RacquetTech Issue 1 - 2017 RacquetTech Issue 1 - 2017 | Page 11

11

Poly , Zero Poly

So the key element here is inter-string friction .
In another report , String Movement and Spin , they point out that , " because polyester string is stiffer than other strings , it deforms the ball more , which loses energy , and this results in less power for the same swing . Because the ball had less speed , players swung faster to get more depth . But swinging faster ( at an angle to the ball ) causes more spin , so they could swing faster again , and so on--more speed , more spin , more speed , more spin ."
In short , high performance polyester strings work for the top pros because they are top pros . They swing harder and faster , hit at better swing and racquet angles , and are more likely to hit with the sweet spot on the racquet . Thus , they are able to do things with these strings that the rest of us can ' t . But even the pros have their limits with polyesters . Many are stringing at lower tensions or going to hybrid set-ups to reduce stiffness and impact shock . And you ' ll notice that when they do occasionally off hit , the ball goes zooming away like a rocket . High performance polyesters are like formula-one racecars : they take a lot of skill to drive .
So , what ' s a poor recreational player to do ( or even a pro who ' s sick of getting beaten up by his string )? Is there another way to generate spin ?
Although Crawford Lindsey and company have yet to study it scientifi cally , reports we ' re getting at Ashaway from players of all stripes indicate that Zero Poly strings like our MonoGut ® ZX do indeed generate spin like polyesters , and do so more easily and more comfortably with less impact shock on players ' arms and shoulders . To understand how this works , we need to go back to our discussion of Dynamic Stiffness ( Ashaway ' s Zyex ® -Based Tennis Strings : the New " Manmade Natural Gut "). Dynamic stiffness is a measure of a string ' s elasticity and ability to " snap back ." The more a string stretches , the more power it returns to the ball . The less it stretches , the more energy is lost in fl attening the ball and the less total power is available for rebound .
This is true regardless of whether a string stretches perpendicular to the string bed as in a straight hit , or lateral to the string bed in generating spin , so long as friction does not get in the way . The reason nylon generates less spin than polyester is because nylon strings are stickier than polyester . Their snap-back gets stuck . Gut is less sticky than nylon , but is still stickier than polyester . Our evidence suggests that Zero Poly is as slippery as polyester , especially when confi gured as a monofi lament in MonoGut ZX . So you get more spin with less work . We call it Dynamic Spin .
This gives you the best of both worlds . Rather than a highly specialized ' formula-one ' string , Zero Poly or Zyex strings are like Porsches . You get all the power and handling of a fi nely built racing machine , but it drives easily and you can take it on the road .
The dynamic stiffness of Zyex is the closest to natural gut of any synthetic string material . It absorbs and returns impact force more like gut . It controls the ball more like gut , especially in thinner gauge strings , and holds tension as well , or perhaps even a bit better than gut . Better , Zyex can be constructed as a multifi lament ( Ashaway Dynamite 17 Natural or Dynamite 18 Soft ); as a multistranded monofi lament ( Ashaway Dynamite 16 Tough ); or , as a straight monofi lament in our new MonoGut ZX and MonoGut ZX Pro . This , along with a broader range of gauges than either polyesters or gut , allows you to more closely tailor your string choice to your style of play . Take one for a spin and let us know how it works for you .
Zyex is a registered trademark of Zyex Ltd .