balance and weight customization, do you do it?

[nousername]

hello,

i've never customized my racquets before (other than casual experimentation with lead tape in the head area), and i'm just trying to get a feel for how many of you like to do this?

related questions:

what rating are you? (to get a feel for what level of players generally benefit from customization... ??? )

do you feel it's critical to your game, or more of just a "pastime" 'cause yer a tennis fanatic (like myself)?

what do you recommend as the best ways to add weight to the handle area?
(i am familiar with http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/LC/Customizing/customize.html, but just wondering if you do anything different??)

thanks in advance, i appreciate your response and help...

 

[Anton]

If the racket needs some weight to feel right, then you do it.

 

[anirut]

I wouldn't ask how important. I'd rather ask WHY customize?

I customize because I want it to feel as close to my fav racket that's out of production. That's it.

 

[nousername]

hmm... interesting, i always thought people were more trying to tweak performance out of there racquet, but based on the last two responses sounds like plain old feel is more important... but of course, you're performance will probably go up if you have a racquet that feels good to you...

 

[Anton]

hmm... interesting, i always thought people were more trying to tweak performance out of there racquet, but based on the last two responses sounds like plain old feel is more important... but of course, you're performance will probably go up if you have a racquet that feels good to you...

Nono, by "feel" I didn't mean feely touchy experience, what I meant is that for example if you like some extra weight on the swing (and all the effects that come with it) then what the frame you have provides then it makes sense to add some weight on it.

You'd add weight to: Increase power, increase plow through, increase stability or just change racket balance - usually at an expense of sacrificing a bit of racket maneuverability - which is often a trade well worth it.

Before I used to like getting frames at just under 12oz strung but lately I've been paying more attention to frames just above 11oz because I like to modify them with leather, double overgrip and a bit heavier poly strings. I also add a few grams of tape around the loop depending on what the frame needs [a little better weighted slice (12), stretch the sweetspot (2 and 10) or just off center stability (3 and 9)]

 

[dman72]

I basically have a little bit of lead on every racquet I have, either at 12 o'clock to add power (to my NXG's) or at 9 and 3 to add stability (to my power racquets) and at the tail to give a little more overall weight (my 9.9 ounce Head I.x3.)

It definitely has turned my Head granny stick into a weapon, although last night I played terribly with it. I have it strung with Kevlar at 66. It serves like a beast and blocks back like a beast..the only issue is I need to shorten the swing on my forehand, but I like the fact that it forces me to focus on precision, wheras with my NXG's, I have to focus on swinging hard to get the ball deep, and my backhand suffers.

 

[nousername]

Nono, by "feel" I didn't mean feely touchy experience, what I meant is that for example if you like some extra weight on the swing (and all the effects that come with it) then what the frame you have provides then it makes sense to add some weight on it.

You'd add weight to: Increase power, increase plow through, increase stability or just change racket balance - usually at an expense of sacrificing a bit of racket maneuverability - which is often a trade well worth it.

Before I used to like getting frames at just under 12oz strung but lately I've been paying more attention to frames just above 11oz because I like to modify them with leather, double overgrip and a bit heavier poly strings. I also add a few grams of tape around the loop depending on what the frame needs [a little better weighted slice (12), stretch the sweetspot (2 and 10) or just off center stability (3 and 9)]

hehe... this is kind of funny, i knew what you meant by feel, and i *was* attempting to use it that way. but guess it came off more like i was describing some out-of-body experience... definitely, not intended.

 

[nousername]

Nono, by "feel" I didn't mean feely touchy experience, what I meant is that for example if you like some extra weight on the swing (and all the effects that come with it) then what the frame you have provides then it makes sense to add some weight on it.

You'd add weight to: Increase power, increase plow through, increase stability or just change racket balance - usually at an expense of sacrificing a bit of racket maneuverability - which is often a trade well worth it.

Before I used to like getting frames at just under 12oz strung but lately I've been paying more attention to frames just above 11oz because I like to modify them with leather, double overgrip and a bit heavier poly strings. I also add a few grams of tape around the loop depending on what the frame needs [a little better weighted slice (12), stretch the sweetspot (2 and 10) or just off center stability (3 and 9)]

for me, i tend to think i must have somewhat weak hand and/or forearms. racquets generally feel heavy to me. b/c of that i really want it to feel head-light. in addition, i have some off-center hits (not yet sure if it's poor hand-eye coordination, or lack of focus and metal toughness, or both)... either way, it make torsional stability also important.

right now, i play with head LM prestige MP, and for the most part i love it. but i wouldn't mind if it were a tad more head-light... i'm thinking about adding a little weight to the handle to make it more head-light, and hopefully the swingweight won't go up too much (it shouldn't since the weight is under the handle). i'd possibly consider adding tape to the 3-9 position for stability, but i'm scared at what it will do to the swingweight.

 

[Anton]

for me, i tend to think i must have somewhat weak hand and/or forearms. racquets generally feel heavy to me. b/c of that i really want it to feel head-light. in addition, i have some off-center hits (not yet sure if it's poor hand-eye coordination, or lack of focus and metal toughness, or both)... either way, it make torsional stability also important.

right now, i play with head LM prestige MP, and for the most part i love it. but i wouldn't mind if it were a tad more head-light... i'm thinking about adding a little weight to the handle to make it more head-light, and hopefully the swingweight won't go up too much (it shouldn't since the weight is under the handle). i'd possibly consider adding tape to the 3-9 position for stability, but i'm scared at what it will do to the swingweight.

IMO you'd fare better with a lighter, though a bit more head heavy frame - LM prestige is an advanced frame designed for a strong player - both physically and esp. skill wise.

Adding weight to the handle will not make it any easier to swing - swingweight can only be reduced via removal of weight, so unless you want to cut pieces of bumper off your swings are not going to get any easier.

Thats the advantage of lighter rackets - you can always add some weight on them to make them swing heavier.

I'm a big fan of MG Radical - it might not feel as solid to swing as some of the heavier frames, but I do actually play better with it - when those milliseconds start to count you do want a frame thats a bit lighter then what you can handle on just regular rallying.

 

[nousername]

IMO you'd fare better with a lighter, though a bit more head heavy frame - LM prestige is an advanced frame designed for a strong player - both physically and esp. skill wise.

Adding weight to the handle will not make it any easier to swing - swingweight can only be reduced via removal of weight, so unless you want to cut pieces of bumper off your swings are not going to get any easier.

Thats the advantage of lighter rackets - you can always add some weight on them to make them swing heavier.

I'm a big fan of MG Radical - it might not feel as solid to swing as some of the heavier frames, but I do actually play better with it - when those milliseconds start to count you do want a frame thats a bit lighter then what you can handle on just regular rallying.

well, i've tried a few lighter head-heavy racquets and i just can stand them. before the lm prestige, i used the head tour XL (but i hacked off 1in from the handle, b/c i didn't like the length... otherwise i've heard the tour XL is like the head pro tour 280???). anyway, the prestige was a tad heavier and more head light, and i loved the change.

as for my level, i'm just a 3.5 (probably a low one at that), but i do think my strokes are quite advanced... that's not from some self-inflated ego, but from other players... most players who warm-up or practice with me for the first time will ask if i'm 4.5. the reason being, i started playing tennis pretty late, and i caught on quickly, but i never did much with tennis, took some long breaks, but never really played enough to get that needed consistency and "match-toughness" (since last summer i'm gettin back into it and trying to change all that).... sooo, why did i say all that? only to say that i am a "strong" player and that a stick like the prestige is pretty good for me. my comment about weak forearms, was just relatively speaking compared to other players with similar styles/abilities.

as for customizing my LM prestige, i'm well aware that adding weight cannot decrease swingweight, but if it's added in the right place (and depending on your grip, i have a 1hb) it can decrease the static moment of the racquet in your hand... but i am splitting hairs though, as the importance of the static moment is highly debatable... it's more of a psychological issue, b/c the static moment is how "heavy" the racquet feels when you are just holding it. swingweight is how "heavy" is feels when you are swinging it (sorry, i'm sure i'm preaching to the chior).

the only issue i had with the swingweight of the prestige was on my kick serve. it felt harder to accelerate the head than my previous racquet, but i've since adapted to it and i'm back to the point where i can pound 90mph 6ft kickers... =)

 

[Anton]

well, i've tried a few lighter head-heavy racquets and i just can stand them. before the lm prestige, i used the head tour XL (but i hacked off 1in from the handle, b/c i didn't like the length... otherwise i've heard the tour XL is like the head pro tour 280???). anyway, the prestige was a tad heavier and more head light, and i loved the change.

as for my level, i'm just a 3.5 (probably a low one at that), but i do think my strokes are quite advanced... that's not from some self-inflated ego, but from other players... most players who warm-up or practice with me for the first time will ask if i'm 4.5. the reason being, i started playing tennis pretty late, and i caught on quickly, but i never did much with tennis, took some long breaks, but never really played enough to get that needed consistency and "match-toughness" (since last summer i'm gettin back into it and trying to change all that).... sooo, why did i say all that? only to say that i am a "strong" player and that a stick like the prestige is pretty good for me. my comment about weak forearms, was just relatively speaking compared to other players with similar styles/abilities.

as for customizing my LM prestige, i'm well aware that adding weight cannot decrease swingweight, but if it's added in the right place (and depending on your grip, i have a 1hb) it can decrease the static moment of the racquet in your hand... but i am splitting hairs though, as the importance of the static moment is highly debatable... it's more of a psychological issue, b/c the static moment is how "heavy" the racquet feels when you are just holding it. swingweight is how "heavy" is feels when you are swinging it (sorry, i'm sure i'm preaching to the chior).

the only issue i had with the swingweight of the prestige was on my kick serve. it felt harder to accelerate the head than my previous racquet, but i've since adapted to it and i'm back to the point where i can pound 90mph 6ft kickers... =)

Nono, I'm not talking about headheavy frames - im talking about MORE head heavy - a balance of around 3-4 points head light at about 11oz.

I also started playing late and have only been playing for a bit under 2 years - I started with a very light frame but then quickly changed over to 12oz frames and only for a few months now have gone to lighter, a bit bigger head rackets - which I then add weight to.

I have played with IPrestige for a month and i like it but its just too much work to get good "spin", placement and angles out of it - LM prestige was even tougher to play with - the top of the loop is entirely dead and unless you hit right in the center the frame buzzes and sends out a weak ball - alot of energy spent on every swing. K90 or even ncode90 are easier to pay with imo, they are not easier on the swing but at least you get that WALL feel out of them and the ball bounces off with more force.

I'm a solid 4.5 player btw...

 

[nousername]

Nono, I'm not talking about headheavy frames - im talking about MORE head heavy - a balance of around 3-4 points head light at about 11oz.

I also started playing late and have only been playing for a bit under 2 years - I started with a very light frame but then quickly changed over to 12oz frames and only for a few months now have gone to lighter, a bit bigger head rackets - which I then add weight to.

I have played with IPrestige for a month and i like it but its just too much work to get good "spin", placement and angles out of it - LM prestige was even tougher to play with - the top of the loop is entirely dead and unless you hit right in the center the frame buzzes and sends out a weak ball - alot of energy spent on every swing. K90 or even ncode90 are easier to pay with imo, they are not easier on the swing but at least you get that WALL feel out of them and the ball bounces off with more force.

I'm a solid 4.5 player btw...

i've always shied away from trying too many racquets, b/c i've alway thought it'd be better for my game to simply get used to 1 racquet and sticking with it as long as i can. rather than getting caught up with each new trend... i also cannot justify the expense in changing racquets too often. b/c of all that, i'm not that familiar with other racquets. but when i first hit with the LM prestige, it was definitely a plus for me. since it was about 8 yrs since my previous racquet, i made the switch. to me the presitge was much more forgiving than my previous, and it offered a much more stable, solid, and forgiving feel than my tour xl ... i did notice the buzz though, so for the first time ever i tried vibration dampeners. it got rid of the buzz, but whether i used them or not i never noticed the dead part of the head you mentioned. seems like a much bigger sweet spot than the tour xl, probably b/c it's more stable and slightly heavier.

i like the lm prestige so much, it's hard to believe something would be better... but now, you make me curious about the ncode90 or K90, i'll give it a try if i get the chance. i don't like demo racquets too much, b/c the grip size always seems to be wrong and the condition of the strings is always suspect too. if i run into a buddy or someone i know who uses them i'll give em a shot. in the past, i've tried the ncode95 and the old PS 6.1 95, but those frames felt too stiff to me. i like the flex of the tour xl and the lm prestige.

 

[Gmedlo]

Right now my setup on my radicals is stock w/ a full size shrink wrap sleeve and leather (babolat, trimmed off maybe 2g of leather), approx. 12.2 ounces total strung. Anyone have any idea what the SW is or how headlight it is now?

 

[Anton]

Right now my setup on my radicals is stock w/ a full size shrink wrap sleeve and leather (babolat, trimmed off maybe 2g of leather), approx. 12.2 ounces total strung. Anyone have any idea what the SW is or how headlight it is now?

You'd have just about the same swing weight and about 9-12 points headlight balance.

 

[Anton]

i've always shied away from trying too many racquets, b/c i've alway thought it'd be better for my game to simply get used to 1 racquet and sticking with it as long as i can. rather than getting caught up with each new trend... i also cannot justify the expense in changing racquets too often. b/c of all that, i'm not that familiar with other racquets. but when i first hit with the LM prestige, it was definitely a plus for me. since it was about 8 yrs since my previous racquet, i made the switch. to me the presitge was much more forgiving than my previous, and it offered a much more stable, solid, and forgiving feel than my tour xl ... i did notice the buzz though, so for the first time ever i tried vibration dampeners. it got rid of the buzz, but whether i used them or not i never noticed the dead part of the head you mentioned. seems like a much bigger sweet spot than the tour xl, probably b/c it's more stable and slightly heavier.

i like the lm prestige so much, it's hard to believe something would be better... but now, you make me curious about the ncode90 or K90, i'll give it a try if i get the chance. i don't like demo racquets too much, b/c the grip size always seems to be wrong and the condition of the strings is always suspect too. if i run into a buddy or someone i know who uses them i'll give em a shot. in the past, i've tried the ncode95 and the old PS 6.1 95, but those frames felt too stiff to me. i like the flex of the tour xl and the lm prestige.

Well even with all the rackets I've played with my overall skill set is definetly steadily improving.

In fact I noticed that some frames feel better for a particular shot - for example I really was going for a lot more slices then topspin backhands with ntour90 because it did it so well. So this encouraged me to work more on my weaker shots I generally did not like using.

 

[movdqa]

I used to do a lot of customization, mainly in making the racquet heavier while maintaining a head-light balance but I made a strong effort to find a racquet that I didn't have to customize. It can be a fair amount of work (and risk) to customize and then you have to do it on multiple racquets. I'm happy with my last two racquets stock which are both in the heavy range of racquets and am happy that I don't need to play around with customizations anymore.

 

[crazy8tiger]

Customization isn't too important to me because I'm still a novice so I'm focusing on my strokes and gameplay rather than my racquet right now. I do like watching the overgrips I use to see which one I best and the kind of string/tension I am comfortable with.