I think you are thinking in far too simplistic of terms.
I have an opinion which happens to put me on one end of the spectrum, and I don't really agree with the "middle is better" sentiment. That doesn't mean my thinking is too simplistic, though. It's just different.
1) You are right in that the labeling of 9 ounce racquets as "beginner racquets" is basically a misconception and a marketing gimmick. Tons of people would agree with that, and if you stuck to that argument I would definately agree with you.
Yea, that's the larger point. The industry will have us believe that frames are progressive. You start with a beginner frame and advance to a players frame. It's hogwash.
Most of these racquets probally are not all that great for anyone except your recreational player who just goes out to play occasionally to hit the ball around.
Nah, they aren't even good for them. Like I said before, if you'd be afraid of what the racket will do you your arm, why wish it on someone who is just beginning the game, unless you're trying to scare them away. The size of the court and weight of balls makes these rackets a poor fit for anyone.
2) You seem to disagree that there is a drawback to using "too heavy" of a racquet. You are wrong. There are injury issues with using too heavy of a racquet just like the light racquets. Mainly shoulder pain which stems from poor technique and using too much shoulder and arm because you do not use your body weight and trunk rotation.
Heavy racquets are not magically going to make a beginner play better, there are plenty of players with strong arms who can go out and swing a 12 ounce racquet pretty well for awhile until they screw up their shoulder. (sort of like the legions of little league baseball pitchers who blow their shoulder out in High School because they dont have good technique)
A heavier racquet makes the player NEED to swing faster which is not always a good thing. To someone with talent and who has good form already it sounds great (because they realize the simple idea that better players hit the ball harder), but in reality for most of us it's more important to learn how to hit the ball SMOOTHLY rather than quickly otherwise you see a bunch of people with really fast jerky strokes that lead to inconsistancy.
That also leads to shoulder pain like I said above.
I just don't agree with what you're saying here. Nothing about a heavier racket makes a player need so swing faster. You may have to prepare a little earlier, because you can't just take a fly-swatter type swat at the ball with a decent frame, but if anything a players racket will help the player take a smooth swing.
And you cant say "that's only a one ounce difference from a "tweener" racquet, because if you cant admit that one ounce makes a differnece, then your whole argument is blown because most tennis racquets are between 9-12 ounces. (only a 3 ounce difference)
I agree with you that I overemphasized the insignificance of the weight difference trying to make a point at some... point. A player can adapt to a couple more ounces pretty easily. If you never tell a new player that a 12 ounce racket is heavy, chances are they won't think it's too heavy. Where the weight is very significant is on impact with the ball.
NBMJ is right, players should find the racquet that works right for them considering what they are trying to do. Just handing someone a 9 ounce or a 12 ounce frame just because you have some romantism with it, would be extremely lazy and wrong. (because there are tons of good frames in between)
I don't have any sort of "romantism" with any frames. I'm just getting tired of so many aspects of tennis leading to its own lack of popularity, equipment being one of them.
My opinion is clear here. I think that beginners are capable of handling frames that most people would consider to be players frames. The tennis world learned with wood when tennis was at its peak in America in the 70's and early 80's. Because of the weight of the ball, and the nature of the game and how everything sort of comes together, a head light frame hovering around the 12 ounce mark just works.
Does that mean that every player ends up with a 12 ounce frame, and we remove all variety and choice... NO. To me it means that we stop hurting beginning tennis players by trying to sell them on this notion that player development should be linked to a progressive frame system.
I agree that it's important to find a frame that fits the player. And you know what? If that frame fits the player as they are beginning, it's probably the same sort of frame they will be able to use as they advance. There shouldn't be that much difference. Recreational players used to play with frames around the same specifications as what professionals used. Then engineers got creative with new materials and designs, and finally companies sold us on this idea that we aren't capable of handling professional spec frames. The problem for recreational players is that the weight of the ball and physics of the game haven't changed; just the rackets. The rackets that are marketed to beginners are a poor fit for the game.
