Do you hit the sweetspot?

[Ajtat411]

Maybe we can hook up and go snowboarding. I'm about into day 240 or so.
I do not jump in parks. Too much impact on landings, on icy landings at that. Went once this year, after not going for 5.
Still got my raceboard (slalom), carving board, pow board, and 3 all around goof-arounders.
And I still wonder why the illustration shows NO sweetspot whatsover, unless I'm missing something here.

That would be cool, but I don't have a 4WD car to get up there, unless it's on a day when it's not snowing. I haven't gone up this season yet even though it's been a better snow season then last year. Trying to save money for a big vacation this year so I've had to decline a couple cabin trips to Tahoe.

I don't do park stuff and did mess around with jumps but ended up landing on my face a couple times and don't feel like it's worth it for risk/reward. haha Just have an all-mountain board with the new rocker camber design, it's ok, although I do want to get a powder board eventually.

You have to look for a definition of a sweetspot first

Good point, what is a sweetspot? Thinking about it, it seems like a subjective spot since it can really be an entire area where you hit the ball and it still feels good or "sweet".

If you can't even track the ball within 2' of the racket at contact, how do you know if you're hitting one particular spot or different spots within an area?

The more I think about it, the more I regret starting this thread. I don't want to think about where I'm hitting the ball in a match, I just want to hit it sweetly.

So I think I'll aim for center and let my strokes/mechanics/practice work it out on it's own.

Anyone disagree with this method?

 

[SuperDuy]

This is a very subjective topic, I have always thought the sweet spot was the middle of the racquet, but now im told otherwise.

 

[julian]

A possible definition of a sweetspot

A sweetspot can be defined as an area which returns,say,more than 40%
speed of an incoming ball

 

[LeeD]

At least we know have a definition.
That would be about a 7" oval in my case, with 100 sq in rackets.

 

[julian]

Contact outside of a sweetspot on a serve

That would be cool, but I don't have a 4WD car to get up there, unless it's on a day when it's not snowing. I haven't gone up this season yet even though it's been a better snow season then last year. Trying to save money for a big vacation this year so I've had to decline a couple cabin trips to Tahoe.

I don't do park stuff and did mess around with jumps but ended up landing on my face a couple times and don't feel like it's worth it for risk/reward. haha Just have an all-mountain board with the new rocker camber design, it's ok, although I do want to get a powder board eventually


Good point, what is a sweetspot? Thinking about it, it seems like a subjective spot since it can really be an entire area where you hit the ball and it still feels good or "sweet".

If you can't even track the ball within 2' of the racket at contact, how do you know if you're hitting one particular spot or different spots within an area?

The more I think about it, the more I regret starting this thread. I don't want to think about where I'm hitting the ball in a match, I just want to hit it sweetly.

So I think I'll aim for center and let my strokes/mechanics/practice work it out on it's own.

Anyone disagree with this method?

There is a possible benefit of hitting a serve OUTSIDE of a sweespot.
Therefore biomechanics of serve should be adjusted if one agrees with my first sentence

 

[LeeD]

For instance, I drive volley low in the rackethead.
I serve high on the rackethead, unless I'm going for an americantwist.
I try to groundie near center of mass of head.
My overheads are hit closer to center of mass than my serves.
My soft dink drops tend to be lined up center, but the head is pulled off so contact is nearer the top.
NO, I do not think about this at all when on the courts. It's something I have to think about here away from the courts to realize I'm doing it.

 

[julian]

A shape of a sweetspot

This is a very subjective topic, I have always thought the sweet spot was the middle of the racquet, but now im told otherwise.

1.A sweetspot is an area ( a piece of real estate)

2.Its center may or MAY NOT coincide with an geometric center of
a racket.

 

[Fuji]

To be totally honest, when I first started out before I learned all about the different sweet spots, what I was aiming for hitting was the Vibration node, I loved the feeling of not feeling a thing! So over time, I started hitting that spot naturally without any thinking, and that is where I would estimate about 85-90% of my shots are hit, especially on my backhand/forehand/volleys. My serve is hit with the higher part of my racket generally speaking, My serve isn't the best! LOL!

-Fuji

 

[SuperDuy]

"Try to hit the ball in the middle of the racquet and watch the ball leave the strings" thats what they told me, havnt framed many since.

 

[Donmikan]

Most 'good' players hit a vast majority of their shots above the sweetspot (center of percussion as noted above). There are 2 advantages: it actually produces more power, as the increase in racquet speed (due to longer lever) overcomes the slight loss of racquet power; and when trying to hit lots of topspin, the wrist is used as an additional lever (windshield wiper or whatever), and as above, the tangential speed of the stringbed is higher farther from the handle.

And before someone comes in and says this is all rubbish, it's been well documented using high speed cameras, look for yourself.

To clarify, I meant most good players hit it 1-2" above the center of percussion, which is what most people refer to when they say sweet spot.

Reviving this old thread to seek information about the stuff said in these posts. Is this true? My searching skill isnt up to this challenge, maybe yours is. Please help!