Tip – Buying a racquet
Buying a racquet these days can be a difficult process to say the least. It’s always been my opinion that the very best way to buy a racquet is to narrow down the choices by working with a knowledgeable person who can analyze your game, and then to demo as many racquets as possible that fit your style of play. Here’s how to get started.
- Do some racquet research on your own, but don’t overdue it or get too immersed in the process. Too much can easily be confusing. Analyze your game and define your playing style. Serve/volley, all court, or baseline are the three general types of play. Once you know your style, it’s easier to relate to the person who’s guiding you through the process.
- Find a qualified racquet technician who can guide you through the process. Buying the right racquet the first time can save you a LOT of money and the easiest way to do that is to work with an experienced technician. Qualified racquet techs are dedicated to their craft and take pride in seeing that their customers are properly taken care of. It’s in their best interest to see that your racquet purchase is the right choice from the very beginning. Working with a telephone sales rep is never the best choice. Face to face evaluations and in some cases, on court analysis will insure that your final choice will be the right one.
- Chances are very good that your qualified racquet technician is also going to have a good demo program that offers a wide selection of racquets for you to hit with. Using the racquet is the key. You can read until you’re blue in the face, and opinions from other players are just that, opinions. YOU are the one who truly knows what’s best, and playing with several racquets will be the true test of what works for you. Below are some basic facts that that you might consider, courtesy of the USRSA:
Racquet Facts
- A heavier frame generates more power
- A heavier frame has less vibration
- A heavier frame has a larger sweetspot
- A stiffer frame generates more power
- A stiffer frame has a larger sweetspot
- A stiffer frame transmits more of the shock load to the arm than a flexible frame
- A stiffer frame provides a more uniform ball response across the entire string plane
- A larger head generates more power
- A larger head is more resistant to twisting on off center hits
- A larger head has a larger sweetspot
- A longer frame generates more velocity and therefore more power
- The string bed in a longer frame generates more spin due to increased velocity
**Information provided courtesy of the United States Racquet Stringers Association
To ad to the information above, here are some more facts that may be of help to you.
- Wider beam widths offer more power, while more narrow beam widths offer better control
- For more precise control, use a smaller head size (95 sq. in or less) and a narrow beam width (20mm or below)
- For maximum power, use a larger head size (110 sq. in or more), and a larger beam width (26mm or more)
- Use the largest grip size you can comfortably handle. Have your grip size properly measured, and see if you’re comfortable with one size larger. This will stabilize the racquet and prevent it racquet from turning or twisting in your hand on off-center hits.
- Remember that any racquet can be customized. Things such as balance, grip size, overall weight, and swing weight can be adjusted by a qualified racquet technician. The most difficult of these is reducing the grip size on newer racquets, so if you’re not sure, buy small, not large.
- Stiffer racquets tend to transmit more vibration to the arm. If you have arm problems now, or have had them in the past, be aware that a stiffer frame may not be the best choice.
- Stiffer racquets can be toned down some as far as vibration is concerned, by string selection, reducing the tension, and adding weight to specific areas of the frame.
Remember that there’s a lot of racquets out there to choose from. Chances are, there’s more than one that will work just fine for your game, so don’t be discouraged if you buy a racquet and then 3 weeks later find another one that you like too. Stick with your choice and allow yourself to really get used to your new racquet.
Comments (6)
In our club we have a simple approach, the heaviest racquet you can comfortably swing, with the softest string you won’t break-today.
Yes and I think being properly measured for grip size is important as well. I see far too many players who have been sold racquets with grips that are too small. If you ask them if they ever have trouble with the racquet spinning in their hand on off center hits they usually say yes.
Recently my wife decided to go roller skating! You know what is coming next…she broke her wrist!
The break required surgery and the obligatory screws and plates but during subsequent meetings with the doctor we dsicussed the most common tennis relqrted injury he deals with. Guess what. The grip is too small!
This doctor has done many surgeries on wrist and elbow problems for professional tennis players so he has a little insight. I was, however, surprised to hear that the most common injury was in the wrist caused by a too small grip!
As Tim mentioned, and I believe, the player should use the largest grip possible for their size.
I like Jamie’s sum up !
How do you “measure” the grip size? I know some people actually use a ruler, and measure the hand. Some have the customer grip the racquet and look for the correct space between the palms and fingers. The latter is what I usually do, to get them started. Also, there is increasing the grip size, until the customers feels it is too large, and then moving to the next one down.
I also feel it is important to use similar strings to what the customer is using, when demoing a racquet. This can be tricky sometimes, as if you demo 10 racquets and want to see what they all feel like with your string of choice, it can be quite expensive. But I would at least try to make sure strings in the demo racquets were “up to par”. Sometimes the strings you are using in your current racquet won’t feel as good in the new racquet too if the frame is significantly different.
I have also advised people that if they feel the grip is too small, that I can build it up for them using the heat shrink method. But, this can significantly alter balance, and if the customer can’t cope with the added weight for the compensation, they usually just take the build up off. This is where a custom molded grip or changing the pallets will come in handy.
You can check out this post http://crazydiamond23.wpengine.com/2011/01/measuring-for-proper-grip-size/ that has a nice photo of how to measure grip size. I’ve found it helps a lot to take this measurement but not to depend entirely upon what you measure. If your reading is 4 1/2 it’s a good idea to use a sample 4 1/2 pallet and see how that actually fits the clients hand.
It’s always good advice to go smaller than larger if you’re not sure. It’s much easier to increase grip size as opposed to reducing.
Agree with you about strings in DEMO racquets. Most shops don’t give this enough attention but I think it’s important