Testing: Depolarized and Polarized

Just writing this out in case anyone is interested and also for my own records of what I'm doing, lol.

After trying to read through all the threads, posts, and what not... just seemed like I should try both set ups and see what I prefer. Based on descriptions, it seems like the polarized set up suits me better, but I guess I'll find out.

I started with my two stock racquets, Yonex RDiS 300 MidPlus. The specs of this racquet are as follows:

• Head Size: 100 sq. in.
• Length: 27 inches
• Strung Weight: 315 grams
• Balance: 4 points Head Light
• Swingweight: 319
• Stiffness: 62

***I set up my racquets with help from xFullCourtTenniSx's guide and the TWU Customization Tool.

Depolarized Racquet: I added 8 grams in total. 1 gram at both 3 and 9 o'clock, for a total of 2 grams. 6 grams at 7 inches from the butt cap of the racquet.

Polarized Racquet: I added 8 grams in total as well. 4 grams at 12 o'clock, and 4 grams at 1 inch from the butt cap of the racquet.

Using a makeshift balance board (I pretty much just spread out a measuring tape on a table and placed a dowel over it, seemed to work fine): the balance of the two racquets are mostly unchanged, and are both practically the same. Obviously I wasn't being TOO precise, but it's close enough for my testing purposes.

Initial Impressions: Right off the bat, I finally understood what everyone meant by the depolarized set up being "stable". Just from holding and comparing the two racquets, the depolarized racquet had a much more "dense" and stable feeling. Probably since all the weight is at the center of the racquet. On the other hand, the polarized racquet was the complete opposite. So far I like the feel of the polarized set up more, but I won't make my decision until I've hit with both of them.

Playing Style: I'm an all court player. Semi-western forehand which I typically use to hit lots of top spin with. I usually rely on beating my opponents with top spin, rather than powering through with flatter shots. Two handed backhand which I hit flatter than my forehand. Volleys are okay, but is the weakest part of my game (I have a habit of taking my eye off the ball and watching my opponent). I can serve well, or at least for my level. I mostly hit spin serves (slice first, top spin or slice second), with the occasional flat.

Anyway, I'll be hitting tomorrow with a friend, so I'll post some feedback on the racquets afterwards. Comments are welcomed! Actually, they are preferred... would rather not be talking to myself in a thread.

Good on ya! Looking forward to your report. One thing to watch for is the "deadening" effect of lead at 12, which I've heard can be more pronounced with Yonexes. If you experience that, split the four grams from 12 and move it to 11:30 and 1:30 and add another half gram at both locations - the degree of polarization will be pretty much the same.

corners said:

Good on ya! Looking forward to your report. One thing to watch for is the "deadening" effect of lead at 12, which I've heard can be more pronounced with Yonexes. If you experience that, split the four grams from 12 and move it to 11:30 and 1:30 and add another half gram at both locations - the degree of polarization will be pretty much the same.

Click to expand...

I have the same concern as yonex do play a lot different than other sticks.

Personally I would try this experiment on more traditional frames like the nOpen or some other lighter stick so the differences would be a lot more noticeable.

Just my 2 cents/

mawashi

double post

there is so much literature about this stuff on these threads, I love it! but yes, tell us how it goes, bc i really wanna try a polarized set up and im figuring out all the specifics

corners said:

Good on ya! Looking forward to your report. One thing to watch for is the "deadening" effect of lead at 12, which I've heard can be more pronounced with Yonexes. If you experience that, split the four grams from 12 and move it to 11:30 and 1:30 and add another half gram at both locations - the degree of polarization will be pretty much the same.

Click to expand...

Really? That's interesting... I've never heard of that. I'll make sure to keep that in mind while I'm testing, thanks! Did you mean the tape should be at 11:30 and 00:30? Or 10:30 and 01:30?

mawashi said:

Personally I would try this experiment on more traditional frames like the nOpen or some other lighter stick so the differences would be a lot more noticeable.

Click to expand...

I'll have to leave that to someone else. I haven't been playing for that long and these are the only sticks I have. I came from playing ~3-4 years of badminton during high school, so Yonex was my instant choice for brand, lol.

TheLambsheadrep said:

there is so much literature about this stuff on these threads, I love it! but yes, tell us how it goes, bc i really wanna try a polarized set up and im figuring out all the specifics

Click to expand...

Lol yeah, I was trying to figure it out as well. When I was searching through the threads it almost seemed like there was too much. XD Finally I just said "Screw it", went out and bought 2 packs of lead tape, and then started adding them to my racquet.

vChRiSv said:

Or 10:30 and 01:30?

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You know, if 12 feels dead to you I would then avoid the whole "flat" top of the head, whatever o'clocks that is.

corners said:

You know, if 12 feels dead to you I would then avoid the whole "flat" top of the head, whatever o'clocks that is.

Click to expand...

Lol, gotcha. Even if I don't notice a dead feeling, I might try changing it anyway just to see what difference it makes.

I'm really siding with the polarized set up right now, just from taking some light practise swings. The "dense" feeling of the depolarized set up feels a bit unnerving. The weight on the racket of the depolarized set up is very... obvious. Just from picking it up, you can really feel the weight on the racket, at least compared to the polarized set up. It gives off a very stable feeling.

On the other hand, the polarized racquet feels almost light. The weight isn't anywhere near as noticeable, which is why I'm starting to favor it. It feels like I could really whip my shots and generate lots of spin with it, especially on my forehand. I have a pretty large swing on my forehand: a full take back followed by a windshield wiper finish. Basically a giant C and then an S motion (or at least that's how it was described on FYB ).

It will be interesting to see which you like better!

I play a lot of S&V tennis so 3 and 9 is my home placement for lead for the simple fact I need more stability and plough whenever I am picking up low volleys and hard shots.

-Fuji

corners said:

Good on ya! Looking forward to your report. One thing to watch for is the "deadening" effect of lead at 12, which I've heard can be more pronounced with Yonexes. If you experience that, split the four grams from 12 and move it to 11:30 and 1:30 and add another half gram at both locations - the degree of polarization will be pretty much the same.

Click to expand...

In my experience, I find the exact opposite is true. Adding lead at 12 livens up the upper hoop, especially on frames thin enough to flex a little.

My Warrior OS I'm currently using as my regular frame has 21g added under the bumper. The more lead I add at 12, the more solid it feels.

My thinner frames, like my Diablo mids or shortened POG LBs, have even more noticeably increase in pop when I add lead at 12. The increase in power level of the upper hoop seems roughly proportional to how much I add there, provided I don't exceed my comfortable swingweight.

Very good trial.

travlerajm said:

In my experience, I find the exact opposite is true. Adding lead at 12 livens up the upper hoop, especially on frames thin enough to flex a little.

My Warrior OS I'm currently using as my regular frame has 21g added under the bumper. The more lead I add at 12, the more solid it feels.

My thinner frames, like my Diablo mids or shortened POG LBs, have even more noticeably increase in pop when I add lead at 12. The increase in power level of the upper hoop seems roughly proportional to how much I add there, provided I don't exceed my comfortable swingweight.

Click to expand...

Slightly off topic, but, how do you counter balance lead tape at 12h? Is there a difference between counter balancing it with lead tape at the bottom of the handle and top of it? I mean, does racket act differently depending on where you counter balance it?

I have also tried this experiement and for me the difference was night and day.

It depends on your strokes and style of play but for me the "polarised" racquet was the one, it has a "livelier" feel to me.

With the depolarised I could hit incredibly hard and groundstrokes but had no consistency at all!

I would advise that you fine tune the balance to your needs as I found this to be very sensitive.

Rogael Naderer said:

It depends on your strokes and style of play but for me the "polarised" racquet was the one, it has a "livelier" feel to me.

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I definitely get what you mean by the "livelier" feel, which leads me to believe it will suit me better. I'll be hitting today after work (hopefully) so I guess I'll find out first hand. Hoping the weather holds out today, definitely going to be cold... I just don't want it to rain or be too windy.

Rogael Naderer said:

I would advise that you fine tune the balance to your needs as I found this to be very sensitive.

Click to expand...

Once I pick which set up I like, this will definitely be the next step.

travlerajm said:

In my experience, I find the exact opposite is true. Adding lead at 12 livens up the upper hoop, especially on frames thin enough to flex a little.

My Warrior OS I'm currently using as my regular frame has 21g added under the bumper. The more lead I add at 12, the more solid it feels.

My thinner frames, like my Diablo mids or shortened POG LBs, have even more noticeably increase in pop when I add lead at 12. The increase in power level of the upper hoop seems roughly proportional to how much I add there, provided I don't exceed my comfortable swingweight.

Click to expand...

I find the same, in terms of poer level and solidity. But lead at twelve seems to deaden the feedback to the hand for me. My AK90s, for example, are the best feeling stick I own with lead at 10, 11, 1, 2, but when I add at twelve, the feel of the frame is deadened...I guess muted is a better word. And I don't care for muted, never use a vibration damp, for example.

Nikae said:

Slightly off topic, but, how do you counter balance lead tape at 12h? Is there a difference between counter balancing it with lead tape at the bottom of the handle and top of it? I mean, does racket act differently depending on where you counter balance it?

Click to expand...

Here's a recent post on different head/handleweight combinations: http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showpost.php?p=6453272&postcount=12

corners said:

I find the same, in terms of poer level and solidity. But lead at twelve seems to deaden the feedback to the hand for me. My AK90s, for example, are the best feeling stick I own with lead at 10, 11, 1, 2, but when I add at twelve, the feel of the frame is deadened...I guess muted is a better word. And I don't care for muted, never use a vibration damp, for example.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I never use a vibration dampener either. I hate that feeling... it's like hitting with a pillow.

Whenever you put lead at 12, did you ever make any changes to your strings? Or did you racquet with the same set up as before you added the lead?

corners said:

Here's a recent post on different head/handleweight combinations: http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showpost.php?p=6453272&postcount=12

Click to expand...

Thanks, thats some good info...i still dont know how to counter balance my PSGT after i have put 2-3g at 12h

I added 1" of 1/2 lead tape to the bottom of the throat of my Aerogel 200. It made the racquet feel less stiff, which was the desired effect, but now I can't get my serve to slice or kick. Would that small amount of lead be enough to depolarize the racquet? I already have 2 overgrips and 5" of lead on the handle. This lead is wrapped 1" above the butt. Is the lead at the throat causing the problem or is it just this racquet? Also, would it be better to remove the 5" wrap from the grip and add 7 squares 1/2x1/2 to the inside of the buttcap, to help the racquet swing more easily?

Nikae said:

Thanks, thats some good info...i still dont know how to counter balance my PSGT after i have put 2-3g at 12h

Click to expand...

You should follow the OP with a polar/depolar experiment of you own. Counterbalce 3g at 12 with either 7g at the top of the grip or 4g in the buttcap and see which position feels best during your swing, at impact, and in terms of feedback to your hand.

Okay, just got back from about 2 hours of hitting with my friend. Going to grab some grub first then I'll summarize what it was like with both racquets. To get you guys started, the set up I'm siding with is....

polarized. I'll explain after some dinner.

Okay, so let's start. I played a bit with both racquets, but in the end I really only played with the polarized one. Definitely preferred polarized over depolarized.

Depolarized Racquet
My initial thoughts on this set up was that the racquet was very easy to play with. I pretty much just picked it up, and could go with it right from the start. Compared to my normal racquet, this set up felt heavier and more stable. I was getting easy depth with my shots. The reason I didn't like this set up was that it was flattening out my shots (exactly what I read from the "The Official Lead Tape Placement+Racket Customization Thread"). I found it this happening on both wings, which is especially unusual for me on my forehand because I pretty much only hit top spin on my forehand side. Overall, this set up provided stability and power, and was also very forgiving.

Pros:

• More stability
• More power
• Forgiving
• Easy to use (related to the racquet being forgiving)

Cons:

• Flattened out shots on both wings

Polarized Racquet
Initial thoughts: this is TERRIBLE. This racquet was difficult to switch to, I could not pick it up and play like I could with the depolarized set up. The most noticeable thing about this set up for me was that it is NOT FORGIVING. So why do I love it? For exactly this reason. It plays the same as what I expect from a player's racquet (I've used my friend's player racquets, but never owned one myself... tried the new Wilson BLX Pro Staff Six.One 95, the Radical, the Prestige, etc.). Whenever I messed up with this racquet, I messed up big. Shots going out wide, balls going straight into the net, etc. Whenever I hit on form and well, this racquet rewarded me. I found massive amounts of top spin on both wings, but especially on my forehand. My slice backhand (one of my favourite shots since I used to be an one hander) was fantastic to hit. The ball would glide effortlessly and stay low. This is exactly the kind of racquet I need to bring myself to the next level. The kind of racquet that won't allow me to make mistakes, and will force me to bring my game up to match it.

Two things I should probably mention that were noted from other threads and users. First, I did not find a noticeable loss in stability in volleying, but this needs to be tested further. I was mostly playing baseline during this hitting session. Second, I did not get a "deadening" affect from putting the lead tape at 12 o'clock. The racquet was as lively as ever.

Pros:

• More power
• More spin
• Unforgiving (this is a pro IMO)

Cons:

• Difficult to adjust to (mostly because of the noticeable change in SW)

Next Step
I may give depolarized another try, but at this point... it seems unlikely. I definitely enjoy the feeling of a polarized racquet, and would like to spend the rest of my time getting used to it. I guess this will basically just mean improving my game so that I'm not bringing the racquet down.

One thing I definitely need to test is having my polarized set up with a fresh set of strings. The strings I have on my polarized racquet have been there for WAYYYYY too long. They are long overdue for a restringing. I ordered a stringing machine this week, so once I get it (and learn how to string) I will be restringing this racquet right away. Currently, the polarized racquet has a set of Solinco Revolution 16 which were originally strung @ ~58 lbs. My depolarized racquet was strung much more recently and has Solinco Outlast 16 @ 53 lbs. I would tell you how long the strings have been on my polarized racquet, but I fear backlash from the poly-string-community-of-Talk-Tennis. :twisted: I'm a University student, A.K.A. poor... cut me some slack.

I'd also like to try some other polarized set ups. Maybe try putting the tape at 11 and 1 o'clock, instead of all at 12. Any suggestions for a polarized set up would be great. I'm assuming if I added some tape at 3 and 9 o'clock on my polarized racquet, it would make it a bit more forgiving then it is. Which may be something I consider so that it will be easier to get used to the racquet.

I'll keep you guys posted.

Nice write up... TW should take note for their next playtests.

I've noticed the same thing and like both set-ups for different reasons.

Polaized- serves, forehands, over-heads
D'polarized- backhands, volleys, slices

klementine79 said:

Nice write up... TW should take note for their next playtests.

I've noticed the same thing and like both set-ups for different reasons.

Polaized- serves, forehands, over-heads
D'polarized- backhands, volleys, slices

Click to expand...

Lol, thanks.

Why did you prefer the depolarized for slices over the polarized? I found I could get much more spin from the polarized on my backhand slices.

^ Lower, natural flight-path and seems 'lower powered' as well, which let me put a good whip on it. It's a nice option when the hitting gets heavy and fast. Drop-shots felt better in this regard as well.

I did notice more spin on slices with the polarized set-up but the trajectory was higher and harder the control. Really had to put a 'touch' on it. Nice kicks on them though. Just harder to control.

Everyone should try this to get a better understanding what works for them best.

It's recommended to have at least 2-3 of the same racquet with different setups for direct comparison.

And it certainly helps if the racquet itself is low in weight. It will give more room for customization. That's the reason why I avoid buying racquets weighting more than 11oz unstrung (The lighter the better).

Great write up! This has got me thinking. Back in college I used to play with very flat strokes and for the most part a closed stance. When I came back to tennis after a 7 year layoff I've been trying to "modernize" my strokes for the past few years and it's been a long journey lol. Polarizing my racquets could possibly help me even further

-Jon

MomentumGT said:

Great write up! This has got me thinking. Back in college I used to play with very flat strokes and for the most part a closed stance. When I came back to tennis after a 7 year layoff I've been trying to "modernize" my strokes for the past few years and it's been a long journey lol. Polarizing my racquets could possibly help me even further

-Jon

Click to expand...

I'm not sure how far you've gone in progressing to more modern strokes, but polarizing your racquet would definitely force you to change. With the polarized racquet, I HAD to rely on spin to keep the ball in. Especially on my forehand, whenever I started easing up on my top spin I found myself hitting long. When hit correctly, the amount of spin I could generate was ridiculous though. Backhand was the same story, I was hitting with much more top spin than I usually do with that wing. I also started fixing my contact point on my 2H backhand with my friend's advice, so that probably helped.

Which setup would you think is better for doubles? Since you said that slice was very good with the polarized and there was no loss of stability for volleys. I would guess that a depolarized setup might be better if you are constantly blocking back returns and the SW would be less for the depolarized setup which would help with reaction shots at the net.

shogun90 said:

Which setup would you think is better for doubles? Since you said that slice was very good with the polarized and there was no loss of stability for volleys. I would guess that a depolarized setup might be better if you are constantly blocking back returns and the SW would be less for the depolarized setup which would help with reaction shots at the net.

Click to expand...

Assuming we are just talking solely about doubles and all other factors are ignored.... depolarized, hands down. The depolarized set up is definitely more suited towards volleying game, which is probably why it is a favourite for S&V players.

On the other hand, I pick whichever suits your style more. I use the same stick for both doubles and singles (not sure if other people switch depending on what they play). Despite the fact I'm still in the testing phase for my polarized racquet, the previous statement wouldn't change (i.e. I will still be using my polarized racquet when playing doubles). It seems counter-productive for my improvement to switch around between racquets for singles and doubles, but this is just my opinion.

I hate how I can't edit my own posts... Meant to say "pick whichever suits your style more". Remove the extra "I".

Also, take whatever I say with a grain of salt. My experience in tennis is significantly less than most people (a little over a year). I just picked up the sport quickly and try to inform myself about as much as possible (but the amount of topics/ideas around tennis is just a tad overwhelming ).

In theory, the answer is depolarized. In practise, who knows... try it out and see what you like.

Suggestions:

Try balancing the SW on your polarized and depolarized setup for a more balanced comparison. You add 4 grams at 12 o'clock for the polarized setup which probably increased the SW aroung 12 grams. For the depolarized setup, you add 1 gram each at 3 and 9 o'clock which probably increased the SW around 3 grams total. Try adding 4 g each at 3 and 9 o'clock to increase the depolarized SW by about 12 grams. Also, increase the weight at 7" from the butt to be 8 grams.

Also, you can mix the setup. I have 3 grams each at 3 and 9 o'clock with 1 gram at noon. I counter with 6 g at 7" from butt with 2 grams 1.5" from butt. The 1 g at noon makes the high part of the stringbed more lively. You could go the other way - say 4 grams at noon with 1 gram each at 3/9 o'clock for a polarized setup with more torsional stability for volleys.

TennisCJC said:

Try balancing the SW on your polarized and depolarized setup for a more balanced comparison. You add 4 grams at 12 o'clock for the polarized setup which probably increased the SW aroung 12 grams. For the depolarized setup, you add 1 gram each at 3 and 9 o'clock which probably increased the SW around 3 grams total. Try adding 4 g each at 3 and 9 o'clock to increase the depolarized SW by about 12 grams. Also, increase the weight at 7" from the butt to be 8 grams.

Click to expand...

I definitely thought of this, but my first test was to see what they'd be like at an even static weight. Based on the results from this, I don't think I would like having the SW of my depolarized racquet equal to my polarized racquet Based on what I've tested/read so far, it seems like this would flatten out my shots even more, which is not my desire.

Also, you can mix the setup. I have 3 grams each at 3 and 9 o'clock with 1 gram at noon. I counter with 6 g at 7" from butt with 2 grams 1.5" from butt. The 1 g at noon makes the high part of the stringbed more lively. You could go the other way - say 4 grams at noon with 1 gram each at 3/9 o'clock for a polarized setup with more torsional stability for volleys.

Click to expand...

You are an absolute life saver for this. I was JUST about to post something about this. There is no doubt in my mind that I prefer the polarized set up. The access to spin is definitely my preference, but I would like to stabilize the polarized set up a bit.

I was thinking of keeping my polarized racquet the same, so I have a comparison. I want to change my depolarized racquet to a stablized version of my polarized racquet.

My Current Plan:
4 grams at 12 o'clock and 1 gram at both 3 and 9 o'clock was exactly what I was thinking, but I would like some opinions on how to counter balance this. I want to keep the same 4 grams at 1" from the butt cap (so it is more comparable to my other racquet), but how would I balance the 1 gram at both 3 and 9 o'clock. Should I add the weight at 7" from the butt cap, or add more at 1" from the butt cap?

I'm favouring the 1" location as a counter balance, so that it remains polarized overall. My thought is that adding the weight to 7" would make the racquet too depolarized, hence... my racquet would end up neither polarized or depolarized.

The one factor that is giving me a headache is SW. I would prefer to minimize the change in SW, while maintaining a polarized racquet. This seems like it's counter intuitive.

Suggestions and thoughts would be greatly appreciated!!!

4 grams at 3&9 is pretty normal but 4 grams at 12 seems like a big jump to suddenly make. Perhaps that is why it was hard to adjust to. Did you try serving with the mods? I find extra weight can be great for groundstrokes but really hinders rackethead speed on serve, especially on kick serves.

Counterbalancing with weight along the handle VS at the very end of the buttcap will have different effects too.

As suggested above, a combo can work out nicely. Currently I have 2gm at 12, 4gm in 4in strips inside the handle starting from the buttcap, leather grip adding weight along the handle. Recently have add 2.5gms to the bridge which, whether it is a placebo effect or not, seems to have flattened out the arc of my groundstrokes a little.

^^^ Good point. I wonder how it would be with... 2 grams at 12, 1 gram at both 3 and 9, and keep the 4 grams at 1" from the butt...

Forgot to answer your serve question. Depolarized felt pretty much the same as before the lead tape... maybe a bit more power, but I wasn't going all out so I can't be sure. I definitely found it hard to generate racquet head speed with the polarized set up, but when I did I got a lot of kick on my serve.

shogun90 said:

Which setup would you think is better for doubles? Since you said that slice was very good with the polarized and there was no loss of stability for volleys. I would guess that a depolarized setup might be better if you are constantly blocking back returns and the SW would be less for the depolarized setup which would help with reaction shots at the net.

Click to expand...

I'm a net rusher in singles and doubles and have played around with polarlization as well. At one point of time I even had a set up with 10g on the throat, now that was a really stable setup. I have since polarized it a little more, having most my lead on 3 and 9, and 10cm from the buttcap. This gives me a little more versatility if I need to play at the baseline.

My experience is, the slower your racquet is moving, the more important it is to be stable. Meaning high twistweight, less polarized. You want the racquet to be hefty and have a high recoil weight so the ball doesn't push it around.

The faster your racquet is moving, the less important that becomes, and you just want as much (mass x speed) as possible at the head of the racquet where the ball comes into contact with it.

I can see adding a little weight at 3 and 9 but whenever i tried it at 12 it makes the racket feel like a sledgehammer. To much weight in the head anywhere makes the racket swing slower, plus it adds power and is harder on the arm.

A little added to the head at 3+9 is okay if weight is also added to the handle. I don't know how some of you guys can add all this weight and still maintain enough racket head speed. Myself i prefer keeping a racket at least 6-8 points headlight because i like to whip my shots.

one gram at 3 and 9 is not enough to do what it's supposed to be doing there. if you're gona add at 3 and 9 i'd recommend a 4g minimum. mayyybe u could slide by with 3 if you were targeting for a specific swingweight and balance. but i don't think you are so...

Cheetah said:

one gram at 3 and 9 is not enough to do what it's supposed to be doing there. if you're gona add at 3 and 9 i'd recommend a 4g minimum. mayyybe u could slide by with 3 if you were targeting for a specific swingweight and balance. but i don't think you are so...

Click to expand...

No, I don't have a specific swingweight goal. For balance, my only preference is that it doesn't become any more head heavy, i.e. it has to be at least 4 pts headlight.

When you say 4 grams minimum, do you mean 4 grams in TOTAL at 3 and 9? Or 4 grams at BOTH 3 and 9? (This always confuses me, lol)

New Set Ups
I changed my set ups again so I can keep trying out new things. Changes were made based on testing and suggestions from other members.

Racquet 1: As per Ray, I lowered the weight on my polarized racquet. The change was too much for me, so hopefully I can adapt to the new set up better. I just removed 2 grams at both 12 o'clock and at 1" from the butt cap, so the new set up is 2 grams at 12 o'clock and 2 grams at 1" from the butt cap. Total of 4 grams.

Racquet 2: First, I changed my originally depolarized racquet to match my polarized racquet, i.e. 2 grams at 12 o'clock and 2 grams at 1" from the butt cap. Then I added 1 gram at both 3 and 9 o'clock, for a total of 2 grams. The total weight added to this stick is 6 grams.

I'm still pretty much absolutely winging this. Just making random changes to see what results from the changes. Then I can make more educated alterations in the future. I'll be playing again on Saturday, so I'll be able to test then.

vChRiSv said:

No, I don't have a specific swingweight goal. For balance, my only preference is that it doesn't become any more head heavy, i.e. it has to be at least 4 pts headlight.

When you say 4 grams minimum, do you mean 4 grams in TOTAL at 3 and 9? Or 4 grams at BOTH 3 and 9? (This always confuses me, lol)

New Set Ups
I changed my set ups again so I can keep trying out new things. Changes were made based on testing and suggestions from other members.

Racquet 1: As per Ray, I lowered the weight on my polarized racquet. The change was too much for me, so hopefully I can adapt to the new set up better. I just removed 2 grams at both 12 o'clock and at 1" from the butt cap, so the new set up is 2 grams at 12 o'clock and 2 grams at 1" from the butt cap. Total of 4 grams.

Racquet 2: First, I changed my originally depolarized racquet to match my polarized racquet, i.e. 2 grams at 12 o'clock and 2 grams at 1" from the butt cap. Then I added 1 gram at both 3 and 9 o'clock, for a total of 2 grams. The total weight added to this stick is 6 grams.

I'm still pretty much absolutely winging this. Just making random changes to see what results from the changes. Then I can make more educated alterations in the future. I'll be playing again on Saturday, so I'll be able to test then.

Click to expand...

How in the world do you keep track of all these different weights and balances? It would seem that after so many changes you would have a hard time comparing, 2 grams here 3 grams there and on and on. Wow way to many changes for me i would not be able to make good comparisons after so many changes.

I have used weight mostly in the handle to keep my rackets at least 6 pts HL or to match 2 up the same. On a few rackets i did add a little at 3+9 for a little more stability, but all the different set ups you are trying seems confusing.

Lol, I haven't done THAT many changes yet. Although, it would definitely be helpful if I had a 3rd racquet. That way I could leave the 3rd racquet completely unchanged (with stock specs) and use that as a point of reference.

So far my basic testing has been...

Step 1: Try a version of both depolarized and polarized that is noticeably changed (i.e. enough of a change that you can clearly notice and see how it affects you and your game).

From this, you hopefully know which set up is "right" for you. For me, it was polarized.

Step 2: Alter the set up to meet your specific needs.

For me, I found the polarized set up I tested was WAY too big of a change. I didn't really realize how big of an affect 4 grams at 12 o'clock would have. So I've reduced this amount and will be testing it again soon. I also felt a loss of stability/forgiveness from the original test, so I set my other racquet at the same reduced-polarized set up and added some tape at 3 and 9 o'clock.

After I test out these two new set ups, I'm hoping I'll have a clearer understanding of what I need.

Just wanted to have a post for this thread to wrap things up.

Conclusion
After testing my latest 2 set ups, check post #41, I have found the set up that suits me. Even after lowering the weight on my polarized racquet, I still found it to be a bit too unstable. So the set up that I will be using for now is:

• 2 grams at 12 o'clock
• 1 gram at both 6 and 9 o'clock
• 2 grams at 1" from the butt cap

This definitely provided the best blend of spin and power, while still giving my shots some stability. Without the extra weight at 3 and 9, I found the racquet to be too unstable for my liking. The extra weight helped out with all my shots, but especially on my backhand. With the weight at 3 and 9, my backhand felt powerful and stable, but now I was able to hit some extra top spin I couldn't before. This factor was more important to me since my backhand is my stronger wing. Obviously there is still tweaking to be done as I improve, but for now this set up seems to work. Probably won't be making any major changes for at least the summer.

Thanks to everyone that read, followed and commented on this thread!! The comments and suggestions were very helpful. If anyone has any questions for me, just leave them on the thread.

For anyone that's curious about adding lead tape to their racquet, just do it. No other way to figure it out... believe me, you can not try to figure it out from reading forums and other websites, I have tried.

Cool. I found adding a small amount of lead to 3 & 9 helps to keep the feel from changing too much when adding lead to the upper hoop as well - nice even distribution of weight.

The lead tape along the length of the handle I have in my frame is just to keep it more similar in feel to the PB10 mid that I switch to sometimes, so there is less of an adjustment. Otherwise I would keep all the lead in the handle concentrated at the buttcap.

If you are interested in trying anymore tweaks in the future, try out a bit more lead at the buttcap, maybe 4-6 total. Not sure how to describe exactly what it does to the frame, but I like it. It doesn't slow down my swing or serve, actually it feels quite good when whipping the racket on serve.

Hi I'm Ray said:

Cool. I found adding a small amount of lead to 3 & 9 helps to keep the feel from changing too much when adding lead to the upper hoop as well - nice even distribution of weight.

Click to expand...

I definitely agree with that statement. I found the same thing during my testing!

One thing that would definitely be helpful, is if TW had a tool that did the reverse of their TWU Customization Tool. It doesn't seem like it'd be too difficult, since it'd be the exact opposite of what they are doing now, but it would be significantly more useful than their current calculator. What I mean is... a tool where you don't specify the specs, but instead you specify where you add the lead tape and the amounts you add it in. Then the results would show you how it would change the racquet's specs. During my testing, I found myself trying out random numbers to see what adding tape at specific locations would do. Then having to memorize them or compare them to other results, in order to speculate what other set ups would do. Not sure if anyone else would prefer it this way, but I definitely would.

I wonder if TW would be willing to try developing that. :-? Or maybe there is already a calculator like this out there?

vChRiSv said:

l, is if TW had a tool that did the reverse of their TWU Customization Tool.

Click to expand...

Like this?
http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/learning_center/customizationReverse.php

jonestim said:

Like this?
http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/learning_center/customizationReverse.php

Click to expand...

WAHH!!! So it does exist!!!!

I definitely need to take a look at this after lunch, thanks!

Just tried it out, this is exactly what I needed. Thanks! Fantastic calculator... wish I had this link earlier. Thanks again!!

Note: Sorry for double post, but I still can't edit my dumb posts... blegh.

Did you find a difference in comfort between the two? I realize your weren't drastically altering the polarization but just curious. My APDC+ always feels so stiff and I hear it's very polarized and in addition I have 2 overgrips and some silicone making it even more so. This thread made me wonder if I depolarized it some if that would make it more comfortable on my body?