Ballistec_J
Banned
Talked to a guy I know who is an Asics dealer today, he said Asics is going to be making racquets soon only in 115 and up head sizes.
Do you think Asics making only old-guy-with-cataracts rackets will hurt the positioning of their shoes (which are well respected player-level shoes)
^hows the store coming along
The larger strategy appears to be this:
Carry our shoes. 42 Total pairs in both mens and womens. We won't carry the lower priced Game shoes either. You have to buy the big boys, the expensive ones.
Oh, and by the way, if you want to carry our shoes you have to carry our crappy line of racquets. Oh, and 3 of each model for a total of 9 racquets. For a cost of about $1000.00 + about $2,000.00+ for the shoes for a total of $3,000.00+.
All the high-priced shoes and all the crappy racquets your store can handle. Oh, yeah, no apparel either. I thought this was all tennis? Hmm, how things have changed since my initial contact.
My thoughts are they can't make any money off the "cheap" shoes and apparel so they just won't offer them. But the story we hear otherwise is quite funny.
We were excited to carry Asics but after the presentation we received we decided not to. Pretty sad too because we had hi hopes with Asics.
Their racquets look like repainted versions of some Head racquets so obviously a high profit margin for them.
It's coming along. The last couple of months have been pretty good. We recently moved to a new location and are getting settled in. The new location should help out quite a bit. A lot more traffic and visibility.
We are also close to bringing on another partner who is an owner of one of the clubs in town so we should have an even bigger presence with our existing store and a shop inside his club. He also has a lot of knowledge and background that we lack so it should be a good partnership.
Thanks for asking.
Talked to a guy I know who is an Asics dealer today, he said Asics is going to be making racquets soon only in 115 and up head sizes.
thats awesome! i am still jealous of you
The specs are in the table at this link:
http://www.tennis.com/articles/articlefiles/16708-SPECS.jpg
No need to be jealous. We aren't getting rich anytime soon but thats not why we are doing this. One of my partners calls it an advanced hobby. it is fun though. Hopefully the store will be a fun place to hang out when I retire from my real job.
I think one advantage my partners and I have is a love and passion for the game of tennis. We want to do what's right by our customers and try to grow tennis in the area. Hopefully that will shine through in the long run.
if only every tennis shop had such a philosophy (TW excluded)
Yeah, I've given business away to online dealers (TW) because they had such great deals on older models of shoes (Babolat Propulses). It's a fine line sometimes but if you do what's right by your customer they will always come back for things online retailers can't offer.
What kind of tennis player would want a racquet with a headsize of 115sq?? Definitely no tennis player i know :-?
I get so tired of reading comments from individuals who seem to think that there is only one way to play tennis, one racquet style to choose, one playing style to use, etc. Tennis is an extremely varied sport and I know good, strong players---some 4.5 and better---who play a game that looks nothing like anything the pros play. There are aggressive baseliners and there are net-chargers, lobbers and dinkers, backboards and wild-eyed swing-big-on-every-shot players. And everything in between those categories. I know men in their late 60's who use "BIG" racquets and can slice and dice any decent average player into pieces. So, please, get rid of the ego and the condescending attitude, grow up a little, and think before you make these ridiculous comments. I personally play with Wilson 4.0 Hammer racquets (have for years)---wide-bodied and stiff---and I have always had tremendous success with this "BIG" racquet. Over 150 tournament titles, multiple state championships (singles AND doubles) and was ranked #1 in the Southern section in my 40's using this same "BIG" racquet. When it gets down to the nitty-gritty, it isn't the size of the racquet that matters---it's the size of the heart in the player wielding it.
What kind of tennis player would want a racquet with a headsize of 115sq?? Definitely no tennis player i know :-?
I have been playing with the Asics 116 for two months now and can tell you a lot about it and to a much lesser extent the 125. I have never tried the 109 and in fact never seen anyone around here using it.
My wife, who is a 4.0 to 4.5 level player is also switching to the 116 as soon as they are in stock. I think the chart referenced earlier in this thread is essentially correct about the NTRP level for the 116: 3.0 to 4.5.
@Choclit: where did you buy those Asics racquets? I live in Washington, DC and it is very hard to find a decent place to demo Japanese racquets.
A fantasy: If I was the CEO of Asics, I would buy Yonex and have it to produce racquets while Asics would provide apparels, shoes and accessories. :twisted:
there is a great shop in DC they have japanese rackets; email me
there is a great shop in DC they have japanese rackets; email me
Hey Zapvor, what is your e-mail address ?
A fantasy: If I was the CEO of Asics, I would buy Yonex and have it to produce racquets while Asics would provide apparels, shoes and accessories. :twisted:
I have been playing with the Asics 116 for two months now and can tell you a lot about it and to a much lesser extent the 125. I have never tried the 109 and in fact never seen anyone around here using it.
For some background, I am an older 4.0 player that plays about 2 1/2 hours a day. Prior to switching to the Asics 116, I was using the newest version of the Prince EX03 Red.
First the 125 - I tried it once and it, like most oversized rackets, appears to be designed for someone that doesn't swing very hard and wants additional power. Around here, at least, that is mostly women and older players. I have never liked oversize rackets so it didn't appeal to me. I felt that I had less control and found it slower to quickly position the racket for a volley or a shot that I had to scramble to get. Still, the players that traditionally use oversize rackets seem to like it a lot. Note: you CANNOT string the 125 with a 40 foot string.
By the way, these are brand new rackets designed from the ground up, not a repaint on an old Head racket as suggested earlier.
Now on to the 116. First, in spite of the 116 measurement it is actually not an oversized racket in the traditional sense. It is effectively a mid-plus racket, like the Prince EX03 Read 105 I was using before. If you put the 116 on top of the Prince 105, the head size is almost the same. The additional overall size is just that the the head is elongated.
The 116 has noticeably more power than the 105 but no less control. It has a very low swing weight which is very close to the Prince 105, which made for a very easy transition. Because of its very low overall weight I can quickly position it for a fast volley return or scrambling after a wide serve or shot. My serve is definitely faster as well. In spite of the stiffness of the frame I have not had any elbow problems with the racket, even though I am prone to this with some rackets I have used in the past (not the Prince rackets which seem to be very easy on the elbow).
By the way, this is a very easy racket to string (I string my own rackets), especially compared to the Prince rackets with the large side holes!
My wife, who is a 4.0 to 4.5 level player is also switching to the 116 as soon as they are in stock. I think the chart referenced earlier in this thread is essentially correct about the NTRP level for the 116: 3.0 to 4.5.
AMEN Storyteller. Your comment is right on; way too many narrow-minded posters out there whose "restrictive" comments only show their lack of perspective.I get so tired of reading comments from individuals who seem to think that there is only one way to play tennis, one racquet style to choose, one playing style to use, etc. Tennis is an extremely varied sport and I know good, strong players---some 4.5 and better---who play a game that looks nothing like anything the pros play. There are aggressive baseliners and there are net-chargers, lobbers and dinkers, backboards and wild-eyed swing-big-on-every-shot players. And everything in between those categories. I know men in their late 60's who use "BIG" racquets and can slice and dice any decent average player into pieces. So, please, get rid of the ego and the condescending attitude, grow up a little, and think before you make these ridiculous comments. I personally play with Wilson 4.0 Hammer racquets (have for years)---wide-bodied and stiff---and I have always had tremendous success with this "BIG" racquet. Over 150 tournament titles, multiple state championships (singles AND doubles) and was ranked #1 in the Southern section in my 40's using this same "BIG" racquet. When it gets down to the nitty-gritty, it isn't the size of the racquet that matters---it's the size of the heart in the player wielding it.