Racket "pop"

[TennisPassion5]

Whats up guys. Havent been posting here since 2 1/2 years ago so it feels good to be back. Anway on to my question--idk if anyone experiences this, but sometimes I'll walk on court and be crushing balls; precise and powerful rips. Other times, I'll be hitting and it'll feel like I'm using a block of wood and it makes it hard to generate pace and build up consistency. Assuming the strings aren't dead, what can attribute to the differences in response from the stringbed. Sometimes I'll feel like I'm playing at a 6.0 level and flash forward a few more days and it'll be very low quality tennis, because of the response of my racket.

[LeeD]

You're human.
We can't perform the same every time, day after day, week after week.
We have bio rythums, and all that crap.
And, we're inconsistent at best.
So sometimes, the right grip, grip strength, coupled with the right footwork, shoulder turn, eye on ball, and quad thrust allows a well hit ball, but not too oftentimes.

[luvforty]

assuming string aint' dead? how?

[TennisPassion5]

Originally Posted by luvforty

assuming string aint' dead? how?

I use NRG2 and I pop them before they start playing dead. I really am reluctant to attribute it to the strings being dead for that reason.

[sureshs]

It ain't the racket, it is the player

[TennisPassion5]

Originally Posted by sureshs

It ain't the racket, it is the player

But how do you explain the differences from day to do when sometimes I come out firing and other times I'm struggling to consistently hit with pace? Is it actually feasible that depending on the day, my technique/swing vary that extremely?

[sureshs]

Originally Posted by TennisPassion5

But how do you explain the differences from day to do when sometimes I come out firing and other times I'm struggling to consistently hit with pace? Is it actually feasible that depending on the day, my technique/swing vary that extremely?

Not warmed up enough? Something on your mind? Sitting all day? Bad traffic? Hungry?

[LeeD]

Figure...
You have A games.
B
C
D
F
so, one in 5 days you'll peek at your A games.

[rufus_smith]

weather conditions, ball condition, type of stroke opponent is hitting,time of day, court surface, ...

[TTech321]

Originally Posted by rufus_smith

weather conditions, ball condition, type of stroke opponent is hitting,time of day, court surface, ...

I have found all the following plays a MAJOR roll in how my hits sound, sometimes it sounds like I'm blowing all the air out of the ball with every hit, other times it sounds like I'm playing paddle ball.

Things I've found that kills my ball striking: cold weather, heavy balls (due to moisture in the air or on the ground), heavy top spin from my opponent, and at nights I tend to lose some pop (but more a factor of cold weather)

But yeah, their are days I walk on the court and feel like I'm Roger Federer with the amazing shots I come up with

[Tebow]

Originally Posted by TennisPassion5

Whats up guys. Havent been posting here since 2 1/2 years ago so it feels good to be back. Anway on to my question--idk if anyone experiences this, but sometimes I'll walk on court and be crushing balls; precise and powerful rips. Other times, I'll be hitting and it'll feel like I'm using a block of wood and it makes it hard to generate pace and build up consistency. Assuming the strings aren't dead, what can attribute to the differences in response from the stringbed. Sometimes I'll feel like I'm playing at a 6.0 level and flash forward a few more days and it'll be very low quality tennis, because of the response of my racket.

That used to happen to me A LOT. In my case, I finally realized that in the days I was hitting poorly I was squeezing the handle to hard, which impaired me from hitting a relaxed shot. Next time you try to hit the ball hard and you see a wimpy shot, be sure that your arm is tense. After I corrected this, it never happened again.

[TennisPassion5]

Originally Posted by TTech321

I have found all the following plays a MAJOR roll in how my hits sound, sometimes it sounds like I'm blowing all the air out of the ball with every hit, other times it sounds like I'm playing paddle ball.

Things I've found that kills my ball striking: cold weather, heavy balls (due to moisture in the air or on the ground), heavy top spin from my opponent, and at nights I tend to lose some pop (but more a factor of cold weather)

But yeah, their are days I walk on the court and feel like I'm Roger Federer with the amazing shots I come up with

Glad someone can relate. I feel like I'm phased by it so much because when my racket isn't playing responsive it's hard to "feel" the ball and in turn control it.

Originally Posted by Tebow

That used to happen to me A LOT. In my case, I finally realized that in the days I was hitting poorly I was squeezing the handle to hard, which impaired me from hitting a relaxed shot. Next time you try to hit the ball hard and you see a wimpy shot, be sure that your arm is tense. After I corrected this, it never happened again.

Lol, you mean arm to be relaxed and not tense? What you're saying otherwise makes sense.

[isilra]

Originally Posted by Tebow

That used to happen to me A LOT. In my case, I finally realized that in the days I was hitting poorly I was squeezing the handle to hard, which impaired me from hitting a relaxed shot. Next time you try to hit the ball hard and you see a wimpy shot, be sure that your arm is tense. After I corrected this, it never happened again.

This. Whenever i feel the wood effect, i realize that i'm squeezing the handle. When i loosen it, my strokes and the effortless power come back.

[Tebow]

Originally Posted by TennisPassion5

Lol, you mean arm to be relaxed and not tense? What you're saying otherwise makes sense.

I just thought of one word and wrote the opposite

What I mean is that if you hit the ball as hard as you can and still your shot lacks power, you definitely are squeezing too much the handle and your arm is tense - provided that you have sound technique.

[LuckyR]

Originally Posted by TennisPassion5

Whats up guys. Havent been posting here since 2 1/2 years ago so it feels good to be back. Anway on to my question--idk if anyone experiences this, but sometimes I'll walk on court and be crushing balls; precise and powerful rips. Other times, I'll be hitting and it'll feel like I'm using a block of wood and it makes it hard to generate pace and build up consistency. Assuming the strings aren't dead, what can attribute to the differences in response from the stringbed. Sometimes I'll feel like I'm playing at a 6.0 level and flash forward a few more days and it'll be very low quality tennis, because of the response of my racket.

A couple of things:

First, the reason for a lack of quality of play, is not because of equipment.

Second, what is difficult to understand about the statistical reality that if you play above average one time, that you are going to play below average another time? What other experience in anyone's life does anyone perform identically all of the time?

[Povl Carstensen]

Try to yank the ball backwards, its modern. No sorry. But I find it helps to have very few things to focus on, right from the warm up. For me it is watching the ball (especially after bounce, or all the way to the strings if you will), get a good contact (which for me is a solid thud, hitting through the ball, feeling you are really gripping the ball, it is a feeling you recognize). And then I like to hit slow during warm up, lifting the ball over the net, to get a good relaxed timing. You can always add power when you start yanking it more, he...
A major problem is to get that seemless transition from warmup pace to rally pace, I would say.

[slowfox]

You have *on* days. You have *off* days. That's life, whether your life be tennis, piano, dance etc. Some days will be better/worse than others. As for the pop sound, yeah Tebow nailed it. Grip a bit looser.