Handle Weight Positioning

[Tennisist]

A question for avid customizers here:

What are the pros and cons of putting the weights at these different positions?
Are some of these positions preferable to the others? or give a different effect?

My experience so far has been that racquets get "stabilized" by putting the weight on the handle.
But I never thought through or experimented any deeper with particular locations.
Plus I am afraid you need identical racquets to carry out these experiments, which I do not typically have.

Thanks in advance,

 

[morten]

C mostly for me.. A only if it is really head heavy

 

[Crashbaby]

I remember reading somewhere on here that weight at C speeds the racquet up and at A it slows it down. So the theory was if you are consistently late to contact on forehands, add weight at C, early to contact add at A.
Also read that swing dynamics are different for forehand, back hand and for serve, so weight distribution is always a compromise, the ultimate set up for one stroke will have an effect(possibly negative) on the others.
I’m also interested in this as I want to add more weight to the handle of my BP, but want to optimise it for both the forehand and the one handed backhand. I have a suspicion that weight set up for the one hander is also different to the double, so I’m reluctant to try weight set ups used by those with a two hander.

Anyone with some knowledge on this, please chime in??

 

[HitMoreBHs]

Before racquets had buttcap trapdoors (and OHBHs were the norm), C was generally used. I guess that’s why so many swear by this position. I don’t know if there’s any real science behind which positions do what.

I only ever add weight to the handle as a counterbalance to make a racquet feel more headlight. The only position that works for me is A, as close to the buttend as possible. At position C, I can feel the added weight is towards the head and thus makes the racquet feel more head heavy for me, even if the balance point is actually shifted closer to the handle.
If I want more racquet stability, my preferred location for added weight is 1200 on the hoop. I’ve never found weight added to C to be as good in this regard.

Interested to hear others’ perspectives on this.
(For whatever it’s worth, I play a OHBH with an aggressive whip through the ball. Prefer a setup around 5-6pts HL, which is not especially headlight in traditional terms).

 

[BlueB]

I tend to split between A and C.

 

[1HBHfanatic]

Before racquets had buttcap trapdoors (and OHBHs were the norm), C was generally used. I guess that’s why so many swear by this position. I don’t know if there’s any real science behind which positions do what.

I only ever add weight to the handle as a counterbalance to make a racquet feel more headlight. The only position that works for me is A, as close to the buttend as possible. At position C, I can feel the added weight is towards the head and thus makes the racquet feel more head heavy for me, even if the balance point is actually shifted closer to the handle.
If I want more racquet stability, my preferred location for added weight is 1200 on the hoop. I’ve never found weight added to C to be as good in this regard.

Interested to hear others’ perspectives on this.
(For whatever it’s worth, I play a OHBH with an aggressive whip through the ball. Prefer a setup around 5-6pts HL, which is not especially headlight in traditional terms).

-i agree with you on your second paragraph!, and it makes sense to me
-i also do that for the same reasons you listed
-i place all my lead on the B position!!, right under my 1HBH grip location ,(usually about 2-3' of 1/2" lead tape, for a nice 10pts HL balance )
-the A position is reserved spot for my increased butt cap flare ( ala r.gasquet)

-your first paragraph is mind boggling to me
-ive tried it and did not like it, much for the same mentioned points

 

[1HBHfanatic]

C mostly for me.. A only if it is really head heavy

-question
-about how much weight/lead would you usually place there??
-no wright or wrong answer, just curious, tnx

 

[HitMoreBHs]

-your first paragraph is mind boggling to me

I started tennis in 1980 with a Maxply Fort. Back then, OHBHs were the norm and wooden racquets had fat handles with leather wraps and no hollow chambers. If you wanted more headlight balance, the standard place to wrap the lead tape was postion C where it would not affect one’s grip. Some of the position C advocacy may have come about from this traditional practice, but that is simply my own logical postulate.

 

[Bambooman]

Why the vast gap between B and C?

 

[Tennisist]

Why the vast gap between B and C?

Just practical matters: for C, you just unwrap a little bit of the grip, add lead, and put it back again.
A -- is trivial.
B -- is where the hand is. Theoretically, it should not affect swingweight at all, since it is right at the fulcrum. It does require a bit of pushing to that depth, but manageable. You can still undo it if needed.
Somewhere between B and C is the most difficult: if applying outside, you need to undo a lot of the grip.
If applying inside, you need to push silicone really deep. Conventional nozzle will not reach there. In both cases, undoing is a challenge.

 

[Bambooman]

I wouldn't say it's a challenge to drop some weight halfway up the handle on the inside. Many options apart from silicone or you can just stick some vinyl tubing over the nozzle to extend it.

 

[Tennisist]

A little more info. I've tried some other approaches:
1) leather grip -- not a lot of dampening or noticeable effect.
2) Wilson ShockShield grip -- decent dampening, losing the bevels.
3) Fill the entire handle with foam -- basically no effect at all ( neither the dampening, nor the balance/swing path , nor the stabilization ). Gives the racquet a very "dead" feel. A nightmare to undo.
4) Point weights -- most effective and in the best way: stabilizes the racquet (for me), dampens the impact, produces the good/addictive/rubbery pro-stock feel.
This is why I am now primarily interested in pursuing the point weights. I feel they are the best solution.

 

[AceyMan]

Didn't read the thread but I always center the mass around body station 5.5 cm (about 'B' from the OP diagram).

It may vary for a particular reason but that is the spot about 80% of the time.

/Acey

 

[Irvin]

If you're trying to match the specs of a racket to specific specs you can't do it by adding weight at A, B, or C. The greater the weight, balance, or inertia (SW) the slower the racket. Placing weight on a racket in a normal swing will slow it down, it will increase the weight, it will increase the inertia, and it may change the balance. If the weight in on the handle the balance will go down.

 

[GravitysElbow]

I remember reading somewhere on here that weight at C speeds the racquet up and at A it slows it down. So the theory was if you are consistently late to contact on forehands, add weight at C, early to contact add at A.
Also read that swing dynamics are different for forehand, back hand and for serve, so weight distribution is always a compromise, the ultimate set up for one stroke will have an effect(possibly negative) on the others.
I’m also interested in this as I want to add more weight to the handle of my BP, but want to optimise it for both the forehand and the one handed backhand. I have a suspicion that weight set up for the one hander is also different to the double, so I’m reluctant to try weight set ups used by those with a two hander.

Anyone with some knowledge on this, please chime in??

This is also my experience. Placing at A or C changes the way the racquet feels to swing a bit. B doesn't so much, just adds weight in my (limited) experience.

However the impact of each position is different depending on the existing weight distribution in the racquet as well (some already have a lot if weight in the throat or at the top of the handle, others don't).

The good thing is that A and C are really easy to try with just a bit of blue tack, or for C you could also wrap an old overgrip round the top of the handle

 

[Pumpkin]

You can put some weight in A. It won't change the SW so much but will have the greatest effect on changing the balance in terms of making the racquet more head light.

 

[morten]

-question
-about how much weight/lead would you usually place there??
-no wright or wrong answer, just curious, tnx

Usually 2 to 5 grams, makes every frame more solid, i use a coin usually, 4,5 grams