---

Tournament Stringing for Junior Players

By Steve Crandall
Vice President, Sales & Marketing
Ashaway Racket Strings

Hall of Famer Jacqueline Paraiso has worked with junior players throughout her professional career and currently heads up the Racquetball Kid's Academy for World Gym. Jacqueline says she has some players as young as four years old who need an even softer string for their arms - something like a nylon SuperKill model that also lets them feel the ball coming off the string. It looks to us like young Wolfgang Tena is ready to make a serious power shot!

When the topic of tournament stringing for junior players came up, we immediately thought of Jacqueline Paraiso. Jacqueline has worked with junior players throughout her stellar Hall of Fame career, and few people can match her passion for coaching and mentoring youngsters. She was eager to give us her thoughts.

"Juniors aren't as proficient as adults at hitting the ball," she said. "They're not as accurate and they have a harder time getting the ball to the front wall because they haven't learned how to use their core yet." Their string selection needs to reflect that growth and learning process.

Jacqueline currently heads up the Racquetball Kid's Academy for World Gym and just recently created the Racquetball Teen Academy. "I have some teenagers who hit the ball hard who can use a Zyex^® - based string like Ashaway's PowerKill^®," she said. "But I also have some players as young as four years old who need an even softer string for their arms - one that also lets them feel the ball coming off the string. For them I recommend a nylon string like one of the SuperKill^® models, strung at lower tension so they get more power, but can also feel the ball. Higher tension gives the racquet a more 'boardy' feel, so it's harder for younger kids to know how the ball feels when it comes off the racquet."

Jacqueline also suggests a 16-gauge string for younger juniors because it offers more durability. "They're not accurate with their shots," she said. "They're reaching a lot and not hitting on the sweet spot. So a 17 or 18 gauge string likely will not last as long. They haven't learned to shuffle up to the ball and set correctly, so a lot of the times they're stopping their steps and reaching for it. So in the process of learning to play, I find one of the nylon SuperKills is the best string for them."

"But," she added, "I have some 16 and 17-year olds that I string with the PowerKill and UltraKill^®, and they love it. They notice the difference right away. It gives them a little edge. They're older, they're better players. They've been playing longer and hit more accurately in the sweet spot. They have better control and move to the ball better, so I recommend the PK and UK for them."

As for tournament prep, Jacqueline is equally concise: "String the racquet with enough time to practice with it to make sure you're happy with the tension, and the control and power. But definitely have at least three racquets on hand and even bring an extra packet of string in case the tournament stringer doesn't have it.

I know as a professional how important the right string is," she concluded. "If your shot is off by even an inch, another pro can pick that up and really make you pay. And if I'm not comfortable with my racquet, my mental game goes down the tubes. So I want to make sure that I have the right string so I feel good and can play in the now. If your racquet is not the way you like it, your focus is on the racquet, not the game. You get frustrated with your shots and it snowballs pretty quickly. It's not just a little thing."

It's hard to add anything to what Jacqueline said, but if I can summarize, I'd say there are three important considerations for tournament bound junior players in selecting a string:

First, pick a string to complement your style of play, including durability. Racquetball puts a lot of strain on string at the edge of the frame. With such a fast pace and today's open power-oriented stringing patterns, there is a lot of ball-to-string contact close to the frame, especially from 10 o'clock to 2 o'clock. You want a string that is thick enough so it doesn't snap at the frame on mishits, but is as thin as you can possibly use.

Second is design and construction for performance, including power, tension holding, and texture. The harder you hit, the more important it is to use a string with Zyex filaments that hold tension better. You can get good power from nylon, but it loses tension and 'umph' rather quickly for heavy hitters. Adjusting string tension can add power, or help with control. Lower tension increases power, while higher tension improves control. Texture on the string will improve grip and help put a little spin on the ball for your ceiling game, passing shots and pinches.

Picking the right gauge and tension is the final consideration. You might be reluctant to use a 16 gauge string, but if you string it a little bit tighter than you might a 17 gauge, you'll probably find that the performance is similar. Conversely, a control player or shot maker who uses a thinner gauge, may want to string at a lower tension to get a little extra power.

For tournaments, it's really important to have consistency in the way you relate to your string setup. This might mean using the same stringer or getting your own stringing machine, but make sure you get that consistency. And Jacqueline is right: be prepared going to tournaments because you won't necessarily know who the stringer is going to be, what kind of machine they use, or how long you'll have to wait for a stringing job. So bring three or four racquets and some extra string. Consistency in string setup is guaranteed to help build your confidence and will likely improve your performance.

ZYEX^® is a registered trademark of Victrex Ltd.