zalive
Hall of Fame
Interesting observation from my end last night. Has me doubting things so much.
So these days I am hitting pretty heavy and high intensity with local D2 coach. Part of it was to lose some weight in the beginning (was 180 now back to 170) but after a few hard sessions, started enjoying it so much I just made it a regular hitting thing. He is young, graduated a couple years back and accepted the head coach position. Mid twenties, athletic and runs after every ball, just like me. The only difference is he is a pure returner. Me on the other hand, I try to put mustard on my forehands every now and then and I can hit them big. I am only 5'9 ish so I hit with proper technique, stepping in, unit turn, core rotation, the whole shabang. Weak link is the OHBH which is not as consistent obviously but I can still run around it and smack the ball around. Even though I'm 34, I beat the #3 kid they recruited last year (Spaniard kid) in straight sets (played D2 myself).
But anyway, coming back to my conundrum. Both my 63 RA TC100 are being strung. Was playing with the Tec LTD 315 16 mains. I have a wrist pain that has been bothering me since Jan. I'm hesistant to go have MRI done. Last time I had MRI done ten years ago, I had a tear in my shoulder tendon so you can understand the apprehension. So far Bengay and medical tape has kept it at bay. But anyway, I wasnt hitting the ball as hard and fast with the LTD 315. Could not afford to go stiffer racquets (had Babs in bag too along with 70RA TC100s) so I went with Donnay Pro One Dual Core since its 61 RA strung. Oh my God, even the guy across from me told me I was hitting like a maniac the forehands were so strong. Not as much spin, but quick with the 'thump' sound. Low net clearance. I have 18G pink Cyclone in that Donnay.
This has me in a lot of doubt. After playing tennis for over two decades now, have I been playing with the wrong string pattern? Was it the denser 18x20 that made my forehands look like a gift from God? I can tell you honestly that even with my TC 100 I do not drop bombs like that. I was not 'hot' I can tell you that so it wasn't like I was in a zone. I'm talking normal neutral rally balls when you hit. Was it the balance perhaps? Donnay always felt sluggish to me and more towards even balance not like the more HL sticks I regularly play with. Was it the non leather grip with OG? Or maybe just a change after a long time? Whatever it was, if I continue hitting like that (for almost two hours too), I am getting a couple more.
I will try and hit with both TC100 today when I get them back from stringing today. Compare head on. Really in doubt though. Not sure what I will do. I play with a eastern/modern eastern with straight arm for my forehand and eastern BH, to give an idea.
Thoughts? Feedback?
18x20 pattern doesn't make you hit harder by itself. It must be the racquet as well which lets you swing big and has a good energy return too. Obviously your regular stroke launches lower trajectory ball with 18x20, so directional speed of the ball is bigger, and obviously there's less topspin on it because of trajectory and pattern. But it doesn't mean ball is heavier as well. Ball in a loop may have identical speed yet directional speed will be lower because of different trajectory. So, thanks to topspin, ball hit with the open pattern racquet can be heavier. In the end you decide which is better. You can test it in a match situation to see which one is more effective for you against different players. And in the end, you can play with a certain racquet just because it brings more joy to you when hitting.
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