Does more stable have to equal more weight?

jbdbackfan

Semi-Pro
Recently I modified my Prince Classic Graphte 100 which comes at around 11.8oz strung with a 315 swing weight in stock form. I added weight using TW customization strips at 10 and 2 (2 2" pieces on each side) and added a leather grip. I imagine the swing weight is around 325-330 now and weighted the racquet and came in at 12.5 oz with dampener. The racquet performs with tons of stability and decent plow through. Perhaps it was my first session with the extra weight but after 1.5 hrs of playing doubles I was feeling the weight. Something I could get used to with time due to how stable it felt, but left me wondering does starting with a heavier stock frame increase chances of better stability?

I ask because for example the Prince Texteme 100T has a similar swing weight but static weight is 1.0 oz less. Would same application of a leather grip and weight at 10 and 2 deliver similar stability results?

Curious on what people have done here.
 

CodyZzZ

Rookie
I would say:
- If two racquets have the same static weight, one head heavier will feel more stable.
- If two racquets have the same balance, one with more static weight will feel more stable.

Adding weight anywhere = more stability, but more so closer to the frame
 

esgee48

G.O.A.T.
The key factors are swing weight and twist weight [for off center hits.] So a light frame with a high SW, e.g. 340 kgcm^2 would be pretty stable whether it weighs 9 oz or 12.5 oz. SW determine which object wins the battle when you hit the ball, i.e. frame or ball. TW determines the same issue if you do not hit the ball in the center. Same balance is not really a true comparison. If one frame is very polarized and the other is not, you could have the same balance even if mass is different. The frame with the higher SW is the winner for stability. When making mods, you should be trying to achieve a SW target and balance is a secondary issue. Adding lead at 12 is the fastest way to increase SW. 1 gram ~ 3.1 kgcm^2. Adding a leather grip does nothing for SW except to increase the weight and change the balance towards HL.
 
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WYK

Hall of Fame
A longer racket also adds stability for a given weight. I find it easy to swing a blade 104(27.5") against most hitters at our club without having to add weight to the hoop. Though, I suspect the flex and low tension strings help a bit as well.
 

mnttlrg

Professional
I could be slightly off here, but doesn't the distribution of weight impact stability, in particular when in conjunction with different types of swings?

So two rackets with the same SW / balance / static weight could have different stability based on having the head weighting more at 3 and 9, versus 12 oclock, etc.

If you are a nasty loopy Nadal-like spin hitter, the 12 oclock polarized weight distribution will probably feel more stable, and if you hit flatter line drive shots like you are from the 70's, the 3 and 9 depolarized weight will feel more stable.

You can try messing with it either way. Sometimes I find a small amount of 3 and 9 weight to add some nice stability, but other times it just slows my spin shots down, versus some healthy 12 oclock weight often adding both spin and plow on my spin shots.

Obviously, different rackets in stock forms can have very different weight distributions even with the same specs. For example, the Prestige Pro line seems to have gotten more polarized with each new generation.

That might not all be 100% accurate, but should be generally pretty useful information.
 

Simplicius

Semi-Pro
...but left me wondering does starting with a heavier stock frame increase chances of better stability?

Starting with lower standard specs always gives you more options to fix any racquet's problems.
Eg. tortional instability because of lower twistweight etc etc
That's why pro stocks are so low on standard specs...
 

Slicerman

Professional
Adding a leather grip does nothing for SW except to increase the weight and change the balance towards HL.

Actually, it does. Replacing a synthetic grip with a leather grip will increase swingweight, but very minimally. I had an increase of 4 to swingweight on one of my racquets after adding a leather grip.
 

SpinToWin

Talk Tennis Guru
The key factors are swing weight and twist weight [for off center hits.] So a light frame with a high SW, e.g. 340 kgcm^2 would be pretty stable whether it weighs 9 oz or 12.5 oz. SW determine which object wins the battle when you hit the ball, i.e. frame or ball. TW determines the same issue if you do not hit the ball in the center. Same balance is not really a true comparison. If one frame is very polarized and the other is not, you could have the same balance even if mass is different. The frame with the higher SW is the winner for stability. When making mods, you should be trying to achieve a SW target and balance is a secondary issue. Adding lead at 12 is the fastest way to increase SW. 1 gram ~ 3.1 kgcm^2. Adding a leather grip does nothing for SW except to increase the weight and change the balance towards HL.
Yeah this is pretty accurate. One correction however, swingweight is insufficient, the "real swingweight" (measured not from a point 10.16 cm up the handle, but rather from the end of the handle or even beyond it) is the true measure you're thinking of. Thus balance can play a role.

Let me add to this though:
  • Most flexible sticks have instability issues, whereas stiff frames give away less on off center contact and thus feel more stable.
  • The above also applies to beam width. Thinner beams generally provide less stability than thicker beams.
  • Twistweight is immediately affected by hoop shape. Wide hoops inherently have a higher TW and thus offer more stability.
  • The big caveat to the above is that layup plays a role... Some frames seem to have inherent "weak spots" in the hoop which problems when contact occurs in certain locations (quite a few player's frames have this at 12).
 

Shroud

G.O.A.T.
Yeah this is pretty accurate. One correction however, swingweight is insufficient, the "real swingweight" (measured not from a point 10.16 cm up the handle, but rather from the end of the handle or even beyond it) is the true measure you're thinking of. Thus balance can play a role.

Let me add to this though:
  • Most flexible sticks have instability issues, whereas stiff frames give away less on off center contact and thus feel more stable.
  • The above also applies to beam width. Thinner beams generally provide less stability than thicker beams.
  • Twistweight is immediately affected by hoop shape. Wide hoops inherently have a higher TW and thus offer more stability.
  • The big caveat to the above is that layup plays a role... Some frames seem to have inherent "weak spots" in the hoop which problems when contact occurs in certain locations (quite a few player's frames have this at 12).
Rf 97a had that last issue
 

Dartagnan64

G.O.A.T.
I have a Textreme Tour 100T and I needed to add weight to 3 and 9, the throat and blue tack in the grip to get it stable enough for my liking and I don't like super heavy rackets or super polarized setups. It's still HL and weighs 11.8 oz. Much more stable than stock and better plowthrough.
 

BlueB

Legend
Ditch the leather, it's completely unnecessary. PCG is plenty head light even with synthetic grip.
As the matter of fact, even on my older POGs, that came stock with leather, I always replaced it with lightest grip I had at hand.
 

markwillplay

Hall of Fame
I have both the pcg 100, the pog os, and the tour 100 18 x20. I added lead at 3 and 9 with the pcg and it made a huge difference. I also added leather and took that off and regrouped with lighter synthetic. I personally liked the balance with the leather...but...I do think the added weight to the hoop made the difference. The pog os I have was more stable for sure stock than the pcg 100...but, it was heavier and had a higher twist weight. I play with it stock although I replace leather with wilson shock shield grips which are slightly heavier than most leather. They do weigh 12.5 and are about 10.5 pts headlight. Very stable, and although the larger head can feel clumsy, they are fairly easy to swing. I am 47 and in good shape. I have come to believe that if you play with a stick long enough, you get used to it within reason. I do not swing the pog like I would an 11 Oz stick but I do not rely on an extremely whippy stroke. Sometimes options can make you second guess, bUT I believe your body gets used to whatever weight stick you use.

I also have shockshields on my tours so they weigh 12.4 oz. You can tell I like headlight balance and enough weight to absorb pace and let me use the weight of my stick for smooth easy depth. The balance Having said that, stock, the tour 100s are more stable stick than the pcg 100. I don't know why, but those sticks were VERY stable the way they came. They were a smudge lighter and not quite as head light. Maybe the ports, materials, I don't know.

I do think all weight helps to make a stick more stable, but no doubt weight in the head has more effect.
 

n8dawg6

Legend
the pure aero is surprisingly stable in stock form. more so than any other 300 g racquet ive laid hands on.
 
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