Crazy question...re: using a junior racket.

[AndreFan]

I hit with my teenage daughter's prince exo graphite junior racket the other day as my two main rackets were getting strung.

The "junior" version of the exo graphite weighs about 9.5 oz. strung but has the thin 19 mm beam of the regular. It's 26.5 inches in length and obviously has a much lighter swing weight. Has a 100 sq. inch head. The grip was very small--I think about 4 1/8.

Anyway, I was just starting out screwing around with it and then I noticed something pretty odd. The speed I was generating with my swing, the angles I was creating and even the solid power I had was surprising me.

The racket felt so easy to swing and I felt I could do almost anything with it, including feeling the ball very well on drop shots. While the racket doesn't obviously have the inherent power to return serves or handle big groundstrokes, I had the extra ability to generate very quick/fast swing speeds which allowed me to put the ball back with very good power. On serve, the racket acceleration I had, plus the feel of the thin beam, allowed me to generate some very big serves, with phenomenol action.

I've always had very, very quick wrists and have an ability to "whip" the racket much better than most, provided the racket is light enough. With this racket being much lighter, but still feeling solid with the graphite and thin beam, I was having the most fun ever on a tennis court.

Most junior rackets have thick beams and feel a bit hollow. This racket was 100% graphite Exo composition with the thin beam and a very nice 100 sq. inch frame. The length is only 1/2 inch shorter, maybe allowing for for even greater handling.

Anyway, am I delusional here thinking this type of racket is a better fit for my strengths? I could do things with this racket I've not been able to do with any other racket.

 

[phoenicks]

Haha Nice to hear that, I bet if u smoke those wannabes with this racquet, it's feel even greater, love to see the look on those wannabes' faces after you tell them that you defeat them using a junior racquet:twisted:

 

[saigonbond]

I hit with my teenage daughter's prince exo graphite junior racket the other day as my two main rackets were getting strung.

The "junior" version of the exo graphite weighs about 9.5 oz. strung but has the thin 19 mm beam of the regular. It's 26.5 inches in length and obviously has a much lighter swing weight. Has a 100 sq. inch head. The grip was very small--I think about 4 1/8.

Anyway, I was just starting out screwing around with it and then I noticed something pretty odd. The speed I was generating with my swing, the angles I was creating and even the solid power I had was surprising me.

The racket felt so easy to swing and I felt I could do almost anything with it, including feeling the ball very well on drop shots. While the racket doesn't obviously have the inherent power to return serves or handle big groundstrokes, I had the extra ability to generate very quick/fast swing speeds which allowed me to put the ball back with very good power. On serve, the racket acceleration I had, plus the feel of the thin beam, allowed me to generate some very big serves, with phenomenol action.

I've always had very, very quick wrists and have an ability to "whip" the racket much better than most, provided the racket is light enough. With this racket being much lighter, but still feeling solid with the graphite and thin beam, I was having the most fun ever on a tennis court.

Most junior rackets have thick beams and feel a bit hollow. This racket was 100% graphite Exo composition with the thin beam and a very nice 100 sq. inch frame. The length is only 1/2 inch shorter, maybe allowing for for even greater handling.

Anyway, am I delusional here thinking this type of racket is a better fit for my strengths? I could do things with this racket I've not been able to do with any other racket.

It may not be as crazy as you think...
You might enjoy this article from Tennis Mag:

http://www.tennis.com/articles/templates/gear.aspx?articleid=4157&zoneid=24

CHEERS!

 

[AndreFan]

Well, 25.5 length is a little too short. I was thinking more of a 26.25 or 26.5 inche length with an overall lighter frame. Thanks for the info!!

 

[High Roller]

Sounds like a great racquet to feed with...

 

[cellofaan]

If you feel you play better with a junior racket, keep it!
They're cheaper too, so it's a definite win-win situation.

I've actually played with a junior racket too, but I extended it to 26.75", and leaded it up quite a bit, so now it has the same specs as my normal rackets, just slightly shorter.
That 19mm beam does sound attractive thoguh. Mine had a 26mm beam, which looks really really bad.

 

[AndreFan]

The Prince EXO Junior racket is almost standard length, has the thin beam and has to same powerful composition. It's easy to customize to get to the ideal weight and balance.

 

[travlerajm]

I play my best tennis with slightly shortened racquets. An underrated advantage is that it allows you to add more mass to the hoop for a given SW, increasing stability and power potential. The only shot that loses a little is the serve, which relies more on angular velocity than other shots.

 

[travlerajm]

I play my best tennis with slightly shortened racquets. An underrated advantage is that it allows you to add more mass to the hoop for a given SW, increasing stability and power potential. The only shot that loses a little is the serve, which relies more on angular velocity than other shots.

All of my shortened frames are over 13 oz. and balanced how I normally like. When shortened, a heavy racquet feels more maneuverable and controllabel than a standard length frame because the impact point is closer to your hand.

 

[corners]

Check out Travlerajm's various threads on shortening racquets. He leads them back up, way up actually, but shortening racquets without adding lead can give you some of the same benefits you experienced with the junior Prince.

There have also been a couple of recent threads where adult men have talked about their fondness for junior sticks.

Even with low swingweight/hittingweight you'll still get plenty of power, as you've found, if you take a full swing. With energy being one half mass times velocity squared, a light racquet will give you good pop as long as you give it a good whip. On volleys and returns it will probably be a different story.

But you can have your cake and eat it too: If you cut 1/2" off an adult racquet you'll drop the swingweight by about 25 units. This might be a good experiment for you - to try a racquet somewhere in between what you normally use and the junior. I read recently that the great Lew Hoad cut his frames to 26", and some consider him the greatest player ever. Laver is considered by some the father of topspin. Especially on the forehand side he really whipped his stick around, creating spin and angles unheard of at the time. Recently I dug up some old footage of Hoad and was surprised to see that he hit the forehand in almost identical fashion. It's possible Laver actually copied Hoad's technique.

I guess what I'm getting at is that, if Hoad cut an inch off his sticks he probably ended up with swingweight around 300. That may have encouraged his whippy and spinny technique development.

And, reducing swingweight by reducing length doesn't actually lower the racquet's inherent power. All the weight that was in the head before the cut is still there, so the effective hitting weight in the center of the stringbed is still the same.

So if you cut 1/2" off a frame that weighs 11.5 ounces, balances 7HL and has 330 swingweight you end up with something that weighs around 11.3 ounces, balances 5HL and has 305 swingweight. You'll be able to swing and whip it faster, but because the hittingweight remains the same it will still be stable on returns and volleys.

I cut down all my frames to 26.5". I'm short, like Hoad and Laver, so I figure it makes sense, proportionally, anyways.

 

[fuzz nation]

Sounds to me as though you ought to check the balance point on your regular frames and maybe experiment on one of them if there's room to make them more head-light. While that junior racquet's personality probably can't be "cloned" into your frames, you sound like you enjoyed that higher potential for whupping some spin on the ball.

See if your stringer has any input in terms of some possible tuning. When I first discovered the extra spin and control I could get from a softer racquet, I had so much more command of my strokes that I could effectively hit harder with consistency. You sound like you had a revelation of your own and you might learn about what makes for better performance in your gear if you compare your racquet specs to the junior racquet.

 

[corners]

I play my best tennis with slightly shortened racquets. An underrated advantage is that it allows you to add more mass to the hoop for a given SW, increasing stability and power potential. The only shot that loses a little is the serve, which relies more on angular velocity than other shots.

All of my shortened frames are over 13 oz. and balanced how I normally like. When shortened, a heavy racquet feels more maneuverable and controllabel than a standard length frame because the impact point is closer to your hand.

Hey Trav, Could you shoot me an email via TW's email function? Thanks.