Tuning your racquet: swingweight, balance, lead tape adjustments, polarized/ depolarized setups. - Tennisopolis : Tennis Social Network2024-03-28T19:47:19Zhttp://tennisopolis.com/forum/topics/tuning-your-racquet?commentId=1869403%3AComment%3A486905&feed=yes&xn_auth=noEven for 14 gauge, that is qu…tag:tennisopolis.com,2013-12-26:1869403:Comment:11038562013-12-26T07:36:39.580ZTim Praponghttp://tennisopolis.com/profile/TimPrapong
<p>Even for 14 gauge, that is quite a bit of length. 6 inches for 2.8 grams Well, I guess wind tight and make it nice and neat for the experiment. Still a good way to circumvent the cost of lead.</p>
<p>Even for 14 gauge, that is quite a bit of length. 6 inches for 2.8 grams Well, I guess wind tight and make it nice and neat for the experiment. Still a good way to circumvent the cost of lead.</p>
A follow up to my earl…tag:tennisopolis.com,2013-12-25:1869403:Comment:11040642013-12-25T20:35:46.845ZStevehttp://tennisopolis.com/profile/StevePopichak
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<p> A follow up to my earlier suggestion to use bare copper wire to weigh a racquet: Though flexible, 14 gauge wire (used in house wiring) is difficult to tightly wrap around frames, so consider using thinner 16, 18, or 20 gauges. The following weights are for bare solid copper wire:</p>
<p> 14 gauge is 6.034 inches per tenth of an ounce, 2.128 inches per gram ....16 gauge is 9.603 inches per one-tenth of an ounce, 3.387 inches per gram .... 18 gauge is 15.244 inches per tenth…</p>
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<p> A follow up to my earlier suggestion to use bare copper wire to weigh a racquet: Though flexible, 14 gauge wire (used in house wiring) is difficult to tightly wrap around frames, so consider using thinner 16, 18, or 20 gauges. The following weights are for bare solid copper wire:</p>
<p> 14 gauge is 6.034 inches per tenth of an ounce, 2.128 inches per gram ....16 gauge is 9.603 inches per one-tenth of an ounce, 3.387 inches per gram .... 18 gauge is 15.244 inches per tenth of an ounce, 5.377 per gram .... 20 gauge is 24.194 inches per tenth of an ounce, 8.534 inches per gram .... 22 gauge is 38.462 inches per tenth of an ounce, 13.567 inches per gram. When done, put any kind of tape on it to hold the ends down.</p>
<p> If you can't find anywhere selling these smaller gauges by the foot, and don't want a whole roll, keep in mind that heavier wire (used to wire the main line of a house for example) which may be sold by the foot, is often made up of strands of these smaller gauges. (If you're not sure what gauge you have, try it in in the holes of a wire stripper in a hardware store).</p>
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<p></p> Very interesting choice of co…tag:tennisopolis.com,2013-12-19:1869403:Comment:11030562013-12-19T00:13:32.152ZTim Praponghttp://tennisopolis.com/profile/TimPrapong
Very interesting choice of copper!
Very interesting choice of copper! You are correct in saying a h…tag:tennisopolis.com,2013-12-19:1869403:Comment:11030552013-12-19T00:11:10.847ZTim Praponghttp://tennisopolis.com/profile/TimPrapong
You are correct in saying a heavier racquet will tend to create flatter shots with less spin. Also, there is the dilemma of controlling the length of shot from backhand to forehand. The solution is to keep the middle ground and adjust the swing path and closed face on the forehand, once you find an acceptable weight and balance.
You are correct in saying a heavier racquet will tend to create flatter shots with less spin. Also, there is the dilemma of controlling the length of shot from backhand to forehand. The solution is to keep the middle ground and adjust the swing path and closed face on the forehand, once you find an acceptable weight and balance. You can probably ask Mark May…tag:tennisopolis.com,2013-12-19:1869403:Comment:11028192013-12-19T00:04:17.628ZTim Praponghttp://tennisopolis.com/profile/TimPrapong
You can probably ask Mark Mayor or one of the moderators including myself to delete the post and start over. Sorry for the inconvenience.
You can probably ask Mark Mayor or one of the moderators including myself to delete the post and start over. Sorry for the inconvenience. So, I will share the experien…tag:tennisopolis.com,2013-12-18:1869403:Comment:11027282013-12-18T13:18:59.992Zakajohnhttp://tennisopolis.com/profile/CristianIonut
<p>So, I will share the experience with Volkl.</p>
<p>First setup that I tried was 16 grams in the handle under the grip, Babolat lead tape 3 grams per stripe. SO, 12 gramms plus the difference of 4 gramms I cut 2 Babolat in the middle and added in the handle bellow the grip.</p>
<p>On the head at 9 and 3 o'clock I added a total of 4 gramms, 2 gramms on each side.</p>
<p>I change the original grip with a leather one, Babolat.</p>
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<p>In the end I had a 354 gramms raquet. How it was the…</p>
<p>So, I will share the experience with Volkl.</p>
<p>First setup that I tried was 16 grams in the handle under the grip, Babolat lead tape 3 grams per stripe. SO, 12 gramms plus the difference of 4 gramms I cut 2 Babolat in the middle and added in the handle bellow the grip.</p>
<p>On the head at 9 and 3 o'clock I added a total of 4 gramms, 2 gramms on each side.</p>
<p>I change the original grip with a leather one, Babolat.</p>
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<p>In the end I had a 354 gramms raquet. How it was the feeling? Very powerfull, very good feel and control but less spin. I was hitting very fast flat forehands and backhands. It was like a machine gun :) Service was straight powerfull, fast but flat. So, I put out the 4 grams from handle and keep the leather. I put out the lead from head as well. Now I arrive around 344-342 grams and spin is a little bit better, raquet si very manuevrable. I might say that is a perfect all court raquet very good especially for double games because I have a very good control on voleys and quite good forehands and backhands. On the other side because of less spin is very hard to play safe. The error limit is very small so hitting few centimeters out became normal. So, now I have serious problems in being consistent with my forehand but I have a great one hand backhand :) My game is much more spectacular with more points at net but I suffer a lot on the baseline as far as forehand is not so consistent.</p>
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<p>Conclusion: I will buy a clear spin oriented raquet, newest AeroPro Drive and add some lead under the grip in order to make it a little bit heavier and manouvreable. I'm too familiar with this type of raquets and is very hard for me to move to a different one. I appreciate that because of this Volkl I'm extremelly confident on my backhand and I hope to keep this but for sure I need more space for error on forehand and baseline game. I will keep you informed. I will not sell the Volkl because is a very good raquet, good sweetspot, incredible feel and control, maybe if I have problems I will use it later. I recomment Volkl for usual Wilson raquet fans that need a little bit more power with familiar feel.</p> ignore this - sorry for this…tag:tennisopolis.com,2013-12-18:1869403:Comment:11028842013-12-18T01:56:08.530ZStevehttp://tennisopolis.com/profile/StevePopichak
<p>ignore this - sorry for this post, but what's needed is a way to delete your post (in case of error), not just 'edit' it after posting !</p>
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<p>ignore this - sorry for this post, but what's needed is a way to delete your post (in case of error), not just 'edit' it after posting !</p>
<p></p> good discussiontag:tennisopolis.com,2013-12-18:1869403:Comment:11029642013-12-18T01:52:30.332ZStevehttp://tennisopolis.com/profile/StevePopichak
<p> good discussion</p>
<p> good discussion</p>
I just want to thr…tag:tennisopolis.com,2013-12-18:1869403:Comment:11028802013-12-18T01:46:39.597ZStevehttp://tennisopolis.com/profile/StevePopichak
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<p> I just want to throw out the idea that you can try using copper wire instead of lead tape to weigh and tune a tennis racquet. This is cheaper, or could be used to try out a weight before applying that amount of more expensive lead tape.</p>
<p> Just use 14 gauge solid copper wire, the size or diameter used for house wiring -- if none is lying around, you can buy some at any hardware store that sells it by the foot, and then strip off the insulation with a knife. Copper…</p>
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<p> I just want to throw out the idea that you can try using copper wire instead of lead tape to weigh and tune a tennis racquet. This is cheaper, or could be used to try out a weight before applying that amount of more expensive lead tape.</p>
<p> Just use 14 gauge solid copper wire, the size or diameter used for house wiring -- if none is lying around, you can buy some at any hardware store that sells it by the foot, and then strip off the insulation with a knife. Copper wire bends very well, so wrap the wire around the racquet frame, between the strings. Or around the neck. Then put any kind of tape over it, or you could even try a dab of solder to secure the end.</p>
<p> I've calculated that weightwise, 1 gram is 2.13 inches of 14 gauge solid copper wire ... 2 grams is 4.26 inches ... 4 grams is 8.53 inches. Or one foot (12 inches) is 5.64 grams.</p>
<p> This is based on 14 gauge solid copper wire weighing 12.43 pounds per 1000 feet, 16 ounces to a pound, and 28.35 grams to an ounce. For your info, copper is only slightly less dense than lead, at 8.96 grams per cubic centimeter, versus lead at 11.34 grams per cubic centimeter.</p>
<p> I welcome hearing your comments or feedback on your experience</p> Good points. Actually I like…tag:tennisopolis.com,2013-10-25:1869403:Comment:10928082013-10-25T06:52:21.601Zakajohnhttp://tennisopolis.com/profile/CristianIonut
<p>Good points. Actually I like the feel and touch you get from Volkl but sometimes on some hits is not so consistent... On the other side with current setup the frame looks for me faster than Babolat. Actually is a different way of being faster, much more catapult style on Volkl case. So, I want to keep that feel and touch but to slow down a little bit the frame. So, for sure I cannot go to a similar balance of a Roddick but I need it to make it a little bit more heavier. That's why I would…</p>
<p>Good points. Actually I like the feel and touch you get from Volkl but sometimes on some hits is not so consistent... On the other side with current setup the frame looks for me faster than Babolat. Actually is a different way of being faster, much more catapult style on Volkl case. So, I want to keep that feel and touch but to slow down a little bit the frame. So, for sure I cannot go to a similar balance of a Roddick but I need it to make it a little bit more heavier. That's why I would like to add that things. Currently without anything the frame is 205 grams and Babolat is around 325 grams (without anything)... so, I have 20 grams to play with and I was thinking to put 16 grams in handle and 4 grams on head at 3 and 9 o'clock. In this case the overall mass is increased and torsional stability is a little bit better. I played already 6 hours with it and I like some things on this new frame, things that I don't want to alter (as I said feel and touch) but there are some others that can be better like plow through and stability... I have 2 Volkl so I will change one until I find the right setup and after that I will copy for the other. By the way, I have MSV Hex on one (thinnest version) and Signum Tornado Pro (thinnest version) on the other and even this 2 strings looks similar MSV is much more comfortable and playable, Signum is stiffer. </p>