No. Everyone should use player frames. And def if you are a lefty, or from Spain then def you should not be using tweeners.I’ve seen a lot of college and pro players use tweener sticks. If they can play with these, should we too ? Is it the right racquet for them even if they hit long a lot ?
I totally agree. Most people would be better off with a stock tweener. None of us are hitting the ball hard enough to warrant a 330+ sw unless you are a D1 player or above imo, and the extra power, spin, and forgiveness far outweigh the worse feel and directional control. I was a middle of the road 4.5 when I was using my v5 weighted Blade 18x20, and after I switched to a stock ezone 98, I jumped into high 4.5 - low 5.0 territory.Every player should be using a tweener, I don't know much about head anymore, although I used a prestige for a decade plus and a speed pro later, nor do I know Wilson, but to give examples every player should use a vcore, ezone, pure Aero, pure drive IF you are a greet player and can tame it , or a pure strike. I guess the Percepts, too, but really why forego the power of a vcore or ezone, unless you are extremely high level 5.0 and want the precision of a percept and can actually use it to its full potential.
No lead needed other than matching.
Any of those rackets mentioned above or the equivilent from Head or Wilson and everyone reading this will win the maximum number of matches their ability will allow.
That's why I listed so many example rackets in my blurb, good luck really defining tweener. I do think though, that 98s can be tweeners, but yeah, I personally think all Babolots are tweeners lol, except the Rafa Origin.Can we settle on a modern definition?
"Tweener" was coined, as I remember it from when I was a kid, because those racquets were between traditional midplus frames and oversized frames. The Pure Drive was the quintessential tweener because it brought oversize power into something advanced players could actually be competitive with. (Edit: yes Agassi and the Original Graphite and all that, but you know the oversized frames that existed in the early 2000s)
Given that, I've long thought "tweeners" had to have thick beams (>23 mm, like the Pure Drive and oversized racquets at the time) and at least 100 sqin. Even then, it has felt weird for me to consider something like a Speed MP a tweener since its constant beam is very much trying to keep it from entering Pure Drive--and thus tweener--territory. It's also felt weird for me to consider the Ezone 98 a tweener since it is harder to use and less forgiving than its 100 sqin counterpart, which is a true tweener. I guess that's not really an objective judgment, though.
Either way, it seems like my categorization of "tweener" is off because people are recommending Ezone 98s and Speed MPs as tweeners. So what is a tweener in 2024/25?
That is funny you mention the Blade pro, most if not all college tennis players wouldn't even want that club and there are lower level players discussing it and adding lead to it in the forums.a 340 sw blade pro 18x20 to play their best tennis when an ezone would do the trick lol
Yeah worthy discussion, I can see why you might consider all Babs outside the Origin and the PSVS tweeners. There's some magic (maybe black magic for some people) in that layup. Really it was your identification of Percepts potentially being tweeners that made me want to crowdsource some definitions here haha.That's why I listed so many example rackets in my blurb, good luck really defining tweener. I do think though, that 98s can be tweeners, but yeah, I personally think all Babolots are tweeners lol, except the Rafa Origin.
Some people are also just stubborn unfortunately. I know a lot of people far worse than me who use way tougher rackets, and if I try to recommend a tweener they just complain about the feel and lack of control. I don't know if your friend is that way, but some people need to discover it for themselves to actually understand the benefits a tweener gives you, especially if they are older or are racquetholicsYeah worthy discussion, I can see why you might consider all Babs outside the Origin and the PSVS tweeners. There's some magic (maybe black magic for some people) in that layup. Really really it was your identification of Percepts potentially being tweeners that made me want to crowdsource some definitions here haha.
There's an older guy I play with sometimes, I don't know much about his history but he's a 4.0 who more or less aged out of 4.5, refuses to move on from his Pro Staffs. He can hit his spots but he cannot play any defense. Once the ball leaves the sweet spot it's over. Trying to figure out something I should recommend he try.