Equipment Heaven on a Tennis Court

S

srikanth.narahari

New User
I am a **strong** amateur player, a member of the United States Tennis Association, a participant in NTRP rated tennis tournaments, and one picky guy when it comes to my tennis gear. I need reliable, long-lasting equipment that rewards me for good play and doesn't require me to change my technique to overcompensate for equipment malfunction. No matter what my opponent does, if my stringbed doesn't feel absolutely inch perfect on every shot, I cease to enjoy myself on the court, and that is 110% unacceptable.

I need equipment that rewards me for high efficiency and robustness on the C balls that I hit when returning flat bomb serves and retrieving shots on the sprint. I need equipment that rewards me for sound footwork and clean swing mechanics on the B balls that I hit on kick/slice serves and positional play either from the baseline or when approaching the net. I need equipment that rewards me for early preparation and aggressive intentions on the A balls that I hit on flat serves and tactical play stepping into the court.

I HATE gear that gets pushed around or wonks out in 0-2 sessions.

So what do I do? I use a racquet that weighs 365-370 grams with a 16x20 pattern, a 22-millimeter beam, and a swing weight in the high 340s or low 350s (kg/cm**2). (It's an old ProKennex Ki 5 PSE that they don't make anymore and I have around 10 of them. All mine! Mine! Mine! Where is Daffy Duck? Mine mine mine! Muhahahahaha!!) I am in between grip sizes, so I go with the smaller option (number 3) and use the Wilson shock shield grip to have great cushioning and a little extra thickness. No overgrips. My shoe is the Altra Solstice XT AL0A4PE7. It feels as thermonuclear as its name sounds.

I put Pro's Pro Pure Aramid 16 in the mains and Yonex Dynawire 16 in the crosses. I string for myself using a frugal drop-weight stringing machine. I string the mains five pounds looser than the crosses. My current tension is 47 lbs for the mains and 52 lbs for the crosses.

It feels totally perfect. Today, I played for probably the 10th time with this setup, and it felt exactly like my first session with it. Amazing durability. I am able to cause severe problems for even some very very good opponents.

I almost never miss. When I miss, it is usually long by roughly 12-18 inches. Maybe I will bump up the tension a bit and try 50/55 on my next re-string.

What tomorrow holds nobody knows. So I like to stock up on my favorite equipment when I can.

Okay fine. I suck. :X3:

EDIT:
A few more tidbits for the OCD connoisseurs out there:
  • No vibration dampener. My close friends and I call them lollipops. They feel weird.
  • No headband, bandana, or cap. I have tried all three and more. They pull my hair.
  • For better kick serves, grunt like Roger Federer. Try it before roasting the suggestion. :p
  • No copper bracelet. It tarnishes and feels weird.
  • Socks matter. They should be comfortable, thick enough, thin enough, long enough, short enough, and not protruding inward in weird spots. I like Asics.
  • Undies matter. 95% viscose, 5% spandex. I like Poudew.
Do you want more?? o_O:alien:
 
Last edited:
mad dog1 said:
how long does the Altra Solstice XT AL0A4PE7 last for you?
Click to expand...
Five sessions and counting. So far so good. It is definitely a comfort-oriented shoe. Roomy in the forefoot, secure everywhere else. I wouldn't recommend aggressive heel-striking or other forms of reckless movement. One tip is to tie the shoelaces using a thief knot instead of a reef knot.
 
srikanth.narahari said:
Okay fine. I suck. :X3:
Click to expand...
Well, you'd probably suck worse without your equipment.

Assuming this was a serious post, here's a story from equipment hell:

As a racquetholic/stringaholic, I have an assortment of racquets with various modifications strung with unfamiliar strings and strange hybrids at all sorts of tensions that I try out with my ball machine. I was called to fill in for a match at the last minute and forgot that I had packed 6 such experiments in my bag and none of my 4 match-ready sticks.

That ... sucked.
 
BenC said:
As a racquetholic/stringaholic, I have an assortment of racquets with various modifications strung with unfamiliar strings and strange hybrids at all sorts of tensions that I try out with my ball machine. I was called to fill in for a match at the last minute and forgot that I had packed 6 such experiments in my bag and none of my 4 match-ready sticks.

That ... sucked.
Click to expand...
Fascinating!
How did that match go? What constitutes your match-ready racquets? What benefits and difficulties do you get from them? What experimental setups did you have in your bag on that day? How did that match go? What were you trying to do? What actually ended up happening? Did any of your experimental sticks unexpectedly do anything good for you?
 
Rosstour said:
I guess pissing pure excellence isn't a crime in said city.
Click to expand...
You see, I normally play my backhand with two hands, but in rare occasions during practice, I feel inspired to pull a Federer/Dimmy/Stan/Gasquet and go woLak, grunting and shaking my hair by moving my head and all. The outcomes range from groundbreaking to light-shattering.
 
srikanth.narahari said:
I am a **strong** amateur player, a member of the United States Tennis Association, a participant in NTRP rated tennis tournaments, and one picky guy when it comes to my tennis gear. I need reliable, long-lasting equipment that rewards me for good play and doesn't require me to change my technique to overcompensate for equipment malfunction. No matter what my opponent does, if my stringbed doesn't feel absolutely inch perfect on every shot, I cease to enjoy myself on the court, and that is 110% unacceptable.

I need equipment that rewards me for high efficiency and robustness on the C balls that I hit when returning flat bomb serves and retrieving shots on the sprint. I need equipment that rewards me for sound footwork and clean swing mechanics on the B balls that I hit on kick/slice serves and positional play either from the baseline or when approaching the net. I need equipment that rewards me for early preparation and aggressive intentions on the A balls that I hit on flat serves and tactical play stepping into the court.

I HATE gear that gets pushed around or wonks out in 0-2 sessions.

So what do I do? I use a racquet that weighs 365-370 grams with a 16x20 pattern, a 22-millimeter beam, and a swing weight in the high 340s or low 350s (kg/cm**2). (It's an old ProKennex Ki 5 PSE that they don't make anymore and I have around 10 of them. All mine! Mine! Mine! Where is Daffy Duck? Mine mine mine! Muhahahahaha!!) I am in between grip sizes, so I go with the smaller option (number 3) and use the Wilson shock shield grip to have great cushioning and a little extra thickness. No overgrips. My shoe is the Altra Solstice XT AL0A4PE7. It feels as thermonuclear as its name sounds.

I put Pro's Pro Pure Aramid 16 in the mains and Yonex Dynawire 16 in the crosses. I string for myself using a frugal drop-weight stringing machine. I string the mains five pounds looser than the crosses. My current tension is 47 lbs for the mains and 52 lbs for the crosses.

It feels totally perfect. Today, I played for probably the 10th time with this setup, and it felt exactly like my first session with it. Amazing durability. I am able to cause severe problems for even some very very good opponents.

I almost never miss. When I miss, it is usually long by roughly 12-18 inches. Maybe I will bump up the tension a bit and try 50/55 on my next re-string.

What tomorrow holds nobody knows. So I like to stock up on my favorite equipment when I can.

Okay fine. I suck. :X3:
Click to expand...

Stunning and brave
 
srikanth.narahari said:
Fascinating!
How did that match go?
Click to expand...
Not great. Had to aim for safe targets and big margins which was frustrating when I saw an opportunity that I would've felt confident taking with the regular racquet setup.

srikanth.narahari said:
What constitutes your match-ready racquets? What benefits and difficulties do you get from them?
Click to expand...
Dunlop CX 2.0 with tungsten tape and leather grip, Prince Duraflex synthetic gut. I have a lot of muscle memory with synthetic gut so that's hard to give up.

The racquet doesn't matter as much ... I could probably modify an Wilson Blade or a another 98" open pattern racquet to similar specs.

srikanth.narahari said:
What were you trying to do? What actually ended up happening? Did any of your experimental sticks unexpectedly do anything good for you?
Click to expand...
The string and racquet thing is really just out of curiosity because there's so much talk here on TTW about kevlar/zx, thin poly, new age multis, etc. Erm, and I learned about launch angle and why it would take me a long time to build confidence with a different string setup.

Other than that, I guess I've been helping to fund the TTW forums with my purchases?
 
srikanth.narahari said:
I am a **strong** amateur player, a member of the United States Tennis Association, a participant in NTRP rated tennis tournaments, and one picky guy when it comes to my tennis gear. I need reliable, long-lasting equipment that rewards me for good play and doesn't require me to change my technique to overcompensate for equipment malfunction. No matter what my opponent does, if my stringbed doesn't feel absolutely inch perfect on every shot, I cease to enjoy myself on the court, and that is 110% unacceptable.

I need equipment that rewards me for high efficiency and robustness on the C balls that I hit when returning flat bomb serves and retrieving shots on the sprint. I need equipment that rewards me for sound footwork and clean swing mechanics on the B balls that I hit on kick/slice serves and positional play either from the baseline or when approaching the net. I need equipment that rewards me for early preparation and aggressive intentions on the A balls that I hit on flat serves and tactical play stepping into the court.

I HATE gear that gets pushed around or wonks out in 0-2 sessions.

So what do I do? I use a racquet that weighs 365-370 grams with a 16x20 pattern, a 22-millimeter beam, and a swing weight in the high 340s or low 350s (kg/cm**2). (It's an old ProKennex Ki 5 PSE that they don't make anymore and I have around 10 of them. All mine! Mine! Mine! Where is Daffy Duck? Mine mine mine! Muhahahahaha!!) I am in between grip sizes, so I go with the smaller option (number 3) and use the Wilson shock shield grip to have great cushioning and a little extra thickness. No overgrips. My shoe is the Altra Solstice XT AL0A4PE7. It feels as thermonuclear as its name sounds.

I put Pro's Pro Pure Aramid 16 in the mains and Yonex Dynawire 16 in the crosses. I string for myself using a frugal drop-weight stringing machine. I string the mains five pounds looser than the crosses. My current tension is 47 lbs for the mains and 52 lbs for the crosses.

It feels totally perfect. Today, I played for probably the 10th time with this setup, and it felt exactly like my first session with it. Amazing durability. I am able to cause severe problems for even some very very good opponents.

I almost never miss. When I miss, it is usually long by roughly 12-18 inches. Maybe I will bump up the tension a bit and try 50/55 on my next re-string.

What tomorrow holds nobody knows. So I like to stock up on my favorite equipment when I can.

Okay fine. I suck. :X3:
Click to expand...
One of the funniest posts I have ever read!!!! Nice job :-)
 
srikanth.narahari said:
I am a **strong** amateur player, a member of the United States Tennis Association, a participant in NTRP rated tennis tournaments, and one picky guy when it comes to my tennis gear. I need reliable, long-lasting equipment that rewards me for good play and doesn't require me to change my technique to overcompensate for equipment malfunction. No matter what my opponent does, if my stringbed doesn't feel absolutely inch perfect on every shot, I cease to enjoy myself on the court, and that is 110% unacceptable.

I need equipment that rewards me for high efficiency and robustness on the C balls that I hit when returning flat bomb serves and retrieving shots on the sprint. I need equipment that rewards me for sound footwork and clean swing mechanics on the B balls that I hit on kick/slice serves and positional play either from the baseline or when approaching the net. I need equipment that rewards me for early preparation and aggressive intentions on the A balls that I hit on flat serves and tactical play stepping into the court.

I HATE gear that gets pushed around or wonks out in 0-2 sessions.

So what do I do? I use a racquet that weighs 365-370 grams with a 16x20 pattern, a 22-millimeter beam, and a swing weight in the high 340s or low 350s (kg/cm**2). (It's an old ProKennex Ki 5 PSE that they don't make anymore and I have around 10 of them. All mine! Mine! Mine! Where is Daffy Duck? Mine mine mine! Muhahahahaha!!) I am in between grip sizes, so I go with the smaller option (number 3) and use the Wilson shock shield grip to have great cushioning and a little extra thickness. No overgrips. My shoe is the Altra Solstice XT AL0A4PE7. It feels as thermonuclear as its name sounds.

I put Pro's Pro Pure Aramid 16 in the mains and Yonex Dynawire 16 in the crosses. I string for myself using a frugal drop-weight stringing machine. I string the mains five pounds looser than the crosses. My current tension is 47 lbs for the mains and 52 lbs for the crosses.

It feels totally perfect. Today, I played for probably the 10th time with this setup, and it felt exactly like my first session with it. Amazing durability. I am able to cause severe problems for even some very very good opponents.

I almost never miss. When I miss, it is usually long by roughly 12-18 inches. Maybe I will bump up the tension a bit and try 50/55 on my next re-string.

What tomorrow holds nobody knows. So I like to stock up on my favorite equipment when I can.

Okay fine. I suck. :X3:
Click to expand...
Funny/interesting post.
how about headband or wrist band(s), do you add any lead tape to it/them to get that maximum benefit?
 
BenC said:
Not great. Had to aim for safe targets and big margins which was frustrating when I saw an opportunity that I would've felt confident taking with the regular racquet setup.


Dunlop CX 2.0 with tungsten tape and leather grip, Prince Duraflex synthetic gut. I have a lot of muscle memory with synthetic gut so that's hard to give up.

The racquet doesn't matter as much ... I could probably modify an Wilson Blade or a another 98" open pattern racquet to similar specs.


The string and racquet thing is really just out of curiosity because there's so much talk here on TTW about kevlar/zx, thin poly, new age multis, etc. Erm, and I learned about launch angle and why it would take me a long time to build confidence with a different string setup.

Other than that, I guess I've been helping to fund the TTW forums with my purchases?
Click to expand...
Lots of cool information there. Thanks for sharing!
 
esm said:
Funny/interesting post.
how about headband or wrist band(s), do you add any lead tape to it/them to get that maximum benefit?
Click to expand...
No, but I wrap 2.5 grams of tungsten tape between the screw and frog of my viola bow to make it more head-light. When aaaaaa say I'm picky, aaaaaa mean I'm picky. :sneaky:
 
Dartagnan64 said:
That's a lot harder on one's ego. Some of us are too frail to constantly blame ourselves when we can blame something else.
Click to expand...
A dry twig refuses to bend when a little wind blows. When the wind crosses a threshold, the twig snaps.
No matter the intensity of the wind, a blade of grass simply bends.
Knowing when to just breathe and let go is where all the magic is in life. :D
 
It’s critical to only play sports that require equipment which can be credibly blamed for performance issues. For example tennis, golf, pole vault etc
 
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