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All strings including poly, will have the following properties after pre-stretching:
1. Better tension loss.
2. Higher tension felt given your normal reference tension (feels tighter at normal tension.)
3. Higher frequency (stiffer) energy return for a normal tension.
4. More stable playing characteristics over life of string job.
The strings make up at least 30% of the importance of the way a frame plays, and in some cases, 50% or more.
Synthetic, nylon and polyester and copoly, often last some players a long time, but all of them go loose after about a month, whether or not you play. Just because the string has not broken doesn't mean it's good. Natural gut, while initially more expensive and far more fragile to moisture and grommet breaks, is good almost up to the moment it breaks and holds tension while being soft, in a paradox, better than any string. Too bad it's so expensive, esp. on grommet breaks.
When strings loosen they don't lose power, they go dead while losing tension. Looser strings trampoline the ball out farther for the same effort, as the string bed deflects more, and whip lashes the ball out more, with less control. The angle of trajectory changes depending on stiffness/tension at first stringing/time left in, hardness of hitting, stiffness of frame, temp/humidity. The sweet spot moves as the string changes tension and elasticity. Etc. You also lose control as the strings start to feel differently than they do when they're fresh, on top of sweet spot movement, so you either have to adjust your game, or be happy with not playing badly under pressure when it counts.
The "rule of thumb" is that you should re-string your racquet(s) as many times per year as you can afford, money is not the issue, your game is, (unless your strings break, of course). Unless you are using natural gut, this is not nearly often enough for players who cannot pay. I think you should aim to re-string once a month. That way, your racquet plays better, and you won't have to adjust your game nearly as much, to compensate for the difference in feel between loose strings and moving sweet spots.
Lower string tensions cause more deflection, hence more power and depth.
Higher string tensions allow for less deflection, hence, shorter shots.
A longer string (or string plane area) produces more power as the main center strings have a lower frequency, producing more deflection, and less tension at first stringing.
Decreased string density (more open pattern) generates more power as there is less friction, and more deflection than a closed pattern.
Thinner string generates more power as there is more deflection in thinner strings. They also have a lower cross section of friction, hence more snap back. They also bite into the ball more upon impact, creating more spin if strung and or/hit for it. Due to greater snap back, and thinner area, they break more often and lose tension faster.
More elastic strings generate more power as there is more deflection in more elastic strings.
Strings and patterns that produce more power will also absorb more shock load at impact.
Softer strings, or strings with a softer coating, tend to vibrate at a lower frequency and cause less elbow damage.
A stiffer string bed tends to produce more spin and a higher frequency, causing more elbow damage. (Same is true for RA: stiffer, higher Ra means: higher frequency of vibration into your elbow. Softer, lower Ra means lower vibration into your elbow.)
The more elastic the string, the more tension loss in the racquet after the string job except for gut.
Pre-stretching (stretches) the polymer chains in the poly/copoly string and "sets" the string, which reduces tension loss, esp. if done to an extreme, such as 85lbs of tension for 3-5 minutes. The stiffer the string, ie, kevlar at 600 , the less it will stretch: 3" or so, (19' section) while some copolys will stretch a foot or more! (150 stiffness rating.)
So why do the extreme with poly/copoly? The more pre-stretching (prior to stringing) the less tension loss after stringing, the less often you have to string, the tighter the string stays, and depending upon the string, creates more controlled power at a lower launch angle in the mains. Manufacturers don't offer this option. They want the string to become loose faster. (Sell more string faster, like cheap light bulbs.) Depending upon tension differential between mains/crosses, snap back will occur at a far higher rate than traditional string jobs, allowing for higher spin rpms when hit for rpms, and a faster rpm that stays lower to the net, and still allowing flat hitting, low net clearances. You can also match hybrids, which most stringers don't do, as they don't know how to pre-stretch extreme, nor do they know that by stringing with large differentials in tension, you can match the hybrid together. (Frames nowadays can take huge differences if you know what you are doing) Ie, you can match stiffness ratings even when the strings vary, creating far higher degrees of control over launch angles, depth, and feel/control, which last longer compared to string jobs not stretched with knowledge of stiffness ratings nor pre-strech ratios. Crosses also affect launch angle. The way most stringers string, the pre-stretch is minimal, done only to remove coil memory, so that it makes it easier on the stringer to string faster.
Spin lover: small grip, rounder pallet, big frame, high RA, head heavy, polarized weight set up, edged strings, stiffer strings, open pattern, stiff frame, thin/stiffer main strung tighter (10-35lbs) than crosses. (Larger tension differential will shorten the frame if mains are tighter, and change balance/sw ratios.) Crosses strung tighter will damage the frame more, and lengthen the frame rather than shortening it.
Control lover: larger grip, sharper edged pallet, neutral balance, smaller frame, depolarized weight, dense pattern, soft RA, soft gut main strung at traditional tension differential between alu crosses at higher tensions (60+)
Power lover: medium grip, mid range pallet, balance to preference, big frame, open pattern, high RA, soft or powerful main strung higher than crosses by 5-10lbs at lower tensions (55-45lbs)
1. Better tension loss.
2. Higher tension felt given your normal reference tension (feels tighter at normal tension.)
3. Higher frequency (stiffer) energy return for a normal tension.
4. More stable playing characteristics over life of string job.
The strings make up at least 30% of the importance of the way a frame plays, and in some cases, 50% or more.
Synthetic, nylon and polyester and copoly, often last some players a long time, but all of them go loose after about a month, whether or not you play. Just because the string has not broken doesn't mean it's good. Natural gut, while initially more expensive and far more fragile to moisture and grommet breaks, is good almost up to the moment it breaks and holds tension while being soft, in a paradox, better than any string. Too bad it's so expensive, esp. on grommet breaks.
When strings loosen they don't lose power, they go dead while losing tension. Looser strings trampoline the ball out farther for the same effort, as the string bed deflects more, and whip lashes the ball out more, with less control. The angle of trajectory changes depending on stiffness/tension at first stringing/time left in, hardness of hitting, stiffness of frame, temp/humidity. The sweet spot moves as the string changes tension and elasticity. Etc. You also lose control as the strings start to feel differently than they do when they're fresh, on top of sweet spot movement, so you either have to adjust your game, or be happy with not playing badly under pressure when it counts.
The "rule of thumb" is that you should re-string your racquet(s) as many times per year as you can afford, money is not the issue, your game is, (unless your strings break, of course). Unless you are using natural gut, this is not nearly often enough for players who cannot pay. I think you should aim to re-string once a month. That way, your racquet plays better, and you won't have to adjust your game nearly as much, to compensate for the difference in feel between loose strings and moving sweet spots.
Lower string tensions cause more deflection, hence more power and depth.
Higher string tensions allow for less deflection, hence, shorter shots.
A longer string (or string plane area) produces more power as the main center strings have a lower frequency, producing more deflection, and less tension at first stringing.
Decreased string density (more open pattern) generates more power as there is less friction, and more deflection than a closed pattern.
Thinner string generates more power as there is more deflection in thinner strings. They also have a lower cross section of friction, hence more snap back. They also bite into the ball more upon impact, creating more spin if strung and or/hit for it. Due to greater snap back, and thinner area, they break more often and lose tension faster.
More elastic strings generate more power as there is more deflection in more elastic strings.
Strings and patterns that produce more power will also absorb more shock load at impact.
Softer strings, or strings with a softer coating, tend to vibrate at a lower frequency and cause less elbow damage.
A stiffer string bed tends to produce more spin and a higher frequency, causing more elbow damage. (Same is true for RA: stiffer, higher Ra means: higher frequency of vibration into your elbow. Softer, lower Ra means lower vibration into your elbow.)
The more elastic the string, the more tension loss in the racquet after the string job except for gut.
Pre-stretching (stretches) the polymer chains in the poly/copoly string and "sets" the string, which reduces tension loss, esp. if done to an extreme, such as 85lbs of tension for 3-5 minutes. The stiffer the string, ie, kevlar at 600 , the less it will stretch: 3" or so, (19' section) while some copolys will stretch a foot or more! (150 stiffness rating.)
So why do the extreme with poly/copoly? The more pre-stretching (prior to stringing) the less tension loss after stringing, the less often you have to string, the tighter the string stays, and depending upon the string, creates more controlled power at a lower launch angle in the mains. Manufacturers don't offer this option. They want the string to become loose faster. (Sell more string faster, like cheap light bulbs.) Depending upon tension differential between mains/crosses, snap back will occur at a far higher rate than traditional string jobs, allowing for higher spin rpms when hit for rpms, and a faster rpm that stays lower to the net, and still allowing flat hitting, low net clearances. You can also match hybrids, which most stringers don't do, as they don't know how to pre-stretch extreme, nor do they know that by stringing with large differentials in tension, you can match the hybrid together. (Frames nowadays can take huge differences if you know what you are doing) Ie, you can match stiffness ratings even when the strings vary, creating far higher degrees of control over launch angles, depth, and feel/control, which last longer compared to string jobs not stretched with knowledge of stiffness ratings nor pre-strech ratios. Crosses also affect launch angle. The way most stringers string, the pre-stretch is minimal, done only to remove coil memory, so that it makes it easier on the stringer to string faster.
Spin lover: small grip, rounder pallet, big frame, high RA, head heavy, polarized weight set up, edged strings, stiffer strings, open pattern, stiff frame, thin/stiffer main strung tighter (10-35lbs) than crosses. (Larger tension differential will shorten the frame if mains are tighter, and change balance/sw ratios.) Crosses strung tighter will damage the frame more, and lengthen the frame rather than shortening it.
Control lover: larger grip, sharper edged pallet, neutral balance, smaller frame, depolarized weight, dense pattern, soft RA, soft gut main strung at traditional tension differential between alu crosses at higher tensions (60+)
Power lover: medium grip, mid range pallet, balance to preference, big frame, open pattern, high RA, soft or powerful main strung higher than crosses by 5-10lbs at lower tensions (55-45lbs)