I've read here many times people advocating 'choking up' for volleys w/ extended racquets. I've used extended racquets for pretty much the last 20 years, and have never done that (it would be just one more thing to remember in the long line of "volley do's & don'ts").Giving this a little bump to ask if you guys could ask the playtesters anything about their experience playing with extended racquets, whatchu got?!
Thanks!
Michelle, TW
I've read here many times people advocating 'choking up' for volleys w/ extended racquets. I've used extended racquets for pretty much the last 20 years, and have never done that (it would be just one more thing to remember in the long line of "volley do's & don'ts").
Do the playtesters tend to choke up on the frame for volleys? And if so, do they really feel it helps w/ frame maneuverability? Does it eventually become 'second nature' (like changing forehand/backhand grips)?
and is that good or not ?Making a modern racquet longer by an inch just gets you back to the 1970s.
and is that good or not ?
What are the effects of different sweet spot location ?
on groundstrokes as well or only serves ?A higher sweetspot can give you more leverage and the potential for better angles.
on groundstrokes as well or only serves ?
For me, XL frames feel unnatural to me and I need to work harder with them than a standard one. I always feel jammed when using an XL frame especially on serve returns and volleys. Ironically, those are Roddick’s 2 weaknesses and he used a PD+ throughout his career, BUT his serve was probably one of the best of all time! For me, which is weird, I don’t serve any better with a PDT+ than say an RF97 or Gravity Pro/(weighted up) Tour. Also, I tend to spray my forehands or hit late with a XL frame. Like our fellow TW playtester, Jason, XL frames are not for me.
@TW Staff , To answer briancheng’s question, the old SV98+ would feel similar to an XL RF97A,
am I right?
Swartzman proves you wrong.Not very intuitive but I believe longer racquet is more suited to taller and bigger players not shorter players. Shorter players strength is fast (high frequency) swing and longer racquet slows this down. Reach can be covered by faster feet.
You could put more weight in the buttcap or grip area to move the balance down to where you want it. If you take a racquet and o nothing but extend it, the balance will shift up; however, some extension methods add weight to the handle which counteracts the effect the extension has on balance, e.g. XTP buttcap.How do you manage prefered balance on extended racquets ? Do you still go for the same as 27inch ? For example the Yonex extended racquets have the balance changed compared to their normal versions.
I disagree on the spin point. My experience with extended frames is MORE spin not less. But it might depend on the new swingweight and whether you are able to get it around as fast as the standard lengthQuite a few pros use extended lengths... most obvious successful one is Deigo Schwartzmann which I believe is 28"? I've played with extended racquets off and on... for me the two I used the longest were the AeroPro Drive + and the Dunlop CX200+.
Advantages
Better reach, can really help on defensive shots
Better power and stability
Serves... better power and higher percentage in
Disadvantages
Return of serve when ball coming into the body
Net play... less maneuverable and body shots are tougher
On servers it can be harder to get as much spin or angle that with std length
Tend to get less spin on groundies and serve... just more to get around, higher swing weight, etc.
Most of the disadvantages can be minimized or fixed simply by choking up on the handle. Point is that you have the option to have it play more like a standard length racquet in certain situations that you might find challenging, etc. For the most part, I enjoy extended length racquets... but they do sometimes play a little harder on the arm.
I currently have around 12 extended length rackets. I don't have any anymore that are longer than 28". I have given away or traded at least another dozen XL rackets.
I've tried everything from 29" (ITF legal max length) down to 27.25." I have cut rackets down to 26.5 in increments of .25" just to see what happens. I am 5'10.5" with 33" arms. I was career public school freestyle wrestler, later a weight room gym rat, and career special operations military. I coached baseball, softball and volleyball. I even spent 7 yrs working with expandable batons and made canes/staffs for some some years. I get sticks.
I really think my personal sweet spot is 27.3." However, the right frame for me trumps the extra length. I have done quite a few different things to add extra length and nothing works as well as cutting an XL down to 27.3" Adding an XTP buttcap is not the answer for me, I have tried at least 8 of those. Trying to add spacers doesn't work so well because stock buttcaps don't have enough room for that bottle cap, balsa wood disc, to securely attach the buttcap. If I were a high roller I would just send all my rackets to R N P Y and have custom grips installed. Why do all these Chinese made rackets have to be just 27" long? Is it a communist conformity thing or has the world of tennis racket manufacturers told the Chinese that rackets must be 27" or has the Chinese manufacturers told the racket brands that all rackets must be 27"?
Would it cost that much more to sell rackets with 29" hairpins, a butt cap and a base grip and let the buyer adjust the racket to their own preferred length? Pro shops could make a fortune helping folks sort that out and us DIY folks could have their dream racket "kits." Every racket then becomes "pro stock."
I currently have around 12 extended length rackets. I don't have any anymore that are longer than 28". I have given away or traded at least another dozen XL rackets.
I've tried everything from 29" (ITF legal max length) down to 27.25." I have cut rackets down to 26.5 in increments of .25" just to see what happens. I am 5'10.5" with 33" arms. I was career public school freestyle wrestler, later a weight room gym rat, and career special operations military. I coached baseball, softball and volleyball. I even spent 7 yrs working with expandable batons and made canes/staffs for some some years. I get sticks.
I really think my personal sweet spot is 27.3." However, the right frame for me trumps the extra length. I have done quite a few different things to add extra length and nothing works as well as cutting an XL down to 27.3" Adding an XTP buttcap is not the answer for me, I have tried at least 8 of those. Trying to add spacers doesn't work so well because stock buttcaps don't have enough room for that bottle cap, balsa wood disc, to securely attach the buttcap. If I were a high roller I would just send all my rackets to R N P Y and have custom grips installed. Why do all these Chinese made rackets have to be just 27" long? Is it a communist conformity thing or has the world of tennis racket manufacturers told the Chinese that rackets must be 27" or has the Chinese manufacturers told the racket brands that all rackets must be 27"?
Would it cost that much more to sell rackets with 29" hairpins, a butt cap and a base grip and let the buyer adjust the racket to their own preferred length? Pro shops could make a fortune helping folks sort that out and us DIY folks could have their dream racket "kits." Every racket then becomes "pro stock."
Why do all these Chinese made rackets have to be just 27" long? Is it a communist conformity thing or has the world of tennis racket manufacturers told the Chinese that rackets must be 27" or has the Chinese manufacturers told the racket brands that all rackets must be 27"?
I had a young, 39 yr old friend of mine tell me if I had an issue with filling out a specific government form I could just Facetime him and he can go step by step with me. WTF is Facetime? $500 3D printer to print a $5.00 buttcap? But it intrigues me how it could cross over to my other hobbiesCan I get a "heck, yeah" from the TT braintrust?
I'll ask one better—
This is 2021. You can get a solid 3D printer for < $500USD.
So—why do we even have *grip sizes*, let alone fixed racquet lengths.
If the manufactures sold frames with hairpin handles and provided the 3D printer files to make the pallets, we could all have the length AND exact grip size we prefer. I'm an L2.5, same as Thiem, so my grip is always a compromise. And I like the same length DJ reportedly plays, "27 inches plus 1 centimeter" (which has a certain elegance, I must admit.)
For a price even a small time racquet tech can afford we can do away with all this nonsense.
Can I get a "heck, yeah" from the TT braintrust?
/Acey
I paid money for some 3D printed extended butt caps
The 3D-printed plastic was brittle and had no give to it
Ring and Roll (in Germany) will extend any racquet you want to the length you specify up to 29". The cost is not high except for the shipping. Is there a similar tuning / customization service in the US?
Ring and Roll (in Germany) will extend any racquet you want to the length you specify up to 29". The cost is not high except for the shipping. Is there a similar tuning / customization service in the US?
For 1/2” extensions the XTP buttcap works rather well; but it increases grip size by one; so you have to buy a racquet that’s one size too small.I think that you're always better off just starting off with a longer hairpin. The hard part is finding the base model racquet to start off with and then making modifications to it to get to where you want to be. Getting extensions which may or may not work or not hold up over time has to be fairly frustrating.
For 1/2” extensions the XTP buttcap works rather well; but it increases grip size by one; so you have to buy a racquet that’s one size too small.
Facetime is Apples' terminology for a video phone call or conference. It is point-to-point. Better to use a web base conference service like ZOOM where you only need a computer rather than an Apple device.I had a young, 39 yr old friend of mine tell me if I had an issue with filling out a specific government form I could just Facetime him and he can go step by step with me. WTF is Facetime? $500 3D printer to print a $5.00 buttcap? But it intrigues me how it could cross over to my other hobbies
Hi Michelle/TW,This might be relevant here
Michelle, TW