Question: To use a stiffer/slightly lighter racquet or a flexible/heavier racquet?
So I have finally found an acceptable stiff racquet that is maybe 12 grams lighter than my regular 360 gram Head Pro Tour 280. It is the Tecnifibre 325 VO2 max. Somewhat the same specs otherwise: 98 headsize, 20 vs. 21.5 mm beam, 18x20 vs 18x19 pattern.
Difference is that I get more raw speed out of the Tecnifibre and sharper cuts on the ball, plus faster racquet head speed, greater spin. The venerable Head Pro Tour 280 gets bigger plow and weight on the ball, is more stable and the flatter kill shots are much better, my serves are heavier.
So far, I don't feel any jarring vibrations that would give me wrist or elbow problems with the Tecnifibre, and I like the idea of being to hit a faster ball. But I maybe giving up producing a heavy ball which is harder for my opponents to return.
Anyone with this same problem?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Joe B. (BP, CA) on
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Why not play with both? Change them up, based on your preference for the day, or your opponent's style. I have two different racquets in my bag, and they play very differently from each other. One has a bigger head, for use against opponents with a lot of pace, the other has a smaller head for better control (at the cost of power and penetration).
You may play with one more than the other, and I know common wisdom is to pick one racquet and stay with it, but I like a change up now and again. If you had two cars, would you drive just one? Furthermore, it helps me mentally when I'm in a slump.
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Permalink Reply by Tim Prapong on
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Yeah, that sounds like a good, valid answer! It's like having two cars. I like that analogy. So I might as well have two cars. lol
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I wish I had two cars, ha ha ha! Well, I do have a pickup and a bike, about as different as can be. One other thing: I have been playing with my POG mid for about two weeks now, trying to develop power and depth on my shots. Last night I switched to my Prince EXO3 Graphite MP, and it felt way too powerful! I really had to work the spin just to keep the balls in. It just goes to show that sometimes a racquet can force you to adapt and improve your game.
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If I were super well off, I think I would have a whole room in a house with a hundred racquets hanging on rods. I'd probably organize them by color. lol
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Permalink Reply by CoachV - William Vazquez on -
Stop making fun of me.
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Permalink Reply by William Wong on
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Unlimited Racquet Works?:)
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Permalink Reply by CoachV - William Vazquez on
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I have 4 to 5 differ cars when I go to play tennis. Smart idea..
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I choose the Ferrari today. vroom! vroom!
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Dayam, Coach, give me one of 'em. I just use different air fresheners to make it seem like I'm driving different cars.
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Permalink Reply by Michael Pang on
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Your descriptions are quite confusing. You get fast racquet head speed, more spin, and a faster ball with the Tecnifibre. But you get a "heavier ball" with the Head, which by definition is a fast, spinny ball.
Traditional logic dictates that you should use the heaviest racquet you can wield, so long as it doesn't reduce your racquet head speed. So if I were to take you for mistaking a "heavy ball" for more stability of the racquet (which is what you will get with a heavier racquet), then I would go with the Technifibre. If I were to take you as producing heavy balls with both racquets, I would stick with the Head.
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Not confusing. More mass was traditionally used in the 80s and 90s with a stiffness rating between 40-59 with many companies. The idea is a flexible racquet produces less power, but has greater feel. So to get more power, you add more mass. Mass multiplied by acceleration= force. Greater mass, more force. The Head Pro Tour 280 is 20 grams heavier than the Technifibre. The stiffness rating is at 58.
With Babolat and Tecnifibre racquets, the idea is have a stiffness rating in the high 60 and 70s. A stiffer racquet creates more power through less deflection, but has less feel. The racquet is able to be lighter than 12.5 oz or 360 grams and can go down to 11.4-12.0 oz. But without the same mass, the acceleration or racquet head speed has to be higher, via lighter weight. It is true the ball would contain the same overall force possibly, but it is not because of the mass. The ball has speed but not momentum through mass. It has speed because it was hit with a less deflective material, like a pinball effect.
Go and try some serves with these different specs to a partner. Your partner should be able to identify which ball feels heavier. The heavier serves come with a heavier racquet. That is why Sampras leaded his racquets to almost 14 oz and why tour players said his serves felt like returning a bowling ball. It is also why Djokovic has lead all around the hoop of his racquet.
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Sorry, but Sampras had a "bowling ball" serve not because his racquet was heavy, but because he put a tremendous amount of SPIN on the ball. Spin is achieved not by how heavy your racquet is, but a combination of technique and racquet head speed.
And if you can't see the contradiction between
Racquet A: Faster ball, more spin
and
Racquet B: Heavier ball, which by definition means a faster ball, more spin
Then I don't know what to tell you.
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