Can someone explain to me the differences between having a bigger head size to a smaller one? Is it with a bigger head size it more forgiving? I am currently using the new fed racket which is 90 square inches in Head size. So if I were to switch my racket to the new Wilson blade 16x19 that has a 98 head size. Would the head size make. Difference?
I just wanna know what the difference of a smaller head size to a bigger one. And any other information on this subject would help. Thanks.
The biggest difference is in "spin window", a term that describes the effective width of the racquet face when attacking the ball with an upward trajectory to produce topspin. See:
http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/learning_center/trajectory_info.php#window
Spin Window
This is the maximum available approach window for the ball so as not to clip the frame coming in or going out and to have enough room to slide along the racquet face. The width of the spin approach window is actually less than the width of the string landing zone that it gives access to and also less than the total string runway available — but first you have to get in the window. The window varies according to shot characteristics, impact location, racquet width at impact location, frame height at impact location, and the angle of impact. Larger spin windows have greater room for error which increases reliability of and confidence in the shot, and thus encourages faster and steeper swings to increase spin.
To compare spin windows for racquets, make sure all the inputs are the same for each racquet.
To compare spin windows for different shots, change one variable at a time on racquet B and see how that effects spin window compared to A.
The spin window is the maximum approach window available — the amount if you just missed the frame as it approached the stringbed. But as long as the ball comes in anywhere inside this window and thus lands on the available string landing zone, you will have room for a clean hit.
Some brands use headshapes that are especially wide or narrow, so spin window varies quite a lot. You can't just go by the size of the head. You can compare the spin windows of different racquets, as described above, using this tool:
http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/cgi-bin/trajectory_maker.cgi#window
Aside from spin window...
2. Wider-faced racquets tend to have higher twistweight than narrow ones, so midplus frames usually are more torsionally stable than mids, if the two frames have similar swingweight. There are exceptions to this, and it's easy to create one yourself with some leadtape added to 3&9 o'clock, which increases twistweight and torsional stability quite a bit.
The torsional stability offered by high twistweight also means that shots struck near 3&9 rebound at a greater speed than with low-twistweight sticks. So, in general, a midplus will produce a faster shot if the ball is struck off-center than will a mid.
3. Midplus frames are, all else being equal, a little more powerful than mids. But most experienced players will increase string tension to achieve equivalent stringbed stiffness when moving from a mid to a midplus. If tension is adjusted like this the midplus will not be more powerful than the mid.
4. Midplus frames tend to have more open patterns. Open patterns are generally believed to produce more spin than closed ones. Open patterns also tend to rebound the ball at a higher angle, making for more natural depth. (Although depth can just as easily be achieved with a dense pattern by adjusting one's swing and/or racquet-face angle at impact.
5. It has been conventional wisdom for a long time that mids are more accurate than midpluses. This is debatable if string tension is adjusted as described above, if poly strings are used, and if spin is used for depth control, but mids continue to have the reputation as being the most precise sticks around. It's probably true, although Rafa seems very accurate to me with his 100 square inch, 16x18 Bab.
