Racquet Technology - Fad or Fiction?

[NickJ]

Hi everyone, I just wanted to start a topic about all the various racquet technologies over the years and your thoughts on them. Are there any that you have thought have helped the racquet it was used on? What has been complete tosh and just a marketing gimmick probably implemented by some suit who has never picked up a racquet in their life!?
For me personally after a varying tennis career using almost exclusively Wilson, I have to say that the PWS on their frames has to be up there with one of the best, idea-wise and benefit to the frame(s). It must be to have been included on pretty much every Wilson frame I've used since the 80's. But the ying to this yang has to be the utter rubbish idea of the Wilson Rollers. How long did they last before they were got rid of . . . . ?
So, lets hear it. Graphene, Woofer, Cortex, BLX, KFactor, Biomimetic, Countervail, Hyper Hammer, Liquid Metal, Power Holes, FlexPoint, Textreme, VCore & Ezone, MicroGel, all the weird & wonderful names under the sun, what's been your favourite and what's been an absolute dogs dinner?

 

[Crocodile]

Kinetic technology from Pro Kennex has been great for people who suffer from arm problems.
Volkl's various handle systems have been effective in creating a softer feel for their racquets.

 

[Imago]

I like the Cortex system

 

[haegger]

My answer is: some are fact; a lot of them are fiction.

 

[Shroud]

Volkls optispot is just silly. Princes oports and grommets kill their racquets for me

 

[Anton]

Racket Technology is real, but has stopped evolving (beyond manufacturing cost cutting) about 20 years ago.

Murray and Djoker use 20 year old molds and layups

Federer uses a derivative of 6.1 Classic with slightly bigger head and a fancy paint job.

Even Nadal's 13 year old APD is a derivative from Pure Drive which it self was based on ProKennex Destiny mold.

 

[BlueB]

Oh great, we didn't have a new thread on this for how long... about a week?

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[Dartagnan64]

Clearly the game has changed substantially over the last 20 yrs and although a lot of that is due to string technology, some of it must be related to racket technology. Lighter, stiffer frames to allow faster swings with less energy loss. Comfort technology to save arms from these stiffer frames. Midsplus frames offering stability and larger sweetspots. Spin enhancing grommet changes and wider spaced string beds to enhance topspin.

Some pros may be using older rackets but most have embraced new technology and use current frames with some spec changes. Very few are playing 85-90 sq cm rackets these days. In fact I suspect no one is. 97-100 sq cm seems to be the norm.

 

[n8dawg6]

I like the Cortex system

i like the radwanska

 

[n8dawg6]

I like the Cortex system

girl, i will buy you a new racquet. dont you worry. what else would like, anything, literally anything you request

 

[BlueB]

97-100 sq cm seems to be the norm.

Make that 95-100, as a lot of those Head 98s paintjobs are actually 95s.

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[Booger]

95% hot air. You know it. I know it. Everyone knows it.

 

[Crocodile]

A lot of new and up and coming pro players will not be offered the old molds and are being encouraged to choose current lay ups . If you are Novak or Roger it's all different.
Even if you scratch the paint of Novak's racquet, it's an Orange LM Radical there.
Give it few more years and everything will evolve. A 14 year old elite player is growing up with today's stuff so when he/she hits the tour I can't see them going to a Wilson 6.0 85.

 

[Crocodile]

I think a lot depends on the brand and what they offer now compared to before. There is no doubt that many people miss the era when Head made twin tube frames. A lot of players feel that these were their best frames, particularly the ones coming out of Austria. Other brands like Yonex at present have moved forward so their current technology is very good.

 

[Booger]

A lot of new and up and coming pro players will not be offered the old molds and are being encouraged to choose current lay ups . If you are Novak or Roger it's all different.
Even if you scratch the paint of Novak's racquet, it's an Orange LM Radical there.
Give it few more years and everything will evolve. A 14 year old elite player is growing up with today's stuff so when he/she hits the tour I can't see them going to a Wilson 6.0 85.

Your brain naturally adapts your technique to whatever equipment to train most with. If you spend 10,000 hours of your formative tennis years with a particular setup, that's the only one you want to use. The margin for error is so tiny in tennis, the learning curve for new stuff isn't worth it to most. Pros still use lux big banger and gut hybrids in their 6.1's and APD's because that's what they learned with 15 years ago.

If you look at what the kids are using now (full bed shaped poly in blades or pure aero), that's what will be on tour for the next generation.

 

[vsbabolat]

The tennis industry is trying to be like the mobile phone industry. Every 2 years you have to upgrade. The Graphite racquets dont wear-out anywhere close to how the wooden racquets did. With wood you had to buy new racquets every year or every other year depending on how much you played. Graphite racquets are just too durable for their own good. So the racquet companies have to artificially create a sinerio with marking that your current racquets is obsolete and you have to up grade to the new technology (marketing).

 

[ChaelAZ]

My answer is: some are fact; a lot of them are fiction.

Exactly. I have been lucky to demo racquets for a buddies shop and do some reviews. I had the opportunity to hit many of the racquets out there the last few years and in many case the model year over model year changes are nuance, if anything real at all. There have been some instances where a racquet provided real improvements in my play, but those have been a handful.

 

[haegger]

The tennis industry is trying to be like the mobile phone industry. Every 2 years you have to upgrade. The Graphite racquets dont wear-out anywhere close to how the wooden racquets did. With wood you had to buy new racquets every year or every other year depending on how much you played. Graphite racquets are just too durable for their own good. So the racquet companies have to artificially create a sinerio with marking that your current racquets is obsolete and you have to up grade to the new technology (marketing).

This!!! Spot on!!!

 

[Shroud]

i like the radwanska

Be careful. You see what she can do to break your head

 

[GBplayer]

Some pros may be using older rackets but most have embraced new technology and use current frames with some spec changes. Very few are playing 85-90 sq cm rackets these days. In fact I suspect no one is. 97-100 sq cm seems to be the norm.

I don't think anyone has used racquets this small for many years.

 

[NeedforPRESTIGE]

Clearly the game has changed substantially over the last 20 yrs and although a lot of that is due to string technology, some of it must be related to racket technology. Lighter, stiffer frames to allow faster swings with less energy loss. Comfort technology to save arms from these stiffer frames. Midsplus frames offering stability and larger sweetspots. Spin enhancing grommet changes and wider spaced string beds to enhance topspin.

Some pros may be using older rackets but most have embraced new technology and use current frames with some spec changes. Very few are playing 85-90 sq cm rackets these days. In fact I suspect no one is. 97-100 sq cm seems to be the norm.

I agree with you
however the units for the headsize should be sq in. instead of sq cm

 

[PBODY99]

Fad or fiction is an interesting take on Racquet Tech. Fiction as in there is nothing new, no. Fad, no just the way the companies do business. The cell phone marketing model is an interesting take on how so many things are promoted these days.
We all play with frames that are the result Howard Head attempt to stop mis-hitting balls.
The change in layups as the graphite composite industry continues to innovate, doe snot always translate into a hitting experience everyone can appreciate.
Ports I like. Current Textreme layup is pleasantly different, in my !07 Warrior. As A player who used most materials from wood to the current offerings,I offer this.
For many players you will get a feel that works & you will try to keep what you know.
The companies will keep trying to get folks to change, for the bottom line sake.

 

[PBODY99]

Fad or fiction is an interesting take on Racquet Tech. Fiction as in there is nothing new, no. Fad, no just the way the companies do business. The cell phone marketing model is an interesting take on how so many things are promoted these days.
We all play with frames that are the result Howard Head attempt to stop mis-hitting balls.
The change in layups as the graphite composite industry continues to innovate, doe snot always translate into a hitting experience everyone can appreciate.
Ports I like. Current Textreme layup is pleasantly different, in my !07 Warrior. As A player who used most materials from wood to the current offerings,I offer this.
For many players you will get a feel that works & you will try to keep what you know.
The companies will keep trying to get folks to change, for the bottom line sake.

 

[Imago]

girl, i will buy you a new racquet. dont you worry. what else would like, anything, literally anything you request

"Don't give WC to Sharapova!"

 

[Dartagnan64]

I agree with you
however the units for the headsize should be sq in. instead of sq cm

oops my Canadian metricism has been outed.

 

[nvr2old]

I see tennis is no different from other hobbies in this respect. I race motocross, ride mtn bikes, play music, and golf in addition to tennis. Without exception they all market in a cycle that expounds the virtues of the new line as superior, often when very little change has taken place or if so only noticeable by a vey select few upper echelon people. In motocross you can offset talent with horsepower sometimes, in mtn bikes by buying a lighter bike, in golf maybe the lure of a new longer hitting driver, in music the shiny new guitar or amp with different sound. Rarely does any of it help except practice and getting better from my experience. Companies have to stay in business so can't fault them for advertising glitz. Up to the consumer to decide what they realistically need vs want IMO. Ken

 

[sureshs]

Fad or fiction is an interesting take on Racquet Tech. Fiction as in there is nothing new, no. Fad, no just the way the companies do business. The cell phone marketing model is an interesting take on how so many things are promoted these days.

Not correct at all. Advances in cell phones are amazing from model to model, be it data rates, battery life, or software features. Rackets have not changed in the last 20 years (after graphite material and bigger heads were introduced). In strings, there was the poly revolution. That is about all.

 

[nvr2old]

Kind of reminds of what I said a few years ago when a new pair of black shoes were delivered that my wife had bought. She has many shoes and many black ones. Me, the typical stupid husband asked, why she needed another pair of black shoes. She replied that they were different to which I said "a different shade of black?" Needless to say this didn't go over well. To each his own I've learned. Ken

 

[sureshs]

Kind of reminds of what I said a few years ago when a new pair of black shoes were delivered that my wife had bought. She has many shoes and many black ones. Me, the typical stupid husband asked, why she needed another pair of black shoes. She replied that they were different to which I said "a different shade of black?" Needless to say this didn't go over well. To each his own I've learned. Ken

Yeah but fashion is different from sports

 

[GBplayer]

Yeah but fashion is different from sports

Is it?

 

[PeteD]

Kinetic technology from Pro Kennex has been great for people who suffer from arm problems.
Volkl's various handle systems have been effective in creating a softer feel for their racquets.

I had tennis elbow a ways back and really believed Kennex or some other miracle racquet would be the answer. Didn't work. What finally worked was not so much the racquet as the whole game, starting with better footwork, which means better balance and a more relaxed swing. Lower string tension also helped.