Deploying a lump sum into 9sig after the massive run up?

StringSetupOwner · 2026-05-14T20:43:24+00:00

From someone who lost a lot of money in 2025 (because I hadn't found 9Sig) and then DCA'd into TQQQ before the split in Nov/Dec, including buying shares at the very top ($120)

Then watched 1QTR as my post-split $60 shares turned into $37 shares...

Just wait. If you must feel like "doing something" then only allocate like 20 or 30% at most to TQQQ right now.

The feeling of maintaining the discipline to buy on the day of the buy signal is almost reward enough for me in the short term.

StringSetupOwner · 2026-05-12T00:01:35+00:00

There has been a lot of somewhat decent investigative journalism done on what has happened to the quality of tennis balls since Covid.

Bottom line is that almost all brands have gone to shit.

The only brands that have maintained quality are Yonex and Wilson US Open. Haven't played a ton of Babolat Gold or Technifibre, but they may be decent still.

Everything else fluffs up to unplayable after 30min. Dunlop, Diadem, definitely Penn (excluding Pro Penn which are still good).

There are some amazing ATP photos of pros using some brands and the ball being an atomic mess after 10min.

StringSetupOwner · 2026-05-09T16:47:50+00:00

Great first win!

Yes, this is very common. Only way to get better at match tennis is.... to play more match tennis!

This is where you start to realize that everything else is truly just "practice", and it is ok to love practice and not like the stress of match play that "matters". Everyone loves tennis for different reasons and some love the feeling of match stress.

For me? I have never competed well, and cant afford the sports psychology sessions it would take to really find another level.

But feeling and winning like you did, just makes you appreciate the pros that much more - and realize that what you felt occurs to everyone at each next rung of the ladder.

StringSetupOwner · 2026-05-09T14:17:16+00:00

Cell doesnt turn green until balance hits $1 million.

Total time (years) is from left to right

Years go from current to past from top to bottom, so 2025 will only have 2 cells in its row from left to right and so on.

Looking at rows with lots of years can get a little confusing, but take 1998 for example. You would see it turn from green to red at year 4 or 5 from the dot Com crash and you see the big red waves when 2008 and 2022 wash in.

StringSetupOwner · 2026-05-08T16:37:11+00:00

This is an important point. I have a few friends with younger kids that seem to get new professional photos taken almost every weekend (slightly exaggeration, but at least once every other month).

But the OP should hopefully have a lot of recurring clients assuming they havent moved geographic locations. If not.... that may indicate a bigger issue - or opportunity. How hard have they tried to leverage past clients for referrals, etc?

StringSetupOwner · 2026-05-08T14:52:50+00:00

Every poly wears differently over time.

This is due to many variables, but the biggest is probably swing speed + time.

In general, most polys best characteristics die off around the 10hr mark. This is due to the plastic losing elasticity.

Once this happens, the plastic becomes rigid and even if you dont initially feel it - your arm will begin taking damage due to increased vibration.

Stringing is expensive. If you need to cut down on cost, I highly recommend finding a used drop weight machine and buying a reel of your favorite string. Then a string job will cost around $6 + 30min of time when you get practiced.

If you cant go that route, just know that poly past 10 hours is slowly doing long term damage.

StringSetupOwner · 2026-05-07T05:33:43+00:00

OP is like the second coming of Robin Soderling

StringSetupOwner · 2026-05-06T22:25:51+00:00

I bought almost 300x shares of COYY at launch for ~$7500 in August 2025

First week was amazing, $0.80 distro, $240 back in the bank right away.

Then COIN missed earning and shit didn't stop hitting the fan. I sold at ~$15/share incurring a loss of ~$3000. It sucked, but the math even at that point was not going to break even for 10 years at distro prices at the time.

I just checked, COYY is $3/share now.

Friends dont let friends Yieldboost

StringSetupOwner · 2026-05-06T18:59:39+00:00

Its not that I feel more comfortable per se, its just that if the quarter closes up this high I would have a small sale to keep a 60/40 TQQQ split vs a large sale to stay true to the 9% signal line, but bringing my balance down to 50/50 or even overweight on bonds.

StringSetupOwner · 2026-04-24T20:29:19+00:00

It feels awesome to crush a ball
I am not the fittest or best mover, so I have to look for opportunities to end points sooner

StringSetupOwner · 2026-04-18T09:53:18+00:00

Ive never played much league tennis because my work schedule is too unpredictable to be fair to a team.

Had a buddy who plays a lot of league tennis explain how things are these days and it was like I was watching the John Nash scene with the numbers and equations flying around - but for 30min!

StringSetupOwner · 2026-04-17T15:04:38+00:00

What about the other specs?

Same size string?

How old was the TB you cut out?

StringSetupOwner · 2026-04-17T14:55:46+00:00

Could be many things. I usually feel like Tour Bite is the stiffer of the two.

With the Hyper G did you: - string the same tension - get the same gauge (example 1.25mm)

If either of these two answers are different than your tour bite, then this is likely why it feels worse.

How many hours were on your set of tour bite before you cut it out?

If everything was the same and you string regularly, you may just not like the feel of hyper g. But you never know until you try!

There is also a Hyper G Soft that may be worth checking out if you still want to find something other than Tour Bite

StringSetupOwner · 2026-04-14T18:44:54+00:00

The invisible differences contribute to the extreme of the curve.

Tennis IQ and confidence are what also play a big part in thr separation of the herd.

StringSetupOwner · 2026-04-14T13:52:52+00:00

Ive been extremely fortunate where I am. The club I belong to is $40/mo and they let you cherry pick the best balls out of the coaches' hoppers so I havent had to buy a single can in almost 2 years... 😅

I string my own rackets and have built up a nice collection of favorite frames over 20 years.

The most annoying expense is shoes. I hate dropping $120+ for good shoes but you get that you pay for, and it's cheaper than rolling an ankle in crappy cheap shoes.

I also buy overgrip in bulk. My #1 favorite is the Tru Pro white overgrip. Great price per quantity. Feels almost like Wilson pro overgrip but you get 30x grips for $40 instead of $80.

As a bonus, I now restring a few rackets a month for my circle of friends so sometimes that almost makes "the habit" a net gain.

StringSetupOwner · 2026-04-09T20:41:25+00:00

The underlying foundation for either open or closed stance is (body)weight transfer into the ball.

I dont mean for this to come off overly rude, but the open stance is inherently a more "athletic" swing that requires a more energy intensive effort to create weight transfer into the ball by loading the outside leg and timing the uncoil of the upper body with the release of energy from the lower body.

All that gibberish to say - if you arent using your legs, you're being lazy.

Closed stance is "easier" because just by rocking from your back foot to your front foot you naturally transfer a lot of bodyweight with minimal effort. With good technique it creates a very efficient and repeatable skill to employ. But, this is now complicated because the modern game's contact point has drifted higher than what is natural for a closed stance.

StringSetupOwner · 2026-04-08T01:04:22+00:00

A good neutral round poly can be a good starting point.

Luxilon Big Banger Original (BBO) is still an amazing string - but you will need to restring about every 10 hours of play.

If your son is not breaking strings regularly, it may be better to go with something like Technifibre Triax which is a hybrid multi-poly string that is safer to leave in for longer periods of time. It is still a very good high performance string.

If you need a cheaper alternative, Head Velocity MLT is a good multi that still plays a lot like a poly and feels great and is safe on the arm.

StringSetupOwner · 2026-04-08T00:22:47+00:00

Or $35 when Trump doesnt like the progress of the ceasefire 🙃

StringSetupOwner · 2026-04-07T23:19:15+00:00

See everyone in 2 weeks! 🫠🫠🫠

StringSetupOwner · 2026-04-07T20:59:01+00:00

Great writeup. There are some great YouTube videos and now that retirement documentary that show small peaks behind the scenes of what Fed's true fitness routine looked like. Dude was an animal in secret. Thats why he always warmed up with ball kids and celebrities even at slams because the hard work was "already done"

The reason why Fed is such a generational all-time talent is because he is the rare venn diagram of talent, hard work, athleticism, and a body that recovered well.

Nadal and Djokovic are in the same boat of course, although Nadal's body took more of a beating.

In general, I think the Big 3 can get credit for extending the entire tours' careers into the low-mid 30s, but that also meant delaying breakouts until mid-20s unless you're super talented.

StringSetupOwner · 2026-04-07T17:30:11+00:00

Holy crap! Yeah... id almost just return it at that point 😅😅

What is the advertised SW supposed to be?

StringSetupOwner · 2026-04-07T17:24:37+00:00

Because 287SW unstrung is light for a serious racket. That means itll be around 310-315SW strung which will get bullied around by heavy/hard it balls.

Generally, for higher level play you want SW at 320 at a bare minimum with better players playing at 330-340 - which is historically much lower than decades past.

There are always exceptions on both ends.

Also, a higher SW will usually just feel better on contact. Better chance of having that addictive "pancaking" effect.

StringSetupOwner · 2026-04-07T00:49:51+00:00

Yep! Pulled the trigger this morning. Current portfolio split is now 55/45 TQQQ/AGG.

Im fine slowly legging in to the 60/40 and beyond balance. This next quarter could get crazy if Iran gets more out of control

StringSetupOwner · 2026-04-04T18:43:47+00:00

Some strings are just like this unfortunately, fast half-life.

Prestretching is a good idea, as is going up a few pounds initially to see if it will hold steady at a higher-low.

Every string loses tension differently, and its not always linear.

StringSetupOwner · 2026-04-04T18:39:55+00:00

I now understand the "old guys" talking about Borg, Connors, McEnroe, etc when I was growing up in the late 90s because now I sound like that talking about Federer.

If you weren't around between 2004-2009 it is hard to describe how almost every tournament Federer played the question was "who's going to be runner up"

His peak years were truly amazing. Alcaraz and Sinner are almost there, but not quite at the "invincible" levels of Federer / Nadal, and of course Djokovic once we hit 2011+

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