Diary of a Racketaholic

[mikeler]

Originally Posted by Uvijek Argen

Like Mikeler mention I live in Orlando. The nick is Serbo-croatian(my argentinian side is second generation italian/ex-yugo)
Uvijek means "always", and argen..well argentino

Mikeler and I never play before, he play more clay and I play with full bed of NG so I try to avoid playing on it. I had hit briefly with crazy racket changer PP .
But our schedule always conflict so no match yet.

BTW I was planning to play the Open, but I practice twice in mikeler club and destroy my NG. I wont have enough money for a few sets if I even pass 1 or 2 rounds.

I don't think clay destroys NG. Our topspin forehands (PP included) are what do it.

[Fuji]

Originally Posted by Power Player

Awesome..how is the control, and how long does it last? A nice comfy poly with great control is basically what the 4G is.

Honestly the control isn't a Lux level, but it's pretty darn good. It's a bit lively but I don't find the problem of over hitting with it. The durability I've had so so luck with. On my first hybrid bed it lasted me just over 5 hours of hitting before the ice popped. That was in a Rad Pro though, and it just eats string. In my Blade it hasn't popped yet and I've put probably close to 5 hours in, and whole the control is still there it's starting to loosen up a bit. I haven't measured it, but since the pattern is closed I'd say a safe bet that it will at least last until the 8 hour mark.

Once I do some more heavy testing I'm hoping to consistently get about 8 hours a string bed, and since I'll be rotating 5 sticks I should be set!

-Fuji

[bad_call]

^ this player has the shots to own them all but the old legs fail and it becomes quite ugly.

[Fuji]

Well fellow RH's, I bid you adieu!





-Fuji

[JGads]

Fuji,

Well done, sir. Well done. One of my all-time favorite frames. And I'm guessing you were able to load up on them at that insanely cheap closeout price. My compliments. The Limited is one of those frames made for the esteemed gentleman.

In these parts, man, I'm totally crushing on these TGKs. Played about as well as I can tonight and split a couple of marathon sets in two hours time, both of us playing at a very high level. Same story tonight - played one set with my standard length and one with my extended, and I'm just ripping the court open with sharper angles with the standard and then just peppering the baseline with consistently deep, heavy shots with the extended. I lost the second set with the extended, but just barely -- had two set points I couldn't convert and I really played about equally well with both, just a little differently.

Two-handed backhand VERY much improved after a lesson last week. Key thing I wasn't doing: turning/twisting into the shot with my torso. Instead I was kind of staying planted with the feet and standing too straight up and letting the arms do too much of the work. Big thing was practicing twisting so much into the shot with the body so that the back leg would kind of swing around in the follow-through to land toward the side of the court as a recovery step. Also did a very helpful drill in which I had to actually let go of the racquet with my right hand during my follow-through, so as to force yourself to really swing all the way through with that left hand. Totally shows you how the left hand/arm should really be doing all of the work on the two-hander (other than shoulder and torso turn, of course)

It's funny -- my coach is a total Agassi-**** like I've become. On both the forehand and backhand that we've now worked on in lessons, he's brought me in to look at Agassi slow-mo video of his strokes on both wings.

Backhand still a work in progress but tonight, was definitely on the way back.

[sansaephanh]

jGads. Black ace PM ME! lol. I really likes sets of sticks.... Lol.

[Hi I'm Ray]

Originally Posted by Ross K

Curious though to hear your feedback on several of these, Ray. Nice list. Yes, the two Wilsons and the Bab are my contenders too.

Alright, played a total of 5 1/2 hrs of tennis today with some of the mentioned demos - 2.5hrs of singles (just hitting) w/a college level friend, 30min food break, & 3hrs of doubles (using just the BLX Blade) with random opponents/partners.

Extreme 2.0 Pro - Ross, you're going to like this one. Head took a page out of Volkl's book and put big grommets at 3&9, just like you'll find on the V1's. It plays almost exactly like a PDR2012 but swings even lighter and faster, and feels pretty soft on impact. It doesn't have a stiff feel like the PD's & is vibe free. I think this might even top the Formula 100 in terms of comfort & feel but I'll need more time with it. I didn't get to serve w/it yet. Mods were 1.25 grams at 12.

BLX Blade '11 - Long post here, as comparing the BLX Blade to the ADPGT w/PLX is like comparing apples to oranges with their different headsize, beam design, and string pattern. I don't think I'll need to say much more about after this though. Blade came w/a k-grip instead of the stock leather pro hybrid grip, I added 5.5 grams at the buttcap to compensate for the lack of leather grip as it felt too light on the swing at the handle end. Started with 1gm at 12 but ended up w/only .5gm which I could have done without too. My usual frame is 11.7-8gm SW340, but somehow this 11.2-3oz SW335 frame felt pretty beefy & I can totally see why PP and that Peliwo guy just play it stock - I'd probably just play it stock as well. Very solid feeling, foam filled, firm and stiff feeling but with some flex. Was strung w/full bed of an unknown poly but it had more power off the ground than my APDGT w/Pro Line X/Forten Sweet (its really a low powered set up). Both offered a high degree of control (I'm amazed what this PLX stuff does in the APDGT, great in doubles for me but too little power in singles) Groundies: more pop & a consistent, low trajectory w/the Blade, but I was able to mix up spin, pace, & trajectory to throw off opponents better with the APDGT. I'm in a transitional phase between 1-2HBH so I rely on slice a lot right now, luckily ppl don't seem to deal with it too well. Blade had much better control on slice but it wasn't skidding or spinning as aggressively as with the APDGT, I was still getting weak replies but was not forcing as nearly as many UE's. Great control on the 1HBH & felt confident to attack with it. More pop and much easier to put the ball away on volleys using the APDGT/PLX. The Blade swung really fast and easy on serves with good pop. I haven't practiced or worked on my serve in a long time so my technique is almost non-existent right now. With the Blade I hit a flat trajectory 1st serve with a lot of topspin that hovered around the low 80mph range @ about 70%, good enough against rec players as very few came back. Placement with the Blade was quite good. 2nd serve was awful on my part but thankfully I didn't have to hit too many. Didn't get to try any of the flatter, faster serves yet as I'm not sure how many I could pull off in a game w/out practice. At first the Blade felt really firm and lower powered in general, but as the day went on I found the stringbed to feel much softer and I was getting better power on groundies than with the Extreme - perhaps I adjusted better to the Blade and my timing got worse w/the lighter swinging Extreme Pro. Good game results with the Blade so far(it was an easy transition), I think it would play better with a hybrid and its definately a racket I can switch to, but right now I'm not sure if I will switch and what I would actually gain from doing so.

F 3.0 Tour was awsome, more on this another time.

[Ross K]

Originally Posted by Hi I'm Ray

Alright, played a total of 5 1/2 hrs of tennis today with some of the mentioned demos - 2.5hrs of singles (just hitting) w/a college level friend, 30min food break, & 3hrs of doubles (using just the BLX Blade) with random opponents/partners.

Extreme 2.0 Pro - Ross, you're going to like this one. Head took a page out of Volkl's book and put big grommets at 3&9, just like you'll find on the V1's. It plays almost exactly like a PDR2012 but swings even lighter and faster, and feels pretty soft on impact. It doesn't have a stiff feel like the PD's & is vibe free. I think this might even top the Formula 100 in terms of comfort & feel but I'll need more time with it. I didn't get to serve w/it yet. Mods were 1.25 grams at 12.

BLX Blade '11 - Long post here, as comparing the BLX Blade to the ADPGT w/PLX is like comparing apples to oranges with their different headsize, beam design, and string pattern. I don't think I'll need to say much more about after this though. Blade came w/a k-grip instead of the stock leather pro hybrid grip, I added 5.5 grams at the buttcap to compensate for the lack of leather grip as it felt too light on the swing at the handle end. Started with 1gm at 12 but ended up w/only .5gm which I could have done without too. My usual frame is 11.7-8gm SW340, but somehow this 11.2-3oz SW335 frame felt pretty beefy & I can totally see why PP and that Peliwo guy just play it stock - I'd probably just play it stock as well. Very solid feeling, foam filled, firm and stiff feeling but with some flex. Was strung w/full bed of an unknown poly but it had more power off the ground than my APDGT w/Pro Line X/Forten Sweet (its really a low powered set up). Both offered a high degree of control (I'm amazed what this PLX stuff does in the APDGT, great in doubles for me but too little power in singles) Groundies: more pop & a consistent, low trajectory w/the Blade, but I was able to mix up spin, pace, & trajectory to throw off opponents better with the APDGT. I'm in a transitional phase between 1-2HBH so I rely on slice a lot right now, luckily ppl don't seem to deal with it too well. Blade had much better control on slice but it wasn't skidding or spinning as aggressively as with the APDGT, I was still getting weak replies but was not forcing as nearly as many UE's. Great control on the 1HBH & felt confident to attack with it. More pop and much easier to put the ball away on volleys using the APDGT/PLX. The Blade swung really fast and easy on serves with good pop. I haven't practiced or worked on my serve in a long time so my technique is almost non-existent right now. With the Blade I hit a flat trajectory 1st serve with a lot of topspin that hovered around the low 80mph range @ about 70%, good enough against rec players as very few came back. Placement with the Blade was quite good. 2nd serve was awful on my part but thankfully I didn't have to hit too many. Didn't get to try any of the flatter, faster serves yet as I'm not sure how many I could pull off in a game w/out practice. At first the Blade felt really firm and lower powered in general, but as the day went on I found the stringbed to feel much softer and I was getting better power on groundies than with the Extreme - perhaps I adjusted better to the Blade and my timing got worse w/the lighter swinging Extreme Pro. Good game results with the Blade so far(it was an easy transition), I think it would play better with a hybrid and its definately a racket I can switch to, but right now I'm not sure if I will switch and what I would actually gain from doing so.

F 3.0 Tour was awsome, more on this another time.

Fascinating stuff, Ray. Look forward to further frame feedback posts. Without doubt, and as you're pretty familiar with my frame tastes/requirements, from what you say, you've got me interested in the Extreme Pro a bit now. Plus also, the Blade does sound intriguing, though it's the new open pattern is the one that's been on my mind of late.

[Ross K]

RHs,

Today I'm in mourning, and it relates to the tawdry and grubby necessity of having to fund my addiction (of course I'm hoping to be mainlining soon on the new APD, the 99s, or open pattern Darth Vader stick or whatever.) The mourning anyhow is due to me having to say my goodbyes and make my peace with one of my fav frames of all time, the 16x18 N95.

Man oh man, this racketaholic thing sucks... forgive me if my eyes are welling up a bit here, gentlemen, but, we were close for a while... we had some times...

RIP N95.

[Boricua]

Yesterday I practiced a few minutes with a Pure Drive Roddick 2007 model. My tennis partner wanted to test it and loved it. He traded one of his rackets the Pure Storm, the black and copper color, for my PDR. I liked this Pure Storm alot. Nice weight, comfortable and good control. Its less powerful than the APD and PDR. Could be an option for me. It has a solid hit with that distinct Babolat feel. It was strung witj poly mains and gut crosses. We will see how it compares with the 2013 APD and with the Volkl Classic V1. I also played yerterday with a Wilson Hammer 7.3.ight weigjht and 110 head. Weird playing with such big a racket head but it created effortless spin and had very good feel. Was strung with Kirshbaum Pro Line 1 at 60 and gut at 58. A bit light though and a bit too much power in flat shots but overall a great racket that surprisem more so as this Wilson has some years.

[Power Player]

Gads, that is really interesting. The backhand definitely needs that torso involved. How close are you keeping the buttcap of the racquet to your hips? I am experimenting with that as my BH is still really inconsistent some days. Really cool that the coach is into Agassi, and letting go with the right hand on the follow is something I need to try.

[Fuji]

Originally Posted by JGads

Fuji,

Well done, sir. Well done. One of my all-time favorite frames. And I'm guessing you were able to load up on them at that insanely cheap closeout price. My compliments. The Limited is one of those frames made for the esteemed gentleman.

In these parts, man, I'm totally crushing on these TGKs. Played about as well as I can tonight and split a couple of marathon sets in two hours time, both of us playing at a very high level. Same story tonight - played one set with my standard length and one with my extended, and I'm just ripping the court open with sharper angles with the standard and then just peppering the baseline with consistently deep, heavy shots with the extended. I lost the second set with the extended, but just barely -- had two set points I couldn't convert and I really played about equally well with both, just a little differently.

Two-handed backhand VERY much improved after a lesson last week. Key thing I wasn't doing: turning/twisting into the shot with my torso. Instead I was kind of staying planted with the feet and standing too straight up and letting the arms do too much of the work. Big thing was practicing twisting so much into the shot with the body so that the back leg would kind of swing around in the follow-through to land toward the side of the court as a recovery step. Also did a very helpful drill in which I had to actually let go of the racquet with my right hand during my follow-through, so as to force yourself to really swing all the way through with that left hand. Totally shows you how the left hand/arm should really be doing all of the work on the two-hander (other than shoulder and torso turn, of course)

It's funny -- my coach is a total Agassi-**** like I've become. On both the forehand and backhand that we've now worked on in lessons, he's brought me in to look at Agassi slow-mo video of his strokes on both wings.

Backhand still a work in progress but tonight, was definitely on the way back.

Haha why thank you! I was actually able to load up on the Used section of TW's store. Lets just say I paid less then half of what the new ones were on sale for... I was cruising late night on Friday and suddenly when I hit refresh these bad boys popped up and I couldn't believe it. One is a bit worse for wear with some chipping, but the other ones are pretty much brand new that could use a new bumper and that's about it. I'm so happy to be finally done messing about with sticks. I used the PSL for almost an entire season last year and it did wonders for my game, then I started to go into RH land and buying ridiculous amounts of sticks I didn't need.

That's awesome regarding your TGK's though! Honestly, it sounds like for me at least that the standard length is suiting your game a touch better since it lets you open up the court. At rec level play, it's all about giving your self a bit of room for error and margins that you can play to your advantage. The XL one does seem like a funner hit though!

I totally know what it's like to have a wicked BH lesson. I want to get some video of my backhand from the behind view so I can see exactly what I'm doing with it. My coach used to play on tour and he basically turned my 2HBH into something that may very well win me a spot on the D1 roster in the new few years. It's just incredible what a few good lessons can do for you. The toughest thing for me like you said is getting the left hand to be dominant. One of the best backhands I've faced is from a guy who is truly ambidextrous from birth. It was amazing to sit and watch him be able to pound ground strokes with either hand, and his 2HBH was supremely good haha. I for sure want to try that drill of letting go the right hand, it seems like it'd be good practice!

-Fuji

[Ross K]

Originally Posted by Uvijek Argen

Like Mikeler mention I live in Orlando. The nick is Serbo-croatian(my argentinian side is second generation italian/ex-yugo)
Uvijek means "always", and argen..well argentino

Mikeler and I never play before, he play more clay and I play with full bed of NG so I try to avoid playing on it. I had hit briefly with crazy racket changer PP .
But our schedule always conflict so no match yet.

BTW I was planning to play the Open, but I practice twice in mikeler club and destroy my NG. I wont have enough money for a few sets if I even pass 1 or 2 rounds.

Haha love it!

[Ross K]

Originally Posted by Boricua

Yesterday I practiced a few minutes with a Pure Drive Roddick 2007 model. My tennis partner wanted to test it and loved it. He traded one of his rackets the Pure Storm, the black and copper color, for my PDR. I liked this Pure Storm alot. Nice weight, comfortable and good control. Its less powerful than the APD and PDR. Could be an option for me. It has a solid hit with that distinct Babolat feel. It was strung witj poly mains and gut crosses. We will see how it compares with the 2013 APD and with the Volkl Classic V1. I also played yerterday with a Wilson Hammer 7.3.ight weigjht and 110 head. Weird playing with such big a racket head but it created effortless spin and had very good feel. Was strung with Kirshbaum Pro Line 1 at 60 and gut at 58. A bit light though and a bit too much power in flat shots but overall a great racket that surprisem more so as this Wilson has some years.

Excellent racketaholicking.

For my part, having just gone through the old frames I still have laying around, and inspired by some recent post exchanges with Gads, I'm planning on taking out a Rad Tour Twin Tube standard and the XL one too, as well as a slightly damaged old Triple Threat Warrior (how I got this frame I don't know. I certainly don't think I ever played with it due to a crack in the hoop.) It will only be a brief hit but could be fun.

[PED]

Originally Posted by Power Player

How close are you keeping the buttcap of the racquet to your hips?

My coach was talking about this last week, he said to keep a fairly good distance from your body so you don't hit the bh with crocodile arms and no power.

He used to hit 2 hands off both wings til college when they converted him.

[crosscourt]

Originally Posted by Ross K

RHs,

Today I'm in mourning, and it relates to the tawdry and grubby necessity of having to fund my addiction (of course I'm hoping to be mainlining soon on the new APD, the 99s, or open pattern Darth Vader stick or whatever.) The mourning anyhow is due to me having to say my goodbyes and make my peace with one of my fav frames of all time, the 16x18 N95.

Man oh man, this racketaholic thing sucks... forgive me if my eyes are welling up a bit here, gentlemen, but, we were close for a while... we had some times...

RIP N95.

I thought for a moment you were going to say you had to get a job...

[mikeler]

Originally Posted by Ross K

Haha love it!

The guy I hit with last night was switching rackets every game. He would leave the spare at the back fence. He used a full natural gut setup on service games and full synthetic gut on return games. My favorite part of the evening was when I aced him twice in a row and on the 2nd ace I knocked his spare racket over.

[Power Player]

Originally Posted by mikeler

The guy I hit with last night was switching rackets every game. He would leave the spare at the back fence. He used a full natural gut setup on service games and full synthetic gut on return games. My favorite part of the evening was when I aced him twice in a row and on the 2nd ace I knocked his spare racket over.

Is that guy good? I heard him bragging about how he was the doubles champ before once, but it looked like you were wining.

Fuji, I ordered a set of Ice 17 along with the OGSM 17 reel I needed to grab. So I will have the same setup in the blade against the 4G/OGSM.

Thinking 51/53 should do it.

[Ross K]

Originally Posted by mikeler

The guy I hit with last night was switching rackets every game. He would leave the spare at the back fence. He used a full natural gut setup on service games and full synthetic gut on return games. My favorite part of the evening was when I aced him twice in a row and on the 2nd ace I knocked his spare racket over.

LOL too funny.

[mikeler]

Originally Posted by Power Player

Is that guy good? I heard him bragging about how he was the doubles champ before once, but it looked like you were wining.

Fuji, I ordered a set of Ice 17 along with the OGSM 17 reel I needed to grab. So I will have the same setup in the blade against the 4G/OGSM.

Thinking 51/53 should do it.

He brings ringers into the Club doubles draw! His game is not a good match up for mine. Other guys he will give fits. I don't let him reset the point with defensive shots. Once I pull him off the court, I close into net for the kill. Classic anti-pusherism.