How to Know It’s Time to Restring the Racquet

• The tension of the strings is lost – in other words, they have lost their elasticity
• You put more power to hit the ball
• You start having shoulder, wrist, or elbow injuries

Which Variables to Consider before Restringing the Racquet

• Types of strings

There are two main string types: the monocore and multicore strings. Each has its own pros and cons.

Monocore / monofilament strings cost less, won’t stretch too much, and will provide a good pop. They are actually made of nylon fiber, which is durable and kind of stiff. They will break when their center core is damaged and might also dry out.

Multicore / multifilament strings are also called technifibre strings and are made of thin fibers. Their core center consists of numerous tiny strings. They stretch more and are softer. These types of strings will enhance the trampoline effect due to their greater elasticity. And they don’t usually break but get frayed.

• Tension of strings

String tension is extremely important. As an overall, you get more tension when your strings are tight and thus have better control. With the strings tightened, flexibility is reduced. Hence the ball stays less time on the strings and is directed straight to the point you want it to go. Thus, you have better control.

When the strings are loose, you gain more power. In this case, the ball stays longer on the strings. So you have diminished control of when the ball will be released from the strings. But since the flexibility of the strings is higher, it allows you to bounce harder. And so there is added power to your shot.

One more thing: the larger the racquet, the longer the strings. The longer the strings, the higher the flexibility. But if you want the strings tighter, you must tense them accordingly. And that’s one of the difficulties when you learn how to string a racquetball racquet.

Stinging tensions vary. They usually range from 25 to 38 lb. The higher the number of pounds, the tighter the strings. But never forget that string tension also depends on the racquet you own and your experience as a player.

• String gauge

Gauge defines how thick or thin the strings will be. It ranges from 17 to 16 with the lower number indicating greater gauge and thus thicker strings. Thin or high gauge strings have a diameter of 1.16 to 1.25mm whereas thick ones or low gauged strings have 1.26 to 1.35mm diameter.

The thinner the strings, the greater the power. The thicker the strings, the higher the control. With thin strings, you get better elasticity and thus the trampoline effect.

The Cons of Stringing Your Own Racquet

• You need to know which string gauge and type to get.
• Tensing the strings is not easy and you must be able to tell whether you want them tightened or loose. If you tighten them too much, you will have to swing harder. If the strings are too loose, you have to slow down when you hit or serve the ball.
• And then it’s the grommet. That’s the plastic piece around the head of the racquet which keeps the strings in place. It also protects the racquet. But if it is cracked or somehow damaged, it must be replaced along with the strings too.
• You need to get the right racquetball racquet stringing machine. And not a cheap one either. Although you can keep it for long, it is an extra expense.
• It takes time to learn how to string a racquetball racquet. So you will need to test your patience – that is if you have the time.

The Pros of Stringing Your Own Racquet

• The greatest advantage of learning how to string a racquetball racquet is money related. When you pick up the strings yourself, you pay a small amount of money compared to the price you would pay to a professional to do the job for you. If you play often or there are several members of your family playing racquetball, you will need to restring plenty of racquets many times each year. And so you will be saving a considerable amount of money.
• You have full control of the job. You choose the strings you like and tense them as much as you like.
• Although you might have a difficulty learning how to string a racquetball racquet at first, at one point you will know how to do it. Once you experiment a few times with tensions and different types of strings, you will make a remarkable improvement.
• You get to restring your racquet whenever you feel like it.
• By restringing your own racquet, you will be obliged to learn a lot about strings and tensions and that will have a positive effect on your game too.
• You get the satisfaction of restringing the racquet on your own.

• What’s Your Decision After All That?

  The truth is that you have many good reasons for learning how to string a racquetball racquet alone. But then again it takes time and some experimentation. And with that come extra expenses for the strings you buy and ruin during the trial period. Not to mention the cost of the machine. On the other hand, if you’ve come so far, chances are that you are interested in exploring some more aspects about racquetball. And that can be fascinating! We just hope that we helped you take a decision on whether or not you want to learn how to string a racquetball racquet. If so, please share to help others decide on such a dilemma too.