Swing weight to power ratio—if you're strong why heavy?

[Krulik]

So I'm pretty new to tennis, but just wanted to discuss racquet swing weight to power ratio for your personal game style. If you're a strong athlete and heavy hitter, wouldn't it make sense to grab a racquet that's lighter in weight? If swing weight creates more power through the ball, wouldn't a heavy racquet just make you blast the ball? If I'm wrong, sorry.

 

[snoflewis]

because your swing doesnt necessarily translate to power.when you swing your racket, the racket head speed you generate also contributes to topspin which is required to keep the ball down. you cant just rely on gravity to bring the ball down into the court right? so you hit over the ball to generate topspin to ensure that the ball stays in no matter how fast you swing.

with that in mind, a racket that's lighter in weight is more unstable to an equivalent racket that weighs more. you want a racket that can withstand the speed and spin of the ball. if you play against a player that hits huge shots but you have a lighter racket, it's harder to return that shot because your racket is less likely to be able to withstand and return the energy back into your own shot. since you're new, i wouldnt focus too much on swingweight or static weight. if you can find a racket that's around 11.0-11.5 oz with a SW of 310-325, you'll be good for a while.

 

[Krulik]

because your swing doesnt necessarily translate to power.when you swing your racket, the racket head speed you generate also contributes to topspin which is required to keep the ball down. you cant just rely on gravity to bring the ball down into the court right? so you hit over the ball to generate topspin to ensure that the ball stays in no matter how fast you swing.

with that in mind, a racket that's lighter in weight is more unstable to an equivalent racket that weighs more. you want a racket that can withstand the speed and spin of the ball. if you play against a player that hits huge shots but you have a lighter racket, it's harder to return that shot because your racket is less likely to be able to withstand and return the energy back into your own shot. since you're new, i wouldnt focus too much on swingweight or static weight. if you can find a racket that's around 11.0-11.5 oz with a SW of 310-325, you'll be good for a while.

Thanks for this explanation. You made me think of something else when reading this. So are tennis matches kind of like boxing matches in terms of weight classes? Why would somebody prefer a lighter racquet to one that is more stable? Would somebody that swings a 350g efficiently just demolish somebody in the sub 300s?

 

[snoflewis]

Thanks for this explanation. You made me think of something else when reading this. So are tennis matches kind of like boxing matches in terms of weight classes?

not really. there's plenty of great players who use lighter rackets and plenty of players who are using rackets that are way too heavy for them

Why would somebody prefer a lighter racquet to one that is more stable?

unfortunately, weight doesnt always equate to stability, although there is some correlation there. rackets are probably the most subjective things when it comes to tennis equipment. if you're a beginner, you definitely want a racket on the lighter side. the reason for my suggested specs was because of your prior post about you being athletic and picking up things fast. in that case, it's just better to pick a racket that you can develop with.

Would somebody that swings a 350g efficiently just demolish somebody in the sub 300s?

if they did, most of the people on these forums (myself included) would be excellent players. you need to find a racket that matches your game and preferences. if a player can swing a 350g racket effectively and play well with it, they would be worse off swinging a sub 300g racket. likewise, if a player that shouldnt be swinging a 350g racket is doing so, they're screwing up their own game.

 

[Slicerman]

The general saying is 'you should use the heaviest racquet you can handle'. When the racquet is heavy enough it will promote better stroke mechanics by allowing you to use the kinetic chain. In my own experience, I found that lightweight racquets take more effort to generate racquet head speed than a heavier racquet because with a lighter racquet you can't build momentum as easily.

 

[parvasedpotens]

Depends on one's game. I use a 331-335 gram racquet and have since juniors. 27.5-28". I'm a quite small female.
Heavier? I lose spin drastically . I can handle a 350 gram racquet... I don't get tired.. but my game changes for the worse.
Lighter? My timing is off.