Diary of a Racketaholic
- Thread starter Ross K
- Start date
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
I’ll keep you company…
el sergento
Hall of Fame
Lorenzo holds no grudges, and he wants you to be happy.
tim-ay
Legend
And Sangiovese or Ripasso. So for desert, 300 or 315 limoncello? With days to wait I can wait for Lorenzo to return from a smoke.
JGads
G.O.A.T.
I'd say just go with the 315. If you get the 300 as I did (espresso) you'll just end up adding handleweight to create a 315 anyway.
tim-ay
Legend
Great, confirms my thinking. Besides after a plate of pomodoro, a little more is a good thing.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
This is a good point. Lorenzo now and then sends me a “thank you”’when i comment on his ig posts. He understands.
Well im not selling all these PKs either. I did that with the 7g and regretted. Im not at that level of madness. I do believe the Doppio and Top B to be great frames and great fits for my game. So its an easy retreat back to them if i ever need.
I may sell some beat up 2015 blades with new grommet packs for a really low price and just keep the one i used. So the bag will stay somewhat lean.
My classic keepers will always remain - yoko, the Austrian Heads and P93s.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Yeah id go 315 too. The classic style frames always sing better with a little weight. Kind of like opera. Or something.
topspn
Legend
I doubt Lorenzo is even worried. He just says Saluti and sips on his limoncillo
topspn
Legend
I don't think it's a thing. I don't put lead direct on 12. I skip the two center mains and add starting with the two adjacent on either side. I think i started doing that because my stringers machine clamps right on 12 so i make room for it so it won't wear my lead off. The rest, have a beer and further contemplate, answers are just around the proverbial corner.
el sergento
Hall of Fame
Definitely the 315, the Pro.
My 315 Espresso is the first stick I’m 100% satisfied with stock. I haven’t played a stock frame in years?
The tennis player in me is happy, the compulsive tinkerer not so much
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
So what’s next?
el sergento
Hall of Fame
Couple of things to start:
As I was playing, I was thinking about how the Espresso has oodles of what I’m calling “you m$&@@er f*^£er power (YMFP). This is different from f$&k you power (FYP) in the following way:
FYP is when a frame has so much juice that it can end a point from anywhere in the court. The 7G has FYP, my APD’s have FYP, a 6.1 has FYP. The trade off is usually a high SW or high RA.
On the other hand, YMFP is when a frame allows you to mess with your opponent, moving them around until there’s an empty court to hit into or you just crush their spirit with a dropper, leaving your opponent to mutter “you m£€¥we f$&@er under their breath.”
As it is, the Espresso has among the most YMFP I’ve ever played with. It’s stable, has superbe control, it’s capable of finding sharp angles, redirecting power, or hitting the nastiest droppers. But also, and this is what’s special, enough sting to keep opponents on their toes with some surprise DTL winners. And on defense, the stiff hoop makes for some terrific running forehands.
What’s crazy about the Espresso is that because it’s so light weight (relatively) and swings so fast, arm fatigue never really becomes an issue.
I need to play with some super hard hitters to really cement my feelings about the Espresso. Injury has kept my hardest hitting partner off the courts, and my last couple of outings have been against more all court type players that hit hard but don’t crush.
- I’m starting to prefer the hybrid setup of Hyper G and Sensation crosses over full Hyper G in the Espresso. The increase in feel more than makes up for the slight loss of power and spin.
- Wilson Sensation is a pretty good string. More mushy than crisp but still good feels.
- I’m now looking for some cheap but good multi or nylon recommendations. Anything out there close to NXT but much cheaper?
- for the first time ever, Tourna Grap no longer keeps my hand from slipping. Global warming is real !!
As I was playing, I was thinking about how the Espresso has oodles of what I’m calling “you m$&@@er f*^£er power (YMFP). This is different from f$&k you power (FYP) in the following way:
FYP is when a frame has so much juice that it can end a point from anywhere in the court. The 7G has FYP, my APD’s have FYP, a 6.1 has FYP. The trade off is usually a high SW or high RA.
On the other hand, YMFP is when a frame allows you to mess with your opponent, moving them around until there’s an empty court to hit into or you just crush their spirit with a dropper, leaving your opponent to mutter “you m£€¥we f$&@er under their breath.”
As it is, the Espresso has among the most YMFP I’ve ever played with. It’s stable, has superbe control, it’s capable of finding sharp angles, redirecting power, or hitting the nastiest droppers. But also, and this is what’s special, enough sting to keep opponents on their toes with some surprise DTL winners. And on defense, the stiff hoop makes for some terrific running forehands.
What’s crazy about the Espresso is that because it’s so light weight (relatively) and swings so fast, arm fatigue never really becomes an issue.
I need to play with some super hard hitters to really cement my feelings about the Espresso. Injury has kept my hardest hitting partner off the courts, and my last couple of outings have been against more all court type players that hit hard but don’t crush.
Pneumated1
Hall of Fame
I sang that tune alone for some time on the boulevard of broken dreams. My youngest son must have overheard. He took it, but it suits him a little better. Wish they made a 98" version of that in a 16x20.
Nollid
Professional
Kirschbaum is good quality stuff. Pre-stretched so it holds tension well.
I think a lot of attorneys will give you a payment plan. All good there.
If she does, however, ask why they're so expensive you can always tell her they come stock with Yonex leather. That's not even available in the US, so obviously it justifies the price.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
If you get one go with the 100. I've heard that's the much better frame from some yonex sponsored guys in FL and now in CO.
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
“When E.F. Hutton talks, people listen.”
Vicious49
Legend
I went with the 98 after watching the TennisNerd and TennisSpin (I know, I know) reviews.
I played singles last night. Started with the VC95 and got down 1-4 in the 1st. It was shank city and balls going all over the place. Switched to the UT and fought back to win the 1st 7-5. Switched back to the VC95 and rolled 6-3, 6-1 in the next 2 sets.
There's something about my timing that is still off with the VC95. The UT settled me down, got me warmed up and in a groove, and then I was able to play more effectively with the VC95. This is something that I have to figure out.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Its probably that you are pulling your head off the ball. I barely shank at all with the Vc95, but I really focus on keeping my head still.
Should be okay as long as there are no child/children involved in the proceedings….
JGads
G.O.A.T.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Seppi and that Cressy match - wow.
ryushen21
Legend
This and not turning with the body and arming the shot instead. I fix those and shot quality increases.
There are children. But one is a racketaholic in training. She would understand.
el sergento
Hall of Fame
Have you guys seen the main page? PK is so hot right now….
Vicious49
Legend
There‘s definitely this. Its 1 bad habit i havent been able to break. I watch the ball until it gets about 2-3 feet in front of me and then look up. I very rarely watch it all the way in like you seeRoger do on every shot. So if the ball changes path due to wind or something in those last few feet it leads to mistakes. On windy days i have to watch the ball more and i think that is more taxing than the physical side of it. The question though is, why can I get away with that with all my other frames but not the VC95?
Nate7-5
Hall of Fame
TE has the Yonex leather grips and I put one on my VCP HD because I was looking for relatively thin leather and they are 1.4mm. Ehhh....they're OK. A little stiff to the point that its tough to get a tight seal with the finishing tape at the top. Havent tried Fairway or Oehms yet.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Because the vc95 comes through faster so you have less time to hit it clean. The ut swings slower.
You arent probably taking advantage of last second adjustments if your head isnt still. Its really a key component of consistent tennis.
I mentioned when i first got the vc95. My 2 hander was shaky. But then i focused and stayed down on the shot and im hitting really clean off that side now.
Its technique. Not the racquet.
Vicious49
Legend
Thank you for the explanation. Sincerely. For this and a few of my other questions that I couldnt figure out on my own,
When i really start making mistakes (playing inconsistently) or am losing or its an important point, ill watch the ball all the way in for a few shots and it makes a huge difference, Not just with the VC95 but any racquet. I know i play better when I do so not sure why i dont do it more often or why its so hard to concentrate all the way through. This and locking my wrist at contact on my FH are 2 things I always forget and have to constantly remind myself to do.
An interesting observation is that this has more affect on my FH than my BH. My 1HBH really is more natural. I just swing and dont even think about it. The FH requires me to constantly remind myself to do so many little things and not get lazy.
tim-ay
Legend
Well - to be honest - you can make that argument about every single racket. It’s always technique. A higher level player than us can beat us with basically anything they use - even a woodie. Some rackets make our flaws easier to deal with. Play the racket you play best with and enjoy the most
el sergento
Hall of Fame
All this talk of the PK being like a revamped 6.0 95 made me reach for my old 6.0 95 last night. I hit the courts with my 7 y/o boy for a 30-minute wall session after supper, and I can confirm that the PK indeed has some 6.0 heritage in there ...... BUT...........
............... Fast forward this morning and my shoulder is absolutely killing me Man, "graphite and Kevlar," more like graphite and joint kryptonite.
"Lorenzo, I'm gonna need a shot of something in my coffee this morning........... MI FA MALE!!"
............... Fast forward this morning and my shoulder is absolutely killing me
Man, "graphite and Kevlar," more like graphite and joint kryptonite."Lorenzo, I'm gonna need a shot of something in my coffee this morning........... MI FA MALE!!"
tim-ay
Legend
Magic beans are for realsAll this talk of the PK being like a revamped 6.0 95 made me reach for my old 6.0 95 last night. I hit the courts with my 7 y/o boy for a 30-minute wall session after supper, and I can confirm that the PK indeed has some 6.0 heritage in there ...... BUT...........
............... Fast forward this morning and my shoulder is absolutely killing me
"Lorenzo, I'm gonna need a shot of something in my coffee this morning........... MI FA MALE!!"
ryushen21
Legend
It's a simple explanation. We all want to think that we are good enough to no longer need to watch all the way or that we can look away from contact and look back at the court and what our opponent is doing. Sometimes, we get away with it. Other times we don't. I know for myself that when I keep that habit of watching the ball all the way that other good habits are also in place and I have better quality results.
topspn
Legend
Keeping your head still during contact is not a natural instinct. The natural instinct is to look where you want the ball to go. This is of course a mistake and amazingly common in recreational tennis. Any high level player or pro has worked hard to teach their body this piece into muscle memory. It doesn't just happen by concentration at least not all the time.
Vicious49
Legend
Of course any player with a much higher skill level can beat lesser players with pretty much anything. This reminds me of when I used to play paintball. The kids and recballers all thought it was the electronic guns vs their rental Tippman 98's as the reason they were getting destroyed. People relied on the electronic guns shooting more paint as a crutch. That only works against players of equal or lesser skill. A better player with a mechanical gun would wreck the entire field against those kids shooting a ton of paint but not really knowing what they're doing.
I'm a glutton for punishment sometimes and I'm stubborn. If the racquet forces me to watch the ball more, I'll stick with it and use it as a learning tool. I may switch back and forth with the UT when I need to get back into a rhythm. Hopefully over time I'll get better at watching the ball all the way in.
Agreed. Just forcing myself to concentrate only works for a short period of time until I 'revert' back to my natural form/instinct. I know it's dumb to look where the ball is going to go, etc. It's just hard to break that habit. It's a work in progress. Once I finally do get it, I truly believe it will take my game up another level.
el sergento
Hall of Fame
Well, that might work for your strokes, but watching the ball off my topspin one-handed backhand leads to 2 major issues for me:
- A tendency to want to "forearm backhand slap" the ball and rely on my upper body strength instead of using proper shoulder rotation and fully following through on my stroke, and;
- A really bad strain on my neck that flares up when I quickly go from looking down at the ball to looking at the flight path of the ball across the net.
Vicious49
Legend
Also, today was price hike day by Wilson. I haven't gone to check how much things other than their racquets went up yet. I'm just glad there's still cheaper alternatives out there.
@JGads I was wondering why no love for the 5G? I've heard a bunch of you guys liking the 7G. Isn't the 5G similar but in the standard 27" length? I only ask because I'm curious about trying one out. I mean $129 new is practically giving a racquet away in todays retail market.
@JGads I was wondering why no love for the 5G? I've heard a bunch of you guys liking the 7G. Isn't the 5G similar but in the standard 27" length? I only ask because I'm curious about trying one out. I mean $129 new is practically giving a racquet away in todays retail market.
But you know where you are? It’s always the racquet.
In all seriousness though I realized how much is isn’t the racquet when I accidentally went form UP 16x19 to UP 18x20 mid match recently. Realized I play just as well with either, but have to stay focused more with the 18x20. I stuck with the 18x20 bc I didn’t want my opponent to think I was crazy by switching again, or for him to get confident by thinking I was blaming a racquet for a service break. I only switched to begin with due to my ability to sweat.
They went up a couple of days ago on their website. Funny that standard clash went up by $10, but the 100L went up 60 so they’re the same price now. Fortunately I ordered my daughters custom that she’s getting for Christmas last week when it was still $249 before the 20% code.
this is her design https://ibb.co/FbNb3gf
ryushen21
Legend
That sounds like you are justifying a bad habit because you feel it works for you and have adjusted yourself and your habits instead of working on a better technique.
You might consider yourself an exception to the rule in this case, but for the vast majority, keeping the head still and watching the ball all the way in is the most beneficial approach.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Yeah the neck strain has happened to me. It is usually because you are jerking your head off the ball sooner than you think you are . If you stay down for an extra second it won't happen.
el sergento
Hall of Fame
That's exactly it, I have to stay down low longer, keep the head still, finish my stroke and then only look up when my torso has rotated. It's both a technique and a confidence issue. When I'm on, I trust the ball to do what I want, but when I'm not, I'm looking up too soon to see if I got the ball I wanted or if I missed.
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
If you didn’t like the doppio, you likely won’t like the 5G since it’s the same mold. The doppio is a more refined, more powerful version of the 5G.
