Doubles Racquet Help Needed for this Ex-Singles Player...

[rafafan20]

I think a Volkl with your specs would be a great choice, very soft rackets. Maybe give the prince exo3 tour a try. Would stay away from the Dunlops personally as I found them somewhat harsh on the elbow and not very good at the net.

[LeeD]

Eh, not sure about that.
My Aero500's aren't bad for my twice broken collarbone shoulders, volley incredibly well, and some of the biggest, quickest net play of any racket.
500T's seem hard on the arm, but they're rated much stiffer.

[robbo1970]

And my leather gripped Bio 300 is a peach at the net and from all areas of the court. I play mostly dubs too.

[rafafan20]

just my opinion only used 200 lite, 300T and 400T and found them all to be poor for volleys.

[TonyB]

Tons of recommendations here, and in three pages of replies there were only TWO that suggested just using YOUR SAME RACQUET FOR DOUBLES THAT YOU DID FOR SINGLES. I'm 100% in that camp.

Why switch??? The best doubles players I know at the club (all 5.0 and higher) all use 90-95 sq. in. frames and not ONE of them uses different frames for singles and doubles.

I use the Yonex 89 Tour and have absolutely NO trouble playing at the 4.5-5.0 level in singles and doubles. I completely disagree with people who say "bigger is better". *CONTROL* is a huge part of doubles, it's not all about smashing balls at full speed with powerful oversized racquets.

Anyway, just something to think about. Everyone wants to suggest their personal favorite frame or something "bigger" for you, but I think that's a mistake. Stick with what you normally play with and I suspect you'll be pleasantly surprised.

[lwto]

Head extreme PRO 2

Best Racquet available for singles
Best Racquet available for Doubles

[LeeD]

I wonder what is meant by "poor for volleys".
I used the Mfil and Aero200's for 3 years, then the Aero500's for 2 years now. They volley great, as well as I can.
My old 2 LMRadMids volley very well.
My 3 matched PrinceTTOS volley really well.
My older than that ChangExtendeds volley really well.
None hit very good groundstrokes, because my groundstrokes are not very good.
I can still volley at 4.5 or better levels, but my baseline game is closer to strong 3.5. Since my legs are shot, volleying is getting stronger compared to my groundie game.
What makes a racket volley 'poor"?

[LeeD]

Some validity to post 45 BUT....
When you come back to tennis, you will be movement challenged.
That is not only affected by how badly you would move to the ball and set up, but worst, by your opponent's choosing to move you around instead of hitting their normal shots. So on your return to the game, you would need BETTER shots than you currently produce, and more often.....with hampered movement, and now another year in, reduced vision!
That is the reason for OS. And MicrogelOS is not more powerful than mids. It's just got a bigger sweetspot, something your volleys can use a big dose of, next year.

[db10s]

Originally Posted by LeeD

I wonder what is meant by "poor for volleys".
I used the Mfil and Aero200's for 3 years, then the Aero500's for 2 years now. They volley great, as well as I can.
My old 2 LMRadMids volley very well.
My 3 matched PrinceTTOS volley really well.
My older than that ChangExtendeds volley really well.
None hit very good groundstrokes, because my groundstrokes are not very good.
I can still volley at 4.5 or better levels, but my baseline game is closer to strong 3.5. Since my legs are shot, volleying is getting stronger compared to my groundie game.
What makes a racket volley 'poor"?

I think maneuverability is one aspect.

[LeeD]

Manueverability...
Can any racket move quicker than a Aero500? SW of 308, 23 beam, under 10 oz.
Coming from some Mfil and Aero200's that SW at 340, weigh 12.4 oz, and they volley really well.
MicroGelOS volleys really well, better than my level of play.
As does the older racket's I mentioned.
What I think is guys who can't volley don't volley well. Small grips don't volley well. Confirmed baseliners don't volley well.

[rafafan20]

I like that, just because someone doesn't like to volley with your racket they can't volley well.

Or it could be the lack of stability in the frame when playing against people who hit hard, and I'm not a fan of using lead.

[LeeD]

Not a stability problem for volleys.
Volley technique takes care of that, firm wrist, firm elbow and shoulder, body solid.
Now mishits are a different animal entirely. When you mishit a volley, you can't expect the same results as a solid hit volley, can you?

[rafafan20]

Well Chris on TW said the same thing about the rackets, but you obviously are better at judging rackets than him so I'll take your word for it I'm just a crappy player.

[LeeD]

Doesn't Chris commit to a 12 oz racket with a moderately high SW?
As such, anything less will be lacking, in his point of view.
All these testers talk about "lack of plowthru" constantly.
Most are playing in the 4-5 levels. How much "plowthru" is needed to play at the higher high school levels?
And none of US play at 5.5 or Futures/Satalite/Q levels. We don't face the same balls, we don't hit the same balls.

[rafafan20]

how on earth do you know what level I play it? To each his own but I'll stick with the guy who tests rackets for a living rather than someone strangely attached to defending their own brand of rackets (weird...)

[LeeD]

you may do as you like, but you must know very little about tennis to just blindly believe in what ONE person says about how some racket's volley....
Maybe you should learn to volley yourself, then try the various rackets, THEN make your post.
Since you can't/don't/don't care to defend your position, your comments show very little credibility.

[rafafan20]

I've used the actual racket (300t and 400t as mentioned above) and I just don't find it stable. My tennis coach used it and didn't find it stable. I played at on one of the best university club teams in the country which is by no means consistent 5.5 but I know what I'm doing. But hey, I don't know how to volley.

you seem to need a little help with reading comprehension and manners, but to each his own.

[TripleB]

Originally Posted by TonyB

Tons of recommendations here, and in three pages of replies there were only TWO that suggested just using YOUR SAME RACQUET FOR DOUBLES THAT YOU DID FOR SINGLES. I'm 100% in that camp.

Why switch???

There are a few reasons but I guess the 2 main reasons are: 1) the last racquet I used (BLX Pro Open) caused me arm problems (finally feeling better after 8 weeks away from the game) and 2) I would really rather go to a thinner racquet with more feel (in dubs I'm more of a touch/feel/placement player).

Thanks for the input.

TripleB

[LeeD]

But what counts is, are you a solid consistent volleyer to begin with?
You might be a solid 5.5 baseliner, and volley at a much lower level..MIGHT.
If you were a solid volleyer, you'd know it's about your body preparation and stroke, not about the weight of a racket.
And not all passing shots are hit at 100mph. Lots are hit within human ranges, and some are hit with heavy spin and very slow pace (like 50 mph).
Lots of factors weigh in on what determines a good volleying racket. Heft is one, for sure, but quickness to allow solid preparation is just as important, while some players prefer a quicker rebound, some a slower feel.
As with groundies and overall, the heaviest YOU CAN HANDLE is the best volleying racket. And that means including body shots, half volleys, overheads, backhand overheads, besides the normal offensive volleys.

[retrograde]

Originally Posted by TripleB

I usually stayed at the baseline, used a great deal of spin on all shots, ran everything down keeping balls in play until my opponent made a mistake. Seldom came to the net and did my best to stay away from doubles.

I admire your drive to make a comeback from surgery. More power to you.

I play 75% doubles now and have a tender elbow. Fortunately, I learned how to play serve & volley when I was a kid, so I've always been comfy w/ dubs.

Since volleying hasn't been a big part of your game till now, I'd consider using your current stick and practicing volleys on a machine or with a buddy. Discovering how to move post-op/PT, learning strategy to take control of the net, and volleying technique will keep you plenty busy. In other words, consider minimizing the number of new variables to contend with post-op/PT.

Later, if you find your current stick deficient in serve & volley, you could do a search. My experience is more often than not, a good volleying stick has:

- Higher twistweight
- Larger Sweetspot / Power Zones
- Vibration frequency (I use to predict comfort)

Twistweight helps on reaction volleys or mishits by minimizing torquing of the frame in your hand. Larger sweetspot / power zone helps in this area too. The associated TW tools will help to narrow down demos to try:

http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/lear...r/contours.php
http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/cgi-...eruniverse.cgi
http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/cgi-...bfrequency.cgi

I'd also consider looking more at swingweight than static weight. You'll be surprised how nicely a heavier yet head-light racquet can swing/maneuver compared to a lighter stick with the same swingweight. The mass of the heavier stick will help with volleys.

I've been using the PK7g for years now (great serve & volley stick) but have been actively demo'ing. You mentioned the Dunlop F3.0 - I found it volleys well and requires less work/precision to hit a good volley than a Bio 300 Tour (compare their twistweights and sweet/power zones).