Choosing a Tennis Racquet? Any tennis players in here?

[DigDug]

I've searched google, and what do you know, there aren't any good FAQs that explain the terminology behind racquets (a 5.0 player, a 7.0 player?), let alone guides for how to go about choosing a racquet. The few that are out there, are propriety websites suggesting their own racquets.

Here's my background: I've never played consistently, but I can hit back and forth quite well - not lucky lob shots, but relatively good form with a one-handed forehand and backhand. I have a ProKennex Infinity 265 - which doesn't mean anything to me, since I bought this racket (for big bucks) about 7 years ago. My hand is bigger now, and the grip is way to small - plus, I'd like to get a lighter racket.

From what I could gather, a good racket for a player of my level is one that is relatively weighty like 320g, light-headed, and midplus to oversize. Is this correct? It seemed that a ProKennex Kinetic 5g has these qualities. However, at $120 is a little more than I want to spend....

Do you have any recommendations for me? Are my conclusions wrong? Can you teach me what the hell a 6.0 player means?

Thanks!

 

[Koing]

I know a lot about Tennis. Hardcore player and fan.

Well in England there is a system for ranking. You sign up to the Tennis Association. TA or Lawn Tennis Association. LTA. You start out with a rank of 9.9 or 10. And the more tournaments you play and the better you do the more points you get. The higher your ranking goes. Only two players in England are 1.1. They are Tim Henman and Greg R (can't spell his surname). But I think the system is very different to the one you are refering to or not?

Trust me mate spend top money up to about £100+ on raquet and you get what you pay for. I have a Ficher racquet and it kicks ass. Cost £100 ~ $130 ish. You want a light raquet mate.

The lighter the better. It teachers you to generate better power and is easier to handle. But people have their own choices and preferences. I just prefer a light raquet but I am good enough to make power. Can you make cross court top spin shots easily and consistently? If so then I'd say you were pretty good. You get use to the racquets head size so it doesn't matter much. You should be hitting it in the centre most of the time anyway.

Pick any of the top names. I would stay away from the oversized heads. You dont' need it. Normal size will do. As before you should be hitting the ball in the centre of your racquet anyway.

Just pay the max you are willing and it will be good.

I had a crappy cheapo Wilson one for £30 and it was better then the £10 racquet I had. Then I bought the racquet I have now. Had it for 4 years. Plays very good and I've had the strings replaced about twice. Due wear over a lot of usage. I greatly notice that my game was better. The technology in to the racquet helps the vibration of the racquet and the weight definatley helps in play. The faster it stops vibrating the better your next shot is. The tighet the strings are (but you can get them tighted at a club) the better it is.

 

[tim0thy]

i disagee. you should get the heaviest tennis racquet that you're comfortable using. if you can take it out for a "test-drive", that's even better. what kind of game do you play anyways?

 

[Antoneo]

Sorry to post a post that doesn't pertain to you question (actually it's my own) but it seems like you guys play tennis regularly and I have a quick q. What is the best way to learn how to play tennis? Should I go get actual lessons from a pro or should I attempt to pick the game up by myself? I am 17 years old and have a couple racquets in the house (Head Ti Fire, err some wilson hammer stuff) and would like to actually "play" instead of just tapping the ball across courts. None of my friends play tennis either and playing tennis with my brother who's as bad as I am doesn't seem to get us anywhere.

 

[DigDug]

tim0thy,

I guess I am a baseline player. Again, I don't play "Games", but hit balls back and forth with my brother and quite hard at that.
I never learned to play from anyone - my father gave me a few lessons, but beyond that it was just playing regularly with my friends - I took a joke tennis class in college just for credit, and my teacher said I had good form.

Hehe

 

[tim0thy]

Originally posted by: BlipBlop
tim0thy,

I guess I am a baseline player. Again, I don't play "Games", but hit balls back and forth with my brother and quite hard at that.
I never learned to play from anyone - my father gave me a few lessons, but beyond that it was just playing regularly with my friends - I took a joke tennis class in college just for credit, and my teacher said I had good form.

Hehe

if you know other people and they are willing to let you try out their racquets, you can make an educated decision from that. if you stick on the baseline, i would suggest a 95sq in or a 110 sq in racquet in a weight you are comfortable with.

i personally use the head prestige tour which is a very good racquet for all positions. they were actually sued by prince (i believe) because their dampening technology was "like prince's". the head ti (titanium) series are a nice updated edition of my racquet. see if you can locate someone with one and ask if you can give it a whirl. i personally like it, but won't get rid of my 3 prestige's.

 

[DigDug]

how much are these racquets?

 

[SubZeroX]

I picked my current raquet coz Pete Sampras uses that raquet. Kinda stupid way to pick. But I like it and I hit pretty good with it.

 

[tim0thy]

Originally posted by: MistaEng
Sorry to post a post that doesn't pertain to you question (actually it's my own) but it seems like you guys play tennis regularly and I have a quick q. What is the best way to learn how to play tennis? Should I go get actual lessons from a pro or should I attempt to pick the game up by myself? I am 17 years old and have a couple racquets in the house (Head Ti Fire, err some wilson hammer stuff) and would like to actually "play" instead of just tapping the ball across courts. None of my friends play tennis either and playing tennis with my brother who's as bad as I am doesn't seem to get us anywhere.

personally, i would suggest taking a couple of lessons from a teacher first, because they can help you get the form correct initally. from there, you can practice hitting against a wall and get better from there, or playing against friends on a court. if you have the strokes down pat, you will be able to get better quicker than unlearning bad strokes, imho.

 

[Cyberian]

The lighter the better.

i disagee. you should get the heaviest tennis racquet that you're comfortable using.

Well now, I guess that's settled!

 

[Koing]

Get a coach for a few lessons.

Tennis is not a game you can pick up and start to play well at all from scratch. It takes sometime to develop until you can hit the ball properly over the net with good pace and direction consistently. Looks dam easy enough when you see people doing it on the courts but is very hard for someone new to grasp the concept of hitting a top spin shot to the ball to have pace and to make the ball dip. Also its one thing to tell someone this and to have that person do it.

If your not serious enough to get a coach then have a friend show you if they can play well. Helps to play against good people also. But if your a beginner you will definatley get your ass panned back to you!

Practice Practice Practice.

I think one of the most valuable things a beginner can do is hit the ball against a wall repeatedly. Mark on the wall if it doesn't already have a line about the height of the net is. Now hit the ball and get it over that line with pace and not a lobbing shot. This definatley helped my game.

Watching Tennis matches on tv helps also. You get to see peoples form and the thinking in a match.

The Head Ti are pricey. They are Pro racquets that Pro's use. They are about £230+ easily in UK or last time I checked.......

 

[Koing]

Originally posted by: Cyberian

The lighter the better.

i disagee. you should get the heaviest tennis racquet that you're comfortable using.

Well now, I guess that's settled!

Well I've always favoured lighter the better for Tennis. I play a lot of games and a lot of the games are 3 sets plus. By then my arm is knackered and I don't want to carry any more weight so I would suggest for a beginner the lighter the better, it would be easier to handle then a heavier racquet and the response of it would be quicker. A heavier racquet has its uses though. Just not for me or a beginner IMO.

 

[DigDug]

From what I've been reading head-light racquets are more for competitive players who are looking for control, while head-heavy rackets (hammer, and other oversize) are for people like me who are looking for a larger sweetspot and some power.


I have a prokennex 265 which seems to be a head-light/control-type racket, and I find myself really having to slam the ball hard to get a solid shot over the net.

 

[tim0thy]

Originally posted by: SubZeroX
I picked my current raquet coz Pete Sampras uses that raquet. Kinda stupid way to pick. But I like it and I hit pretty good with it.

pro staff classic 6.0. i used to use this racquet, but it's a bit too heavy for me. it gives really good power though, probably from the weight...

 

[tim0thy]

Originally posted by: BlipBlop
From what I've been reading head-light racquets are more for competitive players who are looking for control, while head-heavy rackets (hammer, and other oversize) are for people like me who are looking for a larger sweetspot and some power.


I have a prokennex 265 which seems to be a head-light/control-type racket, and I find myself really having to slam the ball hard to get a solid shot over the net.

a heavy racquet doesn't necessarily mean that the head is heavy. depending on how they balance the weight, you can have a lighter racquet be heavier than another. personally, i hate the hammer series, just from the weight distribution.

i would only suggest a hammer or a sledgehammer for (1) an old person or (2) a newbie. they are supposedly for people who have a slow stroke to a medium stroke.

 

[tim0thy]

Originally posted by: BlipBlop
how much are these racquets?

The Head Ti are pricey. They are Pro racquets that Pro's use. They are about £230+ easily in UK or last time I checked.......

The Head Ti racquet I'm talking about is this one (http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=TIRAD) It's pretty affordable at under $100.00

Something I noticed... tennis racquets are priced pretty expensive outside of the United States. When I was in Japan, the converted price of that racquet above is somewhere in the $250s USD. Really surprised me!

 

[Farmall]

Originally posted by: BlipBlop
I've searched google, and what do you know, there aren't any good FAQs that explain the terminology behind racquets (a 5.0 player, a 7.0 player?), let alone guides for how to go about choosing a racquet. The few that are out there, are propriety websites suggesting their own racquets.

Here's my background: I've never played consistently, but I can hit back and forth quite well - not lucky lob shots, but relatively good form with a one-handed forehand and backhand. I have a ProKennex Infinity 265 - which doesn't mean anything to me, since I bought this racket (for big bucks) about 7 years ago. My hand is bigger now, and the grip is way to small - plus, I'd like to get a lighter racket.

From what I could gather, a good racket for a player of my level is one that is relatively weighty like 320g, light-headed, and midplus to oversize. Is this correct? It seemed that a ProKennex Kinetic 5g has these qualities. However, at $120 is a little more than I want to spend....

Do you have any recommendations for me? Are my conclusions wrong? Can you teach me what the hell a 6.0 player means?

Thanks!

The ratings for tennis rackets are like this - The lower the # on the racket the higher the power the racket generates for you, and the higher the number the less power it generates.

Now if you swing slow you should use a higher powered racket or a lower numbered one and if you swing fast you need a higher numbered one. 50% of all tennis players are in the slow to moderate area - 2.0 to 6.0.
The lower numbered rackets have a larger sweet spot than the higher numbered ones.
One other thing you can adjust the control you have by the tension you have your racket strung at.

lower tension = more power and less accuracy
higher tension = less power and more accuracy

I would get a midsized/longer racket the sweet spot is larger and they are more powerfull and they dampen the vibration more than smaller rackets can.

Hope it helps you out.
Farmall

 

[FrontlineWarrior]

People should use heavier racquets. Light racquets is such a marketing ploy. It's the "Wow" effect when you first hold it. But does it mean it's better to play with? HELL NO!

Take some advice from me, I've been playing tennis since I was 10 (i'm 22 now). Heavier racquets protect you from injury like tennis elbow. You are protected from shock. If you need manueverability, find a head light (weight is at the handle) racquet. You don't need an ultra-light racquet for playing the net and stuff, it's a matter of weight balance. If you want racquet speed, lots of spin, and more power, get a head heavy racquet. Most pros use a slightly heavy even weighted racquet for a combination of manueverability and power. Take for instance Pete Sampras who uses a Wilson Pro Staff.

For beginners, the strings should be pretty tight. That will give you lots of control. If you want more spin then you can loose the strings a little bit.

 

[axelfox]

Can't go wrong with Michael Chang's Prince Graphite II. If you can find it (its kind of old), it has bar connecting the neck.

Or Pete Sampras has had the same racket since his Jr. days, ProStaff 6.0.

Or the Stephan Edberg raquet, ProStaff 6.1...it has a rainbow, looking head.

All good rackets.

 

[manly]

Check out state of the art!

 

[DigDug]

soon there won't even need to be a player behind the racket. Sheeeesh.

 

[abc]

wow, pretty interesting story about Head huh.


i have had Agassi's racquet for a few years now. it's a very nice racquet.

got it from fogdog back in the day for a final price of around 80 bucks, and that included stringing ha ha.

all the rebates and discounts fogdog and ebates and another website would give.

the racquet is pretty good, accurate, spin, but some say for an oversize, the sweetspot is rather small.

 

[Lichee]

Originally posted by: FrontlineWarrior
People should use heavier racquets. Light racquets is such a marketing ploy. It's the "Wow" effect when you first hold it. But does it mean it's better to play with? HELL NO! Take some advice from me, I've been playing tennis since I was 10 (i'm 22 now). Heavier racquets protect you from injury like tennis elbow. You are protected from shock. If you need manueverability, find a head light (weight is at the handle) racquet. You don't need an ultra-light racquet for playing the net and stuff, it's a matter of weight balance. If you want racquet speed, lots of spin, and more power, get a head heavy racquet. Most pros use a slightly heavy even weighted racquet for a combination of manueverability and power. Take for instance Pete Sampras who uses a Wilson Pro Staff. For beginners, the strings should be pretty tight. That will give you lots of control. If you want more spin then you can loose the strings a little bit.

I have to disagree. I use a Hammer 6.2 and actually upgraded to the new Hyper Hammer 6.2 from Wilson. The weight is 9.2 oz unstrung and that is great. I actually need a somewhat lighter racquet. The reason for this is cuz Im not a big guy. So having a heavy racquet hurts my wrist when i swing. Thus, heavy isnt the way to go....UNLESS you are strong and have a good wrist.

Also, I like to swing fast and hard so flicking the wrist is a must for me. That is how i generate my pace and through the movement of my torso.

As far as the rating goes, check out the NTRP ratings from this site. Scroll to the bottom. the scale is 1.0 - 7.0. A 7.0 is a professional.

Also, lighter racquets (and head light vs head heavy) tend to be better for those that like to play at the net. So analyze your game and find out your needs. there is no "be-all" racquet. Otherwise everyone would just be using ONE racquet.

A side note on "Most pros use a slightly heavy even weighted racquet for a combination of manueverability and power", im not sure on the validity of this, but i wouldnt disagree. BUT, I know for a fact that Todd Martin, Conchita Martinez, and someone else notable on the tour used to (still do?) use a Hammer 6.2 Stretch or Oversize. So you see, everyone has their own taste in racquets.

 

[Lichee]

ahh i forgot to mention that some people were looking for prices on racquets. Here is a good e-tailer.

here


doh, before i forget, the NTRP rating thing needs to be explained. Those ratings dont match up with male and females. For a female to keep up with a male, they need to be a full pt ahead. for example, a 3.5 male needs to hit with a 4.5 female for it to be "fair" and "competitive".

 

[Farmall]

Lichee - good link for the NTRP ratings, would be good to mention that there is a distinction between the ratings of players and the ratings of rackets, there is no universal rating in general.

Take a light racket that is light in the head and you have yourself a racket with great maneuverability, but could cause twisting upon impact, resulting in a loss of power and stability.

A light racket that has more head weight has the same great maneuverability that the above has, but also provides you with a lot better stability and enhanced power. The lighter the racket the more weight that has to be retained in the head. One other thing with rackets is the grip, make sure that it is not to small or racket will have a better oppurtunity to twist in your hand on offcenter hits resulting in elbow strain better known as "tennis elbow".

For most of us who are not in the pro category a stiffer racket will improve your game - You get more power from the racket, a larger sweet spot, greater directional control, and higher vibration dampening. The only real benefit of a more flexible racket is the depth control because less power generated by the racket, and in reality only players who have higher and faster swing speeds are the ones who should play with this type of racket.