Junior racquet recommendation (26")

[Albion]

I’m trying to do some research for a new frame for my son, but there is not a lot to read. He is a fairly athletic 9.5 year old, 143 cm/4 feet 8.2 inches tall with decent technique but with a lot of room for improvement. I notice that nearly all graphite versions are between 240-255g static weight, and with an even or slightly head heavy balance. Wouldn’t it make sense to make these racquets more head light? What are your experiences with the 26” frames available on the market?

For additional context, I bought a 26” Wilson Clash v2 for my son about a year ago and while he likes the looks of it, he finds it cumbersome, slow and difficult to swing, with a notable and unpleasant trampoline effect. The Clash is even balanced (33 cm strung) with a static strung weight of 264g. I measured the swing weight to 255. He also has a 25” Prince Tour that he really likes and plays well with, It is 260g strung but notably lighter in swing weight (220g), and also more head light (3pt head light/30.8 cm).

The 25” Prince will work for a few more months, but eventually, I need to find a longer replacement for him that he can use for the next year or two, until he is ready for a 27". The Head Boom 26" seemed good on paper and I suggested that to him, but he didn’t like the way it looked. The Head Extreme and the Wilson Blade were both approved from a "looks" perspective. The Head Speed was tolerable but not as pretty as the Extreme or the Blade. I have intentionally avoided all racquets from Babolat. Have not demoed any of them, and prefer to pick one without demoing and try to make it work.

My concern with either of the preferred options (Extreme/Blade) is that they are on paper quite similar to the Clash. The Extreme is slightly lighter and with a slightly more head light balance, so I’m close to pulling the trigger on one of those and see how it works out. Ideally, however, I want to find something more similar to the Prince, since that works well for him. I stumbled upon the Wilson Pro Staff 26. It is 256g strung and with a 3 point HL balance. Could this be the one I’m looking for? As far as I can assess, the specs looks more similar to the Prince than the other options, but I have no experience at all from that family of racquets.

Again, would welcome your experience with any of the 26” frames available today, regardless of my rather specific questions. How are the Vcores or Ezones?

 

[boomerTennis]

Yes I can vouch for the prostaff 26. Our daughter used the prostaff and liked it a lot. Our son is now using it too, and seems to have an even better control of his swing than playing on his 25 racquet because of the headlight balance. It also doesn't seem to give the kids a lot of free power, and reward a good swing.

 

[Albion]

Yes I can vouch for the prostaff 26. Our daughter used the prostaff and liked it a lot. Our son is now using it too, and seems to have an even better control of his swing than playing on his 25 racquet because of the headlight balance. It also doesn't seem to give the kids a lot of free power, and reward a good swing.

Would you describe it as forgiving? The racquet that it is based on seems to be quite punishing/unforgiving. Need to find a racquet that's quite easy to use.

 

[Julian.Peter]

Head Speed Junior 26 and Geavity Junior 26 are both comparatively headlight with 320mm balance point while many other Junior rackets are 325mm and above. The speed is 5g lighter at 250g.

I know a lot of kids using these rackets and they play very well with it, like it a lot and feel comfortable with these rackets which is the most important point to consider as the move from 25 to 26 inches means appr +20g in static weight is massive (imagine what +20g means for as adults) and the racket becomes more unwieldy / less manouverable because of the additional length and this usually comes simultanously with moving from stage 1 balls to regular tennis balls being significantly harder and heavier so there is much more shock going into the kids arms. If your kids go from 25 to 26, they will need time to adjust, their performance can drop for a while as they struggle with maneuverability and they can feel arm or wrist pain. So please string super low and avoid polys, at least get them a hybrid with a very soft poly main if they urgently want a main string snapping back (my son insists on this) but get them a multifilament cross string and never string above 20kg even if the kids rackets have super open string beds.

A fullbed of multi at 19 or 18kg is recommended, otherwise choose a super soft and thin gauge poly main string like MSV Focus Hex Plus 38 1.15 or something similar and pair it with a multi crosses string.

 

[jdx2112]

I've had two boys successfully use the Pure Aero 26. The aerodynamic throat helps with racquet head speed.
If they are struggling with some brands, it may be because of the box frame making the swing feel sluggish.

 

[jdx2112]

Head Speed Junior 26 and Geavity Junior 26 are both comparatively headlight with 320mm balance point while many other Junior rackets are 325mm and above. The speed is 5g lighter at 250g.

I know a lot of kids using these rackets and they play very well with it, like it a lot and feel comfortable with these rackets which is the most important point to consider as the move from 25 to 26 inches means appr +20g in static weight is massive (imagine what +20g means for as adults) and the racket becomes more unwieldy / less manouverable because of the additional length and this usually comes simultanously with moving from stage 1 balls to regular tennis balls being significantly harder and heavier so there is much more shock going into the kids arms. If your kids go from 25 to 26, they will need time to adjust, their performance can drop for a while as they struggle with maneuverability and they can feel arm or wrist pain. So please string super low and avoid polys, at least get them a hybrid with a very soft poly main if they urgently want a main string snapping back (my son insists on this) but get them a multifilament cross string and never string above 20kg even if the kids rackets have super open string beds.

A fullbed of multi at 19 or 18kg is recommended, otherwise choose a super soft and thin gauge poly main string like MSV Focus Hex Plus 38 1.15 or something similar and pair it with a multi crosses string.

I don't think any kid using a junior racquet, 26" or lower, should be using poly, or even a hybrid.
Even 12/13 year olds who aren't developed enough yet should avoid poly strings. Plus, they become reliant on the string for control and struggle to do anything but overhit.

 

[boomerTennis]

Would you describe it as forgiving? The racquet that it is based on seems to be quite punishing/unforgiving. Need to find a racquet that's quite easy to use.

Both our kids seem to have an easy time hitting with the prostaff, so I'd say it's not a hard from to use. I also agree with a few other folks about the use of multi /synthetic, and not poly. The other thing to think about ease of use /power is whether that may shape how they develop their swing, i.e. through the ball vs. swing up to control with spin, etc.

 

[minivatreni97]

As someone who is around 5ft myself, even as a kid I just played with the grip size 0 rackets and the L line of whatever brand I picked. There's Ezone 100L, Speed MPL. All of those are great rackets and not demanding. I don't think someone who is 4ft 8 needs to play with a junior racket

 

[PhantomStriker]

As someone who is around 5ft myself, even as a kid I just played with the grip size 0 rackets and the L line of whatever brand I picked. There's Ezone 100L, Speed MPL. All of those are great rackets and not demanding. I don't think someone who is 4ft 8 needs to play with a junior racket

They should play a 25 or 26 Inch racket. 27 is too large for a 9,5 year old which is only 143cm. Juniors develop better skills when they play in a smaller court with smaller rackets. Orange balls in a midcourt and every now and then on a full court with green balls is best for their development. If the rackets and courts are too big, kids can probably play, ballspeed and control will drop instantly though.

 

[minivatreni97]

They should play a 25 or 26 Inch racket. 27 is too large for a 9,5 year old which is only 143cm. Juniors develop better skills when they play in a smaller court with smaller rackets. Orange balls in a midcourt and every now and then on a full court with green balls is best for their development. If the rackets and courts are too big, kids can probably play, ballspeed and control will drop instantly though.

At 10 years old I was no longer playing with junior tennis balls. That kid is almost 5ft which is as tall as several full sized females who play with adult rackets. If he's playing on a regular court with regular balls then he can go for 27in.

 

[Albion]

Unfortunately, the Pro Staff has been turned down due to it being brown. I guess the only two left on my list are the Head Extreme and the Head Speed. Any good reason to pick the Speed over the Extreme, despite the Extreme being subjectively better looking?

On 26” vs 27”, while I don’t question that it would be possible for someone around that height to use a 27”, I think the 26” will be more suitable and easier to get accustomed to. He should be able to use the 26” for at least a year or two, so I see no real benefit of choosing a 27” already at this stage.

 

[minivatreni97]

Unfortunately, the Pro Staff has been turned down due to it being brown. I guess the only two left on my list are the Head Extreme and the Head Speed. Any good reason to pick the Speed over the Extreme, despite the Extreme being subjectively better looking?

On 26” vs 27”, while I don’t question that it would be possible for someone around that height to use a 27”, I think the 26” will be more suitable and easier to get accustomed to. He should be able to use the 26” for at least a year or two, so I see no real benefit of choosing a 27” already at this stage.

At his level and going with a Junior racket, there will be no noticeable difference between and Extreme or Speed. In fact for beginners the bottom line is to get any decent racket and play with it and you'll be fine. Most of us as kids started off with walmart racket and he's already better off than us, he'll be due for an upgrade in a year or two anyway

 

[Julian.Peter]

sub10yos play full court and stage 1 for their last year in Germany. They switch over to regular balls when they play sub12yo league at the age of 10 and rhisnis when they can benefit from 26" rackets and more weight if they are facing up to 12yo "hard hitters" but they have tobget uswd to the rackets and balls and they are sensitive to developing tennis elbow or wrist pain. Thats why I recommend sticking with multis for shock absorption to prevent any insuries or at least discomfort. But midcourt stage 2 at the age of 10 is not common in DE. Maybe for the kids beginning to play at this age it still makes sense to learn the game of tennis.

 

[PhantomStriker]

sub10yos play full court and stage 1 for their last year in Germany. They switch over to regular balls when they play sub12yo league at the age of 10 and rhisnis when they can benefit from 26" rackets and more weight if they are facing up to 12yo "hard hitters" but they have tobget uswd to the rackets and balls and they are sensitive to developing tennis elbow or wrist pain. Thats why I recommend sticking with multis for shock absorption to prevent any insuries or at least discomfort. But midcourt stage 2 at the age of 10 is not common in DE. Maybe for the kids beginning to play at this age it still makes sense to learn the game of tennis.

Under 10 leagues are played in midcourt, tournaments in fullcourt. Most kids don‘t have the level to play fullcourt though. Have a look at the playing style of the weaker kids and you see why it would have been better to develop skills in midcourt.

 

[Julian.Peter]

Yes, there are many kids whichbshould better play on midcourt at this age but my kids played sub10 bith leagues and tournaments fullcourt if I remember right. At least last summer they played fullcourt also in league matches. Maybe this was just by intuitive agreement made by the kids and the parents but nobody asked for midcourt at sub10 matches. Also the kids wanted to play the full court, but I think thats normal as they have this childish "the bigger the better" mentality and feel more mature playing full court, regular balls etc.

However, back to the racket topic. My recommendation is Head Speed or Head Gravity because they are arm friendly and have low balance points. Bjt even mkre important super soft string setups, fullbed of multifilament recommended. Arm friendly strings are even more important than the frames but anyway avoid to heavy, head heavy and stiff frames and stay a little longer with the shirter frames before upgrading to 27 inches. I know kids can be struggling massively with 27 frames which csn be very light but just way to long. They simply dont improve their technique, grap the racket way to high at the handle and become kind of power racket pushers or just block every ball instead of developing proper strokes. Keep the rackets child suitable as long as you can.

 

[Albion]

I asked him again about the Speed and mentioned that Jannik Sinner uses a Speed. He approved, so I placed an order for one from 2022. It will be great. Thanks for all your feedback!

 

[mauri]

My daughter started tennis last summer. 145-150cm tall with tight muscles but still small. There was a wilson store next to courts with selection of pro staff, ultra and blade in 26 sizes. Coach told us to pick whatever has the best ”feeling” or aesthetics she likes to get the best vibe, with 26 sizes there are no drastic differences. Especially that they come prestringed with a setup that has been sitting on shelfs for who knows how long. She made few test swings with each if them and went with ultra just by that feeling and visuals. I strung it with multifilament and i think that made more difference than the model she chose. Now she plays with Ultra 100UL when she moved up to upper levels and hard balls. Low swingweight, easy power and good control with right string setup. She likes it, it works and she trusts it so it’s the right tool for her.

 

[mauri]

At his level and going with a Junior racket, there will be no noticeable difference between and Extreme or Speed. In fact for beginners the bottom line is to get any decent racket and play with it and you'll be fine. Most of us as kids started off with walmart racket and he's already better off than us, he'll be due for an upgrade in a year or two anyway

I think this is the best advice.

 

[ChrisJR3264]

For junior rackets, honestly any brand will work.
They’re all the same spec wise.

 

[Julian.Peter]

There are actual differences in stiffness and balance points. Zou can work with mumtifilaments to prevent from discomfort with stiffness. Balance points are hard to change if zoubdont want to add weight and use lightweight multis or very thin strings anyway.

You are right the kids must enjoy their rackets by liking the design and brands dont matter etc but there still are some differences. Head has comparatively headlight rackets that may be very suitable for juniors, depending on the model. Thats why I recommended the speed with low balance point while others Head junior rackets have more head heavy balance points. However, there is a lot of quakity control issues also with the juniors rackets so it will most likely be more a matter of luck than what you chose. The racket models at least from Head for juniors do not have the typical characteristics of thr adult models anyway. They are more or less the same hoops and minor differences in weight and balance points.

However, the Speed JR 2022 is a great pick, especially if the kids like Sinner who still uses this paintjob I think.

 

[minivatreni97]

There are actual differences in stiffness and balance points. Zou can work with mumtifilaments to prevent from discomfort with stiffness. Balance points are hard to change if zoubdont want to add weight and use lightweight multis or very thin strings anyway.

You are right the kids must enjoy their rackets by liking the design and brands dont matter etc but there still are some differences. Head has comparatively headlight rackets that may be very suitable for juniors, depending on the model. Thats why I recommended the speed with low balance point while others Head junior rackets have more head heavy balance points. However, there is a lot of quakity control issues also with the juniors rackets so it will most likely be more a matter of luck than what you chose. The racket models at least from Head for juniors do not have the typical characteristics of thr adult models anyway. They are more or less the same hoops and minor differences in weight and balance points.

However, the Speed JR 2022 is a great pick, especially if the kids like Sinner who still uses this paintjob I think.

A kid is really not going to notice those differences because it’s so small, especially a beginner using a junior racket

 

[Julian.Peter]

It is mot about the kids noticing it. It is about enabling them to play with a manouverable racket and save their arms. That is what I a talking about. Sure they dont feel the difference, but it can be there and it can be better fir the kids especially in the long run to give them the most child friendly rackets and this means not to heavy, soft on the arm and manouverable to develop pain free proper technique.

I have seen kids learning with to long power rackets where parents just cared for static weight and otherwise bought "the bigger the better" because of couree their kids where tall and akilled enough for adukt rackets... total mislead motivation... and they did not develop good technique, gapped their habdles way to high, never played any spin strokes and just became pushers and blockers.

 

[minivatreni97]

It is mot about the kids noticing it. It is about enabling them to play with a manouverable racket and save their arms. That is what I a talking about. Sure they dont feel the difference, but it can be there and it can be better fir the kids especially in the long run to give them the most child friendly rackets and this means not to heavy, soft on the arm and manouverable to develop pain free proper technique.

I have seen kids learning with to long power rackets where parents just cared for static weight and otherwise bought "the bigger the better" because of couree their kids where tall and akilled enough for adukt rackets... total mislead motivation... and they did not develop good technique, gapped their habdles way to high, never played any spin strokes and just became pushers and blockers.

We were only talking about junior rackets here. Extreme or Speed junior racket, kid will not know the difference. Let them
Pick the color they like

 

[Albion]

deleted. As you were

 

[Albion]

Thought I'd provide an update if anyone is interested or searching for info or recommendations on a 26".

It took him about three sessions to transition from the Prince Tour 25" to the Speed 26" 2022. He was struggling heavily with timing the first hour or so and he also had to adjust his technique to manage the heavier racquet.

The racquet is beautiful and seems to be very well made. It is heavier than expected, which had me a bit concerned in the beginning. His Speed 26" weighs 272g with an overgrip, with a strung swingweight of 260g. Balance 33 cm. In comparison, his Clash v2 26" is 263g strung incl. OG, with a strung sw of 254g and balance of 32,7cm. He strongly prefers the Speed over the Clash. His previous Prince Tour 25" which he also really liked was 253g strung, with a swingweight of 221g and balance of 31,7 cm.

The main differences between the Speed and the Prince are that the Speed is so much more stable on off-center hits and produces a heavier ball. With the Prince, he swung fast and aggressively, but mostly with his arm and he could get away with a rather late preparation and poor form, which is no longer possible with the heavier Speed. While he is still struggling slightly with maneuverability with the Speed, his overall play has improved and his preparation and form in general have benefitted from the switch. Ideally, it should have been a few grams lighter so if I could do it over, perhaps the Extreme would have been my pick over the Speed. I might try with a lighter string of some sort, to see if I can get the weight down a couple of grams in the head. Recommendations are welcome.

Disclaimer: The swingweight measurements above should be taken with a pinch of salt, as I'm not sure how to adjust for a shorter racquet. The same method has been used for all racquets however, so they should at least provide some information.

 

[Donmikan]

Thought I'd provide an update if anyone is interested or searching for info or recommendations on a 26".

It took him about three sessions for him to transition from the Prince Tour 25" to the Speed 26" 2022. He was struggling heavily with timing the first hour or so and he also had to adjust his technique to manage the heavier racquet.

The racquet is beautiful and seems to be very well made. It is heavier than expected, which had me a bit concerned in the beginning. His Speed 26" weighs 272g with an overgrip, with a strung swingweight of 260g. Balance 33 cm. In comparison, his Clash v2 26" is 263g strung incl. OG, with a strung sw of 254g and balance of 32,7cm. He strongly prefers the Speed over the Clash. His previous Prince Tour 25" which he also really liked was 253g strung, with a swingweight of 221g and balance of 31,7 cm.

The main differences between the Speed and the Prince is that the Speed is so much more stable on off-center hits and produces a heavier ball. With the Prince, he swung fast and aggressively, but mostly with his arm and he could get away with a rather late preparation, which is no longer possible with the heavier Speed. While he is still struggling with maneuverability with the Speed, his overall play has benefitted from the switch and his preparation and form in general have improved from the switch. Ideally, it should have been a few grams lighter so if I could do it over, perhaps the Extreme would have been my pick over the Speed. I might try with a lighter string of some sort, to see if I can get the weight down a couple of grams in the head. Recommendations are welcome.

Disclaimer: The swingweight measurements above should be taken with a pinch of salt, as I'm not sure how to adjust for a shorter racquet. The same method has been used for all racquets however, so they should at least provide some information.

whats your swingweight measuring method? if on an rdc, the value shown is correct

 

[Albion]

I use SwingTool, but while it is possible to enter hang point, balance and swing point, I assume that the tool and measurements are designed for a standard 27” frame. Could be wrong.

 

[Donmikan]

I use SwingTool, but while it is possible to enter hang point, balance and swing point, I assume that the tool and measurements are designed for a standard 27” frame. Could be wrong.

Nah, the math works the same for every length. I think that app is intended for golf rods as well, so...

 

[AmericanTwist]

Junior frames are all relatively similar. Go with length and grip size that are most comfortable - ignore the color ways. Head makes lots of junior frames and so does Babolat. But other manufacturers are also viable. There are differences in grips. Wilson, Yones, Dunlop all run big. And head has a rectangular shape grip.