magic of light racquets?

macrocool · Sep 2, 2012

So, I casually picked up some lighter racquets to swing with (which my friend was demoing). There were a couple of ig speeds and the ig radical s. They were all so magically effortless and powerfully easy to hit with. It's not the lighter weight (I have no trouble hitting with the heaviest of racquets). The racquetbed has this spring like quality which sends the ball faster without sending it longer. I've tried some so called powerful racquets like the ig radical MP, but it doesn't have the same quality - in this case the power sends the ball longer and maybe slightly more speed.

The problem is that these lighter racquets cannot seem to serve, cannot volley or return heavy serves. Is this a simple fix with lead tape (may be this is what the pros are doing these days)?

ollinger · Sep 2, 2012

Lot's of threads here lately about people discovering how much better they can play with lighter racquets than what they've been using. Psychologically, we tend to live in a fantasy world (witness the OP's screenname "macrocool" for example) and think we're much better players than we really are, so try to play with heavier more "serious" racquets. I just went from about 11.6 strung to 11.3 strung and my game has picked up enormously.

pattenww · Sep 2, 2012

ditto, went from 11.6 to 11.0...served a guy that regularly beets me off the court. For just hitting the heavier racket is better and def'm deliver a much heavier ball, but when it get's down to playing and having to deal with a much higher level of shot variety..the 11.0 wins out

Pacific Xforce is what I am messing with currently

macrocool · Sep 2, 2012

So, how do I solve the problem on serves and volleys. Will lead tape do it? Will lead tape not turn it into a monster hittting all balls out?

BreakPoint · Sep 2, 2012

ollinger said:
Lot's of threads here lately about people discovering how much better they can play with lighter racquets than what they've been using. Psychologically, we tend to live in a fantasy world (witness the OP's screenname "macrocool" for example) and think we're much better players than we really are, so try to play with heavier more "serious" racquets. I just went from about 11.6 strung to 11.3 strung and my game has picked up enormously.

But wait until you start having arm problems or face an opponent who hits the ball really hard. I can also pound the ball much harder myself with a heavier racquet than with a lighter one.

ollinger · Sep 2, 2012

^^ EVERYONE I play hits the ball really hard; not a problem at all with the lighter racquet, actually easier to get the racquet in position more quickly. As for arm issues, I don't use 70 or 72 flex sticks, mine is 66, no arm problems

BreakPoint · Sep 2, 2012

ollinger said:
^^ EVERYONE I play hits the ball really hard; not a problem at all with the lighter racquet, actually easier to get the racquet in position more quickly. As for arm issues, I don't use 70 or 72 flex sticks, mine is 66, no arm problems

Sorry, but the laws of physics dictate that a flexible light racquet cannot defend against the massive momentum that very fast moving tennis balls possess. There's a reason why the pros have to use either heavy racquets or ones with very high swingweights - because their opponents hit the ball so hard at them. Perhaps your opponents are not hitting the ball as hard as you think?

BTW, a light racquet can still eventually give you arm problems even if it's not that stiff. It just doesn't have enough mass to offset the momentum of the ball. That is, the ball pushes the racquet around rather than the racquet pushing the ball around.

LeeD · Sep 2, 2012

Volleys, you COMPENSATE! Hit more forceful, hit higher and deeper, and you can use a long swing. Add power for all volleys. And if you insist on using a 1/4 when you should be using a 5/8th, it's your problem.
Serves, you swing it faster, but don't just arm it faster.
Groundies...there IS a point too light is worthless vs big hitters, but is compensated by the fact it's easier to beat light hitters. Take the initiative, don't allow the other guy to hit his best shot before you do.

ollinger · Sep 2, 2012

Breakpoint
Thanks for sharing -- if that's what that was? Thanks for condescending??? If I ever play against touring pros, I'll be sure to add some weight to the racquet. Short of that, I think I know hard hitting when I see it, even without you to advise me, and the racquet has been just fine, holding up well. As for elbow problems, that can happen with any racquet -- ask Tony Roche, who had TE with a flexible 14+ ounce racquet. If I develop arm problems, I'll let you know. I think the trend toward using smaller grips is a much greater risk factor, and it's one I've resisted.

Ramon · Sep 2, 2012

For people with arm problems, I think tennis elbow would be a legitimate concern with lighter racquets because there's less mass between you and the ball. However, I find that certain people just don't get tennis elbow no matter what equipment they use.

I know a local former touring pro who uses a 10.6 oz (strung) racquet right now with no added weights. I've seen him play in exhibitions against some incredibly hard hitters, and he had absolutely no problem with them. It seems skill level trumps everything.

LeeD · Sep 2, 2012

And remember, nobody says a light racket is for everyone or should be used by everyone.
If you like hitting hard shots against fellow hard hitters, use a heavier racket.
If you like using variety, touch, angle, and placements, you can use a lighter racket.
If you mindlessly pummel the ball back and forth, use a heavy racket.
If you like to counter power with touch and angles, you can use a light racket.

Nostradamus · Sep 2, 2012

it is very hard to generate power with light rackets, no ? Stupido !!!!!!

LeeD · Sep 2, 2012

No.
A light racket is easy to generate pace with, IF the incoming ball doesn't have lots of pace. If you just drop feed, you have as much power with a light racket as a heavy racket. Serves make little difference, but some, depending on how strong you really are.
If the incoming ball has tons of pace and spin, you cannot hope to outhit the ball, so you redirect it with different spin and slower pace, but place it better so your opponent doesn't hit another big strong shot.

TimothyO · Sep 2, 2012

ollinger said:
Lot's of threads here lately about people discovering how much better they can play with lighter racquets than what they've been using. Psychologically, we tend to live in a fantasy world (witness the OP's screenname "macrocool" for example) and think we're much better players than we really are, so try to play with heavier more "serious" racquets. I just went from about 11.6 strung to 11.3 strung and my game has picked up enormously.

I've had the opposite experience. The heavier I go, the better I play.

With lighter frames I had difficulty with accuracy and consistency. Using heavier frames with smaller heads and dense string beds I can hit with far greater precision. This has been especially true when facing heavy shots which tend to bounce light frames around.

I believe folks can be a bit self delusional the other way around. I see lots of middle aged guys on our courts use large, light frames strung with full poly and trying to hit every shot the same way: Nadal style with massive top spin.

A large, light frame can certainly do that but that type of hitting demands excellent timing that's obviously beyond the reach of most weekend warriors. Thus the frequent shanks from those balding, graying Nadal wannabes.

I was seduced by the Cult of Top Spin but have learned that we low-mid level rec players need a well rounded game. Sure, rip a hard top spin winner off a floater. It's fun and easy and can impress an opponent. But don't be afraid to hit more modest yet easier flat shots deep and hard which are higher percentage shots. For a well rounded rec game heavier frames seem like a real advantage.

TimothyO · Sep 2, 2012

ollinger said:
^^ EVERYONE I play hits the ball really hard; not a problem at all with the lighter racquet, actually easier to get the racquet in position more quickly. As for arm issues, I don't use 70 or 72 flex sticks, mine is 66, no arm problems

When I see stuff like "get the racquet in position more quickly" I see "prepared late and is arming the ball".

Yeah, you can "cheat" more easily with a light frame. But hitting is less accurate and less consistent when arming the ball. Better solution: see the ball early, focus, get the racquet back, swing with the shoulders. Do that and racquet weight doesn't matter.

Ramon · Sep 2, 2012

BreakPoint said:
Sorry, but the laws of physics dictate that a flexible light racquet cannot defend against the massive momentum that very fast moving tennis balls possess. There's a reason why the pros have to use either heavy racquets or ones with very high swingweights - because their opponents hit the ball so hard at them. Perhaps your opponents are not hitting the ball as hard as you think?

Serena and Venus use this racquet:

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Wilson_BLX_Blade_Team/descpageRCWILSON-WBXBTE.html

Strung Weight: 10.7 oz
Stiffness: 53

Flexible and Light. I suppose their opponents aren't hitting balls hard enough. :lol:

TennisCJC · Sep 2, 2012

Ramon said:
Serena and Venus use this racquet:

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Wilson_BLX_Blade_Team/descpageRCWILSON-WBXBTE.html

Strung Weight: 10.7 oz
Stiffness: 53

Flexible and Light. I suppose their opponents aren't hitting balls hard enough. :lol:

It has also been reported on TT and other sites that both William sisters have them customize to a swing weigh over 350 grams which is a hefty racket. Very few ATP or WTA play low swing weight - say less than 320 g. William sisters play very heavy SW.

I like rackets in the 330 - 340 g swing weight range, HL balance 4-8 points and medium to low flex.

Play with whatever you want but I SUGGEST that you need a swing weight of 320 grams and 4 HL with medium to low flex to play good 3.5 level and above. Even a hard 3.5 level topspin forehand will cause instability if you are swinging a feather. Reasonable swing weight is also going to be better for your health in the long run too. Going out and hitting a few times is not going to determine how good a racket is for your health.

But, 320 g swing weight is a really light racket.

BreakPoint · Sep 2, 2012

Ramon said:
Serena and Venus use this racquet:

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Wilson_BLX_Blade_Team/descpageRCWILSON-WBXBTE.html

Strung Weight: 10.7 oz
Stiffness: 53

Flexible and Light. I suppose their opponents aren't hitting balls hard enough. :lol:

I hope you don't seriously think they are using stock racquets, do you? I assume you're laughing emoticon means you're kidding, right?

I'm sure they have their racquets weighed up so that they can hit the ball as hard as they do. But, yes, I also see them spray the ball wildly quite often off of a hard hit ball to them. Perhaps they need to add some more weight (to their racquets I mean)?

BreakPoint · Sep 2, 2012

ollinger said:
Breakpoint
Thanks for sharing -- if that's what that was? Thanks for condescending??? If I ever play against touring pros, I'll be sure to add some weight to the racquet. Short of that, I think I know hard hitting when I see it, even without you to advise me, and the racquet has been just fine, holding up well. As for elbow problems, that can happen with any racquet -- ask Tony Roche, who had TE with a flexible 14+ ounce racquet. If I develop arm problems, I'll let you know. I think the trend toward using smaller grips is a much greater risk factor, and it's one I've resisted.

Well, all I know is that all my racquets are at least 12.5 oz., with some at 13.0 oz, and I play against guys that use even heavier racquets than I do, and yes, they hit the ball VERY hard. So if I used a lighter racquet, they would knock the racquet right out of my hands. I know because I've tried using lighter racquets.

As far as Tony Roche having TE, he was a pro. Pro's hit tennis balls 8 hours a day everyday. You run the risk of getting TE if you hit tennis balls for 8 hours a day everyday regardless of the kind of racquet you're using. TE is an overuse injury after all.

sureshs · Sep 2, 2012

Gave away by Yonex 100S to a playing partner today. I had bought it as part of an incredible deal at a WTA tournament booth last year. Today I decided to give it a try again but just could not generate any power with it. Went back to the PS 85 after 5 minutes and gifted the Yonex to my partner who was using an older Yonex.

shogun90 · Sep 2, 2012

Watching this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTjBXVQyiwg
made me realize how easy Roger was swinging in warmups but was generating plenty of pace for us mere mortals. I tried the BLXPS90 on serves and was generating a good amount of pace when I was swinging nice and easy. I will see how it works on groundstrokes, I just have to remind myself to swing nice and easy and not try to over hit which I tend to do with lighter racquets.

ChicagoJack · Sep 2, 2012

ollinger said:
Lot's of threads here lately about people discovering how much better they can play with lighter racquets than what they've been using. Psychologically, we tend to live in a fantasy world (witness the OP's screenname "macrocool" for example) and think we're much better players than we really are, so try to play with heavier more "serious" racquets. I just went from about 11.6 strung to 11.3 strung and my game has picked up enormously.

Hi Ollinger,

Yeah cool, I catch yer drift. But I invite you to consider the possibility that some people actually play better with heavy frames, and aren't posing at all. Most people have a swing speed and timing that is pretty grooved. I grew up playing with heavy racquets, and so I naturally have a long, fluid, slowish stoke. My grip has changed a bit, my stance has opened up, but I still have that same timing. If you want to hit with pace you have a few limited options. You can swing faster, or you can swing the same speed with a heavier racquet. Some folks do better swinging faster, some folks (at any skill level) do better swinging slower with a racquet that packs more of a wallop.

My racquet suits me well. I can swing easy and controlled, well under my top swingspeed on a normal rally ball, but when I see an opportunity to open up, and to hit the kind of ball that puts my opponent into scramble mode, it's nice to swing something with some meat on its bones. I don't really dig the frames that require me to swing fast just to keep a normal rally ball going when the point is just getting started. I start loosing my form, shanking my backhand and it's actually more tiring for me late in the 3rd set. No biggie really, its just personal preference.

Jack

Hi I'm Ray · Sep 2, 2012

^^ That's a good point about some ppl playing better with heavier rackets. Some ppl have a slower swing which work well with the weight of a heavier racket in supplying power, plow, stability, spin, etc. A slower swing is also easier to control IMO. A lighter frame might fit someone with faster swing speeds better.

macrocool said:
So, I casually picked up some lighter racquets to swing with (which my friend was demoing). There were a couple of ig speeds and the ig radical s. They were all so magically effortless and powerfully easy to hit with. It's not the lighter weight (I have no trouble hitting with the heaviest of racquets). The racquetbed has this spring like quality which sends the ball faster without sending it longer. I've tried some so called powerful racquets like the ig radical MP, but it doesn't have the same quality - in this case the power sends the ball longer and maybe slightly more speed.

The problem is that these lighter racquets cannot seem to serve, cannot volley or return heavy serves. Is this a simple fix with lead tape (may be this is what the pros are doing these days)?

Not all tweeners are the same. Some swing heavier than others, feel better or worse on groundstrokes, volleys, serves, etc. Perhaps you are blocking back serve returns, punching volleys, and have a slower serve swing - swing weight and mass helps with all of this.

I agree that tweeners give me more power without a lack of control, except I find it easier to drop shot and hit volleys below the net with a lower powered frame. I always think its funny how there are college and tournament players using high powered tweeners and yet we have ppl on these boards saying tweeners have no control. "A Wilson 90 is the only way I can control the ball." Lol.

shogun90 said:
Watching this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTjBXVQyiwg
made me realize how easy Roger was swinging in warmups but was generating plenty of pace for us mere mortals. I tried the BLXPS90 on serves and was generating a good amount of pace when I was swinging nice and easy. I will see how it works on groundstrokes, I just have to remind myself to swing nice and easy and not try to over hit which I tend to do with lighter racquets.

Yeah but Roger's a freakshow, goat, #1 in the world at 30yrs old, etc., not a good comparison for the rest of us mortals.

UCSF2012 · Sep 3, 2012

macrocool said:
So, I casually picked up some lighter racquets to swing with (which my friend was demoing). There were a couple of ig speeds and the ig radical s. They were all so magically effortless and powerfully easy to hit with. It's not the lighter weight (I have no trouble hitting with the heaviest of racquets). The racquetbed has this spring like quality which sends the ball faster without sending it longer. I've tried some so called powerful racquets like the ig radical MP, but it doesn't have the same quality - in this case the power sends the ball longer and maybe slightly more speed.

The problem is that these lighter racquets cannot seem to serve, cannot volley or return heavy serves. Is this a simple fix with lead tape (may be this is what the pros are doing these days)?

The pro women use these light rackets and they serve, volley and return heavy serves all the time. A lot of them are cranking out serves upwards of 115mph. Perhaps you're not using the rackets properly.

BreakPoint · Sep 3, 2012

UCSF2012 said:
The pro women use these light rackets and they serve, volley and return heavy serves all the time. A lot of them are cranking out serves upwards of 115mph. Perhaps you're not using the rackets properly.

The pro women also lead up their racquets to have very high swingweights.

UCSF2012 · Sep 3, 2012

BreakPoint said:
The pro women also lead up their racquets to have very high swingweights.

No they don't. By far, they don't.

Winners or Errors · Sep 3, 2012

What are people calling "light?" Does it mean anything below 12 oz, or is the threshhold weight higher?

I tend to play best with racquets in the upper 11 oz range. The question about getting pushed around is, as another poster said earlier in this thread, really dependent on the competition you face.

I don't play 5.0. I play 4.5. The only time I felt pushed around in the last three seasons of league play was when I played a 5.0-5.5 sandbagger. That was truly eye-opening.

Also, are we making no allowance for technology? Are people certain that layups and materials have little or no impact whatsoever on how a racquet performs at a given weight?

TimothyO · Sep 3, 2012

Winners or Errors said:
What are people calling "light?" Does it mean anything below 12 oz, or is the threshhold weight higher?

I tend to play best with racquets in the upper 11 oz range. The question about getting pushed around is, as another poster said earlier in this thread, really dependent on the competition you face.

I don't play 5.0. I play 4.5. The only time I felt pushed around in the last three seasons of league play was when I played a 5.0-5.5 sandbagger. That was truly eye-opening.

Also, are we making no allowance for technology? Are people certain that layups and materials have little or no impact whatsoever on how a racquet performs at a given weight?

Winners raises the issue of technology which is central to the thread.

New materials allowed racquets which could be lighter and still strong enough to strike the ball. Wood racquets of these dimensions would snap.

But that tech didn't change the basic physics of ball mass x velocity versus racquet head mass x velocity. Thus the light, head heavy frames were born which is an attempt to allow lighter frames built with modern materials to compete with the force of incoming balls by concentrating mass in the business end of the racquet.

Unfortuantely for our elbows, and game, the lighter frame doesn't protect against shock as well and lacks the mass in the throat and handle to resist recoiling. So even HH but lightweight frames can get knocked about.

Tonight I had to return serves from a friend who serves very, very hard. It was wonderful having extra weight to meet his serves whether blocking back or taking a full swing. I never felt like I missed a shot because the frame twisted in my hand or got pushed back off target by the ball.

BreakPoint · Sep 3, 2012

UCSF2012 said:
No they don't. By far, they don't.

Um..yes, they do. Just like the Williams sisters use swingweights over 350 as mentioned above.

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=317438

The women are not that far behind in swingweights. Greg Raven also measured a bunch of male and female pro's racquets' swingweights a few years ago and the highest SW, man or woman, was Jelena Dokic's with a swingweight of 383!

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=251209

DeShaun · Sep 3, 2012

I have never played a match with a light racket, and so, I do not know that a lighter racket would improve my results, but I can say that against certain fleet-footed dink-senders I have played, and against certain other people who lacked full strokes but who were quite skilled at a kind of pushing, that by my simply adding weight to my frame's hoop one day, I was suddenly able to start crushing these same people decisively who until then had been beating me thoroughly. And there's no way my skills improved overnight; making the racket heavier immediately improved my results against certain pushers.

robbo1970 · Sep 4, 2012

I have found the same when I went heavier with the Exo3 graph 93. Some players who naturally hit the ball harder than me were pushing me around, whereas even just playing block returns with the heavier racket, I was getting that much more stability that my returns were then pushing them back into the court and causing them problems. It quickly turned defence into attack.

But I must admit I do switch to a racket around 310g sometimes if I'm playing someone who goes for placement rather than brute force with their shots. In those matches I don't need the weight to keep me stable and I do benefit from a racket that I can move about a bit quicker.

I do sometimes think that if I could increase the overall weight of the 310g racket to about 320g, I would have a nice balance between stability and manouvrability. I think thats the key really. Just for someone to find that racket that suits their style and has that right combination of mass and speed for them.

JackB1 · Sep 4, 2012

This is an ongoing debate that goes around and around on these forums.. There is no "right answer" for everyone...just general guidelines. It all depends in how fast you like to swing and how physically strong you are and how hard and fast your opponents are hitting. Heavy or light BOTH have their share of Pros and Cons. Each individual must experiment and see what works best for them at their level.

sureshs · Sep 4, 2012

This issue has a resolution. It was told to me by a coach over this weekend (he used to be on the tour). He mainly coaches advanced juniors. His philosophy is that juniors should use lighter rackets till he is convinced that their strokes are fully executed. He does not recommend changing frames or strings constantly even though he is sponsored in the business. He said that unless a junior gets to the point where he has the correct technique and is executing a full swing, only after that should additional weight be considered to maximize the impact on the opponents. He believes that till that point, a heavier frame will impede learning.

As far as adults go, my opinion is that those who began tennis later in life are not going to go beyond a certain level, and most will languish at 4.5 or below. They are never going to have full proper swings with good bio-mechanics, regardless of what they learn with. They might as well just play with what they are comfortable with.

robbo1970 · Sep 4, 2012

sureshs said:
As far as adults go, my opinion is that those who began tennis later in life are not going to go beyond a certain level, and most will languish at 4.5 or below. They are never going to have full proper swings with good bio-mechanics, regardless of what they learn with. They might as well just play with what they are comfortable with.

Thats me.

I do always have this dilemma though. Against both light and heavy hitters I feel I hit a more solid, penetrating shot with my 12oz racket with the most ease.

But the lighter 11oz is obviously much easier to manouvre when having to stretch for defensive shots or volley exchanges or the ocassional flying smash.

If I could make my 11oz racket a little more stable against heavy hitters it would be as close as I could get to spot on. Maybe changing the synthetic grip to a heavier leather one would do that???????

sureshs · Sep 4, 2012

robbo1970 said:
Thats me.

I do always have this dilemma though. Against both light and heavy hitters I feel I hit a more solid, penetrating shot with my 12oz racket with the most ease.

But the lighter 11oz is obviously much easier to manouvre when having to stretch for defensive shots or volley exchanges or the ocassional flying smash.

If I could make my 11oz racket a little more stable against heavy hitters it would be as close as I could get to spot on. Maybe changing the synthetic grip to a heavier leather one would do that???????

Sounds like you need more weight in the head than the handle, no?

corners · Sep 4, 2012

robbo1970 said:
If I could make my 11oz racket a little more stable against heavy hitters it would be as close as I could get to spot on. Maybe changing the synthetic grip to a heavier leather one would do that???????

No. Weight in the handle doesn't help with stability that much. Try the other end.

Jakesteroni · Sep 4, 2012

Adding some lead to 3 and 9 this will not cause a high change in swingweight, but will help in stability and plow. Nadal plays with under 11 oz, but with a high swingweight to compensate to keep his racket with a low weight the lead is applied at top hoop.

What you can do to a heavy racket is increase its weight but decrease its swingweight. If you're having trouble completing the racket head following through increase the swingweight a little and adjust as appropiate until it feels good to you.

I've followed the following keys when I mess around with weight. Based on my liking

1. If you increase swingweight, increase tension.
2. If the racket is light, decrease tension
3. If you have a high weight racket, decrease swingweight to get racket head speed.
4. If the racket is light, increase swingweight to get better plow through and stability.

These are based on my style and trials so it may not work for you but worth a try.

BreakPoint · Sep 4, 2012

corners said:
No. Weight in the handle doesn't help with stability that much. Try the other end.

Well, yes, adding weight to the hoop does help with stability but adding weight to handle does as well since it helps to absorb shock and vibration which makes the handle feel more stable in your hand. But adding weight to the handle won't give you as much power as adding weight to the hoop will.

Metalica · Sep 5, 2012

Pretty much agree with everything Breakpoint said here. I personally much prefer heavy racquets. I find that generating RHS with them is not as difficult as some say, in some case it even helps to add weight to the head.

While more weight helps with tennis elbow, I'd say it's easier to injure yourself with a heavy racquet so I would advice those with developing technique to not swing too violently (especially on the serve). Building up arm strength always helps.

TennisCJC · Sep 5, 2012

UCSF2012 said:
No they don't. By far, they don't.

Yes, they do: last number in row is swing weight but it doesn't line up with headings, or see http://www.hdtennis.com/grs/pro_racquet_specs/201207mercury-insurance-open.html

I counted 13 WTA players with SW over 330 grams. 5 over 340. Williams sisters, Ivanovic, and Huntachova are also pretty high in SW.

New stock rackets are going down in swing weight with lots of them under 310 g which sucks for performance.

Player Racquet Weight Balance Swgwt
Bartoli, Marion Prince 330 354 393
Bartoli, Marion Prince 332 352.5 394
Cibulkova, Dominika Dunlop 314 332 320
Davis, Lauren Wilson 322 330 335
Doi, Misaki Srixon 334 320 332
Erakovic, Marina Wilson 336 320 355
Fujiwara, Rika Yonex 328 333
Hantuchova, Daniela Prince 346 321 351
Larcher de Brito, Michelle Head 342 321 345
Mattek-Sands, Bethanie Donnay 342 325 348
Mirza, Sania Wilson 318 327.5 325
Radwanska, Urszula Babolat 324 325 315
Raymond Lisa Prince 350 310 337
Raymond, Lisa Prince 352 310 338
Scheepers, Chanelle Babolat 335 320 323
Stevens, Sloan Head 340 316 330
Wickmayer, Yanina Babolat 306 310 ???

TennisCJC · Sep 5, 2012

Metalica said:
Pretty much agree with everything Breakpoint said here. I personally much prefer heavy racquets. I find that generating RHS with them is not as difficult as some say, in some case it even helps to add weight to the head.

While more weight helps with tennis elbow, I'd say it's easier to injure yourself with a heavy racquet so I would advice those with developing technique to not swing too violently (especially on the serve). Building up arm strength always helps.

I agree with you - adding weight does not inhibit racket head speed as much as other indicate for me. Any adult male can use a SW over 330+ grams and any adult female can use a 320+ SW without a negative impact on RHS with a little practice.

But, I don't agree with your statement about it being easier to injure yourself with a heavy racket. I think a heavy racket that is right sized for you will prevent injury. Granted if I tried to play with a 14 oz racket with a swing weight over 400 g, it could cause problems. But any "reasonably" heavy racket assists in preventing injuries as the racket takes the shock out of impact and feels smoother thru contact with less vibrations.

dman72 · Sep 5, 2012

It's not magic, it's simply that you can pull off more tricky shots with the lighter stick.

If I have time to set up and I'm not tired, I can hit a much cleaner heavier ball with a 13oz 370 swingweight racquet. Check back in the 3rd set and see how I'm doing. And obviously, heavy racquets are much better at handling big serves and heavy spin and pace, but most of us don't face enough of that consistently to warrant using a 13oz+ frame.

When it comes to scambling defensive shots, little slice drop dinks, lobs, etc...everything is easier as you go lighter.

My racquets (NXG OS) actually weigh close to 13 oz's out of the box strung with an overgrip and dampener, but they are so head light that they actually feel and play lighter than an even balanced racquet that is an ounce lighter.

Sreeram · Sep 5, 2012

I personally feel there is a difference between playing a 12Oz racquet with 320g SW vs 11.2 oz racquet with 320SW. The static weight is different here but SW is same. The low static weight racquet might have a different balance to achieve the high SW while the heavy racuqet would have more HL balance to have low SW. I think I wasted my time playing Tour racquets that are 6-8 PTS HL and over 12 oz. I found an immediate increase in my game when I switched to Donnay Gold99 which had the same SW (330) but low static weight. I started taking big swings as the racquet was lighter. My game improved greatly. This is a magic for sure.

robbo1970 · Sep 5, 2012

dman72 said:
It's not magic, it's simply that you can pull off more tricky shots with the lighter stick.

If I have time to set up and I'm not tired, I can hit a much cleaner heavier ball with a 13oz 370 swingweight racquet. Check back in the 3rd set and see how I'm doing. And obviously, heavy racquets are much better at handling big serves and heavy spin and pace, but most of us don't face enough of that consistently to warrant using a 13oz+ frame.

When it comes to scambling defensive shots, little slice drop dinks, lobs, etc...everything is easier as you go lighter.

My racquets (NXG OS) actually weigh close to 13 oz's out of the box strung with an overgrip and dampener, but they are so head light that they actually feel and play lighter than an even balanced racquet that is an ounce lighter.

Exactly the same for me. Although my heavier racket is a 12oz and like you, with time to set the shot I too hit a cleaner, more penetrating shot, but not every point is like that and sometimes my 11oz racket can be much more effective at defensive shots like a stretching lob or reaction volley.

Its one of those catch 22's whereby Im probably about 75% effective with both, but there are always certain shots that I wish I had the other racket in my hand sometimes.

If I'm honest to myself, I probably need to improve my technique with the lighter racket so I hit the penetrating shots with that as well as I can with the 12oz racket. Whilst I love the 12oz racket, I'm not always convinced I have the technique to use it effectively.

This forum clearly has a lot of very good players and its easy to perhaps get a bit unitentionally intimidated into thinking that heavy is the only way, so I do like to hear about good players using lighter sticks. Particularly with talk of tennis elbow etc, but surely that is down to poor technique as much as anything.

I do like reading the positive posts from users of lighter rackets, to me lighter is a strung weight of 290 to 310g, and I always like to read and learn how they play and make their rackets very effective. I like to play an all court game and volley a lot, having grown up watching the golden era of the likes of McEnroe, Edberg, Cash and then Rafter.

PrinceMoron · Sep 5, 2012

I do like reading the positive posts from users of lighter rackets, to me lighter is a strung weight of 290 to 310g, and I always like to read and learn how they play and make their rackets very effective. I like to play an all court game and volley a lot, having grown up watching the golden era of the likes of McEnroe, Edberg, Cash and then Rafter.

I love light rackets, after you add 110 g and depolarise for volleys.

robbo1970 · Sep 5, 2012

PrinceMoron said:
I love light rackets, after you add 110 g and depolarise for volleys.

Thats called a heavy racket isnt it? lol

If I was after a light racket to then add 110g, I think I'd just buy a heavy racket and not waste my time and money on a $35 roll of lead tape.

BreakPoint · Sep 5, 2012

robbo1970 said:
I do like reading the positive posts from users of lighter rackets, to me lighter is a strung weight of 290 to 310g, and I always like to read and learn how they play and make their rackets very effective. I like to play an all court game and volley a lot, having grown up watching the golden era of the likes of McEnroe, Edberg, Cash and then Rafter.

But heavier racquets are better for volleying because they are more stable, twist less, and have more punch to them on volleys. Also much better for defending against hard hit passing shots. That's why, in general, pro doubles players tend to use heavier racquets on average than the pro singles players.

bluetrain4 · Sep 5, 2012

ollinger said:
Lot's of threads here lately about people discovering how much better they can play with lighter racquets than what they've been using. Psychologically, we tend to live in a fantasy world (witness the OP's screenname "macrocool" for example) and think we're much better players than we really are, so try to play with heavier more "serious" racquets. I just went from about 11.6 strung to 11.3 strung and my game has picked up enormously.

I still think there are many players for whom a heavier frame would suit them better. We shouldn't all switch to a lighter frames (and I know that's not what you're saying).

I went from years of 12+ ounce frames (Dunlop 200 series, Wilson 6.1 series, Prince Diablo) to a Babs PDR, which is around 11.7 oz and have found that it generally suits me better and I get consistently better results overall.

Years ago I gave two Dunlop M-fil 200 16x19s (about 11.4 oz) to my friend to my friend since I decided against them. I hit with them this weekend while visting that friend and they were great, much better now than when I purchased them. Regret. And shows how preferences change over time.

Honestly, I could still wield any of my past 12+ oz frames and still play very well, but that little bit more of user friendliness from my PDRs and "free" power is really nice and provides more consistent depth and power.

On the flip side, I often hit with a 3.0 friend of mine who has not played for that long. I gave him my old Prince Original Graphite (the current TW version) weighing in at 12.3 oz to hit with instead of his 9.7 oz beginner frame. He's hitting and playing about 10 times better with the substantially heavier frame.

robbo1970 · Sep 5, 2012

I agree, it would be obvious that a heavier racket would give more power and more stability, but like many on here, I am not a pro, I do not play against pros and I do not have the fitness, strength or technique of a pro to use such a racket to great effect.

As I tried to put across, its a case of using a racket that I can increase my % of good shots all round from what is currently about only 75% with the heavy or lighter racket.

But I do totally agree with your statement. But I, like many on here that perhaps choose not to admit it, perhaps would be more consistent with a more manouvrable racket.

robbo1970 · Sep 5, 2012

bluetrain4 said:
On the flip side, I often hit with a 3.0 friend of mine who has not played for that long. I gave him my old Prince Original Graphite (the current TW version) weighing in at 12.3 oz to hit with instead of his 9.7 oz beginner frame. He's hitting and playing about 10 times better with the substantially heavier frame.

I had the same reaction when I went up an oz and hitting from the baseline with that extra racket mass made hitting deep hard shots much more effortless. But over 3 sets and coming into the net, I do find that I tire after a while and just cannot whip the racket around to play as good a shot as I know I should or could.

But thats just me....heavy rackets are fine for some players and light ones for others.

magic of light racquets?

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