Is it a racquet problem?

armandogomes

New User
Disclaimer: I'm not sure if this belongs here or if this belongs to Tennis Tips/Instruction category, but I guess here is a better place.

I started playing tennis a few years ago (3 calendar years but likely around 2.5 years with lockdowns and summer holidays). I find tennis interesting and I practise a lot. I go to tournaments. I'm a ranked player. I'm not an amazing player, sometimes I can snatch an occasional doubles tournament and, since I don't like to get my bottom kicked, I just want to get better and better. I always liked tennis, played like 10 times before starting playing regularly and, well, bad habits.

Here's the deal, my forehand sucks big time. It's not that I can't hit a shot but it's more quickly a liability than a strength. I've been working hard on it, though. The backhand, on the other hand, it's a strength. Sometimes I'd rather hit a backhand than a forehand because I'm more confident and, well, it hurts the opponent more.

I have a few guns in my bag: I started out with a Graphene XT Prestige MP (not-a-very-smart-choice-certainly but at least I could swap pallets until I knew for sure the size) then I snatched a Graphene Next Speed S (lighter, an open pattern that I feel helped and, again, pallet swap) and then I tried the Blade 98 16x19 CV. My doubles partner uses it, a lot of people seem to use it, so... if it works for them, it should work for me, no? (read "no" with Nadal's voice)

I guess not. See, my racquet is currently weighing ~317g (strung with RPM Blast 1.25). I bought an L4 but I'm playing with two overgrips only, it would feel like an L3, because somehow Wilson L4 feels way bigger than Head's L4. I feel it's too light. But that's not the reason why I'm thinking me and the blade don't match together.

In today's practice, I tried one of those tennis pointers (the wooden thing) with hand feeds. I kid you not, I was able to hit with that better than with the racket. My coach even suggested that I just switch the racket for the tennis pointer since I seem to hit better - it's was joke, but you get the point.

Then I thought: okay, maybe it's just because there's no spin in the ball, or the ball comes slow or whatever. So I asked my coach if he could just feed the ball from the other side of the court. He did. I was better with the tennis pointer than my racket. My lovely racket.

So, can the racket be "the" problem?

PS: as I said "in-between the lines", I'm trying to figure out what works for me. If it's the pattern (I've got an 18x20 Blade CV to compare, matched to a 16x19), if it's the total weight, the swing weight, the balance, whatever. Any suggestions on how I should start, would be appreciated.
 

ichaseballs

Professional
hard to say how your forehand is a liability/weakness. are you dumping them into the net? or hitting long a lot? using topspin?

without knowing exact details, i think an open pattern will help you hit easier forehands. also don't use an extended length. stick with something perhaps 100 sq in? strings can be a big factor on how a racquet plays, along with the tension. honestly, most rec players could probably play similarly with any racquet given enough time to adjust to it. the pure drive is a great place to start and will fit a wide variety of play styles.

if you want to improve, you need to embrace your weakness. do not try to hide it, but take the opportunity to hit a good forehand. if you fail, try again.
 

AmericanTwist

Professional
It is never the racquet's problem only the swing trajectory which is created by the player. However, there are so many variables, racquet spec, string selection and tension, grip shape and size, grip type, player fitness and strength and mental fortitude, there is/are optimal set-ups for each of us. Hence, the racquet-aholic phenomenon.

Can you actually hit a forehand that goes in? You write a lot but details seem vague to me. You would be among the minority whose backhands are better than their forehands (no shame but rare!).
 

Ryebread

Hall of Fame
yes we need more context.
how fast you swing, how much pace do you produce, your level, your typical opponent and how do they hit?
how is your footwork?
what is going on with your FH, like really going on? hitting the net or always too long? moon balling?
your age/height/weight/build?

once we know more, we MAY be able to help you a little.
 

esm

Legend
I think you should trail and error different setups - pick a lighter/platform racquet and change only one parameter at a time and see how you like it. Everyone is different so my spec may not work for you.
(maybe it was a honeymoon period with the tennis pointer thing?)
 

ZanderGoga

Semi-Pro
It’s not the racquet. Get a new one if you want it, but anyone who can hit a tournament level forehand can hit it with a 65 inch woodie, a modern player’s frame, or a granny stick.
 

armandogomes

New User
hard to say how your forehand is a liability/weakness. are you dumping them into the net? or hitting long a lot? using topspin?

Not really dumping them into the net, I can get decent clearance. Occasionally it will go into the net - as with everyone, I guess. When I say "liability/weakness" I'm meaning that if I to play only with forehands, I would certainly not be able to consistently create and dictate points against someone that knows how to play tennis.

the pure drive is a great place to start and will fit a wide variety of play styles.

I'm trying to figure out exactly with what I play best so I can then see if my blades are able to do it or not. I already have a few rackets with no use. :)

It is never the racquet's problem only the swing trajectory which is created by the player.

My coach says the biomechanics of the shot looks good, the problem seems to be timing and control over the racquet head. This, along with the difference in "success" with the tennis pointer, inclines me to believe that tuning the balance/weight could help here. That's what I'm slightly asking - if tuning/changing the racket could do some good here.

Can you actually hit a forehand that goes in?

Yes. As I said, I classify as a liability because I don't feel I can't dictate and finish a point using just forehands against someone that plays fairly well (tournament player, not international, but local/national).

You would be among the minority whose backhands are better than their forehands (no shame but rare!)

When I would play "solo" - meaning, pick up a racket and go hit some balls without any guidance whatsoever, I wanted to look like Federer and the classy 1hbh. When I started having lessons, I learned 2hbh. My backhand was built from the ground up, so it makes sense that it's better than my forehand (which has been improving).

I think you should trail and error different setups - pick a lighter/platform racquet and change only one parameter at a time and see how you like it.

That's what I intend to do. One thing at the time, starting with the string pattern.

how fast you swing, how much pace do you produce, your level, your typical opponent and how do they hit?
how is your footwork?
what is going on with your FH, like really going on? hitting the net or always too long? moon balling?
your age/height/weight/build?

I feel I need to restrict some RHS in my forehand otherwise I'll lose control. My typical opponent is someone who plays for way longer than me since I play tournaments. I have my class partners but the level is not bad but not amazing. Sometimes I have the opportunity to play with a D1 college player, and I feel that my BH can hurt them (if I hit it properly, of course) although my forehand will do nothing. I'll eventually lose during the course of the practice match, of course.

I've been working on the footwork and it's better. Sometimes I feel that I misjudge the path for ~5 or 10 inches, so I need to adjust "on the fly", which isn't a great thing.

Regarding the fh, as I said before, I can put the ball on the other side, with decent clearance. I can't dictate the points and finish them just with the FH. I would say it lacks consistent depth, speed, and weight.

32, 6.1, ~200, in shape.

Sorry for the long answer, but I tried to answer everyone at once :D
 
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Dartagnan64

G.O.A.T.
It's never the racket. The sooner you accept that and quit trying to "buy a game", the better off you will be.

Personally I can't think of many shots I've hit poorly where I say to myself, "Man, I did everything right and the ball still didn't land in the court."

There's always a mechanical flaw on virtually every bad shot I hit (Too close, too late, weight on back foot, took eye off the ball, reaching, too early, etc). If you can say that none of those things are happening when you miss a FH, then and only then, should you blame your tools.
 

Lorenn

Hall of Fame
I started playing tennis a few years ago (3 calendar years but likely around 2.5 years with lockdowns and summer holidays). I find tennis interesting and I practise a lot. I go to tournaments. I'm a ranked player. I'm not an amazing player, sometimes I can snatch an occasional doubles tournament and, since I don't like to get my bottom kicked, I just want to get better and better. I always liked tennis, played like 10 times before starting playing regularly and, well, bad habits.

From reading your text this would be my guess. You forehand likely doesn't suck, but it is not as good as you would like. Backhands are often easier for well built players. you can leverage all the extra muscle. The normal stroke tends to encourage one to use legs, core, back. My guess on your forehand is you are arming it, that you are likely inefficent with footwork because you are athletic... so why be efficient. Power should come from core and legs. Arms should be relaxed and just mainly a connector. For your size and strength I think your racquet is too light.

Backhand you are confident and let the racquet fly. Forehand you are likely trying to make things happen and have too much tension in your upper body. Likely a pause or two in your swing.
 
It might not be the racquet but it could be the handle. The shape in particular. Over the years I’ve tried many racquets from different brands and I found out I can play with Wilson, Prince and Babolat grip shapes. Head is a bit more rectangular and feels awkward to hold. I was always searching for my grip but I could never find the right way to hold it. Really annoying. Yonex has the same shape but it’s ever so slightly bigger than the same size from other brands. Shame really because I think Yonex makes great racquets.
Maybe worth comparing the grip size and shape of the tennis pointer to the Blade?
 

time_fly

Hall of Fame
I just looked up the specs on the tennis pointer. I'm not sure which one you are using, but there's a "pro" model that's roughly 346g and a "mid" that is 310g. Interestingly, both have swing weights that are below what a typical tennis racquet would have. This suggests to me two things: either you are typically late on your forehand and the easier swing of the pointer is making up for that, or you are "brushing" the ball excessively on your forehand leading to inconsistency, but subconsciously switching to a flatter hitting style with the pointer since it doesn't have strings or grip on the ball. Without knowing more about what your swing looks like and how you are typically missing, these are just complete guesses though.

If you like the feel of the pointer, you could get a racquet that is more head light with a lower swingweight and more dense stringing pattern. For example the Yonex Vcore Pro 97 HD. That would emulate some of the characteristics of the pointer. But I'd probably focus on technique explanations first.
 

caesar66

Professional
Most likely looking at a mechanics issue. I’d see if you could get a one hour lesson with a pro if there’s a nearby club and let them help. Make sure you bend your knees, and don’t just whip your arm-pivot your non-dominant shoulder forward on the backswing, then pivot it back as you swing from the shoulder of your dominant arm while firing your hip on the dom side forward as well. Think of it like shifting your weight and balance through the shot, not just arming the ball.
 

blai212

Hall of Fame
2 things you could do:
watch youtube videos describing the modern forehand
watch federer forehands in slow motion to see how he times it

tennis is very similar to ping pong...those guys can hit penetrating forehands while still keeping the ball in via correct swing mechanics and ball trajectory/racquet face orientation. Keeping the ball from sailing long is usually solved by a more closed racquet face. Hitting deep consistent groundstrokes require a full swing with solid follow through. Must have good balance of hitting through the ball while also brushing some to impart topspin so the ball will drop back into the court. It’s all about understanding the physics behind tennis and then being able to apply the proper biomechanics to produce the best result. As for the racquet, I never liked the blade CV either...just have to keep trying different racquets to find one that feels good. Good would depend on your priorities of comfort, power, control, feel. Yonex vcore pro, babolat pure strike, wilson v7 blade seem to be solid control options that would be more forgiving than prestige but still retain decent control.
 

antony

Hall of Fame
Didn’t really read but string and technique are likelier factors unless you got a really ****ty racquet
 

fab_ireland

New User
Hi Guys, Just came across the post. I'm excited to see the tennis pointer in conversation and how it's used.

There's always definitely a honeymoon period with them!! It's based on the Original Pro Staff. Because they are hand made and from natural materials the swing weight can slightly vary with each one :)

If any of you have any questions about it, I am always here to help :)
 

Tranqville

Professional
It's not a racquet problem, 100%. Not even a swing path problem. It's the fundamentals problem. You need to take a step back and work on your basics. Footwork, balance, watching the ball, coiling and uncoiling, correct contact point, leg drive, hips and shoulders rotation, correct hitting arm position. I will make a wild guess here, but most likely you have a late contact point on both wings, which works for a double-handed backhand, but not on a forehand.

To work on your fundamentals, I highly recommend two sources:

Feel tennis youtube channel
Ean Meyer (whatever you can find), his videos are on several channels. His footwork series is golden.
 

Purestriker

Legend
It's not a racquet problem, 100%. Not even a swing path problem. It's the fundamentals problem. You need to take a step back and work on your basics. Footwork, balance, watching the ball, coiling and uncoiling, correct contact point, leg drive, hips and shoulders rotation, correct hitting arm position. I will make a wild guess here, but most likely you have a late contact point on both wings, which works for a double-handed backhand, but not on a forehand.

To work on your fundamentals, I highly recommend two sources:

Feel tennis youtube channel
Ean Meyer (whatever you can find), his videos are on several channels. His footwork series is golden.
Who are you talking too? Sometimes you gotta turn that finger around.
 

ariwibowo

Rookie
Forehand is the basic requirement in racquet sport. If you are getting pushed by the ball then your racquet is too light.
 

armandogomes

New User
Okay, back to this. First of all, thank you very much to every single one of you who gave their opinions.

Before we go any further, an update:
- I "tungsten'ed" up the blade, leather grip'd it and got roughly into the 340g range and 337 SW. It worked way better for me.
- But since I wanted to have a more open string pattern, I ended up getting a fancy trio of PA's and I'm currently running them at 350g strung. Seems to work pretty well for me, in fact, way better than the blades.

There's always a mechanical flaw on virtually every bad shot I hit (Too close, too late, weight on back foot, took eye off the ball, reaching, too early, etc). If you can say that none of those things are happening when you miss a FH, then and only then, should you blame your tools.

Completely agree with this, but what I felt is that I couldn't get the timing right. With an heavier racket, I feel I can time it better. It still seems that I'm using too much wrist to bash the ball, but we'll get there.

For your size and strength I think your racquet is too light.

I also feel better playing with heavier sticks.

you are typically late on your forehand

It still happens every now and then, but mostly bad footwork for the "last millisecond adjustments"

you are "brushing" the ball excessively on your forehand

That was also an issue that was "kind of" fixed. Now I just hit more through the ball so it goes deeper and heavier. But I feel the heavier racket also helped me with this.

So, moral of the story for me: if it was a racket problem? it wasn't only a racket problem, but the heavier stick helped my game.

Feel free to keep going if you have any other suggestions!

Cheers all and happy new year!
 

Curtennis

Hall of Fame
I don’t know the first two racquets, but there isn’t a player alive who couldn’t make a Blade work for their forehand, pro or amateur.

Your best bet is to just pick one racquet, completely hide or sell the others and stick with it.

When I bounce from Pure Aero, to RF97 to Whatever, all my shots miss more than they should. When I play the same racquet for a month+ straight the consistency goes way up.
 

armandogomes

New User
I don’t know the first two racquets, but there isn’t a player alive who couldn’t make a Blade work for their forehand, pro or amateur.

Your best bet is to just pick one racquet, completely hide or sell the others and stick with it.

When I bounce from Pure Aero, to RF97 to Whatever, all my shots miss more than they should. When I play the same racquet for a month+ straight the consistency goes way up.

I couldn't make it work as I wanted it to work, at least without any customization and a lot of weight added. Once I added the weight, it worked better.

I've picked the Pure Aero's, and I've already sold the Blades (they were field tested, a lot). I only play with PA's now. I'm trying to sell my Prestige, though.
 
It's never the racket. The sooner you accept that and quit trying to "buy a game", the better off you will be.

Personally I can't think of many shots I've hit poorly where I say to myself, "Man, I did everything right and the ball still didn't land in the court."

There's always a mechanical flaw on virtually every bad shot I hit (Too close, too late, weight on back foot, took eye off the ball, reaching, too early, etc). If you can say that none of those things are happening when you miss a FH, then and only then, should you blame your tools.

Inaccurate. Of course you are missing because you aren't doing everything perfect, but that doesn't mean your racquet can't mess you up a lot by being too heavy, unstable, simply wrong feel that you don't vibe with etc...
 

esgee48

G.O.A.T.
DEMO more frames from 115 in² to 95 in². The frame cannot hit a tennis ball by itself. It needs an operator. If you can use a tennis pointer to hit the ball, but not with a regular racquet, you are doing something very wrong, e.g. not looking at the ball or moving your head.
 

Curtennis

Hall of Fame
I don't know man, when I learned tennis I never worried about the racquet. Whatever worked
Its kind of funny (and sad) how gear obsessed some of us become on this website, myself included.
A summer or two ago I met a group of guys who all played together back in High School and did quite well for themselves. Fast forward many years later to current times and they're all very good. Not one of them knows anything about their racquets other than what brand it is. Grip size, string pattern, head size, what strings they like... nothing. At bare minimum they're a legitimate 3.5, some of them more likely a 4.0. Meanwhile I find this group when I'm just sort of getting started finding my groove and I've got 3 different racquets in my bag, thinking about buying more, considering if I need a different string tension, etc.

Needless to say, it was an eye opener for me. It's not the gear that makes you good. It's keeping after it and consistency. Pick any common racquet, Blade, Radical, Speed, Pro Staff, Aero, etc and you're going to be just fine if you stick with it and groove your strokes to your equipment. It doesn't mean that other equipment might not be ultimately better for you, but at what cost? another 6 months to really find out and groove? What if it didn't work better after 6 months? I'd rather spend that 6 months gelling with my own stuff and just getting better skill sets.

I'm the guiltiest person on these boards with all this stuff, but I promised myself no new racquets in 2022 and I'm standing by it.
 

Rosstour

G.O.A.T.
Pick any common racquet, Blade, Radical, Speed, Pro Staff, Aero, etc and you're going to be just fine if you stick with it and groove your strokes to your equipment. It doesn't mean that other equipment might not be ultimately better for you, but at what cost? another 6 months to really find out and groove? What if it didn't work better after 6 months? I'd rather spend that 6 months gelling with my own stuff and just getting better skill sets.

I think we under-rate how important the racquet is.

Pick any other hobby and you wouldn't just say "any snowboard will work" to use another hobby I have.

I hit a wall, big-time, with my Textreme Warriors. Just not enough control. All the errors sapped my confidence and strained my nerves during matches.

Got a new racquet and suddenly I'm not making those errors anymore. I have naturally slappy/laggy strokes so something 6pts HL was just too much. A 3pt HL stick with a closed string pattern fit my game much better and made up for my biggest weakness--which was control.
 

Curtennis

Hall of Fame
I think we under-rate how important the racquet is.

Pick any other hobby and you wouldn't just say "any snowboard will work" to use another hobby I have.

I hit a wall, big-time, with my Textreme Warriors. Just not enough control. All the errors sapped my confidence and strained my nerves during matches.

Got a new racquet and suddenly I'm not making those errors anymore. I have slappy/laggy strokes so something 6pts HL was just too much. A 3pt HL stick with a closed string pattern fit my game much better and made up for my biggest weakness--which was control.
I understand wanting to find the equipment you feel best with, but if Shapovalov can switch to an Ezone for a random match in a tournament and win, if Mussetti can play a Boom in a match and keep it competitive, does it really matter what some rec level player is using? Even the pros are capable of switching after YEARS of being dialed in with their exact specs and it still doesn't hurt their game maybe more than 5%.

I get what you're saying, but i'd further clarify and say, once you find something that feels good and you're playing good with... STOP. that's it. Play it for a year or more until you can decide what you want more/less of.

I'm a recovering addict. I have a problem. I will demo racquet, buy racquet, trade racquet, i can't stop. So maybe i'm speaking from a place of my own problem....
 

Rosstour

G.O.A.T.
I understand wanting to find the equipment you feel best with, but if Shapovalov can switch to an Ezone for a random match in a tournament and win, if Mussetti can play a Boom in a match and keep it competitive, does it really matter what some rec level player is using?

It actually matters more. IMO

"We aren't pros" cuts both ways.
 

socallefty

G.O.A.T.
I hit a wall, big-time, with my Textreme Warriors. Just not enough control. All the errors sapped my confidence and strained my nerves during matches.

Did you experiment a lot with strings and tensions to first get the extra control - stiffer strings, thicker gauges, higher tensions etc.? I bet those who say the racquet doesn‘t matter too much are ones who tune their racquet’s performance (power, control, spin in particular, but also feel) a lot by experimenting with strings and tensions. Many who think racquets matter a lot and talk about a racquet’s performance as being a fixed variable (specific power, control, spin, comfort, feel etc.). are likely the types who are set in their ways on what strings and tensions they use.

To take an extreme example, if you take two Textreme Warriors, string one with 18 gauge natural gut at 60 lbs and another with 15 gauge ALU Power at 40 lbs, they are going to play and feel like two entirely different racquets. But, it is just demonstrating the extreme dynamic range that a racquet can have for tuning with strings and tensions. Once you introduce hybrid stringing, there is a rabbit hole of how precisely you can tune the racquet to do what you want it to do.

I mainly look for stability and maneuverability being to my liking with SW, weight and beam thickness being the most important specs when I demo a new racquet and to some extent comfort because I want to play with poly or gut/poly hybrids for the extra spin I can get - those seem more intrinsic to how a racquet is designed. With power, control and spin potential, I know that I can tweak as I wish later once I buy it.
 
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Rosstour

G.O.A.T.
Did you experiment a lot with strings and tensions to first get the extra control - stiffer strings, thicker gauges, higher tensions etc.? I bet those who say the racquet doesn‘t matter too much are ones who tune their racquet’s performance (power, control, spin in particular, but also feel) a lot by experimenting with strings and tensions. Many who think racquets matter a lot and talk about a racquet’s performance as being a fixed variable (specific power, control, spin, comfort, feel etc.). are likely the types who are set in their ways on what strings and tensions they use.

To take an extreme example, if you take two Textreme Warriors, string one with 18 gauge natural gut at 60 lbs and another with 15 gauge ALU Power at 40 lbs, they are going to play and feel like two entirely different racquets. But, it is just demonstrating the extreme dynamic range that a racquet can have for tuning with strings and tensions. Once you introduce hybrid stringing, there is a rabbit hole of how precisely you can tune the racquet to do what you want it to do.

I mainly look for stability and maneuverability being to my liking when I demo a new racquet and to some extent comfort because I want to play with poly or gut/poly hybrids for the extra spin I can get - those seem more intrinsic to how a racquet is designed. With power, control and spin potential, I know that I can tweak as I wish later once I buy it.

I did experiment with the Warrior:

Gamma Moto/Glide
Luxilon 4G
RPM Blast
Hybrids w/Kirschbaum Max Power II
Cyclone Tour

It's a great racquet but too unruly and unstable. For my 5.0/5.5 buddy, it's a great racquet because he doesn't struggle with control.

On the other hand, control has always been my greatest weakness. So going to a higher-control racquet was the right move for me. The TF40 is more precise, stable and plush which is exactly what I was looking for. And the additional weight and more neutral balance was just what my slappy strokes needed to be slowed/smoothed out a bit.

YMMV but I think the racquet matters just as much as the strings.
 

Tricializ

New User
From reading your text this would be my guess. You forehand likely doesn't suck, but it is not as good as you would like. Backhands are often easier for well built players. you can leverage all the extra muscle. The normal stroke tends to encourage one to use legs, core, back. My guess on your forehand is you are arming it, that you are likely inefficent with footwork because you are athletic... so why be efficient. Power should come from core and legs. Arms should be relaxed and just mainly a connector. For your size and strength I think your racquet is too light.

Backhand you are confident and let the racquet fly. Forehand you are likely trying to make things happen and have too much tension in your upper body. Likely a pause or two in your swing.
I am only an old lady intermediate player, but I think this reply is spot on. Also wondering if you have a 2H or 1HBH. I also find backhand for me to be way better than forehand because it is more natural to get in the proper form and use the whole body I’m also a lefty for all other things, so the balanced strength of 2 hands on the racquet is way stronger and more stable. Have you video’d your mechanics? Might shed light on a lot.
 
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