Home » RSI magazine » Ask the Experts » Frame slippage

Frame slippage

Q: Have you ever finished stringing the mains on a frame and noticed that the throat billiard is resting up against one of the first grommets? I use a Babolat Star 3, and I know the frame was perfectly centered when I first mounted it. This only happens when the frame has a smooth finish. My main concern is if the frame is off center, it could cause frame distortion.

A: As long as you mounted the racquet properly to begin with, there shouldn’t be a problem. The Babolat mounting system is not designed to immobilize the racquet — the racquet is meant to “float” to some degree so it can flex and move within acceptable parameters, unlike mounting systems that attempt to clamp the frame to the towers. You may be seeing this only when the finish is smooth because on textured finishes, the billiard itself tilts slightly to one side or the other rather than sliding, which masks the misalignment. At any rate, the angle of misalignment is so small that it’s not going to cause any distortion, and once you get going on the crosses, the side-to-side forces are going to be even greater than those generated by the installation of the mains, and presumably you’re not seeing any problems there.You can check your mounting any time by measuring the dimensions of the unstrung frame, and comparing them against the dimensions of the strung racquet. If you’re within 3/32-inches, and you’ve strung the racquet according to the manufacturer’s instructions, the racquet should be fine.

From the April 2006 issue
Permalink