So you just purchased a new tennis racket and don't know how to string it?

It happens to many beginning and even some long time stringers. You just received a tennis racket and the stringing pattern is different than you are used to. "Don't Worry" there is help to be found and its just a click away in most cases. If you have been stringing rackets for some time you probably picked up on the 'patterns' and start to see that most rackets are strung pretty much the same way. There are certain characteristics and after you have strung a few frames you can kind of see where the 'main' holes are and where the 'cross' holes are. Some rackets might be a bit tricky or the frame you just received is new and you can't tell. So I have briefly outlined here what to do when you just can't figure out how to string the racket!.

1. Look at the frame and see if it has distinctive 'black' dots painted on at several holes, this usually indicates where 'main' strings go. I have seen this on many Head and Babolat frames.

2. If the racket was strung prior and the strings are still intact, then write down where the main strings and where the cross strings are. Generally I use abbreviations such as 1H, 2H or 2T to shorten the verbage. Count outword from the center of the frame and H stands for Head and T stands for throat.

3. Visit the Manufacturers website and look for 'stringing patterns' most companies include this information on their websites.

4. If you find yourself facing this problem alot then maybe joining the USRSA (United Racket Stringers Association) because they publish a reference book that has most string patterns and is updated yearly.

I hope this information helps and please email me with questions.