Racket Choice for an Intermediate - Does it make any difference?

[mac-1210]

Just wondering how racket choice effects intermediate players. My background - I enthusiastically played tennis back in the late 1990s as a teenager using a Radical Twin Tube 690. Started playing regularly again about 4 years ago and purchased a 2019 Pure Aero. Obviously felt a big difference when I made that racket switch from a 1990's Radical to the Pure Aero but much prefer the Pure Aero.

I'd class myself as a solid recreational 'intermediate' who takes regular coaching and is developing correct technique.

When selecting a racket, I understand that the first thing an intermediate needs to get right is the weight/balance and basics like getting a correct grip size. For this reason, I went with a Pure Aero at 300g. When I see comparison reviews, they always talk about different rackets generating power, spin, control etc with different beam width and stiffness etc. What level do you really need to be at for this to make much of a difference? If I had selected a different racket to the Pure Aero, but with the same weight would it have made that much difference? I ask because a lot of us don't really have much of a chance to demo all rackets and end up just buying one on the advertised specifications. I realise playing with two different models, one after another, you will probably feel and hear a difference, but in the long run when I see a review saying 'I didn't feel as much control with this racket' or 'I could generate easy spin from the baseline'...is this a huge factor for a recreational intermediate?

 

[Trip]

Welcome back to tennis, Mac.

In short, for most recreational intermediates, the major specs of head size, unstrung weight and balance are all you really need to be concerned about, at least initially. As long as you're using a head size of 97-110 square inches, unstrung weight of 280-320g, and balance of at least 1 or 2 points head-light (or more), you'll have something in your hand that allows you to at least get out and enjoy tennis in general terms. Beyond those, the more minor spec differences (string pattern, beam width, material makeup, stiffness/flex and mass distribution) will play a lesser role, especially in relation to your skill and fitness level.

All of that being said, the good news is you've chosen a racquet in the Pure Aero that's not only spec'd light enough for most intermediates, but one that is also relevant for the way today's game has evolved (a lot more baseline-centric play, with higher amounts of power and spin). This means it will be both a good learning platform and just about as good a weapon as any if/when you ever wish to play as competitively as you can.

Beyond just the frame, though, are the strings, which are every bit as important, if not more so (even for an intermediate). As you'll no-doubt become aware of (if you haven't already), poly strings are all the rage right now, and frames like the Pure Aero are built for them. That said, I would actually caution against using them altogether for now, as you likely don't have the racquet head speed or technique to truly benefit from them, and at that point all they really represent is a heightened chance to hurt your arm, especially if you play with dead poly (and all poly goes dead eventually). Instead, I recommend you stick to synthetic gut and/or multifilament, at least until build up enough skill and fitness, and most importantly identify a trusted coach or resource who can safely help you transition into trying it. So fight the impulse to just jump into poly, and approach it delicately. It will definitely save your arm and your tennis game in the long run.

I hope that helps give you a relative sense of how important the technical side is. Overall, especially considering the frame you have now, I wouldn't worry about it too much. If you want to dive even further, though, happy to oblige. Welcome back again and happy hitting!

 

[Rosstour]

It matters a lot IMO

You need to feel good about your racquet to play well.

 

[ChanterRacquet]

Yep, but strings are more important. I can play with several different, but similarly spec’d, racquets as long as they have my string setup.

 

[FuzzyYellowBalls]

I don't think you will win or lose a match because of your Pure Aero. But, you might want to try something a tad different for kicks. Maybe a pure strike, ezone 98, vcore 98, heads, might add more fun to tennis, might not.

 

[Hansen]

the difference in armfriendliness can be huge between different racquets, and that is a big factor.

 

[ryohazuki222]

I’ve always advocated that it’s not ONLY your current level that matters. It’s also the level you aspire to play at.

In short: if you’re an intermediate that always wants to be intermediate, then IMO, the racket doesn’t matter other than the obvious like right grip size and something that doesn’t hurt you to play with short and long term (from an arm pain perspective).

back when I taught tennis, I often gave aspiring to advanced but currently intermediate players more “players like” sticks. The reason is it’s impossible to cheat on form. Some stick with them and love developing their game to support the racket. Others train with them for a little and then go back to their team of choice. Basically… it was just a training tool.

give someone a 370 gram racket and they quickly figure out that they need better footwork and stroke mechanics.*
*assuming the don’t hurt themselves first trying to wrist the ball with that much weight….. -___-

 

[gold325]

....but in the long run when I see a review saying 'I didn't feel as much control with this racket' or 'I could generate easy spin from the baseline'...is this a huge factor for a recreational intermediate?

You have picked a great racket to restart your tennis. Dont waste your time going down the rabbit hole of buying rackets based on reviews..... (Been there done that). With regard to your question it is definitely not a huge factor. As your game improves you will probably also start with these kind of statements.

 

[FuzzyYellowBalls]

give someone a 370 gram racket and they quickly figure out that they need better footwork and stroke mechanics.*

No rec player should touch a 370 gram stick. D 1 college kids use stock blades, PD, Paeros, ezone 98s etc. Is any adult aspiring to be better than that?

 

[ryohazuki222]

See: training aid
See: what level you aspire to be

i guarantee you any d1 player rocking stock sticks in that list above can HANDLE a 370g stick without much trouble. That’s my point. Go find me a player that can’t and I’ll change my mind. I’m not saying they need to use it or that they do use it. I’m saying that the basic mechanics that make someone high level translates in the ability to handle a “heavyweight racket”. Swing is smooth. In position. Good kinetic chain for power.

conversely, tons of rec players can’t handle a heavy stick without breaking something. The usual antipattern is going lighter because they “aren’t good enough”.

but if an intermediate rec player aspires to reach a top level of play, “racketing up” can help force them to handle more weight. Same logic as progressive overload in weight lifting. Again, amongst top tennis players… find me one that CANT use a 370g racket. They all can… they just don’t. Conversely many rev players flat out cant use that heavy a racket.

same thing as having players use wood rackets for a little bit. It’s super heavy by today’s standards but it’s not like you can’t play tennis with them. If used for that purpose, they are really good ensuring your swing on your “real racket” is smooth.

if you’re an intermediate rec player playing oversized 110 inch rackets because you “need forgiveness” that’s fine. But if you want to help train yourself to hit more consistently in the center of the racket… then it could make sense to “racket up” but grabbing a 100 in racket to force yourself to improve your ball striking.

 

[ryohazuki222]

Should probably state for the OP that if you’re an intermediate level player using any popular modern graphite racket within the recommended tension range, you’re fine. Best use of energy IMO is building consistency, control then power. And then rinse repeat. At some point you will realize as you approach advanced intermediate that one of those might be easier than another.

for me: I liked creating power and I used the racket to provide control. Then after teaching for a while, I realized I had insane control and started exploring power rackets to complement that. For a while I was getting diminishing returns as a control player using a control racket.

on the hierarchy of what matters. You should be able to be consistent no matter what stick you use. For an “intermediate” player id still expect consistency to be the biggest challenge to overcome.

 

[gold325]

you will probably feel and hear a difference, but in the long run when I see a review saying 'I didn't feel as much control with this racket' or 'I could generate easy spin from the baseline'...is this a huge factor for a recreational intermediate?

Not a factor AND also you have the perfect racquet for an recreational intermediate.

If you were playing with a Head Ti.S6 or some crap like that..... it would matter that you got out of it quickly.

 

[Fairhit]

Should probably state for the OP that if you’re an intermediate level player using any popular modern graphite racket within the recommended tension range, you’re fine. Best use of energy IMO is building consistency, control then power. And then rinse repeat. At some point you will realize as you approach advanced intermediate that one of those might be easier than another.

for me: I liked creating power and I used the racket to provide control. Then after teaching for a while, I realized I had insane control and started exploring power rackets to complement that. For a while I was getting diminishing returns as a control player using a control racket.

on the hierarchy of what matters. You should be able to be consistent no matter what stick you use. For an “intermediate” player id still expect consistency to be the biggest challenge to overcome.

I have thought about this many times, I like control frames a lot and my game is based on control, I like to rip winners whenever I can but precision is what I want the most, thankfully I have pretty soft hands and can control pretty well the ball so I have thought about going the power route and put the control myself.

 

[FuzzyYellowBalls]

See: training aid
See: what level you aspire to be

i guarantee you any d1 player rocking stock sticks in that list above can HANDLE a 370g stick without much trouble. That’s my point. Go find me a player that can’t and I’ll change my mind. I’m not saying they need to use it or that they do use it. I’m saying that the basic mechanics that make someone high level translates in the ability to handle a “heavyweight racket”. Swing is smooth. In position. Good kinetic chain for power.

conversely, tons of rec players can’t handle a heavy stick without breaking something. The usual antipattern is going lighter because they “aren’t good enough”.

but if an intermediate rec player aspires to reach a top level of play, “racketing up” can help force them to handle more weight. Same logic as progressive overload in weight lifting. Again, amongst top tennis players… find me one that CANT use a 370g racket. They all can… they just don’t. Conversely many rev players flat out cant use that heavy a racket.

same thing as having players use wood rackets for a little bit. It’s super heavy by today’s standards but it’s not like you can’t play tennis with them. If used for that purpose, they are really good ensuring your swing on your “real racket” is smooth.

if you’re an intermediate rec player playing oversized 110 inch rackets because you “need forgiveness” that’s fine. But if you want to help train yourself to hit more consistently in the center of the racket… then it could make sense to “racket up” but grabbing a 100 in racket to force yourself to improve your ball striking.

Intriguing, but do you really think a weightlifting approach is a good way to learn technique for higher level tennis? I guess a 370g racket could help a very raw beginner slow down and smooth out a herky jerky swing, but don't you think a nice medium weight 98 inch such as an ezone would be a better tool for an intermediate player to transition to higher level tennis? I think a 370 gram stick would just get in the way of learning the high racket head speed style. Might hurt someone too.

 

[mac-1210]

As an experiment, I tried out my wife's Head Gravity S for a few groundstrokes and serves. Obviously the big difference is the weight...285g versus my usual 300g. I could definitely feel a difference in the serve...the lighter racket felt like I could generate less momentum. On the groundstrokes, that may have been the case but it didn't bother me as much and enjoyed the hit. Felt a bit muted in comparison to the Pure Aero, but I think that's like any racket or even just playing with/without a dampner...at first feels/sounds a bit alien then quickly becomes normalised?

 

[Grafil Injection]

Rackets make very little difference at all once you've got something in the usual range of say 280-325g unstrung, 95-105sqi. If you are really aiming to improve your tennis, stick with one racket for a good while, and every-time you think about changing it, think about how you can improve your movement, timing, anticipation, technique, strategy and fitness instead. Problem is it costs a fair bit of time and money to work with a good coach on those.

 

[Fairhit]

Rackets make very little difference at all once you've got something in the usual range of say 280-325g unstrung, 95-105sqi. If you are really aiming to improve your tennis, stick with one racket for a good while, and every-time you think about changing it, think about how you can improve your movement, timing, anticipation, technique, strategy and fitness instead. Problem is it costs a fair bit of time and money to work with a good coach on those.

When I started, I did it with a cheap Wilson frame, like 3 months in I knew tennis was my thing and a teaching pro was using his Pure Aero 2016,he recommended highly that I bought one of those, I did it, at first I felt the immense power so I started to hit more controlled so the balls didn't sail long on me. My form was obviously a work in progress, I used to do a lot of shadow swings, watch a ton of YouTube videos, read a lot of articles and consume everything I had access to in order to improve, I quickly surpassed my fellow learners, I switched my group to another one more advanced, I was going strong and I was happy with my progress.

Then, the holic in me woke up and I purchased out of the blue a Blade 18 x 20 2015, the first time I took it out for a test drive I realized how much power does the Pure Aero has, the same swing that put my forehand in the service line now barely made the ball cross the net, this racquet made start to swing properly and to really harness the power from the kinetic chain to gain power.

As I see it, playing with the Pure Aero so early on made my strokes lazy and not properly developed, a player's frame gave the opportunity to really get a groove on my strokes and not just to pass the ball over the net.

Had I continued to play with the Aero, I think I would have hit a wall pretty fast and hindered my progress.

I think this kind of frames are a good option if you want to play and have the frame help you but development of your technique is not your priority, that way you can win matches but you won't improve as much, my own game drastically changed when I started playing with the Blade and I realized what kind of player I am, that wouldn't have happened if I kept playing with the Aero.

With my current technique I can wield a Drive or Aero and get the best the frame has to offer but in order to do that, I had to learn proper technique and I'm positive that is really difficult for begginer to learn proper technique if the first frame they use is that powerful.

 

[ChanterRacquet]

Felt a bit muted in comparison to the Pure Aero, but I think that's like any racket or even just playing with/without a dampner...at first feels/sounds a bit alien then quickly becomes normalised?

It is more than just weight and a dampener. The Gravity line of racquets are Head’s dedicated arm friendly performance line. They are designed to be flexy. The Aero is designed with a completely different goal in mind: spin, and that goal seems to require a firmer response. Of course you get used to how a frame feels, but as your game develops you’ll find different types of frames will suit you better than others.

 

[Humbi_HTX]

The higher your TT poster level, the more it to makes a difference.

On a serious note, try grabbing your friends, hitting partner, opponent... frames and try a swing at them, because how do you know what feels better to you or makes a difference in your game if you don't try it.

 

[slipgrip93]

If I had selected a different racket to the Pure Aero, but with the same weight would it have made that much difference? I ask because a lot of us don't really have much of a chance to demo all rackets and end up just buying one on the advertised specifications.

The Pure Aero 2019 has a high twistweight at 15.36 (TWU twistweight listing page). For experimenting for a different feel by weight (leaving type of strings and tensions aside), you could try adding weight tape to the 12 o'clock, and/or in the handle (or on the handle cap under the grip, like I've done with my kps88) to attempt to adjust the balance without adding to the twistweight too much, which may result in being more easier(less straining?) to swing, with a different , maybe more personally favorable plow, swingweight, and feel, despite added static weight.

This "higher" swingweight encouraging, guy's old video , probably popularly debatable in what he discusses, but could help with some modding ideas for with what you currently have with your racquet:

("you need to modify your racquet" yt video),
(another more recent swingweight focused video),
(earlier video on twistweight, and touches on Babolat Pure Aero types).

 

[nov]

Yes and no. There is no best racquet. But there is best racquet for your playing style, fitness etc. I believe there is a difference if you choose best racquet for your playing style and fitness, you can play better atleast in my experience.

 

[Grafil Injection]

When I started, I did it with a cheap Wilson frame, like 3 months in I knew tennis was my thing and a teaching pro was using his Pure Aero 2016,he recommended highly that I bought one of those, I did it, at first I felt the immense power so I started to hit more controlled so the balls didn't sail long on me. My form was obviously a work in progress, I used to do a lot of shadow swings, watch a ton of YouTube videos, read a lot of articles and consume everything I had access to in order to improve, I quickly surpassed my fellow learners, I switched my group to another one more advanced, I was going strong and I was happy with my progress.

Then, the holic in me woke up and I purchased out of the blue a Blade 18 x 20 2015, the first time I took it out for a test drive I realized how much power does the Pure Aero has, the same swing that put my forehand in the service line now barely made the ball cross the net, this racquet made start to swing properly and to really harness the power from the kinetic chain to gain power.

As I see it, playing with the Pure Aero so early on made my strokes lazy and not properly developed, a player's frame gave the opportunity to really get a groove on my strokes and not just to pass the ball over the net.

Had I continued to play with the Aero, I think I would have hit a wall pretty fast and hindered my progress.

I think this kind of frames are a good option if you want to play and have the frame help you but development of your technique is not your priority, that way you can win matches but you won't improve as much, my own game drastically changed when I started playing with the Blade and I realized what kind of player I am, that wouldn't have happened if I kept playing with the Aero.

With my current technique I can wield a Drive or Aero and get the best the frame has to offer but in order to do that, I had to learn proper technique and I'm positive that is really difficult for begginer to learn proper technique if the first frame they use is that powerful.

I do agree that the Pure Aero is at the extreme of the normal range, so should be treated with some caution.