Customisation of Racquets

Hi Guys,

where can i start to customise my racquet? Im new to this customisation as im always been using my racquets in stock form.

Recently received an H22 as a gift and was wondering where i can start to customise it.


Thanks!

Before you start customizing you need tools to measure your specs. Scales, balance board, and a SW machine. You can get jewelers scales cheap and you could make your own balance board. You can measure SW pivoting a racket on the cross strings or you can buy a SW machine. I would highly recommend the Briffidi SW machine.

Also, just note that when you say you want to start customising... what exactly do you mean?

I.E. what is your purpose?

If you don't go into it without knowing what it is you want to get out of it, then I wouldn't bother as you're just going in blind.

If you're only customising the one racket, as useful as swingweight is, you can just work with a delta of your current swingweight rather than an absolute value.

Unless of course you're trying to get to a particular specification, but I would assume by the way your post is phrased, that this isn't the case.

Some formulas you need to know are:

I = mr^2 inertia equals mass time distance squared

t = mr torque equals mass times distance

EDIT: Torque, mass, and inertia all all additive. For instance, if you add 30 gcm of torque to a 10,500 gcm racket you have a 10,530 gcm racket. If you add 6 g to a 330 g racket you have a 336 g racket. If you add 5 kgcm^2 to a racket with a 320 SW you have a 325 SW. Many will think that’s pure common sense but very few understand it.

solemaster32 said:

Hi Guys,

where can i start to customise my racquet? Im new to this customisation as im always been using my racquets in stock form.

Recently received an H22 as a gift and was wondering where i can start to customise it.


Thanks!

Click to expand...

congrats on the H22. that is nice.
firstly you will need to know what your playing specs, and these are the ones you are comfortable with to progress.
once you have measured the H22 specs, Tennis Warehouse University have a couple of customisation sheets that can help you to start with. They are quite self explanatory, until you get into more details/requirement of knowing where you want to add weight and for whichever purposes.... but these should get you started, provided you get your H22 specs as "correct" as possible.

esm said:

congrats on the H22. that is nice.
firstly you will need to know what your playing specs, and these are the ones you are comfortable with to progress.
once you have measured the H22 specs, Tennis Warehouse University have a couple of customisation sheets that can help you to start with. They are quite self explanatory, until you get into more details/requirement of knowing where you want to add weight and for whichever purposes.... but these should get you started, provided you get your H22 specs as "correct" as possible.

Click to expand...

Thanks man! Im really excited for it too. thanks so much for ur help on the TW university tips, i'm still new to this pro stock tennis racquets scene as its my first one and was used to just playing with the stock form of my racquet for years now.

Return_Ace said:

Also, just note that when you say you want to start customising... what exactly do you mean?

I.E. what is your purpose?

If you don't go into it without knowing what it is you want to get out of it, then I wouldn't bother as you're just going in blind.

If you're only customising the one racket, as useful as swingweight is, you can just work with a delta of your current swingweight rather than an absolute value.

Unless of course you're trying to get to a particular specification, but I would assume by the way your post is phrased, that this isn't the case.

Click to expand...

I read through a bit of the forum and saw that many people have found specs that suit them the best and hence get all their rackets to be of the same specs. Really new to this and hence I want to start finding my own "perfect" specs for me. I guess i have to start somewhere right?


Also, what do u mean by work with a delta of my current swingweight?

Irvin said:

Some formulas you need to know are:

I = mr^2 inertia equals mass time distance squared

t = mr torque equals mass times distance

EDIT: Torque, mass, and inertia all all additive. For instance, if you add 30 gcm of torque to a 10,500 gcm racket you have a 10,530 gcm racket. If you add 6 g to a 330 g racket you have a 336 g racket. If you add 5 kgcm^2 to a racket with a 320 SW you have a 325 SW. Many will think that’s pure common sense but very few understand it.

Click to expand...

Oh wow thanks so much for this! never really knew that physics played such a huge role in the customisation.

solemaster32 said:

I read through a bit of the forum and saw that many people have found specs that suit them the best and hence get all their rackets to be of the same specs. Really new to this and hence I want to start finding my own "perfect" specs for me. I guess i have to start somewhere right?


Also, what do u mean by work with a delta of my current swingweight?

Click to expand...

That's a good idea, although beware the rabbit hole you're going to be diving into .

Also, if you're not looking to match any particular racket(s) right now, then unlike @esm, I would actually suggest going in blind (i.e. not measuring your current racket) and working everything off of delta so you don't bias yourself to anything you read on the forums or anywhere else (e.g. trying to replicate a pro's spec. or that someone somewhere posts that a 21.3 mgri is the most optimal setup etc. etc.).

And by delta, I mean by simply recording the adjustments you make (i.e. +2g 12o'clock, +4g buttcap etc.) and not aiming for any particular spec (i.e. trying to get 4pts HL, 335 swingweight etc.)

You'll obviously need to start somewhere, and your starting points can either be:

Mass : Lead at the throat, increases static weight, but shouldn't make too much difference to swingweight or balance.
Swingweight : Lead at 12 o'clock and the buttcap, should increase swingweight, static weight but not balance (roughly at a ratio of 1:1.5 12 o'clock:buttcap)
Balance : Lead at just 12 o'clock for swingweight and more head heavy. Lead just at the buttcap/handle for more headlight.

Just keep a log of what adjustments you've made, what you liked about it, what you didn't etc. and then you can try to shore them up in the next round of tinkering.

Return_Ace said:

Mass : Lead at the throat, increases static weight, but shouldn't make too much difference to swingweight or balance.

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Mass at the balance point only increases SW and mass. Mass at the balance point does not change inertia (aka RW) or balance.

Irvin said:

Mass at the balance point only increases SW and mass. Mass at the balance point does not change inertia (aka RW) or balance.

Click to expand...

I said lead at the throat, not the balance point specifically, but more as a catch all in my statement to start from a blank slate and not take any initial measurements.

Depending on where the lead is applied and/or where the balance point is, this could be above or below the balance point, hence why I said there shouldn't be too much difference in balance.

Likewise, also depending on where the lead is applied, it's roughly a 1g:0.5SW ratio at the throat vs. a 1g:3SW ratio at 12o'clock, which is what I meant by not making too much difference to swingweight.

Another formula SW = RW + mr^2. Parallel axis theorem

Return_Ace said:

That's a good idea, although beware the rabbit hole you're going to be diving into .

Also, if you're not looking to match any particular racket(s) right now, then unlike @esm, I would actually suggest going in blind (i.e. not measuring your current racket) and working everything off of delta so you don't bias yourself to anything you read on the forums or anywhere else (e.g. trying to replicate a pro's spec. or that someone somewhere posts that a 21.3 mgri is the most optimal setup etc. etc.).

And by delta, I mean by simply recording the adjustments you make (i.e. +2g 12o'clock, +4g buttcap etc.) and not aiming for any particular spec (i.e. trying to get 4pts HL, 335 swingweight etc.)

You'll obviously need to start somewhere, and your starting points can either be:

Mass : Lead at the throat, increases static weight, but shouldn't make too much difference to swingweight or balance.
Swingweight : Lead at 12 o'clock and the buttcap, should increase swingweight, static weight but not balance (roughly at a ratio of 1:1.5 12 o'clock:buttcap)
Balance : Lead at just 12 o'clock for swingweight and more head heavy. Lead just at the buttcap/handle for more headlight.

Just keep a log of what adjustments you've made, what you liked about it, what you didn't etc. and then you can try to shore them up in the next round of tinkering.

Click to expand...

Irvin said:

Mass at the balance point only increases SW and mass. Mass at the balance point does not change inertia (aka RW) or balance.

Click to expand...

Thanks so much guys, will definitely try this delta method! so excited for it.

I would definitely do what @Return_Ace suggested. Start small and find out what you like and what you desire during a fitting session and realize if you can handle extra weight and swingweight for prolonged matches. After finding all that out then i would take measurements. I feel if you go in with calculating first you might get biased with a lot of what you read. Above all have fun.

solemaster32 said:

Oh wow thanks so much for this! never really knew that physics played such a huge role in the customisation.

Click to expand...

Customization is all about Physics however, the formulas above generally mean nothing to a customizer.
you cannot "add"10 kg*cm2 practically, your experience customizing will tell you where and how much and that can be verified with the measuring tools like SW machine, balance measuring tools, etc.
You can add 5g to get from 330 to 335g, however, that "randomly" changes your SW unless you know exactly what you're doing and how far from the center of rotation you're adding and how far from the balance point...

I usually start by adjusting the SW as that parameter can be changed in small steps (close to handle or large (adding weight at 12 oclock).
Then, I work my way around.

However, I have done hundreds of those so...

The best way to customize a racquet is to know the specs you like and tell TW to do it

TennisLogic said:

The best way to customize a racquet is to know the specs you like and tell TW to do it

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I was not aware that TW does customization???

dr325i said:

I was not aware that TW does customization???

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I got an underspec and off balance Blade v7 I purchased last year customized to tw listed specs 2 weeks ago by TW. Took only 2 days. Really great service.

emaz8724 said:

I got an underspec and off balance Blade v7 I purchased last year customized to tw listed specs 2 weeks ago by TW. Took only 2 days. Really great service.

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They did lead and silicone for you or they matched to the published spec?
I am not sure the OP is after that with the H22...

dr325i said:

They did lead and silicone for you or they matched to the published spec?
I am not sure the OP is after that with the H22...

Click to expand...

just lead in the head. Sw was 319 and balance was 5 pts hl. New sw is 328 @ 4 pts hl. I’m sure they can add silicone to the handle if I wanted to go more hl.

emaz8724 said:

just lead in the head. Sw was 319 and balance was 5 pts hl. New sw is 328 @ 4 pts hl. I’m sure they can add silicone to the handle if I wanted to go more hl.

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I don’t believe they would customize an H22, but I may be wrong

dr325i said:

I don’t believe they would customize an H22, but I may be wrong

Click to expand...

Maybe the fact that I purchased the frame from TW originally allowed them to do that? Not sure, but they were glad to do it. There’s a typical labor fee and materials fee as needed.

solemaster32 said:

Hi Guys,

where can i start to customise my racquet? Im new to this customisation as im always been using my racquets in stock form.

Recently received an H22 as a gift and was wondering where i can start to customise it.


Thanks!

Click to expand...

Whenever I've tuned my own frames, I've only used lead tape - I've never put silicone in a handle, probably because I'd have a helluva time removing it if I got it wrong. I use 1/4" tape on the hoops and 1/2" tape on the handles.

If a racquet needs more stability (plow through) at contact for my taste, I like to add 1/4" lead at 3/9 o'clock on the hoop, but it's important to add it in small increments. A little can go a very long way, so I'll only add a few grams total at a time. I like to hit against a backboard and also hit practice serves as I do my tailoring so that I'm not trying the patience of a hitting pal while I'm adjusting things.

Once a frame feels stable enough through the ball for me, either with or without lead on the hoop, I also like a comfortable degree of head-light (HL) balance. But for me this isn't a specific number - a lighter racquet can feel more "right" for me with less HL balance than a heavier alternative, so if a certain frame seems too sluggish, I put 1/2" lead tape under my overgrip to coax perhaps 2 or 3 extra points of HL balance into the layout. This might require 6-10 grams or maybe more to move the balance. When it's right for me, it's easy enough to recognize that when I'm hitting some balls.

This process can take a few sessions to dial in a racquet. It's also possible to put too much weight on a handle and make a racquet too head-light for you. When I've done that in the past with my own frame, the head felt too twitchy and unpredictable. But I can also say that these trials and tunings have brought a couple of my racquets very much to life when they seemed like absolute duds for me in their stock form. Customizing won't necessarily work miracles with every frame you tune, but it will probably educate you in terms of what gives you a better fit with your gear.

I can also say that although I respect swing-weights and what those numbers are intended to reveal from one frame to another, I've never relied on them for myself. I use the combo of static weight, balance, and flex as my reference to get a decent idea of what a certain racquet will likely do for me.

solemaster32 said:

Hi Guys,

where can i start to customise my racquet? Im new to this customisation as im always been using my racquets in stock form.

Recently received an H22 as a gift and was wondering where i can start to customise it.


Thanks!

Click to expand...

https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/ind...placement-racket-customization-thread.309803/

There's a whole thread dedicated to racquet customisation. Good luck!

fuzz nation said:

If a racquet needs more stability (plow through) at contact for my taste, I like to add 1/4" lead at 3/9 o'clock on the hoop, but it's important to add it in small increments. A little can go a very long way, so I'll only add a few grams total at a time. I like to hit against a backboard and also hit practice serves as I do my tailoring so that I'm not trying the patience of a hitting pal while I'm adjusting things.

Click to expand...

Just a note that stability and plow through are not necessarily the same thing.

Plow through I would say generally manifests through swingweight (i.e. having enough mass at contact to go through the ball).

On the other hand, stability is generally mapped to twistweight, i.e. torsional stability upon contact, which may also come with the downside of decreased maneuverability.

Generally you want to isolate as many parameters as you can, which is why somewhere I read recommended starting with lead at 12 o'clock (opposed to 3&9, 2&10 etc ) so you're not increasing both twistweight and swingweight at the same time (and potentially attributing the results of one, to another).

However unfortunately whilst you can increase swingweight without significantly affecting twistweight, the reverse isn't possible (unless maybe you had the Battisone racket ), so you may have to balance the ratio of lead between 3&9 and 12 o'clock if you want to maintain the same swingweight for a certain twistweight.

This might be the silly question of the day...but what's an H22?

DISREGARD...I googled it! lol

Most of the above formulas come in handy when you are trying to make two rackets feel the same.

If you only have one racket, then buy a roll of 1/4" lead tape and just experiment until you find what you like.

For me, tuning a racket with lead is mostly an exercise in matching the input muscular effort of a swing to the timing of contact. Some rackets come through too fast, so I add weight in the hoop to slow it down. I also prefer more stability, so I like to add lead on the sides of the hoop vs the tip or throat. Lastly, lead is much more dense than graphite, and I seem to be aware, even as little as 3g. I relate it to swinging a hammer-you just know where the hammer head is by the weight in your hand as you swing it. So I like to put lead tape slightly above 3 and 9 on the hoop of the racket, near where I tend to make contact.

That said, I have experimented a lot with lead tape. I once built a 300g, 300sw racket up to around 325g and 330sw, but it didnt feel right. All the specs were in the range I liked at the time, but it didn't jive. In fact, I hurt my elbow playing with that racket.

All that to say again, it takes more experimentation to understand what it is that you prefer. The formulas and words like balance and swingweight and twistweight are just concepts that help describe what we feel when we swing a racket, but it is not everything.

what do u guys feel about the strings? leaning towards the luxillon 4g/ alupower at around 53lbs.

solemaster32 said:

Hi Guys,

where can i start to customise my racquet? Im new to this customisation as im always been using my racquets in stock form.

Recently received an H22 as a gift and was wondering where i can start to customise it.


Thanks!

Click to expand...

I wouldn’t get too much into the weeds on specs. While getting specs is important, going by feel is a big thing.

solemaster32 said:

what do u guys feel about the strings? leaning towards the luxillon 4g/ alupower at around 53lbs.

Click to expand...

I'd say that unless you're up there around the playing level of a Div-I college killer, these strings may not be for you.

If you're going to use them anyway, I'd say go for a lighter gauge. I don't like putting full beds of poly or even poly hybrids into the racquets of folks who don't need them, but I've had great luck with offering a hybrid to stronger local players - this includes a light gauge poly main (1.20mm) paired with usually a syn. gut cross, all at moderate tension.

I keep reels of Isospeed Baseline on hand for these basic setups and I can also say that a few sluggers I string for have switched into full beds of Baseline 1.25mm from some other 1.25 polys including RPM Blast and Hyper-G. This Isospeed poly seems to be softer than some and it's as affordable as syn. gut.

If you don't care about what the numbers truly are, you can save yourself some equipment purchasing and algebra by putting a little tape on 3 and 9, seeing if that feels sluggish, trying some tape on 12, adding tape under your grip, etc.

I personally have no idea what the hell my specs are, and would run into trouble if I had to duplicate them with another racket, but I have this one dialed in with trial and error.