Image Up Advertising & Design

56 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | MARCH 2021 Not meaning to string you along, but we have all, at one time or another, had our tennis racquet re-strung. You have probably also seen some numbers on the throat of the racquet, e.g. 45 – 60 lbs., 48 – 58 lbs., 50 – 60 lbs., etc. Those are the manufacturer's recommended tension range for your racquet. So, at how many lbs. should you string your racquet, you might ask. Well, that's a six-million-dollar question! If you take your racquet to a tennis pro-shop for re-stringing without specifying your desired string tension, they most likely would just string it at the middle of the recommended range. However, if you are more of a seasoned player, you may want to have your racquet strung at a specific tension. So, why does it matter what tension you want for your racquet? As there is no real exact science of what tension is best, it really all boils down to personal preference. Some players prefer lower string tensions, while others prefer the opposite. In a nutshell, the lower the tension, the longer the ball stays on the racquet string bed. This results in an increase in the power of your shots due to the "trampoline effect." It will also decrease the vibrations felt by your wrist, elbow and shoulder. However, you will likely have less control on the ball as well. Conversely, a higher string tension will produce more control on the ball. Besides, with tighter string, the ball is flattened more on impact, so it is easier to produce more spin. This is especially true on a smaller head size racquet because an off-center hit will deform the string bed less than it would on a larger head size. However, your shots will have less power, and you will also feel more vibrations on your wrist, elbow and shoulder. Does tennis elbow sound familiar? Obviously, apart from the string tension, there are many other factors that could affect the performance of a racquet, e.g. the type of string, head size, weight, stiffness, balance, grip size, etc. That's what makes the game of tennis relatively easy to learn but so difficult to master. Stay safe and see you all at The Courts! Visit our website at https://sites.google.com/view/tennis- fourseasons/home. ~ Stan Lam, (714) 757-2141, slamcpa@gmail. com Tennis Club Left: Uh-oh, time to re-string! Below: But, at what tension? Fishing Club I would like to tell everyone out there in fishing land that we had a great time fishing in February. I would like to tell you we caught a bunch of fish. I would also like to tell you that I enjoyed fishing with all my friends again. That is what I would like to tell you. The truth is the virus was still around and my fishing friends were not willing to take a chance of catching the virus while fishing. I was going to have another custom rod built for me. I called the guy that builds the rods and he was in the hospital. He told me he would get out in about a week. My luck was going from bad to worse. On the bright side, I am still alive and kicking. I am planning a trip to Arizona to go fishing with a friend who lives in Weldon. He told me he had a spot where we could catch some real nice Bluegill. My wife's favorite fish to eat is Bluegill. She will be going with me to make sure I catch a bunch of fish. My 69th birthday is this month. I have been fishing for over 65 years. Maybe some day I will learn how to catch the big ones. Tight lines to all my fishing buddies and remember if you get a chance to go fishing GO! ~ Richard Carrasco, ricarrasco52@ gmail.com This picture was taken five years ago. It shows a couple of Tilapia I caught at the Salton Sea. The sea is now dead and all the fish are gone

• Cover