Lead tape on throat or somewhere else

[Jackson Heights]

Let's say I want to add a little lead tape to give a 11 ounce racket a
little more stability on volleys. Can I put a little lead tape
on the throat (at 6 o'clock on the racquet head).
Or should I put it at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock,
or 2 and 10 o'clock?
(1) Which is best?

If I put lead tape on at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock,
or 2 and 10 o'clock, then I believe I will need to add lead
tape on the handle in order to keep the same balance.

But if I add the lead tape on the throat, at 6 o'clock,
then I believe I will not have to put lead tape
on the handle to change the balance, because
the balance will not have changed if lead tape is put only
on the throat. Therefore this method would be easier for me.

(2) But will putting a little lead tape only on the throat, at 6 o'clock, and nowhere else,
improve the stability on volleying? If so, should I add 1/8 ounce of lead tape?

(3) Also, if I put seven inches of lead tape (1/8 ounce) on at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock,
or at 2 and 10 o'clock, how many inches of lead tape need I put on the handle
to keep the same balance the racquet originally had?
(I heard the handle needs more lead tape than the head because
the handle is further away from the balance point than the racquet head).

 

[SpinToWin]

For stability (especially for volleys) use lead at 3/9.

 

[fuzz nation]

For stability (especially for volleys) use lead at 3/9.

I agree - in my experience with adding lead tape to my racquets, I've found significant improvements with "volleying stability" after adding only a few grams total to 3/9 o'clock.

The best news with the lead tape is that we can try it in different areas on a racquet. If it doesn't work, it's not a big deal to peel it off and try something else.

Typically I add lead to the handles of my racquets because I prefer the balance of my gear in the neighborhood of 10-11 pts. HL. In my last round of experiments though, I placed the 3/9 o'clock lead first (just those few grams) and noticed that I had better stability without making the racquet significantly less HL.

I haven't tried placing lead at the throat of my frames in the past, just because I get the best results when adding it either to the handle or 3/9 o'clock. Again, if one location doesn't work, just take your time, peel it off slowly so that it stays in one piece, and you'll probably be able to use it again.

 

[colowhisper]

I have tried adding lead at the throat, made my racquet feel "dead," try adding at the top of the handle instead if you want weight without lead in the hoop. But there is a reason that leather grips are so popular - because they add just the right amount of weight in the handle to balance out a few grams of lead at 3 and 9 (or 12 if you're a baseliner). You might give that a go too.

 

[TennisCJC]

Lead at 3/9 o'c is best for volleys. If you want to maintain balance add weight to handle too - leather grip or lead tape under grips on pallet.

 

[torpantennis]

Whether to add lead in racquet head or throat/top of handle, depends on initial specs IMO. Lead in racquet head slows down the racquet head, whereas weight in the throat/top of handle speeds up the racquet head, in relation to arm. Typical racquet specs need more weight in throat/top of handle so I'd start there.

What are your initial specs OP, static weight/swingweight/balance?

 

[Jackson Heights]

Lead Tape to add Stability- how much?

"What are your initial specs OP, static weight/swingweight/balance?"

100 inch head
27 inch length
strung weight 11.0 oz
swingweight 310
stiffness 70
balance is 2 points HL
Not sure what OP is.

It appears from the responses that I should
put the lead tape at 3 and 9 o'clock
to add to stability on volleys.
But I think I will also need to put
lead tape under the original grip on the handle to keep
the same head light balance.

I am thinking of putting about 7 inches of lead
tape at 3 and 9 o'clock. That is about 1/8 ounce.
Is that a good idea?

But to keep the original head light balance, I heard I need to put even more
lead tape on the handle, since the handle
is further from the balance point.
Not sure how much lead tape to put on the handle,
maybe about 10 or 11 inches, which is
about 3/16 ounce. Is that about right? If not, what?

Any one specific place to put the lead tape on the handle, or all around the handle? I would put the lead tape somewhere
underneath the original grip that comes with the racquet.

I would also put an overgrip on top of the original grip,
so maybe I don't need as much lead tape as I thought on the handle, under the original grip,
because I will have an overgrip, and the overgrip adds a little weight.
So maybe I should add less than my original estimate of 10 or 11 inches of lead tape on the handle.
How much should I add on the handle?
(7 inches of lead tape = about 1/8 ounce).

So from my figures above, I would be adding about
5/16 ounce total of lead tape, which is 1/8 ounce in the head,
3/16 ounce on the handle. Plus a Wilson Pro overgrip on the handle, whatever that weighs. Does that sound OK?

 

[Muppet]

You could weigh the overgrip and put half of that amount divided between 3 and 9. For example, if the OG weighs 8g, put 2g at 3 and 2g at 9. See how it plays and tinker with it from there.

 

[SpinToWin]

I'd add lead at 3/9 in 2g increments until the frame feels solid enough.

You will however need less mass in the handle (not more like you said) for balancing purposes as it is further from the balance point.

Let me give you a useful analogy: Imagine a 30cm ruler balanced at 15cm. If you place a 1g weight at 20cm and a 1g weight at 5cm, the ruler will topple over towards the weight at 5cm (balance point shifted towards it). This is because the weight at 5cm has a larger displacement from the initial balance point, which means there is more torque at its position.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torque

Anyways, use the TWU swingweight and balance tools as help/guidance.

 

[LeeD]

Lead is cheap, is easy to adjust.
Add gradually, 10-2, and just up the buttcap, same amount.
When it's too heavy, you're always late even with early prep.
The heaviest you can handle is the best and most effective.
Me, weak and old, 11.5 oz and 325 SW max.

 

[Jackson Heights]

I'd add lead at 3/9 in 2g increments until the frame feels solid enough.

You will however need less mass in the handle (not more like you said) for balancing purposes as it is further from the balance point.

Let me give you a useful analogy: Imagine a 30cm ruler balanced at 15cm. If you place a 1g weight at 20cm and a 1g weight at 5cm, the ruler will topple over towards the weight at 5cm (balance point shifted towards it). This is because the weight at 5cm has a larger displacement from the initial balance point, which means there is more torque at its position.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torque

Anyways, use the TWU swingweight and balance tools as help/guidance.

I'm no physicist, but to me an area further from
the balance point should need more weight
than an area closer to the balance point
in order to even things out (maintain the original balance).

 

[SmilinBob]

I'm no physicist, but to me an area further from
the balance point should need more weight
than an area closer to the balance point
in order to even things out (maintain the original balance).

It's just the opposite. something further away from the balance point will more greatly affect the balance. If you could theoretically put weight right at the balance point, you could put a near-infinite amount of mass there without changing the swing weight at all.

As for where to put the lead, do you know where you miss on volleys and how your racquet feels unstable? While 3 and 9 is a decent start suggestion, it doesn't work well for me. I tend to miss high and low on the string bed (much more often on the high side) so weight at 12 works much better for me. If your racquet feels like it twists when you hit it, start with just a few grams at 3 and 9 (7 inches of lead is a LOT...Start smaller). If your racquet feels like it gets pushed back or feels dead on contact, give some at 12 a try. Wanna split the difference? Try 10 and 2.

As others have said, you'll need to counter it in the handle if you want the same swing weight. Otherwise the feel of the racquet and your timing on your other strokes, particularly your serve, will change.

 

[Jackson Heights]

If your racquet feels like it twists when you hit it, start with just a few grams at 3 and 9 (7 inches of lead is a LOT...Start smaller).

.

I was thinking of putting 7 or 8 inches of lead tape on the head
at 3 and 9 to improve stability on volleys.
(Plus some more on the handle).
I did calculations of how much the lead tape I have weighs.
Seven or eight inches would come out to about 1/8 of an ounce on the head alone. Is that too much?
Should I put on only about 4 inches on the head? Is that enough to add stability?
Four inches of lead tape on the head at 3 and 9 would be about 1/16 ounce on the head.
Again I would add some lead tape underneath the original grip on the handle, to keep the same balance, plus I would add an overgrip to the handle.

So should I put on 4 inches of lead tape (1/16 ounce) on the head instead of 7 or 8 inches (1/8 ounce),
and then add lead tape underneath the handle to keep the original balance?

 

[Korso]

I would put 4 inch strips at the 3 and 9 initially. Test it out. If you like the way it feels put the same amount under the top of the grip to balance it out.

 

[Jackson Heights]

How Much Lead Tape Under Handle

This is getting interesting.
I wondered how much lead tape to put
underneath the original grip on the handle to counterbalance
putting lead tape on the head. I wanted to
keep the original head light balance of the racquet.
I will later on add an overgrip, so that should be factored in
when deciding how much lead tape to put on the handle.
(1) One person wrote to put MORE lead
tape underneath the original grip on the handle than I put on
the head, because the handle is further from the balance point than the head is.
(2) Then two people wrote that I should put
LESS lead tape under the handle's original grip than I put
on the head, because the handle is further from
the balance point than the head is.
(3) Then someone wrote I should put THE SAME
amount of lead tape under the handle's original grip as I put
on the head of the racquet.
As I wrote, this is getting interesting.