Racquet Help Please

[Dyne]

Okay, so I've been demoing racquets for the past 3 weeks or so. I'm picky about things like this, so I was hoping for the board's expertise to help. The racquets I demo'd are:

· AeroPro Drive w/ Cortex - I liked the amount of spin I could get, but it was too powerful for my liking. I also hit a bit better ( more control, etc. ) with 95-98sq.
· Pure Drive w/ Cortex - I felt that it hit like the APD, but with less topsping than the APD.
· Pure Storm - Absolutely didn't like it. I kept on framing balls, even though I rarely frame balls with a LM Radical 98 or K95.
· O3 Speedport Black - I liked it, but I'd prefer a little more control. Feedback was also lacking, but that'd probably change if I had the grommets in or whatever.

To make this long post short, I'm a 5' 7" male in high school. I like to hit a lot of topspin with an eastern grip(?), one-handed backhand, all-courter who tends to creep the net slowly, provide my own power, first twist-serve, second kick.

Basically, I'm looking for a racquet between 95-98sq that can generate a lot of spin ( top and back... like the APD ) and has nice control. Not too powerful as well.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Oleg]

If you play with LM98 or K95 you should demo frames with similar weght and balance.

The babolat frame worth trying is Pure Control.

I would also recommend the following:

Wilson NCode 6.1, Pro Staff Classic 6.1
Older and heavier Head 630 or 690 mold frames
Prince 03 Tour 95 or 100
Prince Graphite Original mid and OS

I think that one handed back hand stroke needs a heavier frame in general to give you more stability and plow through.

 

[Dyne]

I wanted to demo the nCode 6.1 and O3 Tours, but they never have them in at my local shop. I'll probably have to call in and have them reserved some time. I'll see about that Pure Control, too.

Didn't know that about backhands. I've only played about 4 months without an instructor... just a coach at school who just got into tennis 4 months ago.

 

[Oleg]

If you are new to tennis, you should only consider frames that are over 12 oz, the havier, the better.

The reason for this is to make learning strokes easier, you need to feel where the racquet is and learn to use correct body muscles to get it into motion.

I strongly recommend that you study top players form using digital recordings (in slow motion, over and over). There are also websites that have all top player's strokes videos and you can watch them fram by frame. Studying slow motion video is the best tool there is to learn the strokes, you have to be very curious and persistent. It also takes time and repetition.

Do a search on google for the following and you should find a free web site that I just came across and it is pretty good:

"pro compare"

I do not want to point out a link because I am not sure about TW policies.

For each stroke you study pay attention to the footwork, upper body rotation, use of core muscles and body weight transfer. Note that arms are NOT used as much as many people believe and teach...

All the best.

 

[saram]

If you play with LM98 or K95 you should demo frames with similar weght and balance.

The babolat frame worth trying is Pure Control.

I would also recommend the following:

Wilson NCode 6.1, Pro Staff Classic 6.1
Older and heavier Head 630 or 690 mold frames
Prince 03 Tour 95 or 100
Prince Graphite Original mid and OS

I think that one handed back hand stroke needs a heavier frame in general to give you more stability and plow through.

I found this stick to be a trampoline compared to my Prestige mids. If one has solid contact on all their shots, a Prestige mid or MP may be a viable option to consider. The MP will provide more access to spin for you.