May 2004 Monthly Archive
May 2004
Cheap, Overlooked Financing To Expand Your Business
For the second time in two years, our lawmakers have created federal tax cuts designed to spur business investment. However, despite record-low interest rates, affording the funds many within the tennis industry require in order to acquire the property...
Dress Up Your Fitting Room and you'll help your apparel sales, too!
Many retail designers, consumer behavior experts, and customers believe that the fitting room has far more power to influence a consumer's decision to buy than retailers believe. "More sales get lost in the dressing room than on the sales...
Gamma Zo Plus 16L
BRAND & MODEL Gamma Zo Plus is a co-extrusion fiber, which means it is a monofilament comprised of two materials, one in the center and a second that encases or coats the center filament. In Zo Plus, the center is...
Your Mission: Get on the Same Page As Your Members
Retention of members is the key to success in the club industry. That's common knowledge. And one of the keys to retention is to keep yourself on the same page as your members in terms of expectations. Identify and...
Industry News
Information to help you run your business.
Lets Make a Deal!
In today's competitive climate, manufacturers may be more willing than ever to offer incentives to retailers.
Level the Field
For a different take on learning and enjoying tennis, take a look at Bankshot Tennis.
Make Any Racquet Play Better -- Guaranteed!
Use this guide to help you modify an existing frame to play at its best.
On the Surface
There's a lot to consider before you can choose the best court surface -- or surfaces -- for your facility.
Start Where You Are
Sports stars often stun us with their skill and sometimes make us laugh at their TV commercials, yet rarely do they inspire us or provide something to think about. One notable exception was Arthur Ashe, both a consummate champion...
Pointing the Way
The second annual tennis participation study sheds more light on some of the obstacles to increasing play.
Mid-Season Replacements?
New entries from some top racquet manufacturers are hoping to weigh in big with consumers.
RSI Champions of Tennis 2004 Nomination Form
We'd like your help in recognizing the people who are making a difference in the business of tennis.
Unique Tourna Poly Big Hitter
BRAND & MODEL Unique Tourna Poly Big Hitter is a monofilament "poly" string of the type that is becoming increasingly popular both on the pro circuit and with hard-hitting juniors and even club players. Unique tells us that their...
Increasing Class Size
Through a concerted effort, college-age players who used to get lost in the system are now finding a tennis home.
String movement
Q: Why do some strings move more than others on impact with the ball?...
Discontinued grommet strips
Q: Does anyone publish a list of discontinued or hard-to-find grommet strips, and who sells them? Does the USRSA have a grommet-strip database that shows when grommet strips are going out of stock at various suppliers, so we can buy...
First-time customizer
Q: I've been stringing for decades but I've never tried customizing a racquet, until now. I want my Prince Triple Threat Grande OS to hit more like my old Wilson Sledge Hammer 2.8 Stretch. How much lead tape should I...
Ektelon Attitude tension
Q: I have a racquetball customer who uses the Ektelon More Performance Attitude. According to the USRSA, the tension range in this frame is 26 to 34 pounds. However, he says he heard from someone at Ektelon that this frame...
Fishing line for tennis
Q: I bought a spool of Momoi 150-pound monofilament fishing line in the hopes that it would work as well as the more expensive monofilament tennis string I’ve been using. There are 1,650 yards per spool, and a spool costs...
Racquet power formula
Q: I find it interesting to read and ponder the tension-versus-power debate in your magazine and website. It all seems to make sense regarding energy in versus out, less than one percent velocity change with various string tension, etc. It...
Slamming the Trap Door
To keep a loosened butt cap "trap door" from vibrating, apply small drops of clear nail polish to a couple spots on the inside ridge before snapping it back on. 5 sets of Volkl Power-Fiber 18 to: Roger Hansen, Orange,...
Securing Build-up Sleeves
After installing build up sleeves I noticed that they will sometimes move during play. I have used glue beneath the grip, but it takes time and can be messy. I still have to glue some grips but wherever possible I...
Traveling Workbenches
At home I have a permanent station for my stringing machine, but at my club and on the road I have two great ways to mount and stabilize my portable stringers. At the club I use a sturdy audio-visual cart...
Alternating Mains
When starting the mains, I do three on one side and then three on the other to balance the stress on the frame. To make it faster to find the end of the side on which I start, after clamping...
Replacing bumper and grommet strips
Some strips have flared grommets that make it very difficult to remove the strip easily from the frame. A short cut is to use a grommet grinder from the inside of the frame to "break" the grommets from the strip....
Space-Saving Storage
If you want to keep your back issues of the magazine but have little storage space, cut out the articles that you want to save and discard the rest of the magazine. Separate your clippings into categories so later you'll...
Hold the Grommet Strip
Sometimes when I am tensioning the last main string the grommet wants to move out of position, exposing the string to the frame. The string could break on the sharp edge of the frame, or the frame could become damaged...
Use Tags Instead of Labels
The labels that come with sets of string don't work well for me. The string type, gauge, and tension information either fades or rubs off, and my customers don't like them on their racquets in the first place. Fortunately, I've...
Stencil-less stenciling
If you don't have your stencil ink handy, use a permanent-ink marker to stencil in your strings. Permanent markers are also good for touching up your strings after the ink begins to rub off. You don't even have to worry...
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