Need Help Choosing a Racquet and Figuring out Playing Style

[Espeon]

Hi everyone,
So, I demoed several rackets including almost all the Babolat lines, PS95, blade, pb10 mid, C10pro, ProKennex, and other ones I don't remember, and ended up with a KPS88 as my first racket since it was the only one that just fits in my hand and felt the most natural on ground strokes.
I've been working on improving my ground strokes but never got a chance to develop my game since the tennis season in high school only lasted a few months and we were the second worst double on the team and didn't get to play much at all.
I didn't even know how to serve and volley properly. My partner was an insanely athletic guy who could run and get every ball, so my only job was to blast hard shots to finish off points.
After that I continue to do some baseline bashing with my buddies on weekends but we never play for points.
4 days ago, I decided to join a tennis club where I can play everyday and they'll even find us a match, so I think I may need a new racket because I was told playing with a smaller head size will put me at disadvantage.
Also, I recently took 6 hours of lessons and learned the basics of how to serve and volley.
The pro at the club said he's surprised by my mechanics and gave me NTRP rating of 4.25 without knowing how I'd play in a match.
My forehand grip is half way between semi western and full western with a relatively straighter arm and my two handed backhand hand has a somewhat compact swing. I can adjust the amount of spin and angle however I like to hit at a flatter trajectory.

I currently have a Pure Drive Tour+ for demo and just played two matches with it against two weak 4.0 players. The racket is crazily powerful so I have to hit at a much higher launch angle with a lot more topspin. The first one was an older male with really good slices and ball placement, I was winning 5-1 by overwhelming him with spin and power from deep ground strokes, and then he got used to the speed and caught up, but luckily I still beat him 6-4. I honestly might be in big trouble if we play another set. The other one was a pusher girl. She was really fast and able get every ball. I was losing 4-0 until I switched my racket back to KPS88, I turned it around and beat her 7-5, 6-1. With the PDT+ I was forced to aim for a bigger target and my shots weren't as sharp. I wasn't even hitting hard with the KPS88 but I was able to place the ball wherever I want at different angle, speed, and amount of spin. Also, the KPS is an oz heavier but I can get it around much faster than the PDT+.

So, my question is, should I stick with KPS88 or should I give PDT+ or other modern frames more time and hit with more spin(more net clearance) until I get used to them? I never get to play with stronger players yet, so I don't know what it'd be like to be on defense with the KPS. I also don't know what my play style will be like in the future because I don't have enough experience with volleying and serving, that's why right now I have to stay at the baseline most of the time and go to net only to finish off some points, but so far I surprisingly won quite a few points at net, so I think I will try to improve my net game asap. I tried to finish off points as fast as possible and avoid long rallies because I have poor balance and awful hand eye coordination. How do you guys figure out what play style is most suited for you and how long does it take to do so?

Thank you very much for your time! Any inputs will be greatly appreciated.

 

[phanker]

What strings are you using in the current rackets?

 

[Espeon]

What strings are you using in the current rackets?

KPS88 strung with Luxilon 4g at 45 lbs and PDT+ strung with Hurricane at 54 lbs.

 

[LeeD]

Something in between, with lots of good factors from each, and without losing too much from each.

 

[phanker]

PDT+ is so way overkill for you it seems if you can still manage the KPS88 fine.
There are so many options but something in the 95-97 sq in. like a Yonex Tour G 330 might suit you rather well. It'll play similar to the KPS88 but with much more forgiveness.
You can also try a thicker, lower powered poly than the hurricane in you PDT+ to see how that goes.

 

[sarthak809]

Try the Head graphene radical series racquet. There are too many variations, I think graphene radical mp would suit you,It has medium power, amazing stability and feedback. While you are at it, have a look at graphene speed mp too.
BTW I don't use head racquets anymore, babolat APDGT suits me better.

 

[pfrischmann]

Tough Call. It sounds like you are strong enough and are also used to using heavier racquets. I've never player the KPS-88 but I remember reading specs that its an old school Pro-staff. Maybe you should start demoing there. The RF-97 is a little lighter, has a little less swing weight and a bigger head. That or it's little brother, the PS-97 might be good places to start. It won't feel like as much of a leap as going to a Pure Drive, which probably feels like a whippy rocket laucher in comparison.

 

[inzone]

Stay with the KPS88. Or as others have mentioned try the RF97 if you want a newer frame. If you do not want your KPS88 I will trade you for one of my 6.1 95 16x18 frames.

 

[Espeon]

Thank you all!

 

[Faker]

Damn straight arm with a grip between semi-western and western. I really don't see how that is possible.

Other than what other people have suggested, I'll always suggest the blade 98 18x20 to people who prefer base lining and aren't at the extremes of playstyle(Imagine prime Federer at one end and clay prime Nadal at the other). Its basically a jack of all trade master of none type of racquet in my opinion which could be a good thing for you. Depending on how you like that racquet, you could gauge whether or not you want more spin or control.

 

[Jamesm182]

Heres my advice, whilst you figure out your game and style as you play more ...finding a racket or spec you like is a journey, for now i would try to demo rackets and find one that does everything well. Then as you become more aware of yourself and capabilities i would look deeper.

Basic frames i would look to start at would be

Wilson Blade 98 (18/20 Is great , but if you need spin maybe 16/19)
Babolat Pure strike tour
Wilson RF97 (decent headsize , and you seem to like heavier frames)
Yonex 330 duel g when released also looks good.

Also once you find a good base racket you can tinker and customise yourself which is a very rewarding experience when you get it right.

 

[SpinToWin]

Alright I'll be a tiny bit more analytical than the rest here...

What probably bothered you with the PDT is the twistweight, as these modern thick beamed racquets have high twistweights and thus feel less wippy around the area of contact IME. The KPS88 is a small, narrow head and has a thin beam, which makes it have a relatively low twistweight for its weight and swingweight.

Considering that, I'd recommend you get into the 95-98 range in terms of racquet head sizes and look for mildly thicker beams, but not too much. This includes the Blade 98 (16x19 I'd say since you're coming from open string patterns), the VCore Tour G 330, the Burn FST 95, the Textreme Tour 95 and the Pro Staff 97S. I may have forgotten some, but I believe narrowing it down to these specs will help you.

Good luck on your search and have fun on the courts!

 

[sma1001]

My starting point here is twofold. Firstly you are a player of such a standard and athleticism that you can likely adjust the any racquet when forced to. Hence you found a way to win with 2 very different racquets - one an old school, relatively heavy, thin beamed control orientated racquet, and the other a light(ish) larger headed and extended power/spin racquet. You have found some virtues and vices in each. This is common, because all told that's exactly what these racquets bring - virtues and vices. So advice above to the effect that you should look for something in between appears fundamentally sound. As ever, there is a lot to choose from and i think you should look to demo a few frames around the 95-98 range to try to narrow down the size/stiffness/spin/string patterns/weight options. A couple of demo might look like this:

Box 1

Prince Textreme Tour 95 - the control, smaller head, head light option
Wilson Blade 98 18/20 - the control but lighter static with more swingweight option
Volkl Super G 10 325 - open string pattern, more spin, but still decent control
Yonex VCore Tour 330 - heavier, open pattern but in Yonex's uniqus shape - the try the different head shape option

Box 2

Wilson Burn FST 95 - like the Prince but more weight and stiffness. Closer to the old school 6.1s
Wilson PS97 16/19 - a blend of characteristics (or if you prefer more weight the RF97)
Head XT Prestige Pro - heavier 16/19 option with polarised set up, to see if the graphene polarised lay up works for you
Yonex DR98 - assuming the Vcore doesn't put you off - this is a less stiff and lower weight YY option

You could mix and match. But theses demo boxes cover a fair array in the 95-98 range. If you like one as a stand out then that narrows down options again.

Best of luck. Some of us are still searching!

 

[esgee48]

Use Racquetfinder.com and look for frames that are at least 12 oz or near enough that you can still tinker with balance. Limit the headsize you're looking for too. BTW, the KPS88 was scanned and measured some time ago on the TT forums. IIRC, it was actually greater than a 90 in^2. (I know, I am a fountain of useless trivia. )