what does it all mean?

[chiapants226]

what does it mean in the racquet description, when it says swingweight, stiffness and balance and how does it affect the racquet? what are the pros and cons of a high or low swingweight? i have no idea what it means when ppl on these forums start talking all about different swingweights of a racquet and stuff

 

[racquet_jedi]

Swingweight is basically how heavy or light it feels when you take a whack at the ball...

A low swingweight racquet will be more maneuverable than a higher swingweight racquet, but a racquet with a higher swingweight may be more stable and provide more resistance to off-center shot twisting...

 

[chiapants226]

where would you put lead on the racquet to lower swingweight, and where would you put lead to increase swingweight??

 

[snoopy]

Whenever you add weight to the racquet it adds swingweight. A given amount of lead placed at the butt cap will add the least swing weight while that same amount placed at the top of the hoop will add the most swing weight.

The only way to reduce a frame's swingweight is to remove weight from the racquet (not easy to do). You can trim the bumper or you can go to a grip that weighs less.

As a side note, don't confuse static weight and swingweight. Static weight is the weight of the racquet when placed on a scale. Swingweight is measured on an RDC machine. Just b/c a frame has a light static weight it doesn;t mean that it has a low swingweight.

People use a frame's swingweight measurement to get a rough idea of how hard it is to swing that racquet fast. Frames with lower swingweights are easier to swing fast.

 

[snoopy]

Look at these pages:

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/LC/SelectingRacquet/SelectingRacquet.html

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/LC/RacquetStringTerms.html



Ignore the phrases "players" racquet and "tweener." Too often people get caught up in these terms and don't want to use a certain racquet b/c it's considered a tweener.

You need to put your ego aside and use whatever frame is best for you. There are many advanced players that use frames that are categorized as tweeners.

The key is to be able to swing your racquet fast enough for long enough against players of your level. This is the formula for racquet selection devised by NoBadMojo.