question for the brain trust

[merlebo02]

from a recent post some of you know that I have demo'd 4 racquets. I currently hit with a 6.1 95 BLX (both 18x20 and 16x18). Guy I was playing with today (division 1 player at a major college) who knows tennis was telling me that he could see a major change in the ball (cleaner/heavier balls) when I was hitting with this 1 particular demo (BLX blade 98).

My question is can a racquet make that big of a difference in ones stroke? I have been playing with the 6.1 for about a year so you would think that I would have dev a better game with it since its what I'm use to, instead of a racquet that I have just picked up. Is there only a few racquets out there amongst the many that optimize your game, or can you pretty much get use to any racquet and reach your max potential?

I am a 4.5 player, could play 5.0 if I got serious about it and got into physical shape to play 5.0. Im not a gadget kinda guy, never really studied or fell into the circle of demoing a lot of racquets and strings. Up until this 6.1 that I bought last year the only other racquet I have owned in my life was the Wilson 6.2 hammer (the skunk I've heard it called). Anyways him making this statement today got me to thinking about this and I thought I would ask you guys.

2 other racquets I demo'd were the Wilson steam 99 and the wilson open, and when hitting with those he made the statement that he could tell both of those racquets were to light for me and could tell my shots were not near as heavy.

 

[merlebo02]

86 views and not a single response

 

[Say Chi Sin Lo]

86 views and not a single response

Here's your response.

 

[Fed Kennedy]

Sounds like the blade works for you...dont overthink it

 

[movdqa]

One thing about the body is that it adapts to changing conditions over time. Let's say that you hit with a heavy racquet and then go to a lighter one. The lighter one is going to feel like it's a lot easier to swing for a while until your body gets used to it and then it's going to feel normal. If you go back to your heavy racquet, it will feel like it takes more effort.

So sometimes you try a new racquet and it feels great but you might not necessarily play better with it over the long run. Your current racquet may set you up so that hitting with another racquet feels better. Until your body adjusts.

 

[Cesar1992]

from a recent post some of you know that I have demo'd 4 racquets. I currently hit with a 6.1 95 BLX (both 18x20 and 16x18). Guy I was playing with today (division 1 player at a major college) who knows tennis was telling me that he could see a major change in the ball (cleaner/heavier balls) when I was hitting with this 1 particular demo (BLX blade 98).

My question is can a racquet make that big of a difference in ones stroke? I have been playing with the 6.1 for about a year so you would think that I would have dev a better game with it since its what I'm use to, instead of a racquet that I have just picked up. Is there only a few racquets out there amongst the many that optimize your game, or can you pretty much get use to any racquet and reach your max potential?

I am a 4.5 player, could play 5.0 if I got serious about it and got into physical shape to play 5.0. Im not a gadget kinda guy, never really studied or fell into the circle of demoing a lot of racquets and strings. Up until this 6.1 that I bought last year the only other racquet I have owned in my life was the Wilson 6.2 hammer (the skunk I've heard it called). Anyways him making this statement today got me to thinking about this and I thought I would ask you guys.

2 other racquets I demo'd were the Wilson steam 99 and the wilson open, and when hitting with those he made the statement that he could tell both of those racquets were to light for me and could tell my shots were not near as heavy.

You received the exact best advice on demoing racquets. How your opponent reacts to your ball quality and what he sees in your technique is far better than anything that you may feel. Results are more important then how you feel. Just ask the girl who you didn't last 2 minutes with; you felt great but she dumped you...LOL!!!

 

[fuzz nation]

Switching off to a lighter racquet in the middle of a session might feel borderline miraculous, just because it's suddenly easier to get it to the ball. Then again, some racquets just offer a naturally better fit for the way we swing at a ball.

The Six.One 95 line of frames offer a lot of heft and significant stiffness - that can add up to a lot of potential to hit with power, but can also make for a frame that can be especially explosive and harder to control when you take your full swing. Also, if the racquet is heavy enough that it moves a little slower than what you need, that could make it tougher to generate decent spin on your shots (but flatter hits still have plenty of zip).

I'd say get another outing with the Blade 98 without warming up with another racquet beforehand. See how it works for you when starting up with less of a "reference racquet" in your muscle memory. That should help with figuring out whether you're on to something.

I swithched away from my old 6.1 Classics into the more flexible and only slightly less hefty Volkl C10 a few years back. Although the C10 had a heft and balance that was in the neighborhood of my 6.1's, it offered me a much higher degree of control. That was an instant boost for me, especially around the baseline, since I could suddenly use my full swings with much less of a need to "hold back" so that I could keep the ball on the court. I found a better fit.

That Blade 98 offers more flex in a leaner package than the Six.One 95, so it probably feels easier to get it to the ball and also whup up spin more easily over a full session. I'd say just pay attention to the stability of the Blade 98, especially when you're on the defensive, and make sure it generally sends the ball through the court for you without too much effort. I've coached a couple of kids who use that frame and it was a very good upgrade for them - one is still slugging with it nicely for her college team.