04 December 2007

Rajeev Wins - English Nationals Veterans Title



Rajeev Bagga, is the deaf World Champion 2007. Rajeev recently added the National English Veterans over 40 singles title to his every expanding trophy collection.

Rajeev cruised though the field to finally beat beat Tony Cole of Worcester

21-8, 21-15 in the final.

Rajeev uses AMPS301 footwear, Kevlar Rackets and is pictured here in his Ashaway Tracksuit.





STOP PRESS - UPDATE April 2008. Rajeev is taking the International veterans tour by storm. Rajeev adds the All England Seniors' Open Championships 2008 to his mantle piece. Rajeev won the title in style. The score in the final was 21-11, 21-11. He's pictured here with his latest All England trophy and in action during his victory at the deaf world championships.

21 November 2007

Ashaway BUSA Individual Championships


The Ashaway BUSA individual champions took part over the weekend, the event was more popular than ever with over 600 entrants. The standard of badminton (and the saturday night social event!) was excellent. Pictured here is ashaway sponsored player Ivor Griffiths, Ivor Silver in Mens doubles and Bronze in the mixed doubles. Well done Ivor.




Ashaway also sponsors the BUSA team, pictured here at the world championship in Bangkok.

Back (left to right) - 'Harry' Wright, Peter Mills, Matt Honey, Matt Hanson

Front (left to right) - Caroline Westly, Elinor Middlemiss, Rachel Howard, Mariana Agethangelou
Ivor is pictured using a Kevlar 7000SQ racket, the team are shown in there ADF507 and ADL103 shirts and ashaway shorts and skorts.

Ashaway at the British Open

BRITISH OPEN SQUASH

Ashaway were present with all of the squash worlds biggest stars at the british open in Manchester. World Champion David Palmer (right) visited the stand to have his rackets re-stung by UKRSA Master technician Liam Nolan (www.ukrsa.com ). He's pictured endorsing his preferred Ashaway string Powernick 18 (also used by Ong Beng Hee, Lee Beechall, Daryl Selby and many more)



Liam Nolan is pictured here at the Ashaway stand with Nick Goode of Goode Sport (Ashaway UK)

During the event the stringing machine was red hot with players rackets aswell as those from members of the public:

Powernick 18 Red - 52% of re-strings
Supernick XL Pro - 26% of re-strings
NEW! Supernick XL Micro - 13% of re-strings
Supernick XL - 9% of re-strings

for more details on these strings please visit www.ashaway.co.uk

12 November 2007

What tension should I have my racket strung at?

String Tension:

There are two ways to string your racquet for power, and two ways to string for control. Both thin strings and low string tension make the stringbed more resilient, to generate greater "trampoline effect" and more power. Conversely, thick strings and high tension make the stringbed stiffer, and the flatter surface aids ball control.
So does string gauge really matter? After all, you can make any string, thick or thin, tighter or looser. Or does tension really matter, since you can choose a string that's thinner or thicker?
Yes to both questions, because there are other factors contributing to power and control besides the trampoline effect, and other considerations besides power and control.
Many of us are concerned with durability, from a number of different standpoints. First and most obvious is the cost of replacing strings that have either broken or lost their tension. Second is the probability of a lost point every time a string breaks in the middle of a rally. Third is the inconvenience of getting the stringing done, and perhaps being without your favorite (or only) racquet for a time.
Thicker strings are more durable than thinner ones of similar construction, but tension presents a more complex picture. If you string at high tension and you're a really hard hitter, then you're probably going to pop a lot of strings, and the ones that don't pop will lose tension rapidly. If you string at high tension and you're a touch player, breakage won't be a big problem, and tension loss will be slower. If you string at really low tension, you won't pop a lot of strings, and tension loss won't be a problem, but you may wear them out by abrasion, because at low tension the strings tend to saw back and forth against each other.
The molecules in racquet string fibers tend to be coiled up when they're under no tension, and these coils get straightened as the string is stretched. After the string has been under tension for a while, the molecules take a "set" in their straightened configuration and stop trying to spring back to their original shape. That's what causes tension loss. Because thin strings have to be stretched further than thick ones in order to achieve the same tension, they are more susceptible to tension loss.
But thin strings have several advantages as well. They dig a bit deeper into the surface of the squash ball, generating better traction for more spin control. They create less wind resistance, allowing the racquet to be swung faster. Finally, they weigh less, which should also boost swing speed and racquet maneuverability. (I weighed sets of 17 and 18 gauge strings of similar construction, and the difference was 1.82 grams, or 15%-not a huge difference, but maybe enough to make a difference.)
Thin strings and thick strings feel different at equal tensions. You might think that the thinner string would feel looser, but it doesn't always work that way. Trampoline effect is a function of how much further those molecular coils can stretch when the ball hits the string. Because the coils are already stretched pretty straight in thin string, there is less resilience left in them. So to attain a comparable "feel," you actually have to tension the thinner string a bit lower than the thicker one.

Here's a quick summary:
Thin strings provide more trampoline power, deeper ball penetration, and offer lower wind resistance and weight, while thick strings offer greater control stiffness and durability. High stringing tension provides greater control stiffness, but is more susceptible to "catastrophic" breakage, while low tension provides greater trampoline power, and is subject to more abrasion failures.

David Palmer uses Powernick 18 Red at 27-28 lbs (depending on the conditions).