Hiya, i am new to this forum but not new to playing tennis, i have been playing for about 2 years and own an rdx 300 which i absolutely love, i will give a short review of it so maybe you can understand my problem. Serving: Well this racket took me quite a while to get used to, so if some of you go and demo it play with it for a long time to see if you can get used to it. Serving with this racket was not incredibly easy, but not incredibly hard, at first i was not used to the weight and stiffness of the racket so i thought it felt a bit weird when i lifted it over my head to hit the ball. But like i said before, once i got used to it that was not a problem, my only problem now is the speed, i find it hard to generate a lot of speed, my serves are very flat but for people who add spin to their serves will love this racket. Forehand: I love hitting forehands with this racket because i feel that it has pinpoint accuracy. I also find that this racket is perfect for deep shots, everytime i think the ball is going out it bites the line. Top spin is also easily generated for those who use it. But the problem i have is that i find it hard to finish off a ralley, i seem to hit the ball really hard but the ball does not travel as fast as i would like it to. Backhand: I am not sure what this racket is like with a one-handed backhand, but i find it a dream with the two-hander. Backhand slices to tend to float unless you slice it with a fast swing. The backhand speed is perfect because unlike my forehand, i dont expect it to produce that much power, but still produces more power than some of my friends forehands. Volleys: I do not really tend to go to the net so i cant give that detailed an opinion on this aspect, i find volleying hard but i truley think that is just because i am not that good at it. Ok, so my problem is basically with my serve and forehand, i have tried to change how i serve but that didnt help, and i definately think i can get more power on my serves with this racket. I find my self at the baseline hitting deep shots and waiting for my opponent to make a mistake, because i find it hard to finish off a rally with a drilling shot. The way i am thinking of solving this is by changing my strings, because i have very basic yonex ones, i would love strings that gave me the extra power i need but i am not sure what ones to get, i was thinking of the big banger originals, but i will maybe let you guys/girls decide. Also will adding lead tape help my problem. Cheers for any help and sorry if this is meant to be in string section
And welcome to these boards... however I just went for an RDS003 myself. String looser - try 54lbs or 55. Looser strings gives more of a catapult to your groundstrokes. You will also find that it catches the ball longer in your serve, the ball will really fly hard if your timing is good. You will be able to add a bit more spin with looser strings. Try Wilson NXTfor a nice soft string with lots of feel. You're getting stuck too long in baseline rallies waiting for mistakes. An RDS003 gives good angles. Start working your opponents side to side. An RDS can do a good touch drop shot - brings your opponent to the net, then lob them. Take the ball earlier, step inside the court - you reduce their time to get to your shot and it will seem as if you just hit harder. The RDS003 is slower through the serve arc. It has good proper heft. Practice your serve outside of a game, by yourself, with a bucket of balls, do 1 hour at least. Practice the 3 basic serves: flat, slice and kick. You need them all. The RDS is very good at kick serves. Follow a kick serve to the net. Volley an angle, not straight. You have good neutralising depth on your groundtrokes but now you need more variation. The RDS003 is the right racquet to do all this. If you want power only maybe try a more aggressive racquet - thinner beam, smaller head size, more demanding. The RDS003 in stock form is a very responsive stick.You have to experiment with strings. We all do. Continually. Try lead for sure you'll soon find out. Here's some more words on the RDS003 my review after a first hit http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?p=1081930#post1081930
RDX 300 is a cracking stick - very similar to the rds 003. I prefer the RDX 300 though. Try stringing it at a lower tension. If you want to spend the $ go for gut / gut hybrid (i use Klip Xplosiv) go with that. If you want something a bit cheaper i really like Yonex 850 & $9 a set is a bargain!! String it at 56 mains 54 crosses and you will notice a difference. If you still want a bit more you can use some lead but be sure not to ruin the balance of your racket.
Cheers for the replies, yea i think i will stick with the rdx300 but will lower tension.I like the idea of having soft strings but do the wilson NXT's have that extra power that im looking for? So would it be better to have a different tension in the mains and crosses? .The klip explosives also look quite good, onkystomper have you used them? I know this is in the racket section but would anyone suggest any other strings that would give me extra power, just to hear other peoples opinions. Cheers.
Add some lead a centimeter or so from the bottom of the throat and u'll automatically hit better serves and fh's
