September 2005 Monthly Archive

A Big Doubles Fault

An award-winning tennis writer says the ATP's pro doubles "enhancements" are absurd, unethical, and unfair. (Click here to read more...)

Roger Federer and Venus Williams played brilliant tennis in claiming their third titles at the All England Championships this year. Here's a look at the equipment that the champions, and their competitors, used on the lawns of Wimbledon. Post... (Click here to read more...)

Make Your Telephone the Ultimate Customer-Care Tool

The telephone just might represent the ultimate love/hate relationship. On one hand, it's the lifeline of our business; on the other, it's the scourge of our business day. (Can you say "telemarketer"?) Likewise as it relates to our customers,... (Click here to read more...)

String Selector Map 2005

Customize your stringbed for optimum performance and feel. (Click here to read more...)

Climbing the Walls

While recreational participation for racquetball and squash isn't monitored nearly as closely as it is for tennis, officials for both court sports say the number of players appears to be rising, along with construction of new facilities. That's certainly... (Click here to read more...)

New Tennis Racquets for Summer/Fall 2005

Racquet Head size (sq. in.) Length (in.) Weight (grams) Balance (cm) Balance (in.) Flex (RDC) Swing Wt. (RDC) Pattern (M×C) Power level MSRP Avery • 800-758-9467 M3 (72 Holes) 95 26.875 346 31.00 12.20 62 307 16×20 1786 $179... (Click here to read more...)

Introductory Courses

Racquets, shoes, string, apparel — we've got the new stuff your customers want. (Click here to read more...)

Honoring Our Commitment

Well, we did this a year ago, and we're going to do it again this year. We're going to pat ourselves on the back. We recently received word that Racquet Sports Industry magazine won a 2005 Apex Award for... (Click here to read more...)

New Strings for Fall 2005

String Gauges Construction Materials Length (Feet) Color Cost Babolat • 877-316-9435 Attraction 16 Multifilament Polyamide & Polyurethane 40 Natural $9.00 Attraction Power 17 Multifilament Polyamide & Polyurethane 40 Natural $9.00 Conquest + 16,17 Solid Core single wrap Polyamide &... (Click here to read more...)

New Squash Racquets Fall 2005

Racquet Head size (sq. inches) Length (inches) Weight (grams) Balance (cm) Balance (inches) Swing Wt. (RDC) Pattern (M×C) MSRP Ashaway • 800-556-7260 Destiny 490 76 164 36.00 14.17 55 190 14×19 $120 Hornet 495 77 161 35.75 14.07 57... (Click here to read more...)

New Racquetball Racquets Fall 2005

Racquet Head size (sq. inches) Length (inches) Weight (grams) Balance (cm) Balance (inches) Swing Wt. (RDC) Pattern (M×C) MSRP E-Force • 800-4 E-FORCE Bedlam Super-Mains 150 107 22 186 28.25 11.12 124 14×16 $180 Bedlam Super-Mains 170 107 22... (Click here to read more...)

Industry News

Information to help you run your business. (Click here to read more...)

Playtest: Gosen Polylon SP

Polylon SP (the SP stands for "supreme playability") builds on the successes of Gosen's Polylon and Polylon Comfort strings. (See our playtest report of Polylon Comfort in the June 2003 issue of Racquet Tech magazine.) Unlike the other two... (Click here to read more...)

Gender Specific

Wilson's new "W" line of frames is designed for women players. (Click here to read more...)

Foot Soldiers

From big-name endorsements to grassroots player appeal, tennis shoe manufacturers have the kicks for your customers. (Click here to read more...)

Frames for Fall

Line extensions and new technologies lead the way for recreational players. (Click here to read more...)

Natural gut twist

Q: I read the tip submitted by T. Perry Widener about keeping gut from unraveling, which appeared in the June 2003 issue, but I don’t understand why it makes a difference which way you make the loop when you’re weaving... (Click here to read more...)

USRSA racquet measurements

Q: How does USRSA measure racquets?... (Click here to read more...)

Published racquet measurements

Q: Why do published racquet measurements vary from source to source?... (Click here to read more...)

Marketing with Flying Colors

Each year before the start of the high school tennis season, I make fliers promoting one of my special racquet stringing services—hybrid strings featuring each local high school's school colors. With one color for the mains and another for the... (Click here to read more...)

Stopping Drop-Weight Guesswork

I recently purchased a drop-weight machine, and became concerned regarding the subjectivity of when the weight rod was truly horizontal (and thus, pulling tension most accurately). It occurred to me that a line level attached to the end of the... (Click here to read more...)

Grommet Pullout

When stringing a new racquet or one where the grommets and bumpers have been replaced, the outside mains have a tendency to pull the grommets out of the frame, especially near the throat. This often exposes the string to the... (Click here to read more...)

No Fan of Floating Clamps

Some people think it's okay to string all fan-patterned racquets with floating clamps, but it most definitely is not okay when there are shared holes in the throat (as there are on the Head i160 squash racquets, for example). Apart... (Click here to read more...)

BYO Stick-Em

For those over-wraps that do not have starter tape, use a touch of glue from a glue stick. It will hold the grip in place as you begin to wrap the handle and won't leave any residue. 5 sets of... (Click here to read more...)

Shoehorn for Shrink Tubes

Getting one of those grip-enlarging shrink tubes onto a racquet handle can be difficult, especially after it has shrunk a bit due to age. I use a strong plastic shoehorn to pry the end of the tube open and get... (Click here to read more...)