The May 2015 issue of Tennis Industry magazine is in the mail

The May 2015 issue of Tennis Industry magazine is in the mail.



Read it on-line now.

The April 2015 issue of Tennis Industry magazine is in the mail

The April 2015 issue of Tennis Industry magazine is in the mail. Included in this issue:

• Our Serve: Try It, You’ll Like It …
• Industry News
• Letters
• RacquetTech: Weave Your Way to Consistency
• Retailing 136: Your Path to Profits
• Junior Play: Team Spirit
• Racquet Service: It’s Time for A Tune-Up
• Apparel Trends: High-Tech Fabrics Take Performance to a Higher Level
• Distinguished Facility-of-the-Year Awards: Soft Goods
• Racquet Selection: Finding the Perfect Fit
• Playtest: Tecnifibre XR3 17
• Your Serve: Respecting the Wisdom of a Lesson Taught Years Ago

Plus, USPTA ADDvantage magazine.

Read it on-line now.

The February 2015 issue of Tennis Industry magazine is in the mail

The February 2015 issue of Tennis Industry magazine is in the mail. Special to this issue is the Outlook 2015 section. If you can't wait for it to arrive, check it out online here.

FEATURES

• Behavior Modification?: Changing members’ behavior is a tricky situation for any facility manager.
• Triple Threat: Tennis Industry and the ASBA present the best in tennis court construction and design.

OUTLOOK 2015

• Racquets: It’s all about the fit with all the options, it’s still up to the dealer to help customers select the perfect racquet.
• Shoes: Stepping Up the Game The new shoe showcase features vehicles that perform and look good, too.
• Strings: In Search of Perfection Technology in strings continues to get better, while marketing is getting more focused.

DEPARTMENTS

• Our Serve
• Industry News
• Customer Service
• TIA News
• Retailing Tip
• Executive Point: Steve Simon 22 Recreational Play
• Ask the Experts
• String Playtest: Head Gravity 40 Your Serve, by Frank Giampaolo

INDUSTRY NEWS

• Calif. Products buys three companies
• PTR Week, Symposium set for Feb. 17-23
• Under Armour signs Andy Murray
• Promote programming with a USTA Tennis Play Event
• Former tour players create new Diadem strings
• Antigua launches spring line
• PowerShares Series sets 2015 dates, venues
• PBI pros to become USPTA certified
• Peoplewatch
• ASBA elects new officers and directors
• Tennis Summit, TOM Conference set for Indian Wells
• Short Sets
• ITA coaches support shortened format

ADDVANTAGE MAGAZINE FEATURES

• Prince & USPTA – A Partnership of Innovation
• USPTA Foundation Awards Record 31 Grants in 2014
• PeterBurwashInternational Joins USPTA Family
• Compression Apparel Enhances Performance, Recovery On and Off the Court

ALSO FROM ADDVANTAGE MAGAZINE

• CEO’s Message
• First Vice President’s Message
• Endorsee News
• Beyond the Court
• USPTA News
• New USPTA Endorsee
• Master Pro Corner
• Career Development
• Member News

More entries in the Pro Equipment log

Thanks to Doug Denton, we now have 300 new entries for our searchable, sortable Pro Equipment listing (available to USRSA members only).

There are now 17,732 entries, the latest additions being from the 2013 Southern California Open and the 2013 BNP Paribas Open.

Along with the new entries, the racquet, main string, and cross string cross-tab pages now reflect the new data.

If you're not a USRSA member, why not sign up and start the New Year off on the right foot.

The January 2015 issue of Tennis Industry magazine is in the mail

The January 2015 issue of Tennis Industry magazine is in the mail.

This issue features a look at the life of tennis pioneer Vic Braden, our 2014 Champions of Tennis, our annual String Selector guide, and a playtest report on Babolat Origin 17.

Of course, these are in addition to our regular features, such as Our Serve, Industry News, TIA News, and Your Serve.

And don't forget that each issue of Tennis Industry magazine includes Addvantage magazine for USPTA members.

You can read it online now for free by clicking here.

New manual added: Yonex Protech8 stringing machine

USRSA members now have access to the manual for Yonex's incredible-looking new Protech8. You'll find the manual on-line here.

The September/October issue of Tennis Industry magazine is in the mail

In this issue:

FEATURES

• Gaining a Foothold: These retail tips can help keep your shoe sales moving forward.
• State of the Industry: The latest research from the TIA holds clues to how you may want to conduct business.
• The Sum of Its Parts: Dunlop’s new iDapt racquets can provide players—and retailers—with unique opportunities.
• New and Improved: The latest in racquets, strings and shoes will have something for every player.
• Metal Halide and LED: Metal Halide has served tennis players for decades. But what’s on the horizon may be game-changing.

DEPARTMENTS

• Our Serve
• Industry News
• Letters
• Retailing Tip
• TIA news
• International Tennis Hall of Fame
• Pioneers in Tennis:
• Tips and Techniques
• String Playtest: Tecnifibre HDX Tour 17
• Your Serve, by Ellen Miller

INDUSTRY NEWS

• USTA chooses 12 Facility Award Winners
• ITA announces new D1 dual-meet format
• IART starts Sept. 20
• Free Play Events emphasize family
• New owner for Little Miss Tennis
• USPTA to aid in teaching pro injury study
• Peoplewatch
• Nova Sports celebrates 30 years
• BowDry removes water from courts
• Short Sets
• Ashaway sponsors junior national racquetball
• 10 win Ashe Essay Contest
• Evert teams with Tail apparel
• Cardio Tennis adds training sessions

USPTA Addvantage

• USPTA Tournaments Get New Twist
• USPTA Masters Invitational Tournament Features “Best of the Best”
• Mark Your Calendars for USPTA’s National Education Day
• Military Mom Ensures Tennis and Education Make a Winning Combination
• CEO’s Message
• President’s Message
• USPTA News
• Beyond the Court
• Career Development
• Member News

Read it online now.

The June issue of Tennis Industry magazine is in the mail

The June 2014 issue of Tennis Industry magazine is in the mail.

In this issue:


FEATURES

• Dress for the Occasion: The tennis dress is hot, and in fact, some can go from court to cocktails.
• Tech Enabled: Want to stay up on all the latest racquet innovations? Learn what MRTs need to know.
• Section Stars!: These 17 USTA Section staff and volunteers work tirelessly behind the scenes to grow our sport
• Private Practice: These residential winners are excellent examples of tennis court construction.

DEPARTMENTS

• Our Serve
• Industry News
• Letters
• TIA news
• Retailing Tip
• Ask the Experts
• String Playtest: Wilson Optimus 16
• Your Serve, by Ted Murray 

INDUSTRY NEWS

• Tennis Teachers Conference returns to US Open
• USTA to host 10U workshops during Citi Open
• PTR moves its headquarters
• Own the Zone offers biodegradable overgrip
• Adidas brings back Laver shoe
• Prince to give away Tuning Center at IART
• Peoplewatch
• Legendary coaches honored
• USTA awards $150,000 in multicultural grants
• Short Sets
• PTR partners with PlayYourCourt
• ASBA facility awards applications due

ADDVANTAGE

• Helping USPTA Professionals Get Educated
• Call for nominations
• TGA: Reaching Kids Through Tennis
• 2014 Tennis Teachers Conference -– Register Now!
• CEO’s Message
• Vice President’s Message
• USPTA News
• Growing Your Business
• Tennis Teachers Conference
• Career Development
• Member News

Read it online now.

The May issue of Tennis Industry is in the mail

This issue features:

• Rubber Meets the Road: Narrowing in on finding the right shoes for the right court surface.
• League Players: League tennis is one of the most popular aspects of tennis, and it can easily help boost your business.
• Futures Market: The TIA’s inaugural ‘Future of Tennis Summit’ brought together all segments of the industry to focus on growing the sport.
• String Theories: With the right inventory, presentation and product knowledge, you can help your customers find the right string.
• The Hard Facts: These outdoor facility winners are excellent examples of hard-court construction.

Plus, there are our regular items:

• Our Serve
• Industry News
• Fundraising
• TIA news
• Retailing Tip
• Ask the Experts
• String Playtest: Ashaway Crossfire ZX 17
• Your Serve, by Chuck Gill

And don't forget, each issue of Tennis Industry comes with USPTA Addvantage, which this week features:

• The Impact You Make
• USPTA Surface Championships and More
• Reaction Rules in Doubles
• Growing the Game; Growing Your Business

In addition to Addvantage's regular items:

• CEO’s Message
• Vice President’s Message
• USPTA News
• Career Development
• Member News

Read the full issue on-line here.

The February 2014 issue of Tennis Industry magazine is in the mail

The February issue of Tennis Industry magazine is in the mail (Volume 42, number 2).

In this issue, we feature OUTLOOK 2014 --

• Racquets 
• Shoes
• Apparel 
• String

Plus, Award-Winning Tennis Facilities.

Last but not least, this issue includes USPTA's Addvantage.

If you can't wait for your postman, you can read it on-line here.

The January 2014 issue of Tennis Industry magazine is in the mail

The January issue of Tennis Industry magazine is in the mail (Volume 42, number 1). This is the premiere issue of Tennis Industry magazine, as previous issues bore the Racquet Sports Industry magazine designation.

In this issue, we recognize the Champions of Tennis, including Person of the Year Virgil Christian. Also in this issue: String Selector 2014, and Babolat's "connected" racquet.

Last but not least, this issue includes USPTA's Addvantage.

If you can't wait for your postman, you can read it on-line here.

The Nov/Dec 2013 Racquet Sports Industry magazine is in the mail

The November / December issue of Racquet Sports Industry magazine is in the mail (Volume 41, number 10). This is the final issue of Racquet Sports Industry magazine, as the next issue you see will be the January 2014 Tennis Industry magazine.

In this issue, 30 impressive and inspiring young industry professionals under 30 years of age, 2014 previews of apparel and footwear, our annual look at ball machines, and new products and strategies from Prince.

The July 2013 Racquet Sports Industry magazine is in the mail

Is your facility prepared to handle a medical emergency? Check out the July 2013 issue of Racquet Sports Industry magazine to read more about this important aspect of your business.

Of course, each issue of Racquet Sports Industry magazine covers the gamut of topics concerning the racquet sports. Check it out today!

Now available: USRSA iron-on patches

Show off your USRSA membership pride with a 3" × 1.5" iron-on patch. It can be ironed-on or stitched onto shirts, hats, aprons, towels, tennis bags, or just about anything. Available only to current USRSA members.

Buy your USRSA iron-on patches here.

Now available: USRSA vinyl banners

Show off your USRSA membership pride with a vinyl banner. Grommets allow it to be hung just about anywhere you need it. Available only to current USRSA members.

Buy your banners here.

New string color and length tool on RacquetTECH.com

We've just released our latest RacquetTECH.com on-line tool: The String Color & Lengths tool. This invaluable reference helper, which is available to USRSA members, allows you to search our database of available strings to find the color string you want, or the length when you need something out of the ordinary.

Stringing for a school team and want to use their school colors? The String Color & Lengths tool will show you every string offered in the color(s) you want, allowing you to pick the brand and individual string that fills the bill.

Or, maybe you're stringing a super oversize racquet and the standard forty-foot reel isn't covering it. Now you can easily search and/or sort for extra-length strings, and see what other strings might be available in reels.

The String Color & Lengths tool allows you to search our entire listing of strings at once, or search by string name, length, and/or color, and then sort the results.

The String Color & Lengths tool -- just one more reason to become a USRSA member today.

The June RSI magazine is in the mail

The June 2013 issue of Racquet Sports Industry magazine is in the mail. Included in this issue are articles about how to sell more racquets, emerging trends in sports shoes, outstanding residential tennis courts, and the State of the Industry Report. Of course, there are our regular feature columns as well.

You can read this issue on-line here.

The May 2013 RSI magazine is in the mail

The May 2013 issue of Racquet Sports Industry magazine is in the mail. Included in this issue are articles about making your store stand out, trends in high-tech fabrics, building a bridge between tennis and fitness, and selling more shoes. Of course, there are our regular feature columns as well.

You can read this issue on-line here.

MPD technique

We've posted a PDF file explaining Dr. Carl Love's Master's/Pre-Stretch Dwell (MPD) stringing technique on-line in the "special stringing instructions" section (USRSA members only). As with the JET Method (also on-line), USRSA does not recommend the MPD technique, but making the instructions readily available makes it easier for those who want to experiment.

Stringer's Assistant from November 1977 now available online

In response to interest from several members in the old spaghetti stringing method, we've published the November 1977 issue of Stringer's Assistant online. Included are the initial ban by the I.T.F., a playtest of the banned stringing pattern, and even a how-to!

See it on-line here.

June 2012 RSI magazine now available on-line

The June issue of Racquet Sports Industry magazine is now available on-line. Check it out here.

May 2012 RSI magazine now available on-line

The May issue of Racquet Sports Industry magazine is now available on-line. Check it out here.

April 2012 RSI magazine now available on-line

The April issue of Racquet Sports Industry magazine is now available on-line. Check it out here.

February 2012 RSI magazine now available on-line

The February 2012 issue of Racquet Sports Industry is now available on-line.

You can read it at racquetsportsindustry.com, or on Scribd.

String Selection Map

We used to provide a the complete String Selection Map on the Racquet Sports Industry site, but with the introduction of the PDF version of the full magazine, the "text" version of this valuable tool showed the main article and usage notes, but neither the data nor the illustrations.

We've fixed that now with the addition of the String Selection Map to the USRSA member section. This means you have to be a USRSA member to use it, but that's just one more reason to become a member today, isn't it?

'Racquet Service Techniques' now available on-line

The USRSA's "Racquet Service Techniques," which has helped thousands of people learn how properly to string racquets, is now available on-line as a PDF file. Of course, the comprehensive information presented in "Racquet Service Techniques" contains more than beginner-level material. Even seasoned stringers have found it useful when brushing up on their stringing knowledge.

You must of course be a member of USRSA to gain access to this valuable resource. If you've not joined, become a member now!

Today's tailor-made racquets

Check out this article by Douglas Robson on racquet customization, in the October 25 USA Today.

Pro equipment listing

It took longer than expected to clean up the pro log data from the 2011 BNP Paribas Open, but it's finally done. The additional 1,772 entries bring the total number of entries to 16,641. If you're not a USRSA member, this is just one of the tremendous resources you're missing.

iOS web clip icons

Not earth-shattering news, perhaps, but now if you bookmark RacquetTECH.com or RacquetSportsIndustry.com on your iPhone or iPad, instead of a web page preview you'll get a nice icon.

Stringing Nadal's racquet

We've just posted a video of Xavi Segura stringing one of Rafael Nadal racquets just before the 2011 Roland Garros final. USRSA members can access the video here.

Babolab!

We've posted six videos provided by Babolat showing some of the behind-the-scenes workings of their Official Stringing Service at the 2011 Roland Garros. USRSA members can find these videos here.

Tips and Techniques are moving

The on-line version of the popular Tips and Techniques section from Racquet Sports Industry magazine is in the process of moving from Racquet Sports Industry's website to the USRSA's website. With all the tips we have from over the years, this is a big job. Already, though, all the tips up to the end of 2009 have been taken down from RSI.com and posted on USRSA.com. We're hard at work getting the 2010 tips up at USRSA.com, too.

Also making the move, but a bit more slowly, are the entries for the Ask the Experts section. These, too, have been removed from RSI.com, but so far only those up to January 2004 are available on USRSA.com.

Both the Ask the Experts and Tips and Techniques sections on USRSA.com are accessible only by USRSA members. Two more good reasons -- as if any more were needed -- to get your membership now.

Testimonials

Recognizing the value of self-promotion, we've published a page of testimonials, covering both USRSA and Racquet Sports Industry magazine.

New additions to the pro equipment listing

We've added 179 new items to our pro equipment listing from the 2010 BCR Open in Romania, courtesy Tom Parry and the Pacific stringing team. This brings our total number of entries to 14,866. USRSA members have access to them all!

New look for the Digest On-line

The Stringers Digest On-line, one of the top destinations for USRSA members seeking stringing information, has been given a facelift. Now, instead of displaying results in a wide table and tiny print, the Digest On-line shows preliminary results in a summary table with full-size print, which allows you quickly to find the exact racquet you're seeking.

Then, clicking on the row that shows the summary information for that racquet reveals another row with the full stringing information, including an image of the racquet (if available).

We've also added other niceties such as row highlighting to make it easier to keep your place when looking at long tables of stringing information.

See the Digest On-line here.

New additions to the pro equipment listing

We've added 502 new items to our pro equipment listing:

• 2010 Gerry Weber Open -- 252 entries
• 2010 Mercedes Cup -- 250 entries

These new entries, courtesy of Tom Parry and the Pacific stringing team, bringing our total number of entries to more than 13,000. USRSA members have access to them all.

Parallel axis tool

A member alerted us to the fact that our two parallel axis on-line tools returned different results, in addition to presenting a slightly different input form to the member. So, we double-checked the calculations against an actual racquet, merged the two on-line tools into one, removed the superfluous page, and pointed all links to the remaining revised page.

New additions to the pro equipment listing

No, you're not seeing triple on the news item titles. We really did just add 198 new pro equipment entries to our list from the 2010 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, thanks to Tom Parry and Christian Reuter at Team Pacific. There are now more than 12,500 log entries in our database, and of course, it still has its new scrolling table, to prevent the page length from getting out of hand.

New additions to the pro equipment listing

No, you're not seeing double on the news item titles. We really did just add 268 new pro equipment entries to our list from the 2010 BNP Paribas Open, thanks to the great crew at Star Stringing.

New additions to the pro equipment listing

We've added 1,422 new items to our pro equipment listing:

• 2009 China Open -- 120 entries
• 2009 Sony Ericsson Open -- 1,164 entries
• 2009 U.S. Open -- 50 entries
• 2010 Australian Open -- 771 entries
• 2010 Sony Ericsson Open -- 376 entries

These new entries, courtesy of the Wilson/Luxilon stringing team, bring our total number of entries to more than 12,000. USRSA members have access to them all.

Revamped pro log page

We've re-cast the page with the pro equipment log information to make it a bit more accessible. As before, the pro equipment listing is available only to USRSA members. You'll note that we also added links to some videos of interest.

New stringing machine manuals for Mutual Power

We've added the owner's manuals for the Mutual Power Hercules 680, Hercules 690, Hercules 730, Hercules 750, and Titan 7700 to our machine section. USRSA members have 24/7 access to this incredible collection of stringing machine and accessory manuals — yet another reason to become a USRSA member.

2009 Masters Cup pro log now available

The pro racquet, string, and tension information is now available from the 2009 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, courtesy of Tom Parry and the PACIFIC stringing team. This latest listing consists of 259 entries, bringing the total number of entries in the USRSA Pro Log database to 9,721. The database is searchable and sortable.

The USRSA Pro Log database is available to USRSA members only. If you're not yet a member, sign up here.

2009 BCR Open pro log now available

Thanks to Tom Parry and the Pacific stringing team, we now have added the pro equipment listings for the 2009 BCR Open in Romania. These 186 listings bring our total pro equipment listings to 9,462. And this is just one of many great reasons to become a USRSA member.

If you are already a member, check out the pro equipment listing here.

Sortable String Specs

We've revised the results table that you get after doing a search for tennis strings in the Strings Specifications section, so that now you can sort the table by any of its columns. Strings Specifications are found in the USRSA members-only section, so if you're not a USRSA member, join now!

Revised tension loss figures in playtests

After reviewing our testing methodology, we've revisited the tension loss figures in some of our recent playtests.

We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.

Instructions for stringing unknown frames now available on-line

Illustrated instructions for determining how to string unknown frames are now on-line for USRSA members at RacquetTECH.com. To gain access, log into the member section of the site and go to the Special Stringing Instructions in the reference section.

This information was previously available only in The Stringer's Digest.

Around-the-World (ATW) stringing instructions now available on-line

Illustrated instructions for the basic USRSA-approved Around-the-World (ATW) stringing method are now on-line for USRSA members at RacquetTECH.com. To gain access, log into the member section of the site and go to the Special Stringing Instructions in the reference section.

This information was previously available only in The Stringer's Digest.

Although there are a couple of different ATW methods available to the stringer, the USRSA-approved ATW method does not require any special tools, and is adaptable to virtually any racquet.

50/50 stringing instructions now on-line

Illustrated instructions for the 50/50 stringing method are now on-line for USRSA members at RacquetTECH.com. To gain access, log into the member section of the site and go to the Special Stringing Instructions in the reference section.

This information was previously available only in The Stringer's Digest.

2009 Mercedes Cup pro log now available

Thanks to Tom Parry and the Pacific stringing team, we now have added the pro equipment listings for the 2009 Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, Germany. These 251 listings bring our total pro equipment listings to 9,276. And this is just one of many great reasons to become a USRSA member.

If you are already a member, check out the pro equipment listing here.

Stringing instructions updated for PowerAngle racquets

We've updated the stringing instructions for all PowerAngle racquets, and included the specific instructions for the new PowerAngle Pro. Note that there are a couple of significant differences in the new stringing instructions, so make certain to review them before doing your next PowerAngle restring job. USRSA members can find the instructions on the "specials" page, which is linked off of the main page for the Digest on-line.

Prince 6000 video posted

We've posted the overview video for the new Prince 6000 stringing machine in our Machines section (for USRSA members only). As always, we're actively working with Prince and other stringing machine manufacturers to get as much information as possible available, so you'll have access 24/7 -- not just during "business" hours.

2009 Roland Garros pro log now available

Thanks to the Tecnifibre stringing team, we now have added the pro equipment listings for the 2009 Roland Garros in France. These 1,784 listings bring our total pro equipment listings to 9,025. And this is just one of many great reasons to become a USRSA member.

If you are already a member, check out the pro equipment listing here.

2009 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix pro log now available

Thanks to the Pacific stringing team, we now have added the pro equipment listings for the 2009 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. These 230 listings (singles, doubles, and qualifying) from this WTA event bring our total pro equipment listings to 7,241. And this is just one of many great reasons to become a USRSA member.

If you are already a member, check out the pro equipment listing here.

2009 BNP Paribas Open stringing log now available

Thanks to David, Casey, Doug, George, Mark, Dan, and Dave at Star Stringing, the pro stringing log is now available from the 2009 BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. There are 449 new records covering 275 players and coaches, bringing the total number of stringing log entries to 7,011. As always, the pro equipment log is for USRSA members only, so if you're not already a member, join today!

Racquet Selection Map now available on-line

The popular and handy Racquet Selection Map is now available in an enhanced on-line version for USRSA members. With a full, sortable table of available racquets, and a larger, zoomable racquet map, the Racquet Selector Map on-line is definitely easier to use. Plus, both the usable tips and FAQ have been expanded, and there are even links to previous years' Racquet Selection Maps.

USRSA members can check it out in the Tools menu, or at:

usrsa.com/members/tools/racquet_map.html

Updated: String Specs tool

USRSA members will be interested to learn that the String Specs tool has been upgraded. It's still sortable, but now the sort is better at handling columns of numbers. Also, the "Company" and "String" columns have been combined into one for display purposes, although you can still search for company and/or string separately.

Nerds will note that while upgrading the String Specs tool, we also upgraded the menu system, tab system, and data table sorting routines site-wide, but with any luck, non-nerds won't notice a thing.

Revamping our on-line calculators

Along with the general move to freshen up the site, we've redone virtually all of our JavaScript calculators to make use of the object literal format, to avoid namespace collisions with other JavaScript elements on our pages.

This in turn has allowed us more easily to combine related tools so they appear on one page, such as the four tension tools (constant-pull to lockout converter, lockout to constant-pull converter, pounds to kilos converter, and the tension estimator) and the two twist weight tools (the calculator and the estimator). The pages for these tools also have a nice tabbed interface for selecting your calculator of interest.

As always, of course, these on-line calculators are available to USRSA members only. If you're not a member, join today!

2008 Masters Cup stringing log now available

Thanks to the PACIFIC stringing team, we have the stringing log for the 2008 Masters Cup in Shanghai. USRSA members can search our Pro Equipment Log database, and sort the results. The 220 records in this stringing log bring our total entries to 6,562 in our pro log database. If you're not a USRSA member, join now to see this great data. Of course, there are many other reasons to join!

Expanded pro log for the 2007 Acura Classic

A new data management tool (Panorama database program, from Provue) has allowed us to make available the full stringing log from the 2007 Acura Classic, which was handled by our own Dave Bone and our trusty Babolat Star 5. Previously, we'd published an overview of the stringing log, but with our new capabilities we've replaced the summary with the full log. For those interested in such things, Panorama also allowed us to make available the full U.S. Open 2008 stringing log, which arrived in "crosstab" format from Wilson. Using Panorama and some devious data manipulations, we were able to "de-crosstabify" the data to fit our report template.

The bottom line is that there are now 160 more data points in the pro stringing log database for USRSA members to search and sort.

Tennis player birthdays

We've augmented our list of tennis player birthdates significantly, adding 11,143 new tennis player birthdates to our searchable listing. This brings the total to 29,383 tennis players for whom we have birthdate information. Check it out.

U.S. Open 2008 pro equipment listing

Thanks to Ron Rocchi and the Wilson Stringing Team, we have added 2,156 new pro equipment listings to our Pro Equipment Log, which is available to USRSA members. This represents an expansion by 53 percent to our previous -- and already extensive --  pro equipment listings.

This gives us a total of 6,158 player equipment listings, most of which show the racquet make and model, string make(s) and model(s), and tension(s) for each player, as well as the name of the event and the year for that equipment combination.

The listing is searchable, and the results are sortable.

New Star 3, Star 4, and RDC videos

We've taken the 52-minute Babolat video that covers the Star 3, Star 4, and Racquet Diagnostic Center (RDC) and split it up into targeted sections. USRSA members will find these videos on the Machines page (in the members-only section), and on the Calibration page (ditto).

Updated: Racquet Mass Mover calculator

We've updated the Racquet Mass Mover calculator to include First Moment, both for the starting specs and for the racquet with all changes to mass and mass distribution.

We also reformatted the calculator in the hopes of making it easier to use and understand. Check it out!

Crawford Lindsey on strings

We've added a link to the audio of a telephone interview Crawford Lindsey did for the New York Times back in August 2004. Here, Crawford discusses strings and stringbed stiffness.

Here the audio here.

(USRSA members only — membership and site registration required.)

2007 U.S. Open players log additions

Thanks to the Wilson Stringing team, we've added 10 players from the 2007 U.S. Open to the Pro Equipment Log listing. This is in the members-only section, so you must be a USRSA member to view it and the other thousands of pro log listings.

Special stringing instructions for the HEAD CrossBow and Airflow CB racquets

It never fails. No sooner did we publish a blanket statement by HEAD that the crosses on every HEAD performance racquet must be strung from the top down, than we receive word that the new HEAD CrossBow and Airflow CB racquets require a hybrid stringing technique. This technique includes special mounting instructions and a special order of installing the strings to prevent frame distortion, and it keeps the Crossbow from popping out of place.

USRSA members will find a link to the special instructions here.

Pacific Life Open pro equipment log now available

The pro equipment log for the 2008 Pacific Life Open is now available on-line to USRSA members in the Reference section. As with other years, the bulk of the information comes from David Mindell, Casey Maus, and the crew at Star Stringing in Cathedral City. However, this year, we were fortunate to get pro equipment info from off-site stringers Ron Yu (Priority One) and Billy Knight, making this one of the most comprehensive pro logs ever, with information on 307 players, coaches, and even a couple of hitting partners. Thanks to everyone who made this listing possible.

You'll note that because the pro log search results are now sortable, we changed the players' names to "lastname, firstname" so that sorting on the player column makes more sense.

New format for 'Ask the Experts' and 'Tips and Techniques'

Although it always has been possible to search for relevant items in either "Ask the Experts" or "Tips and Techniques," let's face it ... the process was a bit clunky. Whether you used the search form or used your browser to go through the list of all available items, it could have been easier.

Now, it is. With a little help from WordPress, all available "Ask the Experts" and "Tips and Techniques" items that appeared in Stringer's Assistant or RacquetTECH magazines are now readily available. The search function now works better, and there are multiple ways to get to the information. Once the conversion is complete, you'll even be able to see every "Tips and Techniques" post by any given submitter.

This conversion worked so well that we're starting to transfer other back-issue items into this system. Eventually, the goal is to have just about all of the content from back issues of Stringer's Assistant and RacquetTECH magazines available through this new interface.

New sortable columns in pro log tables

Not only are is our new pro player equipment listing searchable, it's also sortable. After you perform a search of our huge database of pro racquets, strings, and tensions, you can click on the column headers to change the sort based on the data in that column. Click once to sort it one way, click again to sort it the other way.

We'll be making other similar tables sortable, too. We've already converted the playtest results table over, so give that one a try next time you're in that area.

On-line stringing machine manuals

We've added a page to our member-only reference section for stringing machine manuals. We have 39 manuals to start, and it's our hope to expand this to include just about every machine out there. These manuals augment our existing Calibration pages.

If you have a manual for a machine we don't list, let us know.

New tool for searching pro equipment logs

USRSA members can now search our pro equipment logs. The individual event files are still available, but now this information is available from an on-line database, which allows you to search by any term in the database. There are currently more than 3,400 entries for more than 1,000 pros, with more on the way.

Check out the pro equipment log database here.

Pulling strings to make players' rackets fresher

Check out this article in the New York Times about Priority One.

RSI Magazine enhances and re-launches RacquetSportsIndustry.com

Racquet Sports Industry, the largest tennis trade magazine in the world, recently re-launched its website, www.racquetsportsindustry.com, to allow access to news from the industry as it happens.

Visitors to the new website will find continually updated information on the business of tennis and other racquet sports. The website will also offer more in-depth and extra coverage of many stories that run in the printed magazine.

"Our new website offers unlimited space for us to bring to those involved in the tennis industry the very latest information, so they can run their businesses as profitably as possible," says David Bone, co-publisher of Racquet Sports Industry. "You'll be getting more news, on a more timely basis."

The new RacquetSportsIndustry.com also offers an RSS feed that allows readers to be notified whenever a new story hits the site.

In addition to breaking news, visitors to the site will also find the greatest archive of racquet sports business related stories anywhere on the web. All the past issues of RSI magazine will be housed on the new site, with improved search capabilities that will allow searches based on text keywords, dates published, categories of information, specific issues of RSI magazine, specific months of RSI.com news, and even by author.

Racquet Sports Industry is the only magazine that exclusively covers the racquet sports business, including unmatched coverage of equipment, apparel, racquet service, racquetball, squash, badminton and more. RSI, which is published 10 times a year, has become an essential tool for those in the racquet sports business.

For more information about RSI, including how to subscribe, visit www.racquetsportsindustry.com.

Wilson World Stringing Championship

By Annette Broersma, WWSC Tournament Director

At mid-day Saturday, on the plaza of the Darling Tennis Center, competitors made their way toward center court. The Tennis Channel Open was on its seventh day, and the place was packed.

Just before reaching the end of the walkway, all six men turned into a roped-off arena containing six hydraulic [sic] stringing machines on individual pedestals. A time clock was prominently displayed, an officious man was in the center of the ring holding a starter pistol, and a huge crowd gathered, as if awaiting a prize fight.

"When I give you the start, you may step onto the pedestal, open the Wilson "Reaction" string packet, place the K-Factor racquet on the machine, and string!" announced Dave Bone, Executive Director of the United States Racquet Stringer's Association (USRSA), and Referee of the Wilson World Stringing Championship. Announcer, Wayne Bryan, took over the commentary as the starter shot rang out; TV cameras were everywhere, capturing the techniques that made this group the best there is.

They are a varied group of individuals, hailing from East to West Coast, and collectively representing almost one hundred years of stringing experience. These six finalists cleared several heats to get here, and the $10,000 prize package was only 15 minutes away.

The finalists included Gilbert Gan of Northridge, CA; Rob Cortney of Voorhees, NJ; Jim Downes of Baltimore, MD; Paul Neely of Phoenix, AZ; Bryan Richter of Irvine, CA; and Joseph Heydt, of Omaha, NE.

Top seed entering this final round was Downes with a record-setting heat time of nine minutes and 30 seconds. "Less than TEN minutes?" many passers-by gasped, as they checked out the Leader Board stationed outside the Wilson booth. That time was more than a minute under last year's winner. Clocked time includes unwrapping the string, mounting the racquet, and using a 16-main, 18-cross pattern using multifilament string, which is not as easy to pull and work with as a synthetic nylon. This was truly the championship for stringing professionals, and they had the admiration of every tennis player who's had to wait hours to get their racquets strung at a local shop.

Each contestant was feverishly and systematically measuring, pulling, and weaving. Joining the hilariously funny Wayne Bryan was Jon Muir, G.M of Wilson Racquet Sports, and knowledgeable commentator on 'All Things Stringing.' As it turned out, Wayne and Jon seemed to have a contest of their own as to who could get more of the crowd laughing and involved in the event. There was no clear winner.

As most of the eyes were on Downes and Neely, side-by-side and trash-talking their way to what should have been a sure victory with their qualifying times, something unexpected happened. A quiet, long and curly-haired hippie, who did his stringing barefoot, was suddenly in the lead and on his last 3 cross strings. All eyes went to Bryan Richter as his slender arms gracefully pulled both ends simultaneously, in such a fashion that he seemed to be leading an orchestra rather than stringing a racquet.

"He's shattering the record!" shouted Muir and Bryan.

Richter removed the clamps and slammed the racket down to signal completion. "Eight minutes and forty-six seconds," came the timer's call. He had won $10,000 of prizes from Wilson and The Tennis Channel, as well as the opportunity to test to string at the U.S. Open, with high income potential and all expenses paid. "I'm stoked!" he cried as he threw his hat to the ground in the center of the ring.

As Richter took a bow, he surprised everyone by taking the microphone and singing a stringing Rap. It turns out he also produces hip hop music under a nonprofit label. Not surprising, he has a B.A. in Philosophy from Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. When asked why he has chosen to be a professional stringer, he doesn't hesitate.

"I work for the greatest guy in the world, Kirk Hybskmann, the owner of Irvine Tennis Shop. I love my job because I get to be around Kirk, we have a great time at the shop, and play (tennis) at the local City of Irvine public courts."

If you're Bryan Richter, it's a great life. Today was just a bit sweeter.

RSI announces USRSA's annual String Survey/Member Choice Awards

Racquet Sports Industry magazine's January issue contains a special pull-out poster listing the results of the US Racquet Stringers Association's annual String Survey/Member Choice Awards. USRSA members rate their 90 favorite tennis strings for Playability, Durability, Comfort, and Overall Average Score.

Racquet Sports Industry's January issue is shipping to subscribers now and also contains the following great articles:

• Industry News - All the latest news, announcements, and happenings in the industry
• Lee's Facility Analysis Survey offers "Roadmap" for Court Owners
• A Team Effort - Jimmy Pitkanen says both players and coaches have a lot to gain from the team experience
• New Members: Your Key to Staying in Business
• PTR on Campus Program Trains and Certifies Full-Time Students
• Against the Wall - With Rapid Rally, beginning players have a fun way to get into tennis
• Busy Making a Living? - College Courses are just a Mouse Click Away
• Strings of Success - How do you know what strings to stock for your shop?
• A Tennis Wish List - Industry Leaders tell us what they'd like to see in 2007
• Mark of Distinction - RSI and ASBA bring you the best in tennis court construction
• Spin Off the Court and Strings - Understand the forces involved in generating spin
• String Playtest - Prince Synthetic Gut Multifilament 16
• Tips & Techniques - Reader's Know-How in Action
• Ask the Experts - Your equipment hotline
• A Growing Tennis Village - The TIA's executive director says collaborations within the industry are what lead to growth of the sport

Complete coverage can be found in the January 2007 issue of RSI magazine which is already shipping to subscribers.

Racquet Sports Industry, the only magazine covering the racquet sports industry, provides unmatched coverage of the business, equipment, apparel, and racquet service of tennis, racquetball, squash, and badminton. Each one-year subscription includes 10 issues filled with the kind of stories and information about racquet sports that can't be found anywhere else. To get more information about RSI magazine or to subscribe to RSI magazine, visit www.racquetsportsindustry.com.

RSI Magazine Announces Champions of Tennis for 2006

Kirk Anderson, the U.S. Tennis Association’s director of recreational coaches and programs, has been named “Person of the Year” by Racquet Sports Industry magazine in the publication’s November/December 2006 issue. Anderson led off the magazine’s sixth annual “Champions of Tennis Awards,” which honors people and organizations dedicated to improving the sport and business of tennis. “Kirk is truly an amazing person within the tennis industry,” said Peter Francesconi, the editorial director of Racquet Sports Industry. “His creativity and advocacy has led to many programs that are bringing more people into the game, his upbeat attitude is easily shared by his very talented staff at the USTA, and he is totally dedicated to the recreational sport.”

RSI magazine lauded Anderson, of New Fairfield, Conn., for his “pivotal role within the industry as one of tennis’s premier teachers of tennis teachers.” Anderson, who has been involved in teaching tennis since the 1970s, joined the USTA’s national office in 1996. Prior to that, he spent two years as the director of education for the U.S. Professional Tennis Association, an organization of teaching professionals.

Ironically, Anderson was kicked off his college tennis team when he said he had taught tennis for money at a summer recreational program. After that, he said, he vowed to continue to teach and to “become the best teacher I possibly could.”

Some key initiatives Anderson currently is working on includes “Recreational Coach Workshops,” designed to get parents and other volunteers involved in teaching and coaching recreational players; a school tennis initiative that includes “no-cut” high school programs, where any student is welcome on the tennis team, and teams with dozens of players are common; and a “transition-ball” project, which uses foam balls and other low-compression balls, combined with shorter courts, to help get beginners into tennis.

RSI (www.racquetsportsindustry.com), the world’s largest magazine geared toward the tennis industry, also named winners in 16 other categories for its 2006 Champions of Tennis Awards:

• Private Facility of the Year: Midtown Tennis Center, Chicago
• Stringer of the Year: Grant Morgan, Memphis, Tenn.
• Court Builder/Contractor of the Year: Courtsmiths, Toledo, Ohio
• Sales Rep of the Year: Jim Willwerth, Jupiter, Fla.
• Chain Retailer/Mass Merchant of the Year: PGA Tour Superstores, Atlanta
• Pro/Specialty Retailer of the Year: Swetka’s Tennis Shop, Mountain View, Calif.
• Junior Development Champion of the Year: Bwana Chakar Simba, Los Angeles
• Grassroots Champion of the Year: Beverly Bourguet, Albuquerque, N.M.
• Municipal Facility of the Year: Cary Tennis Park, Cary, N.C.
• Wheelchair Champion of the Year: Bruce Karr, Boynton Beach, Fla.
• Public Park of the Year: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Flushing Meadows, N.Y.
• Community Tennis Association of the Year: Montgomery County (Md.) Tennis Association
• Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) Member of the Year: Ajay Pant, Overland Park, Kan.
• U.S. Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) Member of the Year: Brett Hobden, Naples, Fla.
• High School Coach of the Year: David Steinbach, Brookfield, Wis.
• USTA Section of the Year: Texas

Complete coverage can be found in the November/December issue of RSI magazine which is already shipping to subscribers.

Short-cut to Google tennis news feed

USRSA.com: We've created a short-cut link to Google's tennis news feature. Note that this is a completely different view of tennis news than you get with Bob Larson's professionally assembled Daily Tennis News.

Welcome Christina Kaus

Christina Kaus has been added to the USRSA team. As membership director, she will be working with Dianne Pray, and she will also be working with Barbara Smith on the certification program. You can read the press release here.

New search features

USRSA.com: We've added a search page for all the on-line text of Stringer's Assistant and Racquet Tech magazines. We've also added a special search page that covers just the "Ask the Experts" items (similar to the special search page that covers just the "Tips and Techniques" items).

New racquet information

USRSA.com: The Digest On-line, Morphinator, and the Racquet Selector now have stringing instructions and specs (respectively) for the following new racquets: Babolat Aero Blast (tennis), Babolat Drive Z OS (tennis), Babolat Pure Drive (with Cortex) (tennis), Babolat Pure Drive + (with Cortex) (tennis), Babolat Pure Drive 107 (with Cortex) (tennis), Babolat Pure Drive Roddick (tennis), Babolat Pure Drive Roddick + (tennis), Bancroft Omni (tennis), Bancroft Rocket (tennis), Feather Classic Pro 2000 (tennis), Feather Court Ti 2000 (tennis), Fischer Beat Ti. (tennis), Head Airflow 3 (tennis), Head Airflow 5 (tennis), Head Airflow 7 (tennis), Head Flexpoint 1 OS (tennis), Head FXP Prestige Team (tennis), Head Metallix 10 (tennis), Head Nano Agassi Ti. Inferno (tennis), Prince Graphite Extreme OS (tennis), Prince O3 Hybrid Tour (16x18) (tennis), Prince O3 Citron OS (tennis), Prince O3 Spectrum Hybrid Midplus (tennis), Prince O3 Spectrum Hybrid Oversize (tennis), Slazenger Type 2 NX2 (tennis), Slazenger Type 2 NX2 (tennis), Slazenger Type 2 NX3 (tennis), Volkl DNX 1 w/Power Arm (tennis), Volkl DNX 10 Mid (tennis), Volkl DNX 9 (tennis), Wilson n2 (tennis), Wilson nTour Two 105 (tennis), Wilson nTour Two 95 (tennis), Wilson W3 Gypsy Rose (tennis), Wilson W5 Divine Iris (tennis), Yonex RQS 11 (tennis), Yonex URQ Speed 8 (tennis), E-Force Bedlam Knife 150 (racquetball), E-Force Bedlam Knife 170 (racquetball), E-Force Bedlam Knife 175 (racquetball), E-Force Lethal 160 (racquetball), E-Force Lethal 175 (racquetball), E-Force Lethal 190 (racquetball), Ektelon O3 Black (racquetball), Ektelon O3 Hybrid Diablo (racquetball), Ektelon O3 Hybrid Shark (racquetball), Ektelon Power Fan Beast (racquetball), Ektelon Power Ring Freak (racquetball), Head MX 170 (racquetball), Head MX 180 (racquetball), Head MX 190 (racquetball), Pro Kennex HC2 165 (racquetball), Pro Kennex HC2 175 (racquetball), Pro Kennex Kinetic Ti. Diamond (racquetball), Pro Kennex Shadow 170 (racquetball), Pro Kennex Shadow 180 (racquetball), Wilson nBlade (racquetball), Wilson nPro Hope (racquetball), Wilson nRage (racquetball), Black Knight Magnum Pro nXS (squash), Dunlop Hot Melt Carbon (squash), Dunlop Hotmelt Graphite (squash), Dunlop Hotmelt Pro (squash), Dunlop Hotmelt Titanium (squash), Dunlop Ice Custom Elite (squash), Dunlop IceTour Lee Beechill (squash), Dunlop M-Fil Tour (squash), Dunlop M-Fil Ultra (squash), Feather Cyclone 2003 125 (squash), Feather Cyclone 2003 135 (squash), Feather Fan - 2 (squash), Feather Heavy Hitter (squash), Feather Super Hitter (squash), Feather Titanium Drop 110 (squash), Feather Titanium Drop 130 (squash), Head Flexpoint 130 (squash), Head Flexpoint 140 (squash), Head Flexpoint 150 (squash), Head Flexpoint 160 (squash), Prince Air Drive 140 (Air TT) (squash), Prince O3 Tour (squash), Pro Kennex HC2 140 (squash), Tecnifibre Dynergy 125 (squash), Tecnifibre Supreme 140 Carbiothane (squash), Tecnifibre Supreme Carbiothane 140 TF (squash), Wilson n135 (squash), Wilson nPro (squash), and the Wilson nRage (4 Holes in Throat) (squash).

RSI wins Apex award

RSI has done it again! For the third year in a row, we've won an Apex Award for Publication Excellence, in the category "Magazines & Journals -- Printed Four-Color."

Bob Larson's Daily Tennis News now free to USRSA members

Bob Larson's Daily Tennis News e-mail service is now one of the many benefits of USRSA membership. The e-mail newsletters, which cost $97 per year by themselves, are sent each weekday, covering the men's tour, the women's tour, college tennis, business, and classifieds. See the full information here.

New Biomechanics Book from Racquet Tech Publishing

A new book by Racquet Tech Publishing, Biomechanical Principles of Tennis Technique: Using Science to Improve Your Strokes, by Duane Knudson, Ph.D., explains the science of tennis technique. The book applies the lessons learned from studying the forces and motions of tennis strokes. Through the implementation of six basic biomechanical principles, players can make subtle adjustments to their strokes, creating stroke variations that not only improve their game but also reduce their risk of injury. Detailed line drawings, stroke analysis and sequence photos of top touring pros, action photographs and high-speed video images, and an exploration of the benefits of video replay provide players with a variety of useful techniques. The book is $14.95. To order, visit RacquetTECH.com or call 760-536-1177.

New racquet information

USRSA.com: The Digest On-line, Morphinator, and the Racquet Selector now have stringing instructions and specs (respectively) for the following new racquets: Avery M5 (tennis), Head Barbie 25 (tennis), Head Barbie 23 (tennis), Head Barbie 21 (tennis), Head Ti.Agassi 25 (tennis), Head Ti.Agassi 23 (tennis), Head Ti.Agassi 21 (tennis), Head Ti.Crush 25 (tennis), Head Ti.Crush 23 (tennis), Head Ti.Crush 21 (tennis), Head nano ti.Elite (tennis), Head nano Ti.Extreme (tennis), Head FXP Radical Junior (tennis), Head Liquidmetal Prestige Junior (tennis), Tecnifibre T Flash 290 (tennis), Weed EXT 135 Blue (tennis), Weed EXT 135 Green (tennis), Weed EXT 135 Pink (tennis), Weed EXT 135 Tour (tennis), PowerAngle Power 115 (Red) (tennis), PowerAngle Power 102 (Navy Blue) (tennis), Wilson US Open (tennis), Wilson Impact (tennis), Wilson H26 (tennis), Wilson nTour 26 (tennis), Wilson Sponge Bob 19 (tennis), Wilson Sponge Bob 21 (tennis), Wilson US Open 21 (tennis), Wilson Pro Surge 25 (tennis), Wilson Grand Slam (tennis), Wilson Federer (tennis), Wilson n26 (tennis), Wilson nSix One 26 (tennis), Wilson Federer 26 (tennis), Pro Kennex Ki 20 PSE (tennis), Pro Kennex Type C 93 Redondo Edition (tennis), Fischer M GDS Rally (tennis), Fischer M Twin Tec Motion (tennis), Dunlop M Fil Lady G (tennis), Dunlop M Fil 400 (tennis), Dunlop M Fil 600 (tennis), Head Flexpoint Prestige XL MP (tennis), Prince Air Freak Oversize (tennis), Prince Air Freak Midplus (tennis), Prince O3 Tour MS (tennis), Prince O3 Tour OS (tennis), Prince O3 Shark Hybrid Oversize (tennis), Prince O3 Shark Hybrid Midplus (tennis), Prince O3 Hornet Hybrid Midplus (tennis), Prince O3 Hornet Hybrid Oversize (tennis), Prince O3 White MP (tennis), Volkl DNX 10 (tennis), Volkl DNX 8 (tennis), Volkl DNX 3 (tennis), Prince Pro Ti (tennis), Prince Rebel Ti (tennis), Prince Lob Ti (tennis), Prince PL Synergy (tennis), Prince Ace Ti (tennis), Prince Air Tight (tennis), Prince Air Flash (tennis), Prince Air Light (tennis), Prince Wimbledon Tournament (tennis), Prince Arch Rival (tennis), Prince Arch Rebel (tennis), Prince Arch invader (tennis), Head Flexpoint Prestige MP (tennis), Head Flexpoint Prestige Mid (tennis), Gamma IPEX 7.0 MP (tennis), Gamma IPEX 2.0 SOS (tennis), Gamma IPEX 5.0 OS (tennis), Gamma IPEX 5.0 MP (tennis), Gamma IPEX 3.0 OS (tennis), Gamma IPEX 7.0 OS (tennis), Pro Kennex Type C 98 Redondo Edition (tennis), Wilson n5 Force 110 (tennis), Wilson n5 Force 98 (tennis), Wilson nBlade 106 (tennis), Wilson nBlade 98 (tennis), Wilson nFury 100 (tennis), Wilson nFury 110 (tennis), Wilson nPro Open (tennis), Wilson nPro Open X (tennis), Wilson nSix Two 100 (tennis), Wilson nSix Two 113 (tennis), Yonex RDS 001 98 (tennis), Yonex RDS 001 90 (tennis), Head Flexpoint Fire (tennis), Head Flexpoint Heat (tennis), Prince TT Air Rip (tennis), Prince Great White (tennis), Yonex RDS 003 100 (tennis), Fischer M GDS Vision FT (tennis), Fischer M Tour 100 (tennis), Babolat Pure Drive 110 (with Cortex) (tennis), Tecnifibre T Fight 335 (16x20) (tennis), Tecnifibre T Fight 335 (18x20) (tennis), Tecnifibre T Fight 320 (16x20) (tennis), and the Tecnifibre T Fight 320 (18x20) (tennis).

Goodbye, Nancy!

Long-time USRSA employee Nancy Crowley is retiring today. Goodbye, Nancy, we'll each miss you.

Announcing the new and improved Racquet Optimizer

USRSA.com: We've improved our Racquet Optimizer on-line racquet modeling tool to allow you to experiment with adding weight at two different locations on the frame. (USRSA membership required to use the on-line tools.)

Full-cover views

It always seemed a shame that after all the time and effort that goes into designing and executing our covers, each has been relegated to a couple of measly square inches on the website. No longer! Now, if you go to the table of contents page of any issue, and click on the small image of the cover, you'll be taken to a full-size image. Also, on the navigation page for the various issues, when you place your cursor over the month-name of the magazine, you'll see the corresponding cover for that issue next to the listing.

'Sitemap' and 'urllist' files added

We've added sitemap files (listings of all the URLs, in XML format) and urllist files to both USRSA.com and racquetsportsindustry.com. These files are recommend to help search engines -- primarily Google and Yahoo! -- better crawl the site, so that when you search for information that appears on either site, you will more easily find it. Ironically, MSN Search, which seems not to pay any attention to sitemap or urllist files, has by far the best index of our site.

Announcing the Babolat Star 5

Babolat has very kindly given us permission to make available the sales brochure for its upcoming Babolat Star 5 stringing machine. This brochure, which is available to USRSA members only, is a downloadable file in Microsoft PowerPoint format. The Star 5 is scheduled for release in early 2006, with a projected U.S. list price of $3,000. Also available at additional charge are badminton adaptors and the famous Babolat stringer tool kit, each of which is shown in this brochure. (Update: For those without PowerPoint, we have also created a somewhat clunky HTML version.)

RSI navigation fixed

RSI.com: In our haste to get racquetsportsindustry.com up and available, we forgot to check to see if our pages displayed properly in all the major browsers (AOL, Camino, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Netscape, Opera, and Safari). It looked fine in Safari (of course) and IE/Mac, and our HTML and CSS code all validated just fine, so we thought we were home free. For some reason, though, AOL, Camino, Firefox, and Netscape failed to render the top navigation menu properly. Regretfully, the fix meant replacing the pure CSS top banner with a table, but at least it works.

We're up and running!

RSI.com: Our brand-new site is visible to the world for the very first time today. There are bound to be a few rough edges as we settle in, but just about all the material from RSi magazine from its premiere issue in February 2004 through the latest issue of August 2005 is available now. Keep checking back, as every month we'll make available the latest issue.

New racquet information

USRSA.com: The Digest On-line, Morphinator, and the Racquet Selector now have stringing instructions and specs (respectively) for the following new racquets: Avery M3 (72 Holes) (tennis), Avery M3 Control (tennis), Avery M3 Power (tennis), Babolat Aeropro Control + (tennis), Babolat Aeropro Drive + (tennis), Bancroft ACE Advantage (tennis), Bancroft ACE Tour (tennis), Bancroft ACE Tour + (tennis), Fischer M Pro No. One 105 (tennis), Fischer M Pro No. One 98 (tennis), Fischer Pro No. One Impact FT (tennis), Fischer Pro Tour (tennis), Head Flexpoint 10 (tennis), Head Flexpoint 6 MP (tennis), Head Flexpoint 6 OS (tennis), Head Flexpoint Instinct (tennis), Head Flexpoint Radical MP (tennis), Head Flexpoint Radical OS (tennis), Head Flexpoint Radical Tour MP (tennis), Head FXP Radical Team (Flexpoint) (tennis), Head Liquidmetal Universe (tennis), Prince Air Vanquish Midplus (tennis), Prince Air Vanquish Oversize (tennis), Prince O3 Blue (tennis), Prince O3 Pink OS (tennis), Prince Shark DB Midplus (tennis), Prince Shark DB Oversize (tennis), Prince Shark MP LB (tennis), Prince Synergy Premier 110 (tennis), Prince Triple Threat Response MP 26" (tennis), Pro Kennex Ki 30 (Kinetic Ionic 30) (tennis), Pro Kennex Ki 5 (Kinetic Ionic 5) (tennis), Vantage Custom Built (68 Holes) (tennis), Vantage Custom Built (70 Holes) (tennis), Vantage Custom Built (76 Holes) (tennis), Vantage VT001 (tennis), Vantage VT002 (tennis), Vantage VT003 (tennis), Volkl DNX V1 MP (tennis), Volkl DNX V1 OS (tennis), Wilson n4 Midplus (101) (tennis), Wilson n4 Oversize (111) (tennis), Wilson n6 (110) (tennis), Wilson W2 Black Whisper (tennis), Wilson W2 Blue Shadow (tennis), Wilson W2 Spicy Ruby (tennis), Wilson W4 Cobalt Storm (tennis), Wilson W4 Red Fury (tennis), Wilson W4 Savage Lime (tennis), Wilson W4 Savage Sapphire (tennis), Wilson W6 Blue Steel (tennis), Wilson W6 Wild Crimson (tennis), Yonex NSRQ 5 (tennis), Yonex NSRQ 7 (100) (tennis), Yonex NSRQ 7 (110) (tennis), Yonex NSRQ 8 (tennis), E-Force Bedlam Super-Mains 150 (racquetball), E-Force Bedlam Super-Mains 170 (racquetball), E-Force Bedlam Super-Mains 175 (racquetball), E-Force Super 30 DC 160 (racquetball), E-Force Super 30 DC 170 (racquetball), E-Force Super 30 DC 175 (racquetball), E-Force Super 30 DC 190 (racquetball), Ektelon O3 Red (racquetball), Ektelon O3 Silver (racquetball), Ektelon Power Fan Outlaw (racquetball), Ektelon Power Ring Excel (racquetball), Ektelon Power Ring Tour Lite (racquetball), Head Liquidmetal IGS 165 (racquetball), Head Liquidmetal IGS 175 (racquetball), Head Liquidmetal IGS 185 (racquetball), Head Ti.Blast (racquetball), Head Ti.Defender (racquetball), Head Ti.Demon (racquetball), Head Ti.Laser (racquetball), Head Ti.Photon (racquetball), Head Ti.Sonic (racquetball), Pro Kennex Core 1 Platinum 165 (racquetball), Pro Kennex Core 1 Platinum 175 (racquetball), Wilson Fury (racquetball), Wilson n170 (racquetball), Wilson n180 (racquetball), Wilson n190 (racquetball), Wilson nPro (racquetball), Wilson nTour (racquetball), Wilson Ripper (racquetball), Wilson Rush (racquetball), Wilson Scorch (racquetball), Wilson Tazer (racquetball), Wilson Ti. Smash (racquetball), Wilson Xpress (racquetball), Ashaway Destiny 490 (squash), Ashaway Hornet 495 (squash), Ashaway Liberty 495 (squash), Ashaway Rad 475 (squash), Black Knight 4670 Storm (squash), Black Knight 6118 Graph-Force (squash), Black Knight C2C Heat (60 Holes) (squash), Harrow M-140 (squash), Harrow Stealth (squash), Harrow Stealth The Prep (squash), Harrow Super Winner R Squared (squash), Harrow Super Winner True Blue (squash), Harrow The Prep (squash), Harrow Vapor (squash), Head i.X140G Pro (squash), Head i.x160 (squash), Head Liquidmetal 150 (squash), Head Liquidmetal 160 (squash), Head Ti.140G (squash), Head Ti.160G (squash), Head Ti.Fire (squash), Head Ti.Heat (squash), Head Ti.Speed (squash), Prince M+ Pro (squash), Prince O3 All Court (squash), Prince O3 Silver (squash), Pro Kennex C 160 Tour (squash), Pro Kennex P 120 Ki Sling (squash), Pro Kennex P 140 Ki Sling (squash), Wilson H170 (squash), Wilson Hammer n120 (squash), Wilson Hammer n145 (squash), Wilson Jr. Boast (squash), Wilson n120 (squash), Wilson n130 (squash), Wilson n140 (squash), Wilson n145 (squash), Wilson nRage (6 Holes in Throat) (squash), Wilson nTour (squash), Wilson PS Fantom (squash), Wilson Ti. Power (squash), Wilson Triad n130 (squash), Wilson Triad n140 (squash), Prince M+ XL (badminton), Prince Spectrum (badminton), Prince Strike (badminton), Wilson Hope (badminton), Wilson Matchpoint (badminton), Wilson n1 (badminton), Wilson n1 (badminton), Wilson n3 (badminton), Wilson n5 (badminton), Wilson Ti. Comp (badminton), Wilson Ti. Power (badminton), Wilson Ti. Smash (badminton), Wilson V4 (badminton), Wilson V8 (badminton), Yonex Isometric 23 VF (badminton), Yonex Isometric 25 VF (badminton), Yonex Isometric 30 VF (badminton), Yonex Isometric 65 LT (badminton), Yonex Isometric 75 MF Light (badminton), Yonex Muscle Power 100 (badminton), Yonex Muscle Power 23 Power (badminton), Yonex Muscle Power 25 Power (badminton), Yonex Muscle Power 28 Control (badminton), Yonex Muscle Power 30 (badminton), Yonex Muscle Power 44 (badminton), Yonex Muscle Power 66 (badminton)

Technical Tennis Dispels Time-Honored Myths

Have you ever wondered how much difference your equipment makes to your tennis game? Tennis physicist Rod Cross and technology expert (and RSI publisher and editor-in-chief) Crawford Lindsey answer all your questions and explode time-honored "truisms" in their new book, Technical Tennis: Racquets, Strings, Balls, Courts, Spin, and Bounce. The 152-page paperback is a reader-friendly follow-up to their widely acclaimed The Physics and Technology of Tennis, which they co-authored with Dr. Howard Brody (who wrote the foreword to the new book). The four chapters cover Racquets, Strings, Balls and Bounce, and Spin and Trajectory, and answer equipment- and performance-related questions that have perennially plagued hackers and experts alike, allowing players to turn practice into a focused application of principles affecting the impact, bounce, and flight of the ball. Technical Tennis is available from Racquet Tech Publishing for $12.95. To order visit Technical Tennis on the web, or call 760-536-1177.

RSI wins Apex award

Racquet Sports Industry magazine has won a 2005 Apex Award for Publication Excellence for the second year in a row. See the full story here.

String gauges added to sortable Playtest Report Summary

USRSA.com: Because many of the strings we playtest come in different gauges, we've added a "Gauge" column to the sortable playtest summary, which should help reduce confusion.

New racquet information

USRSA.com: The Digest On-line, Morphinator, and the Racquet Selector now have stringing instructions and specs (respectively) for the following new racquets: Dunlop I-Zone 5 (tennis), Dunlop M Fil 200 (tennis), Dunlop M Fil 300 (tennis), Dunlop M Fil 300 Jr. (tennis), Dunlop M Fil 500 (tennis), Dunlop M Fil 700 (tennis), Dunlop Maxply McEnroe (70 Holes) (tennis), Dunlop Maxply McEnroe Jr. (70 Holes) (tennis), Fischer Pro Tour Extreme FT (tennis), Fischer Twin Tec 1250 FTi (tennis), Head Liquidmetal 1 110 (tennis), Head Liquidmetal 1 MP (tennis), Head Liquidmetal Heat (tennis), Head Radical 21 (tennis), Head Radical 23 (tennis), Head Radical 25 (tennis), Head Ti.Eclipse (tennis), Head Ti.Evolution (tennis), Head Ti.Flash (tennis), Head Ti.Smash (tennis), Head Ti.Tornado (tennis), Prince AirDB Midplus (tennis), Prince AirDB Oversize (tennis), Prince Diablo XP MP (tennis), Prince Diablo XP OS (tennis), Prince O3 Red MP (tennis), Prince O3 Silver OS (tennis), Prince O3 Tour 100 (tennis), Tecnifibre T Feel 275 XL (tennis), Tecnifibre T Feel 290 XL (tennis), Tecnifibre T Feel 305 (tennis), Tecnifibre T Feel 305 XL (tennis), Tecnifibre T Fight 315 (tennis), Tecnifibre T Fight 325 (tennis), Volkl Boris Becker 1 (tennis), Volkl Boris Becker 10 (tennis), Volkl Boris Becker 3 (tennis), Volkl Boris Becker 5 (tennis), Volkl Boris Becker 7 (tennis), Volkl Boris Becker Power (tennis), Volkl Catapult 4 Gen II (tennis), Volkl Catapult 8 V-Engine (tennis), Volkl Tour 10 MP Gen II (tennis), Volkl Tour 6 Gen II (tennis), Wilson H Cyclone (tennis), Wilson H Rival 112 (tennis), Wilson H Rival 96 (tennis), Wilson n1 Force (tennis), Wilson nPro 98 (tennis), Wilson nPro Surge (tennis), Wilson nPro Surge X (tennis), Wilson nPS 95 (tennis), Wilson nSix One Team 95 (68 holes) (tennis), Wilson nSix One Team 95 (76 holes) (tennis), Wilson nTour 105 (tennis), Wilson nTour 95 (tennis), Wilson nVision (tennis), and the Wilson Pro Staff Blitz (tennis).

New book and a new calculator

USRSA.com: We're proud to offer our latest book, The Winner's Mind, by Allen Fox, and we've added a Twist Weight Estimator to our on-line tools.

Look at us grow!

USRSA.com: Although we are still small for our age (lots of our older material is not yet on-line), we are getting bigger all the time. As of today, we have: 2,006 html files, 1,082 image files, 70 directories, 50 cgi files, and 11 Java archive files.

New Book for Top Tennis Performance

From Breakpoint to Advantage: A Practical Guide to Optimal Tennis Health and Performance is a new book by Babette Pluim and Marc Safran that was written to help players reach optimal, injury-free performance, including preventing overuse injuries. Pluim, a sports physician and medical director of the Royal Netherlands Lawn Tennis Association, is the editor of the newsletter Medicine and Science in Tennis and a contributor to the IOC Handbook of Sports Medicine and Science: Tennis. Safran is an orthopedic surgeon in San Francisco specializing in sports medicine and biomechanics.

Topics in the book, which is published by Racquet Tech Publishing, include: injury prevention and rehabilitation; descriptions, symptoms, and treatments for all tennis injuries and ailments; stroke mechanics and injury; training programs for flexibility, balance, stabilization, and strength; proper nutrition for tennis players; equipment selection for health and performance; and more.

To order the book, which retails for $29.95, contact the USRSA at 760-536-1177, e-mail usrsa@usrsa.com, or order through our on-line store.