Buying First Racquet - Trouble with Weight

[AlexSV]

My wife started playing casually this summer. She's reached the point where her racquet new strings, but it makes more sense to buy a new racquet then put strings on the $20 department store racquet she's using.

After demoing around a dozen racquets, we noticed she hit a really nice ball with the Head Touch Radical MP (nice pace and spin), but with poor consistency. We think the racquet is too heavy, and too much of an increase in weight (295g) from her old racquet (270g).

Now she is trying the Yonex Ezone (285). Her consistency is much better with this racquet, but the pace and spin from the Radical is gone.

At this point, is a decent strategy to find a lighter racquet in the 285 range and plan to switch again in a few months? Or would slowly adding an extra 10g in lead tape to the lighter racquet work?

Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[Centrius]

IMO every adult should use a frame with a final weight of at least 300 grams.

 

[PT630Wannabe]

You can get used to anything. If she had started with a 300g to begin with, a 330g would seem heavy. And so on and so forth. Once you both start getting better and playing with better and better players, you will wish that you had started with a racquet with some proper mass.

 

[Shlove]

You could get both if you can't decide. I would say play stock for now as a beginner and go wit the one that feels good until you get better to really know what you want.

 

[Kevo]

I've played with everything from under 10oz to 14+oz. You can really get accustomed to almost anything out there. I would just let her keep demoing racquets until she finds something she likes and buy it. Also try to find out the string and what tension it was strung at if it's a demo frame. IIRC, I think TW strings their demos at 2lbs over the mid tension.

Strings can make a big difference in the way a frame feels, so if you like the demo it's probably a good idea to get the same or very similar string at a similar tension.

My wife could easily play with a heavier frame, but she has stuck with her sub 10oz yonex for a long time, and after taking a several year hiatus we hit just recently and it was almost like she never had a day off except for her movement. I was quite impressed.

Check TWs clearance racquets too. They still have some of the Head Liquidmetal 4s that were quite popular back in the day and they are cheap.

 

[IowaGuy]

We think the racquet is too heavy, and too much of an increase in weight (295g) from her old racquet (270g).

16 year-old using racket > 350g

 

[kimguroo]

Benefit of radical=pace and spin but less consistent
Benefit of Ezone=consistent but less pace and spin
I guess consistency might bring more “win” than better pace and spin especially beginners.
Probably stick with Ezone and improving pace and spin might be better in my opinion instead of racketholic mode haha.
Also experiment with adding weights whether it will help her or not since it will be cost effective than changing rackets.
My mixed double partner recently changed her racket to Ezone DR lite and I see slightly less heavier balls than before because of racket weight but she has massive spin and pace because she can swing faster with DR lite which is 270g.
BTW she plays 5.5-6.0 leagues but probably she is about 4.5-5.0 for USTA.

 

[hurworld]

Go with consistency. Add pace by going with gut string or lower tensioned synthetic gut or multi.


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[fuzz nation]

I'm generally inclined to caution against racquets that are especially light for a couple of reasons. I think that they can reinforce bad habits with some players and I think that they can also force some of us to over-swing too often in trying to generate the same authority with our shots as with a heavier alternative. I don't want every player I see to be using frames as heavy as mine (12.6-12.8 oz.), but I've been teaching/coaching long enough to appreciate the trade-offs that come with a light racquet.

Adding weight to pretty much any frame is rather simple though, and it sounds like you're okay with applying some lead tape, etc. to the Yonex if you go that route. I've had great success with tuning a few of my own racquets at home and I often encourage our pals here to try it. If the lead tape doesn't help the cause, it's easy enough to just peel it off.

One other thing to keep in mind is that none of the demos your wife sampled so far are necessarily "right" for her. Maybe the Head and the Yonex are close to being a decent fit, but if they both seem to have some glaring weaknesses for her, it might be smart to try one more round of demos just to clarify things.

She probably won't find that perfect fit right out of the box and that Yonex might turn out to be the one after it's dialed in with a little lead. But if another batch of demos turns out to be a bundle of duds, then it will be a lot easier to buy the Head or the Yonex with some confidence.

 

[Anton]

My wife started playing casually this summer. She's reached the point where her racquet new strings, but it makes more sense to buy a new racquet then put strings on the $20 department store racquet she's using.

After demoing around a dozen racquets, we noticed she hit a really nice ball with the Head Touch Radical MP (nice pace and spin), but with poor consistency. We think the racquet is too heavy, and too much of an increase in weight (295g) from her old racquet (270g).

Now she is trying the Yonex Ezone (285). Her consistency is much better with this racquet, but the pace and spin from the Radical is gone.

At this point, is a decent strategy to find a lighter racquet in the 285 range and plan to switch again in a few months? Or would slowly adding an extra 10g in lead tape to the lighter racquet work?

Thanks in advance for any input.

Add lead. It costs next to nothing and you can get exactly what you want for weight and balance.

There is nothing special about a heavier stock racket compared to a quality light racket with some lead on it. Most pros play with lead on their rackets.

 

[Dartagnan64]

I think starting out its easiest to buy a platform frame that's lighter and use lead tape to adjust the frame as you improve. Then when you are plateauing, you can look at what customization you've done and set that as your new normal spec.

My wife started with an Aero Pro Lite, then a Pure Drive 107, then a PD 107 with lead in the hoop and putty in the handle, then a Wilson Blade 104 SW that she plays stock. Her swing weights have gone from 300 to 340 as her game and opponents have improved.

In the end you want to have the heaviest frame that you can swing quickly for full tennis match. That will give you the most plow through, arm protection and heaviest ball. For me that's about 12-12.5 oz. Things that are a bit heavier like my POG 107, tires me out by the end of a match. Things that are over 13 oz cause me to be late in my swings. Things that are sub 11 oz get unstable against powerful serves and pace.

But don't buy into the retail and marketing gimmick that light and easy swinging means good for your arm or game. No top end player uses a stock retail frame under 330 gm. Tennis isn't squash or badminton. The ball has mass and comes with force. You must counter that with sufficient force and mass. Sure you can bunt no pace balls around a court with any frame. But to get better you need to learn to hit with a heavier frame than a $20 Walmart special.