How Much String Is Needed For A Tennis Racquet

As a beginner when your strings break, you really have no idea what to do. If you have never gotten them strung, then it can be a challenge just figuring out how much do you need, which kind do you need, and how much tension should you get in your racquet.

If you have not already bought a racquet, then visit the beginner’s buyers guide. It is easy to follow and you will find something that you are looking for.

If you already own one and have been knocking the ball around for a couple of months, you should be pretty close to breaking the strings.

The general consensus when it comes to how much string is needed for a tennis racquet is around 40ft. Most single string packages come with that length already measured. But those string packages can be overall more expensive in the long run. Always buy reels of strings and measure them on your own. There’s a pretty nifty little trick that will help you always get the string length right, without even worrying about a scale to measure.

Handy Trick To Calculate How Much String is Needed

40 ft of string is not actually necessary, if you have a roll it will give you almost one extra racquet worth of string if you use it. Generally, the rule of thumb that most thrifty people follow is 17 lengths of your racquet. It can work with 16 lengths too, but sometimes there are poly strings in the mix and they are hard to tighten so 17 lengths is the sweet spot.

The trick goes like this, the standard racquet that most people own measure up to 27”. Your racquet needs 38 feet of string to get strung. 38 feet converted to inches is around 456 inches.

Use you racquet’s length from the tip of the handle to the tip of the head and measure it 17 lengths. This will give you the best stringing length any time of the week, no need to get a scale and measure it inch by inch. You’ll be so glad you did it.
The great thing is that nobody really uses this trick on the internet, so it’s an insider trade secret.  

A 656 feet string reel will get you 17 racquets done easily with this method, and you will feel like a genius after trying this. So save some money and get measuring, it is always better to know about your own tennis equipment.

If you are a little old and are thinking about starting tennis but don’t really know that tennis is for you or not? This post is for all the old people out there Learning Tennis At Late Stage in Life
I go over pretty much everything you need to start tennis and start enjoying it no matter how old you are. I had a fun time writing this one and hopefully, you’ll have a fun time reading it as well.

Tips When Measuring The String Yourself

Some of the tricks that should be followed when measuring your string roll, so it comes out right all the time:

• This will work for most racquets, but if you own a racquet that is 110 square inches then you might want to go with 17.5 lengths
• Always try and keep it as tight as possible, you don’t want to end up with extra string.
• Use a nail clipper if you don’t have pliers, they are cheap and pretty much every house has one of those lying around.
• Cut the string at a diagonal angle, it helps the stringer when they are putting it through the grommets, and in the end when tying up knots.
• Take one day and do the measuring and cutting for all 17 racquets. It saves time when you break your strings and are in need to get them done quick.  

Should You Buy a Roll or a Single Racquet String

This is an age old question that gets asked by a lot of people, and at the end of the day it comes down to whether you are a regular player or an irregular player. If you play at least 4 days a week, then it is recommended that you buy a roll of string. Some of the strings that we recommend can be found in the strings buyer’s guide and the strings for spin and power guide.

A single racquet string has some extra string in it because they leave legroom for racquets that are extremely oversize or longer than usual. But if you own a normal racquet that most people own, you should be fine buying a roll of string. Strings are made with good materials so they never die out.

Everything in life is a little cheaper if you buy it bulk and same is the case with strings, buying rolls of them is always going to be better.

Cheap vs Expensive Strings

You should always be looking for strings that serve the best bang for the buck. If you don’t know the different type of strings you can check the ultimate string guide, it goes over different types of materials that strings are made out of and what type of player should get what type of strings.

Going for the best bang for your buck option is always great for your game and wallet. The Head Hawk strings are a tried and tested cheaper monofilament. It’s one of the most bought on Amazon and people love the feel of it, the only downside of it is that it feels stiff the first one or two hours. After that, it is great to play and a joy to hit shots with.

Strings that are extremely cheap are more often than not very bad to play with. Cheaper synthetic strings get stiff very easily and they will break in under a week, especially if you are a player who hits a lot of topspin

How Often Should You Change Your String

When you are a beginner the string should be pretty much the least of your worries. It should easily last you months because beginners are still developing their game. They are learning how to hit the ball consistently rather than including topspin and other more complex mechanics into it.

If you are on a tight budget, then you should see this string saving guide, it goes over the precautions you can take to prolong the life of your tennis strings. But if you have a lot of money lying around then you can get your racquet strung as much as you want, whenever you want.

A good rule of thumb to follow for a lot of players, even players on the pro tour is to change your strings whenever they break. If you are a beginner, a polyester string is not recommended since it is very low powered, and it won’t break even after a month. Polyester strings tend to die after a month of use, that is they lose tension and it would feel like you have totally lost all the power in your racquet.

Get a good quality Monofilament or a good grade synthetic gut. A synthetic gut is designed to be arm and wallet-friendly while providing a pretty good alternative to the expensive natural gut.

I hope you enjoyed the little guide that most coaches gloss over when it comes to stringing and strings. Be sure to try the trick out and get yourself saving some money, tennis can get expensive over time and this neat little trick saves up a lot of time and money in the long run. Enjoy tennis rather than worrying that your favorite pastime may be costing you a fortune. If you want to improve your forehand try the Ultimate Forehand Guide, this beauty took some time to create and it is very detailed. It is full of information that coaches lock behind paywalls.