Should I get a new racquet?

[Mrvile]

Anywho I figured I had to take up a sport so I chose tennis (I'm straight, seriously) because I don't like playing on big teams. I started playing in May-ish 2004 (at that time I could barely hit the ball over the net) and drilled over the summer and a bit in the winter (indoor courts are expensive) and joined my school's tennis team, which season is in the spring. I'm not too good yet, but I think I've really improved and play as well as a lot of my friends. I don't know my actual skill level (this whole level scale confuses me) but I can play somewhat competitively, I have slow but full swings, and have a good sense of control (at least I feel so). I can serve eastern like a beast but I know it's wrong and I'm working on my continental serve. I use a 26 dollar Wilson Impact right now that we got for my mom but she didn't like it, and it's a good rec racquet but I was wondering if it is time to get a new one, a real one like a Hammer or Triple Threat or whatever. How much would it help me? Is it something like a guitar where I wait until I can't use it anymore period, or would getting a new one now help any? Thanks!

If so are there any good beginner-intermediate racquets you guys would recommend?

PS - sorry about my overusage of parentheses, and is it racquet or racket?

 

[Nithin]

racquet. ya get something in 60-80 range.
btw i dont know sh*t about tennis. im a beginner too.

 

[nater]

You will notice a big difference between your cheapo racquet and a $100+ racquet, if not for the stringing alone. If I were you I'd go to a tennis or racquet store, tell them your situation, and ask for some help picking out a racquet. When I bought my first real racquet, they suggested a few racquets to me and let me demo, or borrow a few of them to figure out which one I liked best. Not many places do this for free anymore, but for $10 or so you should be able to "test drive" some racquets for a few days. I think this is the best way to figure out what you want/need before investing some money.

I use Head Prestige Midplus racquets, but it's more for advanced players.

 

[Mrvile]

My friend uses a Hammer 5 and I really liked it when I played with it a bit, but I read somewhere that each Hammer is very different, and I should demo a few before I pick one out. They're relatively cheap (most under 100 bucks), are light and hit hard, and are designed for levels 2 - 5ish (still dunno where I am). I'll go to the local rec that has an indoor court and a bunch of racquets, demo a few to see what I like. Thanks guys.

 

[thirdlegstump]

Been playing for a long time now and I swear by the 85" Wilson pro staff 6.0. For an old classic, the price is still pretty high at nearly $150 each but they play like a priceless racquet..as long as you've got the chops that is.

There's absolutely nothing gay about tennis. If you're on the receiving end (ok really bad joke), it takes serious balls to approach and return successfully a 100+mph serve. Playing at the net also requires some serious guts when you've got a power hitter at the other end.

Anyway, good choice on the sport. It requires intense dedication, practice and determination to become a good player.

 

[Mrvile]

Yeah I found that a lot of practice goes a little way, but keep practicing I guess. I read that the Pro Staff 6 is one of the greatest racquets out there, but yes it is expensive and I also read that you need to give the ball its power (which is what a lot of advanced players want), instead of the racquet doing so, which is probably the direction I should be heading but I don't think I'm there yet (giving big fast swings). I'll stick to a lighter, more poppy (can't think of a better word) racquet.

 

[Zenmervolt]

I'm a bit unorthodox in that I prefer a heavy and head-light racquet. Those are getting harder to find, but a good pro shop should have a few options in this category. Also, you don't want a fast swing per-se, what you want is what you have, a controlled swing that comes through the ball and has good follow-through. Speed will come on its own without you trying as you begin to develop "muscle memory" and you get used to making the proper movements. If you concentrate on simply increasing the speed of your swing, you're going to decrease your control and very likely end up with shorter "stabbing" swings that are missing a controlled follow-through.

The reason I prefer a head-light racquet is because head-heavy racquets feel very unresponsive and sluggish at the net and I've found that even a head-light racquet that is heavier overall than a head-heavy racquet is less tiring to play with as well as smoother (meaning that the heavy and head-light racquet feeds less impact back into my arm).

ZV