The Official Lead Tape Placement+Racket Customization Thread

[hewittmetfan]

Hey guys I need a little help with a customization issue. I just switched to the Head IG Speed 18x20 racquet and love the way it plays. HOWEVER, it seems to have a lack of stability, probably because of its swingweight. So I was wondering if I should add lead tape to the 3 and 9 o'clock parts of the racquet or do you guys suggest another spot. I really prefer not to make the racquet weigh over 12 oz. I am turning 16 in 10 days and I am ranked top 200 in the nation on Tennis Recruiting. I need some help you guys. Thanks!!! (y)

[Larrysümmers]

idk how much the racket already weighs. id either say the 3 and 9 or a little at the 10 and 2

[Remioli]

If I buy a racquet at 4 3/8 grip size, and add over grips to it until it's 4 5/8 of 1/2 will it effect the weight of the racquet much? Or anything else?

[Larrysümmers]

yeah. it will be more HL. you could add 4 grams at the 3+9 and you'll be golden

[kgeonz]

So a polarized racket is usually head-heavy unless the player wants a HL balance right?

[LeithaL]

how would you guys recommend polarizing an aero pro drive gt? what would be a good depolarizing setup? what string tension is good for a polarized set up and for a depolarized set up? Thanks!

[Larrysümmers]

4 grams total at the 3 and 9 plus 4g right above the handle is a pretty solid setup. for depoloar

try 4 grams at the 12 and 2 in the butt, thats a decent polarized setup

[LeithaL]

thanks! i'll try that tomorrow. quick question. I'm assuming that i would want to retain the racquets original balance of 4 points headlight, or do i want to change that? if i want to keep it, i'm assuming that if i put lead tape at 3 or 9, or if i put it on 12, should i put the same amount in grams at the handle? Why is it that for the polarized setup that there is more weight at 12 than at the handle, which is the same for the nadal setup which is 9.5 at 12 and 2.5 at the bottom? Does an overgrip tamper with the weigh at the bottom whatsoever? Also 8 grams doesn't seem that substantial for such a light racquet, should i put more? Thanks for any responses

[TennisCJC]

Originally Posted by hewittmetfan

Hey guys I need a little help with a customization issue. I just switched to the Head IG Speed 18x20 racquet and love the way it plays. HOWEVER, it seems to have a lack of stability, probably because of its swingweight. So I was wondering if I should add lead tape to the 3 and 9 o'clock parts of the racquet or do you guys suggest another spot. I really prefer not to make the racquet weigh over 12 oz. I am turning 16 in 10 days and I am ranked top 200 in the nation on Tennis Recruiting. I need some help you guys. Thanks!!! (y)

You could try the Djoko setup and put huge strips of lead down the sides center just below 3/9 o'clock and huge strips under the bumper at 1:30 and 10:30. And, he probably loads the handle to counter balance.

Try adding 1.5 g at 3 o'c 1.5 g at 9 o'c and 2 g at noon. Counter with 2 g under the replacement grip wrapped around the handle pallet just above where the plastic butt cap ends (about 1.5 inches from butt end) and 3 grams wrapped around the handle pallet 7" from the butt end.

Assuming 1/4" wide lead tape, then one 4" strip of lead tape weighs approx 1 gram. to apply 1.5 g at 3 o'c, place two 3" strips center on R side of head with 1 strip on each side on string grommet. Put the strips on the interior side of the frame and not on the outside.

This will add approximately 10.5 g of swing weight to the frame. With a vibration dampener, your frame should be around 330 g swing weight which is good. And, I don't want to hear how this is too much weight for you and it will slow down your swing speed because that's a bunch of BS. If you are 16 yo top 200 junior you can handle this easily. I play 335 g SW and I'm 55 yo average size male. My wife plays 330 g swing weight and she is 54 yo small woman.

If you like this and want more power and stability, increase all lenghts by 1" to add about 1.5 g to the head (6 total strips * 1" = 6" total = 1.5 g) and this will increase SW about 3 g to 333. Offset handle weight proportionately too - add 1 gram to near butt location and .5 gram to 7" location.

[Larrysümmers]

Originally Posted by LeithaL

thanks! i'll try that tomorrow. quick question. I'm assuming that i would want to retain the racquets original balance of 4 points headlight, or do i want to change that? if i want to keep it, i'm assuming that if i put lead tape at 3 or 9, or if i put it on 12, should i put the same amount in grams at the handle? Why is it that for the polarized setup that there is more weight at 12 than at the handle, which is the same for the nadal setup which is 9.5 at 12 and 2.5 at the bottom? Does an overgrip tamper with the weigh at the bottom whatsoever? Also 8 grams doesn't seem that substantial for such a light racquet, should i put more? Thanks for any responses

well the whole point of the APD is a racket that is light enough to whip with ease, but a sw high enough to give it some punch. you can add as much wt as you want really.
and dont worry about the og wt.

[TennisManiac]

Very interesting thread. Lots of knowledge in this one.

[TennisManiac]

I have a Head Youtek IG Prestige Pro and would like some opinions on how to polarize and depolarize this particular frame. I'm looking for more power and stability from this frame to suit my game. I have an all court game, a one handed backhand and can serve flat or kickers. I feel I need more pop on my serve, more depth and power on my groundstrokes and more mass and plow to get through my one handed backhand in order to get through heavy balls. I'm a 4.5 level player trying to maximize my potential. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Larrysümmers]

try adding some at the 10 and 2 and some either in the buttcap or handle. or above the grip. the best advise is to add a little at a time and just experiment.

[TennisManiac]

Originally Posted by Larrysümmers

try adding some at the 10 and 2 and some either in the buttcap or handle. or above the grip. the best advise is to add a little at a time and just experiment.

Thanks Larry. I was out today playing before I had a chance to read your advise about 10 and 2. I played two sets with 3 grams at 12 and 1.5 grams in the butt. I found that it gave me a bit more pop on my serve and really helped me get through my backhand while allowing more spin from both sides. It felt a lot better then it did in stock form. But I still feel like I need a bit more power and stability. Do you think I could get away with adding some lead to 3 and 9 and keeping the 3 grams at 12? And if so, would you reccomend adding a bit more to the butt as well? I bought a really nice scale the other day and weighed the racket as I have it set up now and it weighs 325 grams.

[Larrysümmers]

hi. i think that a couple of grams wouldnt hurt. i wouldnt put extra down low to counterbalance right away. but if you feel like you need some more tail weight then you could put some on.

[TennisManiac]

I tried adding 1 gram each at 3 and 9 along with the 3 grams at 12 and 1.5grams in the butt and it felt horrendous. I like the polarized version way better then combining the two. I'll try depolarizing it a bit at 10 and 2, then again at 3 and 9 and see how those set ups feel.

[mixedmedia]

Hey, everyone, I haven't read through this entire thread but have been looking through a lot of lead tape info. I noticed the question on this page about the Head Youtek IG Speed 18x20 because this is my current racquet. So far it is all stock plus a Super Grap overgrip. I have leather replacement grips on the way (over which will be wrapped my choice overgrip), and I intend to follow the instructions found here: http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=83285, with a target static weight of 375 g. I hit pretty flat sometimes but can work the point with spin. I am very aggressive.

Comments/concerns?

Thanks so much!

[mixedmedia]

TennisCJC, is that really the Djoko setup? (And yes, I know my racquet isn't the actual one ND uses.) Am I overdoing it by following the instructions in the link?

[mixedmedia]

Maybe my target static weight should be closer to 360 g?

[JohnB]

Originally Posted by ***********c

I tried adding 1 gram each at 3 and 9 along with the 3 grams at 12 and 1.5grams in the butt and it felt horrendous. I like the polarized version way better then combining the two. I'll try depolarizing it a bit at 10 and 2, then again at 3 and 9 and see how those set ups feel.

Have you tried those various set-ups? I have also tried those set-ups (on a different racket) but it would be interesting to know if there are similar findings.