Pro Staff 6.0 85 in the hands of the unknowing

[Radical Shot]

Whenever I play tennis with someone, I always offer them to have a hit with my Pro Staff 6.0 85, just to see if they experience the "wow" factor that I always do whenever I hit with it.

I am often surprised when I give it to players that have basic tennis skills, but have no idea what type of racquet a Pro Staff is. Many of these players usually play with cheap, oversized racquets strung with some sort of nasty 15 guage nylon.

More often than not, they all love it and find it easy to play with. Not one of them has ever commented on it being too heavy, having a small sweet-spot, or a lack of power. Instead they invariably comment on how smooth it is, how easy it is to hit with, and believe it or not, some have even said how light it is! (I guess they were using those horrid metal frames or something!?).

My point is that I think a lot of people who might read the hype and history of the racquet may feel that it is out of their range, due to the many comments that it is a "serious players racquet" etc etc.

Perhaps these people would find it more demanding after spending more time with it, but it's interesting to hear their initial impressions anyway.
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mazda r100 picture

 

[OnyxZ28]

Something similar happened to me today too; I gave my girlfriend a MP Tour-1 90 to hit with just for poop and giggles and she actually hit very well with it. She's a 2.5 using a Ti.S1 from Sportmart.

 

[mombasa]

I agree, my girlfriend plays better with my PS 85 than with her MP light stick.. and her level is not WTA.......!

 

[drakulie]

People make too big of a deal about how heavy the pro staff is. The oversize racquets they play with probably feel heavier to them than the pro staff because the oversize racquets they play with are most likely "head heavy".

I would recommend anyone starting to play tennis use a pro staff 85. It is a great stick.

 

[Young Pete]

i second that!

 

[Radical Shot]

The good thing about the "Pete" is that it forces you to play well timed, well-formed shots - otherwise it lets you know about it. It really is like a coach right by your side - giving you feedback on every single shot.

I think the beginners who have a go with the "Pete" appreciate this quality of the racquet. When they hit it well, they are rewarded and they feel really good about it. When they don't hit well, the racquet will scream at them, and perhaps because they are beginners, they've got the humility to deal with it and focus correctly on the next shot.
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[stanleyshyeoh]

That is if only a beginner have enough passion to endure the learning process.

When a salesman recommend a tweener to a beginner, I can't help but wonder if that person would've been better off with a player's racquet.

I started playing with PS 6.0 95 frame. But I also was crazy about tennis having discovered the game.

 

[Russell Finch]

I agree that it's a great racquet for the beginner - you'll learn to take a proper swing at the ball rather than just push at it which you can get away with using a more powerful frame. Teaches you to really watch the ball too.

 

[The Ripper]

I have my girlfriend (who is just getting started - about a 2.5) hit with all my "players" rackets. She loves them! She hit well with the Tour 90, the nCode 90 and even the PS 85. I bought her a ProKennex 5G which she is still playing with (got it on sale for about $35 - I thought a little easier for her to handle than the PS's). She plays better than her friends who are all playing with hugely oversized, super-light "beginners" rackets. I think it's a big mistake. Her friends are knocking the balls out of the court, over the fence and have terrible swings - no control or sense of where the racket is going. I think a heavier racket is much better to learn on because it tells you how to swing - the weight doesn't allow you to screw around with it! I think the whole "light" racket thing is a plot to make people stop playing tennis and return to their couch. Let's go back to the woodies! (or their current counterparts)

 

[perfmode]

That is if only a beginner have enough passion to endure the learning process.

When a salesman recommend a tweener to a beginner, I can't help but wonder if that person would've been better off with a player's racquet.

I started playing with PS 6.0 95 frame. But I also was crazy about tennis having discovered the game.

The recommend tweeners because they are light (people are lazy) and they can just go out and play immediately. I think it's best to switch from tweener to players' after a couple months, once they get the timing down to hit shots and understand the physics of the game somewhat. I started tennis with a Wilson Hammer 26" and switched to the HH 5.3 a month later. The HH isn't a players' stick but I was 10 and it was good enough for me.

 

[Simbah2004]

I also started playing with the 85 and today my strokes are much more refined - but I realize that for some people it is simply too much to begin with - they end up frustrated and let's face it - when you begin playing tennis it's quite boring learning the fundamentals of the game. You can barely get the ball on the other side of the court...
Anything to offset your limitations is welcomed in my opinion.
Maybe an easier racquet for beginners would be a better choice...
I think the 85 is a great choice for people with some tennis mileage behind them or advanced players.

 

[andreh]

My guess is that its just a honeymoon period. Pretty soon the PS 85 is gonna feel heavy and the small sweetspot will take its toll. They'll start missing and get frustrated. Lets face it, the PS 85 is damned difficult to play well with. To get the potential out of it you have to be a super talent. That being said, I'm not a super talent and I still play with it. I do it because its a great learning stick - it compells you to learn proper techninque. But I'd likely play better with an nCode 95 or something similar.

 

[audioaffliction]

I've always believed that tweeners and light "beginner" racquets are just marketing BS. In the old days there were no such distinctions. I learned how to play on a PS85 and never found it a problem. My wife just started learning to play in July and she's not terribly athletic--never done sports in her life--and prefers "player" racquets. Her stick of choice is the Yonex RDX500 Mid and she hates the light sticks that most beginners use. She even likes hitting with my nCode 90 from time to time, although it does tire her out after a basket or two.

 

[Ryoma Kun]

it may be a bit farfetched, but perhaps its because those crappy 15 doller racquet suck and using it makes them hit it jsut right. thus, the 85 there is no difference.

im having my ps sent to me as we speak, ill c if i notice the WOW when i play with it, right now im using my slazenger probraided henman

 

[ffrpg]

I remember hitting with my PS 85 for the first time. I didn't see why people thought it was a demanding racquet. I didn't think it was heavy or the sweetspot was small. Over time, I started to understand just how demanding the racquet really was. It also depends who you play. Once I started hitting with guys who hit really heavy balls, I realized that it is indeed harder to prepare early with this racquet. I was also worn out when playing 5 setters (my serves weren't as powerful). All in all, anyone can do well with this racquet when they hit a couple balls around with it. Playing well with this racquet when the level of competition is higher, that's another story.

 

[Radical Shot]

The more I play with the "Pete", the more I love it. I am addicted to the feedback the racquet gives. I love small sweet spots.

I especially love it when my partner hits a heavy ball - I just hit right through it, and it comes back even quicker.
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justin bieber

 

[The Ripper]

I agree Radical Shot. I think I've demoed just about every racket out there (even the Estusa's), and the PS 85 has a feel all its own. This racket is the only one to have against heavy hitters in my experience. I'm going to try the PS 6.0 95 just to get a little more forgiveness on those quick response shots and last minute baseline backhands. I find the PS 85 to be very quick coming around and solid as a rock for return of serve (of course you better hit it in the sweet spot!). The only racket I've played which is even more solid was the PS Tour 90 - it had a wonderful feel and would plow through the ball like a freight train!! You think your arm got tired with the PS 85, try the Tour 90 for about 15 minutes, especially serving!! The downside on the Tour 90 was it really was slow coming around especially on the backhand. And even if you are prepared, you better be ready to overcome some major inertia to get the racket head speed up quick to make a snappy response, otherwise no go! I still think the PS 85 and probably 95 are the two best rackets ever made! Just in my humble opinion, of course. :wink:

 

[Radical Shot]

Yes, agreed. Actually, when I purchased my 6.0, I also bought a Tour 90. I had demoed the Tour 90 and loved it, but because of all of the raving fans of the 6.0, I thought that if the Tour 90 was great, then the 6.0 should be more of the same, in an even greater control package. I am so happy I have both racquets to play around with.

I am always swapping between the two and have a great respect for each racquet and the different way they play. A while ago a poster said that if he was blindfolded he would not be able to tell the difference between the 6.0 the Tour 90 and the nCode. I believe that the 2 play similar, but are definately different.

The Tour 90 feels heavier and has a much bigger "plow through" factor that the 6.0. If you line the shot up and drive through it, you have a very, very heavy ball indeed.

The 6.0 is easy to position and quick to move.
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[The Ripper]

Hey Radical, we seem to have had the same experience of both rackets (btw, the "tired arm" comment was not for you, but the guy before who said it wore him out in 5 sets). I dare say it would be very easy for me to tell the difference between the three rackets: PS 85, light, quick; Tour 90, heavy as a rock, slow to come around, tells you how it wants to be swung; nCode 90, head light and swing weight somewhere in between the other two, plus a nice solid, smooth feel I think from the nano technology. To me they have very little in common play-wise. I played with the Tour 90 about 3 months, nCode about 2 months and PS 85 6 months (and I am still playing with it until my PS 95 shows up this week!). I still prefer the quicker PS originals. The balance on the Tour 90 and nCode 90 just seemed "off" somehow, so difficult to bring around quick and to me clumsy for serving. The PS 85 is a nice compromise. Long live the originals until Wilson comes up with the next nCode 90 racket!

 

[Radical Shot]

Yes, Long live the originals. It will be a pity if Wilson stops making it. It will be the end of 85 square inch heads?
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[Bane]

Nice thread. Anybody still playing with the 85? I am, mainly because i cant find anything newer that i like. Cheap garbage being sold today. Have to modifiy the crap out of it to make it playable at a higher level. I was fortunate enough two years ago to hit with the man's RFA, his personal racquet, in miami, felt great at 360 grams.

 

[Seth]

You know it's an old thread when the old post's signatures are now spam links.