mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
the app works for both iPhone and Android/Win smartphones as well as PC.
Tennis Warehouse Playtest: Babolat Pure Drive PLAY
- Thread starter TW Staff
- Start date
the app works for both iPhone and Android/Win smartphones as well as PC.
Awesome! I contacted Daniel, and have yet to hear from Jason.
Babolat Official
Hall of Fame
They should be getting back to you next week if you have not heard (office is closed on weekend). It is Christmas, one of the few holidays we give people off at our US office.
Babolat Official
Hall of Fame
Anybody else get weird numbers after downloading all the new stuff?
I mean I'll consider that I might have had an exceptional day but 100% technique score with over 90% of contact in the sweet spot is how shall I say, a bit "abnormal" for me
there have been a couple weird bugs we never saw before...we're constantly updating (app will be updated accordingly as often as necessary)
Babolat Official
Hall of Fame
did you download the widget from babolatplay.com?
if you tried and still didn't work, email me your computer, app, iphone model, browser, operating system, etc (as much info as possible).
dbecker@babolat.com
Babolat Official
Hall of Fame
I think that i also may have a USB problem. This happened just now when I tried to update the firmware. It appears that I pulled out the part that the cable goes into. Racket also does not charge.
Daniel, I'll email you this as well.
yes, easier to email me issues...I have replied to your email
Babolat Official
Hall of Fame
sorry about that!
rk_sports
Hall of Fame
Great! Thanks!
Now, is it possible to switch profiles before/during a session?
Say a friend want to try it and see his strokes feedback!
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
i wrote about this in my review as a nice to have for sure. i understand it'll be available in the future.
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showpost.php?p=7950495&postcount=64
in the meantime you can download your session to your phone before letting your friend try it. when he's done, download his individual session to your phone to keep it separate from yours.
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anubis
Hall of Fame
So, my racquet is no longer transferring the downloaded sessions to the website account.
I played a 2 hour match today, got home, plugged it in, clicked "download sessions", logged into the website.
Now i'm in the site and I click "analyze" and it just has my sessions from a couple of days ago. Is there anything further in the site I have to do? It's weird that it's just no longer capturing the data.
The racquet was fully charged too prior to the match.
I played a 2 hour match today, got home, plugged it in, clicked "download sessions", logged into the website.
Now i'm in the site and I click "analyze" and it just has my sessions from a couple of days ago. Is there anything further in the site I have to do? It's weird that it's just no longer capturing the data.
The racquet was fully charged too prior to the match.
Tennis experience/background: 5.5 USTA, former D1 player
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): Serve and volley
Current racquet/string: Wilson Blade 93 with Black Widow strung
at 46.
How many hours did you play with the racquet?: About 8 hours of drilling and several matches. Overall about 12 hours of playing.
How easy was the racquet to use (turning on/off, syncing with app)?: The racket was very easy to use. Turning on/off is very straight forward as was charging, syncing, Bluetooth use, et al.
How did the racquet play (if you have used a Pure Drive in the past, did it play similarly)?: I typically do not use a Pure Drive, however, I was able to borrow one from a friend for one of the hitting sessions so that I could compare the two rackets. I was not able to feel much of a difference, if any. I was very surprised at the ability to have so much technology in the handle of the racket without any playability difference compared to the original. I had a difficult time adjusting to the racket when I originally starting using it because of the difference between the Blade and Pure Drive but once I got the ‘feel’ of the racket I liked it.
How easy was the app to use?: I’m an IT person by trade so I don’t typically have trouble using technology. However, compared to other applications that I have used, especially for data analysis, the Babolat Play app was easily the most usable. I would advise users to download the app and play around with it if they feel that the usability could be a factor, but I was pleasantly surprised.
What did you like about the app?: For the most part, the app does a very good job of differentiating between strokes. I liked the ability to analyze the strokes as well as the type of shot, especially for those who don’t have a personal coach. The ability to compare your game to others could be a cool feature, but I didn’t get a chance to use it (the feature) much.
What did you dislike about the app?: There is very little that I don’t like about the app. My complaints in the beta were addressed and fixed, and from a usability standpoint, it is one of the best apps that I’ve used. I wish that there could be more accurate differentiation between strokes. The app thought several of my strokes were serves, and it can’t differentiate volleys and groundstrokes.
Was there anything you thought was missing?:
1. It would be great if shots could be better differentiated between groundstrokes, serves, and volleys. I expect this to improve as later versions of the racket are released.
2. The ability to use the technology on other rackets would be helpful, but is likely out of the scope of this project. Hopefully Babolat will release similar technology on other projects in the future.
How did you use the data you received from the app?: The app gives plenty of analysis of almost all aspects of your game. It tracks your power, control, stamina, and much more. I didn’t get as much help from the racket because of my college tennis background and the large difference between this racket and my current, but it is definitely ground breaking technology for almost all players, regardless of ability. I feel that this racket is best suited for the club players and recreational players. It cannot replace a coach but is does a great job within its intended scope.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): Serve and volley
Current racquet/string: Wilson Blade 93 with Black Widow strung
at 46.
How many hours did you play with the racquet?: About 8 hours of drilling and several matches. Overall about 12 hours of playing.
How easy was the racquet to use (turning on/off, syncing with app)?: The racket was very easy to use. Turning on/off is very straight forward as was charging, syncing, Bluetooth use, et al.
How did the racquet play (if you have used a Pure Drive in the past, did it play similarly)?: I typically do not use a Pure Drive, however, I was able to borrow one from a friend for one of the hitting sessions so that I could compare the two rackets. I was not able to feel much of a difference, if any. I was very surprised at the ability to have so much technology in the handle of the racket without any playability difference compared to the original. I had a difficult time adjusting to the racket when I originally starting using it because of the difference between the Blade and Pure Drive but once I got the ‘feel’ of the racket I liked it.
How easy was the app to use?: I’m an IT person by trade so I don’t typically have trouble using technology. However, compared to other applications that I have used, especially for data analysis, the Babolat Play app was easily the most usable. I would advise users to download the app and play around with it if they feel that the usability could be a factor, but I was pleasantly surprised.
What did you like about the app?: For the most part, the app does a very good job of differentiating between strokes. I liked the ability to analyze the strokes as well as the type of shot, especially for those who don’t have a personal coach. The ability to compare your game to others could be a cool feature, but I didn’t get a chance to use it (the feature) much.
What did you dislike about the app?: There is very little that I don’t like about the app. My complaints in the beta were addressed and fixed, and from a usability standpoint, it is one of the best apps that I’ve used. I wish that there could be more accurate differentiation between strokes. The app thought several of my strokes were serves, and it can’t differentiate volleys and groundstrokes.
Was there anything you thought was missing?:
1. It would be great if shots could be better differentiated between groundstrokes, serves, and volleys. I expect this to improve as later versions of the racket are released.
2. The ability to use the technology on other rackets would be helpful, but is likely out of the scope of this project. Hopefully Babolat will release similar technology on other projects in the future.
How did you use the data you received from the app?: The app gives plenty of analysis of almost all aspects of your game. It tracks your power, control, stamina, and much more. I didn’t get as much help from the racket because of my college tennis background and the large difference between this racket and my current, but it is definitely ground breaking technology for almost all players, regardless of ability. I feel that this racket is best suited for the club players and recreational players. It cannot replace a coach but is does a great job within its intended scope.
JDMasFCK
Semi-Pro
Same here!
anubis
Hall of Fame
Survey
Everyone else is doing it, why can't I.
Tennis experience/background: 3.5 USTA, 2.5 years playing in USTA
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): I have one goal: hit the ball past the service line, that's it. I just keep hitting it there until my opponent makes a mistake.
Current racquet/string: Babolat Pure Drive, mix of different strings. Tourna BHB7 17 mains @ 52 lbs, Gosen OGSM 16 crosses @ 56 lbs.
How many hours did you play with the racquet?: I have 10 hours of match play. One 3.5 singles match (lost), One 7.5 doubles (lost), one 9.0 doubles (won), one 4.0 singles (won).
How easy was the racquet to use (turning on/off, syncing with app)?: Turning it on and off is easy. However, after the first initial download/syncing of racquet data, it has not downloaded any further captured data for the rest of my matches. All I have is in the initial download, it refuses to upload my info to the website.
How did the racquet play (if you have used a Pure Drive in the past, did it play similarly)?: Plays exactly the same as my other 2012 Pure Drive, no different. They both weight the same too, 320 grams precisely.
How easy was the app to use?: I'm an IT person by trade as well. I'm in data center operations, I run two data centers for a major area hospital, manage over 150 applications, electronic medical records, and support over 3000 employees. It took me longer to understand this app than it did to learn how to run my data centers. It wasn't intuitive, the data doesn't get captured regularly.
Furthermore, I don't know what the numbers mean. Babolat came up with random numbers that signify skill for things such as power, control, energy, etc., without validating and defining what those numbers mean. It says I'm a "52", but I don't know what that means. I know Nadal is an 89 or whatever, but that still doesn't tell me what the number is, only that he's twice as good as I am (which is not true, he's 100x better than me).
What did you like about the app? I think the skills metrics have a clever break down. If I only knew what the numbers meant, then I'd have a better understanding of my player profile. Once I know that, it would be comforting to know what my player profile represents.
Was there anything you thought was missing?: I don't believe that it's missing any metrics.
How did you use the data you received from the app?: Again, if I knew what the numbers meant, then I'd know what to work on. But since I don't, the numbers are meaningless and therefore they don't serve me at all, nor do they help.
Everyone else is doing it, why can't I.
Tennis experience/background: 3.5 USTA, 2.5 years playing in USTA
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): I have one goal: hit the ball past the service line, that's it. I just keep hitting it there until my opponent makes a mistake.
Current racquet/string: Babolat Pure Drive, mix of different strings. Tourna BHB7 17 mains @ 52 lbs, Gosen OGSM 16 crosses @ 56 lbs.
How many hours did you play with the racquet?: I have 10 hours of match play. One 3.5 singles match (lost), One 7.5 doubles (lost), one 9.0 doubles (won), one 4.0 singles (won).
How easy was the racquet to use (turning on/off, syncing with app)?: Turning it on and off is easy. However, after the first initial download/syncing of racquet data, it has not downloaded any further captured data for the rest of my matches. All I have is in the initial download, it refuses to upload my info to the website.
How did the racquet play (if you have used a Pure Drive in the past, did it play similarly)?: Plays exactly the same as my other 2012 Pure Drive, no different. They both weight the same too, 320 grams precisely.
How easy was the app to use?: I'm an IT person by trade as well. I'm in data center operations, I run two data centers for a major area hospital, manage over 150 applications, electronic medical records, and support over 3000 employees. It took me longer to understand this app than it did to learn how to run my data centers. It wasn't intuitive, the data doesn't get captured regularly.
Furthermore, I don't know what the numbers mean. Babolat came up with random numbers that signify skill for things such as power, control, energy, etc., without validating and defining what those numbers mean. It says I'm a "52", but I don't know what that means. I know Nadal is an 89 or whatever, but that still doesn't tell me what the number is, only that he's twice as good as I am (which is not true, he's 100x better than me).
What did you like about the app? I think the skills metrics have a clever break down. If I only knew what the numbers meant, then I'd have a better understanding of my player profile. Once I know that, it would be comforting to know what my player profile represents.
Was there anything you thought was missing?: I don't believe that it's missing any metrics.
How did you use the data you received from the app?: Again, if I knew what the numbers meant, then I'd know what to work on. But since I don't, the numbers are meaningless and therefore they don't serve me at all, nor do they help.
Babolat Official
Hall of Fame
there is a bug that if you try to download more than 3 or 4 sessions at one time, something goes wrong. We're working on it.
email dbecker@babolat.com with an exact description of the problem, phone model, computer, browser, operating system, etc.
Babolat Official
Hall of Fame
did you download the new app and web widget from the website and app stores or from the staging site?
please email your issues and your specs to dbecker@babolat.com
themitchmann
Hall of Fame
Here is what I got on the website yesterday while uploading 2 sessions (1 training, and 1 match):
Despite getting that error pop-up, everything worked.
Despite getting that error pop-up, everything worked.
njsigman
Rookie
Tennis experience/background: 4.0 USTA, Singles and Doubles
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): Primarily a baseliner in Singles.
Current racquet/string: Donnay Pro One 97 18x20 with Head Sonic Pro strung
at 50 lbs.
How many hours did you play with the racquet?: About 8 hours of drilling and 2 hours of matches. About 10 hours of playing.
How easy was the racquet to use (turning on/off, syncing with app)?: Yes, The racket was very easy to use. Turning on/off is very easy with the touch of the button. I sync with the app via Bluetooth and that was very easy as well. No issues and very quick.
How did the racquet play (if you have used a Pure Drive in the past, did it play similarly)?: I have not played with a Pure Drive in the past due to its RA rating. However, this version of the Pure Drive did not play too stiff for me. Perhaps since it was strong with the soft Babolat xCel string, it helped cushion the blow. The racquet was very powerful. It seemed pretty head light to me, and could probably benefit from the addition of some lead tape along the top, which was also give it some additional stability.
How easy was the app to use?: Yes, the app was very easy to use. I had no issues using the app. It is particularly easy for those who use other apps and have some technology ability. Regardless, it is still easy to use based on the step by step instructions.
What did you like about the app?: I loved how the app captured which strokes I hit. It was absolutely amazing to me that it could pick up on a forehand vs. a backhand, vs. a serve or overhead. I also loved that it showed where on the string bed I was in contact with the ball. This type of insight provided me with some useful help in order to make adjustments to my game.
Was there anything you thought was missing?: I think it is a great package as-is, but it would be cool if there was a way for it to calculate the speed of your shots or serves. Perhaps also extending this technology into other rackets in product line might give players some additional options.
How did you use the data you received from the app?: I used the app to analyze my shots, especially where on the string bed I am hitting the ball. I also used it to analyze the types of shots that I am hitting and it allows me to think back on things that I could possibly do differently. I think it is a great training aid. Combining it with practice and lessons, it is a great tool for any player!
Thanks again TW and Babolat for the wonderful opportunity! Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to all!!
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): Primarily a baseliner in Singles.
Current racquet/string: Donnay Pro One 97 18x20 with Head Sonic Pro strung
at 50 lbs.
How many hours did you play with the racquet?: About 8 hours of drilling and 2 hours of matches. About 10 hours of playing.
How easy was the racquet to use (turning on/off, syncing with app)?: Yes, The racket was very easy to use. Turning on/off is very easy with the touch of the button. I sync with the app via Bluetooth and that was very easy as well. No issues and very quick.
How did the racquet play (if you have used a Pure Drive in the past, did it play similarly)?: I have not played with a Pure Drive in the past due to its RA rating. However, this version of the Pure Drive did not play too stiff for me. Perhaps since it was strong with the soft Babolat xCel string, it helped cushion the blow. The racquet was very powerful. It seemed pretty head light to me, and could probably benefit from the addition of some lead tape along the top, which was also give it some additional stability.
How easy was the app to use?: Yes, the app was very easy to use. I had no issues using the app. It is particularly easy for those who use other apps and have some technology ability. Regardless, it is still easy to use based on the step by step instructions.
What did you like about the app?: I loved how the app captured which strokes I hit. It was absolutely amazing to me that it could pick up on a forehand vs. a backhand, vs. a serve or overhead. I also loved that it showed where on the string bed I was in contact with the ball. This type of insight provided me with some useful help in order to make adjustments to my game.
Was there anything you thought was missing?: I think it is a great package as-is, but it would be cool if there was a way for it to calculate the speed of your shots or serves. Perhaps also extending this technology into other rackets in product line might give players some additional options.
How did you use the data you received from the app?: I used the app to analyze my shots, especially where on the string bed I am hitting the ball. I also used it to analyze the types of shots that I am hitting and it allows me to think back on things that I could possibly do differently. I think it is a great training aid. Combining it with practice and lessons, it is a great tool for any player!
Thanks again TW and Babolat for the wonderful opportunity! Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to all!!
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mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
i think it does to a certain degree. someone on the forum said 100% power = ~140 mph. if this is indeed true then 50% is 70 mph and 70% is 98 mph. actually makes a lot of sense as the avg power on my groundies is ~47-49% and the avg power on my serves is 70-75%. however i haven't found anything on the babolatplay site to confirm.
anubis
Hall of Fame
That's can't possibly be true. The play calculated my serves at 70%, forehands at 44% and backhands at 40%. i'm not good at math, but those numbers seem twice as fast as I'm capable of. My serves average 50 mph, my forehands are moonballs, so they're slow, and my backhands are dinky slice shots, probably 20 mph.
EDIT: In one, 1-hour match session, it calculated 50 first serves @ 51%, and 11 second serves at 49 %. My second serves are around 30 mph, they are dinky spinny serves.
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mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
this is the post i was referring to...
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showpost.php?p=7961293&postcount=94
http://babolatplay.com/help/faq/41/show
"Our Power index definition: 100% corresponds roughly to a 220 + km/h flat serve."
but 220 kph = 136.7 mph so 51% = 69.7 mph which is realistic.
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showpost.php?p=7961293&postcount=94
The faq on babolatplay.com states "Try and maximize your speed and spin as mush as possible. The more speed and spin the more power. Our Power index definition: 100% corresponds roughly to a 220 + km/h flat serve."
So does anyone know if that is somewhat accurate? Can you judge your serve speed and such by this? Anyone compare it a radar gun?
If you are serving at 50%, would that mean you have about a 65 mph serve?
Sorry for the small questions - just wanting to wrap my head around this better
http://babolatplay.com/help/faq/41/show
"Our Power index definition: 100% corresponds roughly to a 220 + km/h flat serve."
but 220 kph = 136.7 mph so 51% = 69.7 mph which is realistic.
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anubis
Hall of Fame
Thank you, I appreciate the confirmation. Still don't believe it though
I'm really not that good, I'm not a hard hitter and my serves stink. There's got to be a huge wiggle room in those numbers, like a +/- 25% accuracy rate. I have some friends though that hit way harder than I do. I would believe it if they got those numbers. They're working out a bug right now which prevents it from uploading all of your match data into the system. If they can get it worked out in time for a lesson that I have with my coach (he's a 5.0, hard hitter) later on this week, then I'd be interested to see what those numbers are.
On an unrelated note, it says my technique is "72%". What's some other folks' technique scores? I'm trying to figure out what that means as well. It seems like a high number, but not compared to everyone else. My overall ranking is near the bottom (I think I'm ranked in the last 5 or 10 people who use it overall). And if that's the case, then there's a good 100 people above me with a higher than 72% technique score..
If I'm truly at the bottom of the heap, my technique score should represent that, like around 30%.
palmerop
Rookie
New York Times article on the Pure Drive PLAY:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/24/sports/tennis/turning-tennis-rackets-into-data-centers.html?hpw&rref=sports&_r=1&
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/24/sports/tennis/turning-tennis-rackets-into-data-centers.html?hpw&rref=sports&_r=1&
Here's my initial review for the Babolat Pure Drive Play playtest. First, let me thank Babolat for putting this test group together and for being selected to participate!
I've been hobbled by a pulled Achilles the past few weeks, so I've been unable to give it a thorough run through as I had wanted. When I'm healed, I'll be back on the court with it and will provide more feedback. In the meantime, I'll be letting my wife use the racquet as she's been looking forward to using it for quite some time.
Tennis experience/background:
Former college player in the early-to mid-nineties. Now a recreational player who occasionally trains with players at the D1 university where I work.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley):
Baseliner
Current racquet/string:
Dunlop F3.0 Tour with Dunlop Black Widow 17. Two years ago, the 2012 Babolat Pure Drive with Babolat Xcel 17 was my racquet of choice.
How many hours did you play with the racquet?
Hit with the racquet for approximately 4 hours. Will hit more once my injury heals.
How easy was the racquet to use (turning on/off, syncing with app)?
The racquet was very easy to turn on and off. I occasionally forgot to turn the racquet on, since doing so was a new experience. But once I got into the habit of turning the racquet on to record data, it was easy. Syncing the racquet via Bluetooth to my iPhone 5S was seamless.
How did the racquet play (if you have used a Pure Drive in the past, did it play similarly)?
As I wrote previously, I used to use the 2012 Babolat Pure Drive, strung with Xcel 17. The Babolat Pure Drive Play came strung with Xcel 16. To me, the Pure Drive and the Pure Drive Play played identically. After a few minutes on the court, I remembered why the Pure Drive was such a fun racquet to use. I did not "feel" the tech that was in the Pure Drive Play, either, much to my surprise. This is a racquet I could easily play tournaments with.
How easy was the app to use?
The app is very intuitive. I did not use any of the social networking aspects of the app, but instead, used it to analyze my hitting session. The app shows you your relative power and spin, as well as where you're hitting on the racquet.
What did you like about the app?
The app was very user-friendly. The user interface looked polished.
What did you dislike about the app?
Nothing - I was very pleasantly surprised with how smooth everything worked.
Was there anything you thought was missing?
When I get into my car, my Bluetooth-enabled phone links automatically to my sound system. It would be great if the racquet would link automatically via Bluetooth upon powering it up, though I understand that this might be a waste of my phone's battery, as you only use Bluetooth to sync and deliver data from the racquet to the app.
How did you use the data you received from the app?
Having this type of feedback was new, but interesting. To me, it was most useful to know where on the string bed I was hitting so I could make subsequent adjustments. I'm not used to having this kind of information on hand. Typically, I know how I played and what I did wrong. But having actual statistics on the type of shots I hit (for example, the number of slice backhands vs. topspin backhands) could help me identify certain tendencies I might have (playing too defensively, etc.).
Being injured the past few weeks has been extremely frustrating. I'm hoping I'll be back on the court in the next few weeks to give additional feedback on the racquet. I'll post more when I've spent more time with the racquet!
p.s. - I'll be hitting with TennisMaverick sometime soon and I'll pass along his thoughts from a coach's perspective.
I've been hobbled by a pulled Achilles the past few weeks, so I've been unable to give it a thorough run through as I had wanted. When I'm healed, I'll be back on the court with it and will provide more feedback. In the meantime, I'll be letting my wife use the racquet as she's been looking forward to using it for quite some time.
Tennis experience/background:
Former college player in the early-to mid-nineties. Now a recreational player who occasionally trains with players at the D1 university where I work.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley):
Baseliner
Current racquet/string:
Dunlop F3.0 Tour with Dunlop Black Widow 17. Two years ago, the 2012 Babolat Pure Drive with Babolat Xcel 17 was my racquet of choice.
How many hours did you play with the racquet?
Hit with the racquet for approximately 4 hours. Will hit more once my injury heals.
How easy was the racquet to use (turning on/off, syncing with app)?
The racquet was very easy to turn on and off. I occasionally forgot to turn the racquet on, since doing so was a new experience. But once I got into the habit of turning the racquet on to record data, it was easy. Syncing the racquet via Bluetooth to my iPhone 5S was seamless.
How did the racquet play (if you have used a Pure Drive in the past, did it play similarly)?
As I wrote previously, I used to use the 2012 Babolat Pure Drive, strung with Xcel 17. The Babolat Pure Drive Play came strung with Xcel 16. To me, the Pure Drive and the Pure Drive Play played identically. After a few minutes on the court, I remembered why the Pure Drive was such a fun racquet to use. I did not "feel" the tech that was in the Pure Drive Play, either, much to my surprise. This is a racquet I could easily play tournaments with.
How easy was the app to use?
The app is very intuitive. I did not use any of the social networking aspects of the app, but instead, used it to analyze my hitting session. The app shows you your relative power and spin, as well as where you're hitting on the racquet.
What did you like about the app?
The app was very user-friendly. The user interface looked polished.
What did you dislike about the app?
Nothing - I was very pleasantly surprised with how smooth everything worked.
Was there anything you thought was missing?
When I get into my car, my Bluetooth-enabled phone links automatically to my sound system. It would be great if the racquet would link automatically via Bluetooth upon powering it up, though I understand that this might be a waste of my phone's battery, as you only use Bluetooth to sync and deliver data from the racquet to the app.
How did you use the data you received from the app?
Having this type of feedback was new, but interesting. To me, it was most useful to know where on the string bed I was hitting so I could make subsequent adjustments. I'm not used to having this kind of information on hand. Typically, I know how I played and what I did wrong. But having actual statistics on the type of shots I hit (for example, the number of slice backhands vs. topspin backhands) could help me identify certain tendencies I might have (playing too defensively, etc.).
Being injured the past few weeks has been extremely frustrating. I'm hoping I'll be back on the court in the next few weeks to give additional feedback on the racquet. I'll post more when I've spent more time with the racquet!
p.s. - I'll be hitting with TennisMaverick sometime soon and I'll pass along his thoughts from a coach's perspective.
dgoran
Hall of Fame
First of all huuuge thanks to TW and Babolat for this opportunity and early Christmas Present in form of this Racquet playtest
Tennis experience/background:
4.5 player, playing since childhood, more actively (tournaments and leagues) in the last 10 yrs
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley):
Power/offensive baseliner that is recently learning to incorporate more all court game style
Current racquet/string:
Yonex 95d / Pure Drive +/ Pure Drive std
How many hours did you play with the racquet?
Approx. 8.5 hrs or 2436 shots (stats provided by Play app)
How easy was the racquet to use (turning on/off, synchronizing with app)?
Racquet was easy to use in terms of synchronizing turning on/off. I did get annoyed initially that app would show other devices that I paired via Bluetooth (my laptop, tablet etc…) cluttering sync window when, I am sure, some form of filtering could have been applied to show only Play devices available for connection BUT that’s minor issue that did not affect my overall enjoyment
How did the racquet play (if you have used a Pure Drive in the past, did it play similarly)?
I ended up playing several league matches and several tournament matches, in between practice hits with my hitting partner, and I am pleased to report that this play test Babolat Pure Drive Play racquet plays exactly like standard Pure Drive. It is the same mold as Pure Drive 2012. Babolat engineers were able to fit all the technology necessary in the first 2-4 inches of the racquet handle of the now classic Pure Drive mold. I was skeptical at first thinking it will make racquet more head light but it turned out to be the same. I was even able to spec out matching regular pure drive before purchase so I could have it as my backup racquet to my Babolat Play Pure Drive.
I did end up tweaking stock Pure Drive Play to my preferred specs. For those of you interested my final specs which I play tested this racquet are: 345 grams, 340 sw 32.1 cm balance (that’s with overgrip 16 gauge Volkl Cyclone poly and rubber band dampener )
How easy was the app to use?
App was easy to use from functionality standpoint and it is getting even better now that we have access to final release (we can now see other community members and how we stack up against one another, something that was “grayed out” during our beta playtest). There is always, of course, some more room for improvement. I am a geek that lives this stuff on a daily basic so I have higher UX expectations than an average user. I would love to see little bit more of initial user “hand holding” for less technical users. Namely, I would love to see guided tour (see this for one of the easier JavaScript examples http://usablica.github.io/intro.js/)
Other than that, my main gripe was trying to figure out what is and what is not clickable on my phone app since there is no indicator of what can and cannot be clicked (It took me a while to figure out that Pulse stats can be clicked for more details). Do not get me wrong these are minor easily fixable “annoyances” otherwise beta app was rock solid on my nexus 4
What did you like about the app?
While I loved every single feature of this app, my MAIN “likes” fall into two main groups.
Community/Social and Technical Analysis:
Social: I loved to “Compete” though community option of the web app (Browser Web app was the only place available to see this at beta period) Ranking play users on our pulse % was very cool for me since you can kind of validate your efforts and use this a your motivation to improve your technique, power or stamina.
Technical: Initially what grabbed my attention were all these new technical details at my disposal that I could never really quantify in the past. I could see my shot selection during the sets and percentage of shots that I executed correctly (good technique = less off center hits or higher sweet spot percentage). I really used this to the max in my League matches.
What did you dislike about the app?
I wish there was a detail in-app explanation how endurance % was calculated. It was almost reverse of what I thought would be…more I played less my endurance score was. I am still somewhat confused why initially my endurance was in the 70’s and now it is in the 50’s despite the fact that I played longer sessions than I did in the beginning.
Was there anything you thought was missing?
I would add following “easy picking” features to the app:
1) If developer just “repurposes” existing data, you could have “Time since last strung” or “String Log”. This would be where the end user could see how many shots current stringbed has and what force was imparted on the strings during the same period. You can already deduct this from the data but if Babolat added this as a menu option the app would feel fuller featured with minimal hassle to the developer. All they have to do is ask user ONE standard question (date of stringing).
2) If there was a way to ask the user 2 questions (Date of restringing AND Tension)We could also use this “e-string log” instead of the sticker on the racquet to remind of when we last string the racquet and at what tension.
Following NOT so easy picking to add:
3) Wonder if in partnership with racquet tune, or even developed from scratch we can measure racquet bed stiffness and or tension drop. It would be a nice addition to the app.
4) I would love to see “challenge” option from the community menu where certain “Play users” from the same geo area AND same or similar skill level can be challenged to a match. This would add a whole another dimension to community aspect of the app.
5) In addition, if app becomes location aware there WOULD be endless monetization features and added benefits to us the end user. I can already see it: “Welcome to Miami, FL “Mr Babolat Play User” there are 34 Babolat play users located in your 10 mile radius would you like me to point you to local Tennis Park or would you like to restring at one of our Babolat dealers located 2.3 miles to the North of your location? Here is your 10% discount on your favorite string at “Insert Babolat Auth Dealer name here in that GEO area”… ;-) "
How did you use the data you received from the app?
I found myself analyzing each played set to see my tendencies and power level and how all this translated to the scoreboard. For one example, I found interesting correlation of power and my opponent game style. I always thought that I was hitting the ball with roughly the same power level but it turns out that if my opponent was harder hitter I responded with higher power level shots while if I was playing someone of more of a retriever (or popularly called pushers) my power level throughout the set dropped by 10%.
Lastly, please excuse any spelling and grammatical errors I am writing this after xmas dinner before going for a trip tomorrow so if anything major if left for me to correct I will fix it as soon as possible.
Tennis experience/background:
4.5 player, playing since childhood, more actively (tournaments and leagues) in the last 10 yrs
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley):
Power/offensive baseliner that is recently learning to incorporate more all court game style
Current racquet/string:
Yonex 95d / Pure Drive +/ Pure Drive std
How many hours did you play with the racquet?
Approx. 8.5 hrs or 2436 shots (stats provided by Play app)
How easy was the racquet to use (turning on/off, synchronizing with app)?
Racquet was easy to use in terms of synchronizing turning on/off. I did get annoyed initially that app would show other devices that I paired via Bluetooth (my laptop, tablet etc…) cluttering sync window when, I am sure, some form of filtering could have been applied to show only Play devices available for connection BUT that’s minor issue that did not affect my overall enjoyment
How did the racquet play (if you have used a Pure Drive in the past, did it play similarly)?
I ended up playing several league matches and several tournament matches, in between practice hits with my hitting partner, and I am pleased to report that this play test Babolat Pure Drive Play racquet plays exactly like standard Pure Drive. It is the same mold as Pure Drive 2012. Babolat engineers were able to fit all the technology necessary in the first 2-4 inches of the racquet handle of the now classic Pure Drive mold. I was skeptical at first thinking it will make racquet more head light but it turned out to be the same. I was even able to spec out matching regular pure drive before purchase so I could have it as my backup racquet to my Babolat Play Pure Drive.
I did end up tweaking stock Pure Drive Play to my preferred specs. For those of you interested my final specs which I play tested this racquet are: 345 grams, 340 sw 32.1 cm balance (that’s with overgrip 16 gauge Volkl Cyclone poly and rubber band dampener )
How easy was the app to use?
App was easy to use from functionality standpoint and it is getting even better now that we have access to final release (we can now see other community members and how we stack up against one another, something that was “grayed out” during our beta playtest). There is always, of course, some more room for improvement. I am a geek that lives this stuff on a daily basic so I have higher UX expectations than an average user. I would love to see little bit more of initial user “hand holding” for less technical users. Namely, I would love to see guided tour (see this for one of the easier JavaScript examples http://usablica.github.io/intro.js/)
Other than that, my main gripe was trying to figure out what is and what is not clickable on my phone app since there is no indicator of what can and cannot be clicked (It took me a while to figure out that Pulse stats can be clicked for more details). Do not get me wrong these are minor easily fixable “annoyances” otherwise beta app was rock solid on my nexus 4
What did you like about the app?
While I loved every single feature of this app, my MAIN “likes” fall into two main groups.
Community/Social and Technical Analysis:
Social: I loved to “Compete” though community option of the web app (Browser Web app was the only place available to see this at beta period) Ranking play users on our pulse % was very cool for me since you can kind of validate your efforts and use this a your motivation to improve your technique, power or stamina.
Technical: Initially what grabbed my attention were all these new technical details at my disposal that I could never really quantify in the past. I could see my shot selection during the sets and percentage of shots that I executed correctly (good technique = less off center hits or higher sweet spot percentage). I really used this to the max in my League matches.
What did you dislike about the app?
I wish there was a detail in-app explanation how endurance % was calculated. It was almost reverse of what I thought would be…more I played less my endurance score was. I am still somewhat confused why initially my endurance was in the 70’s and now it is in the 50’s despite the fact that I played longer sessions than I did in the beginning.
Was there anything you thought was missing?
I would add following “easy picking” features to the app:
1) If developer just “repurposes” existing data, you could have “Time since last strung” or “String Log”. This would be where the end user could see how many shots current stringbed has and what force was imparted on the strings during the same period. You can already deduct this from the data but if Babolat added this as a menu option the app would feel fuller featured with minimal hassle to the developer. All they have to do is ask user ONE standard question (date of stringing).
2) If there was a way to ask the user 2 questions (Date of restringing AND Tension)We could also use this “e-string log” instead of the sticker on the racquet to remind of when we last string the racquet and at what tension.
Following NOT so easy picking to add:
3) Wonder if in partnership with racquet tune, or even developed from scratch we can measure racquet bed stiffness and or tension drop. It would be a nice addition to the app.
4) I would love to see “challenge” option from the community menu where certain “Play users” from the same geo area AND same or similar skill level can be challenged to a match. This would add a whole another dimension to community aspect of the app.
5) In addition, if app becomes location aware there WOULD be endless monetization features and added benefits to us the end user. I can already see it: “Welcome to Miami, FL “Mr Babolat Play User” there are 34 Babolat play users located in your 10 mile radius would you like me to point you to local Tennis Park or would you like to restring at one of our Babolat dealers located 2.3 miles to the North of your location? Here is your 10% discount on your favorite string at “Insert Babolat Auth Dealer name here in that GEO area”… ;-) "
How did you use the data you received from the app?
I found myself analyzing each played set to see my tendencies and power level and how all this translated to the scoreboard. For one example, I found interesting correlation of power and my opponent game style. I always thought that I was hitting the ball with roughly the same power level but it turns out that if my opponent was harder hitter I responded with higher power level shots while if I was playing someone of more of a retriever (or popularly called pushers) my power level throughout the set dropped by 10%.
Lastly, please excuse any spelling and grammatical errors I am writing this after xmas dinner before going for a trip tomorrow so if anything major if left for me to correct I will fix it as soon as possible.
Tennis experience/background: I would consider myself a 5.0-5.5 player. I played singles for my highschool varsity team.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): Up until a few months ago, I was the type of player that would try to hit a winner off of almost anything. Then it clicked that I would win more if I worked the point a bit more and take a crack at a more reasonable ball. I have been told that I have excellent hands at net, and I serve and volley occasionally just to keep my opponent off guard.
Current racquet/string: I hit with the Dunlop Aerogel 4d 300 Tour, leather grip, about 18 grams of lead spread out at 3,6, and 12. I’ve always changed strings, from iontec to bhbr and now currently bhsr 17.
How many hours did you play with the racquet?: Close to 15 hours played. 7.5 hours with a bhsr string job and the other half with iontec hexa 1.25 mains and iontec black 1.2 crosses, 52/50.
How easy was the racquet to use (turning on/off, syncing with app)?:
When I first revieced the frame, I read the instructions that came with it to figure out how to sync it. They were clear, and syncing with an iphone 5 was a piece of cake. Turning it on and off gets easier once you get a feel for how long you need to press. The fact that the LED blinks when the frame is on makes it pretty much idiot proof.
How did the racquet play (if you have used a Pure Drive in the past, did it play similarly)?:
I had not used a pure drive in the past, but the way the PLAY played was on par with the TW reviews as well as reviews here on the forum. I added 7 grams of lead to the handle, and another 8 grams of lead at 12. The frame played very well, with lots of power and control. Almost felt like cheating, and I am seriously considering switching to the Pure Drive.
How easy was the app to use?:
The app was rather simple to use. Everything is laid out cleanly, and unlike other users, I did not have any trouble figuring out what was clickable or not. When first opening the app, I appreciated the walkthrough.
What did you like about the app?:
The app is the perfect companion to the web app. Syncing with the app was flawless, and only once did the app quit on me, which was early in the beta. I like that in the analyze section, scrolling down to each session gives me the date and time of the session.
What did you dislike about the app?:
I think the most important features that are available on the website are not available on the mobile app. I feel that the two most powerful features, evolution and comparison of two sessions, are missing. The evolution lets me see as a player or coach what exactly my progress is. Maybe I have been working on a new service technique, and I want to see the power. Rather than go to each individual session on the phone and look at the results, I would rather look on a graph. Additionally, being able to compare two sessions like you can pulses would be fantastic.
For example, below are two sessions of mine regarding the forehand impact locator. I saw that I was hitting too close to the top of the frame, and made the adjustment for next session. That being said, the way that I was able to get to the two charts was not too great for comparison.
Also, I don’t know if the pulse is really an indicator of skill. I think that if power, spin, and endurance/technique were the categories, we would be able to see who the better players are. I don’t believe that it should be based on frequency of play.
Was there anything you thought was missing?:
Reading other posts, I 100% agree that there should be a stringing log involved somewhere. That way we know when a frame was strung, and how much time we have actually played with the strings. I also like the idea of a geotagging option, where you can see other players in your area. Come to think of it, I think that it would be pretty cool if we could tag places where we have played as well. That way we can see how PLAY spreads around the world as well as in our area.
Another thing that really hurt me was the lack of volleys. I felt that hitting volleys in training or a prematch warmup took away from my overall score. Since they are such an important part of the game, I would have liked to see a volley section.
One last thing that is not really necessary but would put it over the top: individual time stamps on shots. If we had this we could sync up the shots with a video, and see how we played over the course of a match.
How did you use the data you received from the app?:
Continuing from above, here are the pictures that demonstrate the little adjustment I made on my forehand, stepping just a bit closer to the ball.
Something like this can really help in improving one’s game.
I would like to thank TW and Babolat for giving us all the chance to participate in this playtest. I gained lots of respect for Babolat as a company and for their products. I may be switching in the near future too...
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): Up until a few months ago, I was the type of player that would try to hit a winner off of almost anything. Then it clicked that I would win more if I worked the point a bit more and take a crack at a more reasonable ball. I have been told that I have excellent hands at net, and I serve and volley occasionally just to keep my opponent off guard.
Current racquet/string: I hit with the Dunlop Aerogel 4d 300 Tour, leather grip, about 18 grams of lead spread out at 3,6, and 12. I’ve always changed strings, from iontec to bhbr and now currently bhsr 17.
How many hours did you play with the racquet?: Close to 15 hours played. 7.5 hours with a bhsr string job and the other half with iontec hexa 1.25 mains and iontec black 1.2 crosses, 52/50.
How easy was the racquet to use (turning on/off, syncing with app)?:
When I first revieced the frame, I read the instructions that came with it to figure out how to sync it. They were clear, and syncing with an iphone 5 was a piece of cake. Turning it on and off gets easier once you get a feel for how long you need to press. The fact that the LED blinks when the frame is on makes it pretty much idiot proof.
How did the racquet play (if you have used a Pure Drive in the past, did it play similarly)?:
I had not used a pure drive in the past, but the way the PLAY played was on par with the TW reviews as well as reviews here on the forum. I added 7 grams of lead to the handle, and another 8 grams of lead at 12. The frame played very well, with lots of power and control. Almost felt like cheating, and I am seriously considering switching to the Pure Drive.
How easy was the app to use?:
The app was rather simple to use. Everything is laid out cleanly, and unlike other users, I did not have any trouble figuring out what was clickable or not. When first opening the app, I appreciated the walkthrough.
What did you like about the app?:
The app is the perfect companion to the web app. Syncing with the app was flawless, and only once did the app quit on me, which was early in the beta. I like that in the analyze section, scrolling down to each session gives me the date and time of the session.
What did you dislike about the app?:
I think the most important features that are available on the website are not available on the mobile app. I feel that the two most powerful features, evolution and comparison of two sessions, are missing. The evolution lets me see as a player or coach what exactly my progress is. Maybe I have been working on a new service technique, and I want to see the power. Rather than go to each individual session on the phone and look at the results, I would rather look on a graph. Additionally, being able to compare two sessions like you can pulses would be fantastic.
For example, below are two sessions of mine regarding the forehand impact locator. I saw that I was hitting too close to the top of the frame, and made the adjustment for next session. That being said, the way that I was able to get to the two charts was not too great for comparison.
Also, I don’t know if the pulse is really an indicator of skill. I think that if power, spin, and endurance/technique were the categories, we would be able to see who the better players are. I don’t believe that it should be based on frequency of play.
Was there anything you thought was missing?:
Reading other posts, I 100% agree that there should be a stringing log involved somewhere. That way we know when a frame was strung, and how much time we have actually played with the strings. I also like the idea of a geotagging option, where you can see other players in your area. Come to think of it, I think that it would be pretty cool if we could tag places where we have played as well. That way we can see how PLAY spreads around the world as well as in our area.
Another thing that really hurt me was the lack of volleys. I felt that hitting volleys in training or a prematch warmup took away from my overall score. Since they are such an important part of the game, I would have liked to see a volley section.
One last thing that is not really necessary but would put it over the top: individual time stamps on shots. If we had this we could sync up the shots with a video, and see how we played over the course of a match.
How did you use the data you received from the app?:
Continuing from above, here are the pictures that demonstrate the little adjustment I made on my forehand, stepping just a bit closer to the ball.
Something like this can really help in improving one’s game.
I would like to thank TW and Babolat for giving us all the chance to participate in this playtest. I gained lots of respect for Babolat as a company and for their products. I may be switching in the near future too...
the_faceless_player
Hall of Fame
Tennis experience/background: 4.5 player. Played through high school and into college before injury. After 4 years off, I average about 3-4 times a week now.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): All court player but I prefer to finish points at the net.
Current racquet/string: Tecnifibre TFight 315 Limited 16M w/ Tour Bite Soft/Isospeed Baseline Spin hybrid
How many hours did you play with the racquet? 14 hours played but I lost the initial few hits so it only recorded about 9 hrs worth of data
How easy was the racquet to use (turning on/off, syncing with app): Really easy to turn on and off. I had issues syncing with an iPad in the early going so I skipped it and used an iPhone instead. Worked every time and was simple to get paired and sync the data. Using a PC was a different story. Early on, it would tell me I had no session data when I plugged it into my computer. But, when I tried a phone instead, the computer connection had erased all of my saved data. Right now, my home PC won't recognize the racquet when I plug it in. It just says there is "no disk inserted". It's strange because my work laptop runs everything beautifully and they are the same exact OS. I don't see this as any overarching issue. It just seems like some kind of communication error with my specific computer.
How did the racquet play (if you have used a Pure Drive in the past, did it play similarly): Plays like a regular Pure Drive. Plenty of free power and good access to spin. While I didn't mind the free power on serves and returns, I had trouble reigning it in on ground strokes at times. I also prefer the feel of my 315 at the net and felt the racquet was slower to maneuver for volleys. I still enjoyed it more than the last Pure Drive I played (several years ago) but I don't think I would make this my every day racquet. I'm not willing to trade my directional accuracy and feel of the 315 for the bump in power.
How easy was the app to use: App is very easy to use and laid out nicely. Once the retail version released, it got even better because the mobile app got more features. The app is very easy to navigate through so I don't foresee anybody having trouble figuring out where the different types of data are. Most of the issues I had with the app were with the beta version (validation errors, etc). The revised release handled those issues. I have not tried it again on my iPad but I will as I would prefer to use that as my main way to review the data. Integration with Facebook was simple and I enjoyed being able to upload my sessions to FB with one click.
What did you like about the app: My favorite part was the EVOLUTION section. I enjoyed being able to track my game over time and look at what was improving and what was continuing to be a challenge. The ANALYZE section was also nice because that gave me the chance to break down specific match ups and see what I need to improve. The impact locator is a nice tool as it points out when I get lazy with my footwork and spacing. I spent most of my time looking at the actual data and making adjustments than I did doing any of the social or community based things.
What did you dislike about the app:
1. Serving. The way it differentiates between 1st and 2nd serves is very touchy. I know its a hard thing to do but I struggled to figure out the timing between serves. I seemed to have an inordinate amount of first serves compared to second serves. I think this will continue to be refined in future app releases.
2. PULSE- I just find this section annoying. Technique and Endurance are really vague numbers and there is really no info on how exactly they are calculated. Like others have said, I also was scratching my head a bit as to way when I played more and played longer, my endurance would continue to drop. I was at a loss to figure out how to improve that score even on days I felt great and was really pushing. I also HATE the automated email system about your Pulse getting low. With a job and kids, every week looks different for me. I don't want emails within 48 hrs of playing saying that I need to get back out there because my Pulse scores are dropping. Not everybody is training constantly which is what it seems to be set up to think.
Was there anything you thought was missing?
1. Volleys- I don't know how they can differentiate these but it would be nice. I play a lot at the net and would love to be able to see those shots broken down instead of lumped in with my ground strokes. Volleys also impact your ground stroke scores as they go in as slices usually and have lower power ratings.
2. User options for changing or eliminating PULSE emails. I would like to change how frequently they come or remove them altogether. Getting a stream of emails cluttering my inbox is NOT motivating for me. Might be nice for some people but I would like to be able to manage it.
3. Take another look at impact locator & technique. I know they recently revised the impact locator and made the sweet spot bigger (They told me they did after I expressed surprise at receiving a 100% technique score with over 90% of contact in the sweet spot.) They also said they had not factored in the changes in the impact locator into the technique score equations. I would assume this will be corrected in future app updates.
How did you use the data you received from the app: I primarily used it during training sessions. It gave me the opportunity to try different things (grip change, OHBH vs. 2 hand, etc) and look at the impact those changes had on things like power and spin. The impact locator was also a big tool for me as it helped me zero in on lazy footwork and actively work to move to the ball better and space myself correctly. It was a great tool for me to make revisions to my game and see concrete info on how those changes impact my game.
Overall, I think the success of this racquet long term is a bit of an enigma. While I appreciated the chance to see the data in concrete form, it really didn't me anything I didn't already know about my game. I think there is tremendous upside for players who are still heavily training (juniors, collegiate, etc). This will give them lots of info to digest and adjust to. The coaching features are also intriguing especially if facilities or coaches can get these into the hands of multiple kids. For rec players, even upper level ones, I don't know that it is anything or than a novelty or status item. I would not switch to it as my every day racquet due to the feel and control difference as well as the the fact that I can feel the stiffness every time I use it. For Pure Drive players who want to see more of their game, it's a nice option.
Thanks to TW and Babolat for this amazing opportunity. I will continue to use the racquet in training and let some of my juniors use it and see what kind of data they get. A special thanks goes out to Daniel Becker. He has single handedly changed my opinion of Babolat as a company through his communication on here and his willingness to be open and direct about what they are trying to accomplish. I am really pulling for them to make a splash in the training and junior market with this as I would love to see it get put into a frame that more closely matches my preferences (Pure Control Play anyone?)
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): All court player but I prefer to finish points at the net.
Current racquet/string: Tecnifibre TFight 315 Limited 16M w/ Tour Bite Soft/Isospeed Baseline Spin hybrid
How many hours did you play with the racquet? 14 hours played but I lost the initial few hits so it only recorded about 9 hrs worth of data
How easy was the racquet to use (turning on/off, syncing with app): Really easy to turn on and off. I had issues syncing with an iPad in the early going so I skipped it and used an iPhone instead. Worked every time and was simple to get paired and sync the data. Using a PC was a different story. Early on, it would tell me I had no session data when I plugged it into my computer. But, when I tried a phone instead, the computer connection had erased all of my saved data. Right now, my home PC won't recognize the racquet when I plug it in. It just says there is "no disk inserted". It's strange because my work laptop runs everything beautifully and they are the same exact OS. I don't see this as any overarching issue. It just seems like some kind of communication error with my specific computer.
How did the racquet play (if you have used a Pure Drive in the past, did it play similarly): Plays like a regular Pure Drive. Plenty of free power and good access to spin. While I didn't mind the free power on serves and returns, I had trouble reigning it in on ground strokes at times. I also prefer the feel of my 315 at the net and felt the racquet was slower to maneuver for volleys. I still enjoyed it more than the last Pure Drive I played (several years ago) but I don't think I would make this my every day racquet. I'm not willing to trade my directional accuracy and feel of the 315 for the bump in power.
How easy was the app to use: App is very easy to use and laid out nicely. Once the retail version released, it got even better because the mobile app got more features. The app is very easy to navigate through so I don't foresee anybody having trouble figuring out where the different types of data are. Most of the issues I had with the app were with the beta version (validation errors, etc). The revised release handled those issues. I have not tried it again on my iPad but I will as I would prefer to use that as my main way to review the data. Integration with Facebook was simple and I enjoyed being able to upload my sessions to FB with one click.
What did you like about the app: My favorite part was the EVOLUTION section. I enjoyed being able to track my game over time and look at what was improving and what was continuing to be a challenge. The ANALYZE section was also nice because that gave me the chance to break down specific match ups and see what I need to improve. The impact locator is a nice tool as it points out when I get lazy with my footwork and spacing. I spent most of my time looking at the actual data and making adjustments than I did doing any of the social or community based things.
What did you dislike about the app:
1. Serving. The way it differentiates between 1st and 2nd serves is very touchy. I know its a hard thing to do but I struggled to figure out the timing between serves. I seemed to have an inordinate amount of first serves compared to second serves. I think this will continue to be refined in future app releases.
2. PULSE- I just find this section annoying. Technique and Endurance are really vague numbers and there is really no info on how exactly they are calculated. Like others have said, I also was scratching my head a bit as to way when I played more and played longer, my endurance would continue to drop. I was at a loss to figure out how to improve that score even on days I felt great and was really pushing. I also HATE the automated email system about your Pulse getting low. With a job and kids, every week looks different for me. I don't want emails within 48 hrs of playing saying that I need to get back out there because my Pulse scores are dropping. Not everybody is training constantly which is what it seems to be set up to think.
Was there anything you thought was missing?
1. Volleys- I don't know how they can differentiate these but it would be nice. I play a lot at the net and would love to be able to see those shots broken down instead of lumped in with my ground strokes. Volleys also impact your ground stroke scores as they go in as slices usually and have lower power ratings.
2. User options for changing or eliminating PULSE emails. I would like to change how frequently they come or remove them altogether. Getting a stream of emails cluttering my inbox is NOT motivating for me. Might be nice for some people but I would like to be able to manage it.
3. Take another look at impact locator & technique. I know they recently revised the impact locator and made the sweet spot bigger (They told me they did after I expressed surprise at receiving a 100% technique score with over 90% of contact in the sweet spot.) They also said they had not factored in the changes in the impact locator into the technique score equations. I would assume this will be corrected in future app updates.
How did you use the data you received from the app: I primarily used it during training sessions. It gave me the opportunity to try different things (grip change, OHBH vs. 2 hand, etc) and look at the impact those changes had on things like power and spin. The impact locator was also a big tool for me as it helped me zero in on lazy footwork and actively work to move to the ball better and space myself correctly. It was a great tool for me to make revisions to my game and see concrete info on how those changes impact my game.
Overall, I think the success of this racquet long term is a bit of an enigma. While I appreciated the chance to see the data in concrete form, it really didn't me anything I didn't already know about my game. I think there is tremendous upside for players who are still heavily training (juniors, collegiate, etc). This will give them lots of info to digest and adjust to. The coaching features are also intriguing especially if facilities or coaches can get these into the hands of multiple kids. For rec players, even upper level ones, I don't know that it is anything or than a novelty or status item. I would not switch to it as my every day racquet due to the feel and control difference as well as the the fact that I can feel the stiffness every time I use it. For Pure Drive players who want to see more of their game, it's a nice option.
Thanks to TW and Babolat for this amazing opportunity. I will continue to use the racquet in training and let some of my juniors use it and see what kind of data they get. A special thanks goes out to Daniel Becker. He has single handedly changed my opinion of Babolat as a company through his communication on here and his willingness to be open and direct about what they are trying to accomplish. I am really pulling for them to make a splash in the training and junior market with this as I would love to see it get put into a frame that more closely matches my preferences (Pure Control Play anyone?
)
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First off, Thanks to TW and Babolat for this amazing opportunity to try out this groundbreaking technology.
Tennis experience/background: 4.0 player USTA. Played high school and some in college, then life took over and I missed 30 years. Been playing for several years now, mostly singles but starting to get into doubles.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): Power baseliner but trying to incorporate move of an all around game as I get older. Playing doubles has helped with the volleys and getting to the net.
Current racquet/string: Wilson Blade 16 x 19 strung with Xcel
How many hours did you play with the racquet? 15 hours, unfortunately I lost data during the date upload issue during the beta testing.
How easy was the racquet to use (turning on/off, syncing with app)? No problems here, the instructions are very easy and it didn't take long to get what the LED lights mean. I had no issues at all syncing with my iPhone but had issues with trying to sync with the PC, it just kept telling me i had no data and the one time i did download the data it was all lost. I'm sure this was just a beta glitch that has been corrected.
How did the racquet play (if you have used a Pure Drive in the past, did it play similarly)? When I got back into tennis I purchased the Pure Drive GT and then the Pure Drive 2012 so I'm very familiar with how the PD sticks perform. The Pure Drive Play to me is exactly the same as the 2012 model. Lots of power and good stability at the net.
How easy was the app to use? The app was very easy to use and took under 30 seconds to upload a session. Once in the app it was very easy to move around and explore all the options.
What did you like about the app? For me the impact locator was the most eye opening aspect of the data for me, I didn't realize the amount of shots I was hitting outside of the target area. Going forward the Evolution part of the app will be quite helpful. As I mentioned I lost most of my data so that information isn't as useful yet.
What did you dislike about the app? As others have indicated, the smartphone app does not have all the data as on the PC. For me I would like all information to be available on the app as I'm on the road most of the time and don't have the time to hook it up to the PC. At this point I'm not too sure of the use of the Pulse data, this is really based upon quantity of play and not quality of play(maybe I'm missing something).
Was there anything you thought was missing? Nothing I can add that some of the other play testers have not already listed.
How did you use the data you received from the app? For me the ability to see the impact location was a great help with my training. Sometimes it's just lazy footwork but I will continue to work hard to maximize my shots by tracking this information. Also the Evolution data will be quite helpful as I get more data into it. With life being so busy it is helpful to look back and see concrete data to go against how I felt I performed.
Tennis experience/background: 4.0 player USTA. Played high school and some in college, then life took over and I missed 30 years. Been playing for several years now, mostly singles but starting to get into doubles.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): Power baseliner but trying to incorporate move of an all around game as I get older. Playing doubles has helped with the volleys and getting to the net.
Current racquet/string: Wilson Blade 16 x 19 strung with Xcel
How many hours did you play with the racquet? 15 hours, unfortunately I lost data during the date upload issue during the beta testing.
How easy was the racquet to use (turning on/off, syncing with app)? No problems here, the instructions are very easy and it didn't take long to get what the LED lights mean. I had no issues at all syncing with my iPhone but had issues with trying to sync with the PC, it just kept telling me i had no data and the one time i did download the data it was all lost. I'm sure this was just a beta glitch that has been corrected.
How did the racquet play (if you have used a Pure Drive in the past, did it play similarly)? When I got back into tennis I purchased the Pure Drive GT and then the Pure Drive 2012 so I'm very familiar with how the PD sticks perform. The Pure Drive Play to me is exactly the same as the 2012 model. Lots of power and good stability at the net.
How easy was the app to use? The app was very easy to use and took under 30 seconds to upload a session. Once in the app it was very easy to move around and explore all the options.
What did you like about the app? For me the impact locator was the most eye opening aspect of the data for me, I didn't realize the amount of shots I was hitting outside of the target area. Going forward the Evolution part of the app will be quite helpful. As I mentioned I lost most of my data so that information isn't as useful yet.
What did you dislike about the app? As others have indicated, the smartphone app does not have all the data as on the PC. For me I would like all information to be available on the app as I'm on the road most of the time and don't have the time to hook it up to the PC. At this point I'm not too sure of the use of the Pulse data, this is really based upon quantity of play and not quality of play(maybe I'm missing something).
Was there anything you thought was missing? Nothing I can add that some of the other play testers have not already listed.
How did you use the data you received from the app? For me the ability to see the impact location was a great help with my training. Sometimes it's just lazy footwork but I will continue to work hard to maximize my shots by tracking this information. Also the Evolution data will be quite helpful as I get more data into it. With life being so busy it is helpful to look back and see concrete data to go against how I felt I performed.
djNEiGht
Legend
Thank you Babolat for entrusting feedback and testing to us simple folks. Thank you Tennis Warehouse for providing the many play tests to us (sometimes greedy...give me give me give me) tennis nuts.
Tennis experience/background
Inter-club/Local park player. Some of the regulars at the courts I frequent are USTA players/coaches and say that I can probably play a 4.0 if I bring my “A” game. I am eager to try USTA 3.0-3.5 this coming year in singles as I get nervous during tournaments and have trouble with consistency. Doubles I can play with the 4.0-4.5 guys (again if I bring my “A” game)
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley):
All court player. I don’t serve & volley but I like to make my way up to the net when I have a short ball or put my opponent out of position. In doubles, I park myself at the net when not serving or receiving.
Current racquet/string:
Two primary racquets are Boris Becker DC London (Head leather grip wrapped very taut) with Volkl Cyclone 17 at 47# CP and Prince POG OS with same string at 58#. Both are used with no over grip. I prefer thin beamed, low 60 RA racquets
How many hours did you play with the racquet?
7 hours 50 minutes on the Beta version and 4 hours 12 minutes on the updated app
How easy was the racquet to use (turning on/off, syncing with app)?
All of the features seemed to work well. The beta version had some different steps you had to take to get the app loaded and once I had some help from Babolat and a fellow Talk Tennis member, I was good to go. The only concern I had was that I either made a mistake by not hitting one of the buttons properly or it didn’t separate my matches and it appeared that I had a longer match. That was during the beta testing
How did the racquet play (if you have used a Pure Drive in the past, did it play similarly)?
This was actually my first official ride with Babolat racquets. I had hit with an APD before but it was 3 grip sizes too small and was only for a few minutes. Out of the racquets I have (mostly graphites-PK98/Mizuno Turbo Pro/POG OS and a new tech frame, DC London) it played very different. I have a Wilson nCode nTour 95 (the one that Justine Henin appears to be playing with). It was the closest out of the batch and used it as my back up to the Pure Drive.
The racquet is very powerful (especially with the mid tension Xcel it came with). I would normally use multi strings at high tension. I went with a syn/poly set up at low tension and the stiffness of the racquet and a hybrid did not bother my arm (previous TE sufferer). I found more control and bite, especially on my kick/2nd serve. The stiffness of the racquet was a challenge getting used to on that stroke. Felt very solid though once I was dialed in. Got used to it that I felt comfortable using it in an interclub Christmas tournament.
How easy was the app to use?
Very simple to use and it caught the eyes of other players as I pushed buttons on the bottom of the racquet (not to mention the stunning paint job). I showed the app to others and they were interested…but it fell short once they found out the retail price.
What did you like about the app?
I liked how the app showed where you were hitting the ball. It was evident on my 2nd serve where I like to swing up at the ball. What was helpful was to see that I was hitting towards the side of the sweet spot on my ground strokes. I focused more to hit the center of the bed and noticed the feedback was more solid as well as the sound of the impact. The results of the app showed my percentages went up towards the center of the bed
What did you dislike about the app?
I take this with a grain of salt but wish it could tell the difference with a smash and a serve. I play about 99.9% doubles and know that you could very well not hit the ball during a whole point…up until the overhead smash.
Was there anything you thought was missing?
I have the Garmin/Strava app for cycling. There are challenges on there like elevation gain challenge, top speed of a certain route, and other riders in your area. It would be nice to have some sort of challenge (granted there are already FH/BH/Serve/Smash/Pulse) like Backhand week, 1st serve percentage challenge, topspin or flat ball challenge, as well as an alert or map of other “PLAY” players in your area. The court could be flagged as “Play user XYZ” holds the longest rally record at this court or the top power in ground strokes. Try and beat it.
How did you use the data you received from the app?
I know that I don’t hit with as much topspin as the other players but I don’t regards myself as a flat ball hitter for the most part. The percentages of my flat balls were much higher than I thought. I wanted to get better results and I focused more. Time will tell as the data will show my results.
Indoor pics don't do this justice. Especially the golden brown hue of the leather grip. I'll take another picture next time out. Just wanted to get this in for the review.
Screen shots of the app. This one I think I had my flat and kicker serves split down the middle. I think that when swinging up for the kick serve I hit the string bed around the 2 o'clock position.
This next screen shot I was in the middle of a troublesome time with my serves. I finally found a decent groove again with my kicker and I started throwing that in for 1st and 2nd serves. Increase in percentage outside of the sweet spot shows that.
Tennis experience/background
Inter-club/Local park player. Some of the regulars at the courts I frequent are USTA players/coaches and say that I can probably play a 4.0 if I bring my “A” game. I am eager to try USTA 3.0-3.5 this coming year in singles as I get nervous during tournaments and have trouble with consistency. Doubles I can play with the 4.0-4.5 guys (again if I bring my “A” game)
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley):
All court player. I don’t serve & volley but I like to make my way up to the net when I have a short ball or put my opponent out of position. In doubles, I park myself at the net when not serving or receiving.
Current racquet/string:
Two primary racquets are Boris Becker DC London (Head leather grip wrapped very taut) with Volkl Cyclone 17 at 47# CP and Prince POG OS with same string at 58#. Both are used with no over grip. I prefer thin beamed, low 60 RA racquets
How many hours did you play with the racquet?
7 hours 50 minutes on the Beta version and 4 hours 12 minutes on the updated app
How easy was the racquet to use (turning on/off, syncing with app)?
All of the features seemed to work well. The beta version had some different steps you had to take to get the app loaded and once I had some help from Babolat and a fellow Talk Tennis member, I was good to go. The only concern I had was that I either made a mistake by not hitting one of the buttons properly or it didn’t separate my matches and it appeared that I had a longer match. That was during the beta testing
How did the racquet play (if you have used a Pure Drive in the past, did it play similarly)?
This was actually my first official ride with Babolat racquets. I had hit with an APD before but it was 3 grip sizes too small and was only for a few minutes. Out of the racquets I have (mostly graphites-PK98/Mizuno Turbo Pro/POG OS and a new tech frame, DC London) it played very different. I have a Wilson nCode nTour 95 (the one that Justine Henin appears to be playing with). It was the closest out of the batch and used it as my back up to the Pure Drive.
The racquet is very powerful (especially with the mid tension Xcel it came with). I would normally use multi strings at high tension. I went with a syn/poly set up at low tension and the stiffness of the racquet and a hybrid did not bother my arm (previous TE sufferer). I found more control and bite, especially on my kick/2nd serve. The stiffness of the racquet was a challenge getting used to on that stroke. Felt very solid though once I was dialed in. Got used to it that I felt comfortable using it in an interclub Christmas tournament.
How easy was the app to use?
Very simple to use and it caught the eyes of other players as I pushed buttons on the bottom of the racquet (not to mention the stunning paint job). I showed the app to others and they were interested…but it fell short once they found out the retail price.
What did you like about the app?
I liked how the app showed where you were hitting the ball. It was evident on my 2nd serve where I like to swing up at the ball. What was helpful was to see that I was hitting towards the side of the sweet spot on my ground strokes. I focused more to hit the center of the bed and noticed the feedback was more solid as well as the sound of the impact. The results of the app showed my percentages went up towards the center of the bed
What did you dislike about the app?
I take this with a grain of salt but wish it could tell the difference with a smash and a serve. I play about 99.9% doubles and know that you could very well not hit the ball during a whole point…up until the overhead smash.
Was there anything you thought was missing?
I have the Garmin/Strava app for cycling. There are challenges on there like elevation gain challenge, top speed of a certain route, and other riders in your area. It would be nice to have some sort of challenge (granted there are already FH/BH/Serve/Smash/Pulse) like Backhand week, 1st serve percentage challenge, topspin or flat ball challenge, as well as an alert or map of other “PLAY” players in your area. The court could be flagged as “Play user XYZ” holds the longest rally record at this court or the top power in ground strokes. Try and beat it.
How did you use the data you received from the app?
I know that I don’t hit with as much topspin as the other players but I don’t regards myself as a flat ball hitter for the most part. The percentages of my flat balls were much higher than I thought. I wanted to get better results and I focused more. Time will tell as the data will show my results.
Indoor pics don't do this justice. Especially the golden brown hue of the leather grip. I'll take another picture next time out. Just wanted to get this in for the review.
Screen shots of the app. This one I think I had my flat and kicker serves split down the middle. I think that when swinging up for the kick serve I hit the string bed around the 2 o'clock position.
This next screen shot I was in the middle of a troublesome time with my serves. I finally found a decent groove again with my kicker and I started throwing that in for 1st and 2nd serves. Increase in percentage outside of the sweet spot shows that.
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ilovetennis212
Professional
To babolat.
Please make babolat play with head size 95.
I will but it right away then
Please make babolat play with head size 95.
I will but it right away then
Moving from Head Youtek Speed to Babolat PLAY!
What a great opportunity to review cutting edge technology. Many thanks to Babolat and Tennis Warehouse.
I usually play between 4 and 6 times per week, but with the colder weather and LOTS of rain, my opportunities have been more limited since receiving my PLAY racquet. I've transitioned to using this racquet as my primary stick and have kept my HEAD YOUTEK Speed MP 16x19 in the bag.
Tennis experience/background:
Just picked up tennis in my late 20s, and have been playing for about 7 years. I play a lot, but am not deluded about my abilities. I play doubles at a 4.0 level and singles at a 3.5- level.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley):
I'm a baseliner, but competent at the net in doubles play.
Current racquet/string:
HEAD YOUTEK Speed MP 16x19 weighted up with lead tape and silicone in the handle. I have my own stringer and use a full bed of TOURNA Big Hitter Black 7.
How many hours did you play with the racquet?
Only logged about 4.5 hours over a week and a half.
How easy was the racquet to use (turning on/off, syncing with app)?
The turning on and off is easy. Syncing is easy. But, only with the instructions nearby. When I didn't have my instruction booklet, I was unsure what the different colored flashing/solid lights meant.
How did the racquet play (if you have used a Pure Drive in the past, did it play similarly)?
The larger beem of the Babolat took some getting used to, but once I got recalibrated I really liked the feel of the racquet. The Xcel strings offered more power than I'm used to with my polyester set up; once I restrung the stick with my Tourna BHB7 strings at a low tension (40lbs), I got a great combination of precise control (on serves specifically) and a strong drive on my heavy forehands. As previously stated, I've adopted this as my primary racquet and even during playoff matches, have stuck with it due to my comfort with the different feel than my Youtek Speed MP.
To get the lighter racquet up to specs that are similar to what I am accustomed to play with I added lead wrapped around the handled and a second grip to get the size 2 grip closer to the size 3 that I'm comfortable with.
How easy was the app to use?
I appreciate the look of the application. It is a top-notch design and conducive with the progressive technology of the PLAY racquet. The syncing took a little figuring-out, but once I got it down, I was rewarded with the data that was turned out. I am not entirely sure what the PULSE section of the app is reading, and not sure how to interpret that feedback. However, the ANALYZE section is very helpful; especially the data about what area of the racquet I'm hitting more often. It has helped me be aware of hitting too high on the string bed--though I haven't been able to overcome that old habit as of yet.
What did you like about the app?
Remarkable good looking. The ANALYZE feedback is useful and inspiring to improving my game.
What did you dislike about the app?
Just not sure how to use the PULSE data. I wish it were more clearly defined as to what the purpose of PULSE was. How can I use that graph to improve? What is it measuring?
Was there anything you thought was missing?
Given that this is new technology, it's hard to not be pleased with what is already offered and be thinking of things that are yet to come. I wish there were some way to measure speed of the ball coming off the racquet, but that may not be physically possible given all the variables involved in velocity.
How did you use the data you received from the app?
The placement of the ball on the string bed is the most useful data and I can use that to be aware of hitting more on the center of the string bed. I also like seeing the count for forehands vs. backhands as I can see just how heavily I favor the forehand side. The feedback on slices is also useful.
Again, many thanks to the Babolat team for my inclusion in this play test. The technology expressed in the racquet is exciting and I look forward to what the future could bring with such immediate feedback from my equipment.
What a great opportunity to review cutting edge technology. Many thanks to Babolat and Tennis Warehouse.
I usually play between 4 and 6 times per week, but with the colder weather and LOTS of rain, my opportunities have been more limited since receiving my PLAY racquet. I've transitioned to using this racquet as my primary stick and have kept my HEAD YOUTEK Speed MP 16x19 in the bag.
Tennis experience/background:
Just picked up tennis in my late 20s, and have been playing for about 7 years. I play a lot, but am not deluded about my abilities. I play doubles at a 4.0 level and singles at a 3.5- level.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley):
I'm a baseliner, but competent at the net in doubles play.
Current racquet/string:
HEAD YOUTEK Speed MP 16x19 weighted up with lead tape and silicone in the handle. I have my own stringer and use a full bed of TOURNA Big Hitter Black 7.
How many hours did you play with the racquet?
Only logged about 4.5 hours over a week and a half.
How easy was the racquet to use (turning on/off, syncing with app)?
The turning on and off is easy. Syncing is easy. But, only with the instructions nearby. When I didn't have my instruction booklet, I was unsure what the different colored flashing/solid lights meant.
How did the racquet play (if you have used a Pure Drive in the past, did it play similarly)?
The larger beem of the Babolat took some getting used to, but once I got recalibrated I really liked the feel of the racquet. The Xcel strings offered more power than I'm used to with my polyester set up; once I restrung the stick with my Tourna BHB7 strings at a low tension (40lbs), I got a great combination of precise control (on serves specifically) and a strong drive on my heavy forehands. As previously stated, I've adopted this as my primary racquet and even during playoff matches, have stuck with it due to my comfort with the different feel than my Youtek Speed MP.
To get the lighter racquet up to specs that are similar to what I am accustomed to play with I added lead wrapped around the handled and a second grip to get the size 2 grip closer to the size 3 that I'm comfortable with.
How easy was the app to use?
I appreciate the look of the application. It is a top-notch design and conducive with the progressive technology of the PLAY racquet. The syncing took a little figuring-out, but once I got it down, I was rewarded with the data that was turned out. I am not entirely sure what the PULSE section of the app is reading, and not sure how to interpret that feedback. However, the ANALYZE section is very helpful; especially the data about what area of the racquet I'm hitting more often. It has helped me be aware of hitting too high on the string bed--though I haven't been able to overcome that old habit as of yet.
What did you like about the app?
Remarkable good looking. The ANALYZE feedback is useful and inspiring to improving my game.
What did you dislike about the app?
Just not sure how to use the PULSE data. I wish it were more clearly defined as to what the purpose of PULSE was. How can I use that graph to improve? What is it measuring?
Was there anything you thought was missing?
Given that this is new technology, it's hard to not be pleased with what is already offered and be thinking of things that are yet to come. I wish there were some way to measure speed of the ball coming off the racquet, but that may not be physically possible given all the variables involved in velocity.
How did you use the data you received from the app?
The placement of the ball on the string bed is the most useful data and I can use that to be aware of hitting more on the center of the string bed. I also like seeing the count for forehands vs. backhands as I can see just how heavily I favor the forehand side. The feedback on slices is also useful.
Again, many thanks to the Babolat team for my inclusion in this play test. The technology expressed in the racquet is exciting and I look forward to what the future could bring with such immediate feedback from my equipment.
anubis
Hall of Fame
Does anyone know how many hours of match data you can keep in the racquet before it's full? Reason I ask is, I'm unable to download my played sessions for some reason (I've informed Babolat support about this), but I'd like to keep using it. But if it will fill up after a couple of hours, then I don't want to use it until the bug is fixed.
Thanks
Thanks
palmerop
Rookie
I've played 4 hours without synchronizing without problems. Everything was there.
L
Laney Tennis
Guest
Tennis experience/background: USTA rated 4.0 player, very active in the tennis community, works with many different tennis organizations in the USTA, works with teaching pros to develop programs for the advancement of tennis players at different levels.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): All court player, big serve, big forehand, one handed backhand
Current racquet/string: Wilson Pro Staff Tour 95 leaded, Volkl Cyclone 17 at 55lbs
How many hours did you play with the racquet? I play with the Pure Drive constantly so that would be 30+ hours, switching between my regular racket and the Pure Drive. The Pure Drive is a racket I have always contemplated in purchasing but could not pull the trigger due to its stiffness, I've demoed it many times but still could not make up my mind. Thanks to Babolat and TW, now I have a Pure Drive! I've leaded it up the same way I have with my regular setup.
How easy was the racquet to use (turning on/off, syncing with app)? Setting up the racket was very simple and straight forward. In the Beta version, some bugs still needed to be worked out but that is expected. In the Babolat Play website there is a section with a video tutorial to guide the user in how to set up the racket which will be very beneficial once it is up and running. I am one of those that like to watch a tutorial instead of going through the manuals.
How did the racquet play (if you have used a Pure Drive in the past, did it play similarly)? The Pure Drive played great, I have played the pure drive many times before and it had many similar traits like the previous versions. Power of the Pure Drive is unmistakeable, other manufactures try and design rackets with similar characteristics but there is nothing that compares a Pure Drive. The only downside to the PD is how stiff it plays. If there is a way to keep its playing characteristics but increase the comfort level, popularity with this racket would go off the charts! I was a bit curious to see with sensors inside the racket, would it make it play any differently, answer is no. If I was not told there is a sensor inside, I would not think this is any different than other "unconnected" rackets.
I replaced the string with Volkl Cyclone 17 at 55lbs, my usual setup and also leaded it up similarly to better compare how it hits with my regular racket.
How easy was the app to use? The app is very simple and straight forward in certain areas and complicated and difficult to understand in others. Here are some examples, in the records category, there are strongest forehand, backhand, serve. It is very straight forward and easy to understand, I can go in and instantly see how big I can hit and that's fun! With a slight bit of calculation one and convert the percentages into a rough estimate of mils per hour.
What did you like about the app? The app allowed me to confirm what I am trying to do with my shots. Certain training sessions I am practicing running around the backhand and dictate play with my forehand and the app can confirm what I was doing by showing the shots I was hitting, forehand or backhand. At times when I want to see if my power, pace and spin is at the level I would like it to be, I can use the app to confirm it. If there is a drop off, I can check and make sure my technique is where it should be. There are also some interesting things I have yet to try, say if I was to use a different style to hit and change my grip, will this increase my power and spin or is it not helping. The app can be a useful tool once I have figured out how best the app can assist me in developing my game.
What did you dislike about the app? At the moment there are not too many things that I dislike. The may be things that I don't understand that well but I may figure out how to utilize those later on. One aspect of the app that I think could use a bit of adjustment is the impact locator, I know for a fact that I make contact with the ball slightly above center but the app shows 61% at the tip of the racket and 22% at center. This makes me look like I'm miss hitting the ball 61% of the time.
Was there anything you thought was missing? In my opinion, this is an excellent technology that Babolat has developed. It is a wonderful tool to the players once they have figured out how to unleash its potential. I feel that if the software team can find a way to better inform the players on how to use the app and show how it can benefit them, this innovation could be off the charts! Please put together a video tutorial and show us what this technology can really do.
How did you use the data you received from the app? I mainly use it to confirm what I know about about my swing. Initially it was quite exciting to see how much spin I can hit, at what speed my serve was, and where I am hitting on the racket. If I was to make changes to my swing, I would be interested to see how the data reflect this. I'd also like to get this into the hands of some beginner/intermediates to see how it would benefit them.
Thank you Babolat and TW for the opportunity to playtest this, as always its has been a pleasure!
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): All court player, big serve, big forehand, one handed backhand
Current racquet/string: Wilson Pro Staff Tour 95 leaded, Volkl Cyclone 17 at 55lbs
How many hours did you play with the racquet? I play with the Pure Drive constantly so that would be 30+ hours, switching between my regular racket and the Pure Drive. The Pure Drive is a racket I have always contemplated in purchasing but could not pull the trigger due to its stiffness, I've demoed it many times but still could not make up my mind. Thanks to Babolat and TW, now I have a Pure Drive! I've leaded it up the same way I have with my regular setup.
How easy was the racquet to use (turning on/off, syncing with app)? Setting up the racket was very simple and straight forward. In the Beta version, some bugs still needed to be worked out but that is expected. In the Babolat Play website there is a section with a video tutorial to guide the user in how to set up the racket which will be very beneficial once it is up and running. I am one of those that like to watch a tutorial instead of going through the manuals.
How did the racquet play (if you have used a Pure Drive in the past, did it play similarly)? The Pure Drive played great, I have played the pure drive many times before and it had many similar traits like the previous versions. Power of the Pure Drive is unmistakeable, other manufactures try and design rackets with similar characteristics but there is nothing that compares a Pure Drive. The only downside to the PD is how stiff it plays. If there is a way to keep its playing characteristics but increase the comfort level, popularity with this racket would go off the charts! I was a bit curious to see with sensors inside the racket, would it make it play any differently, answer is no. If I was not told there is a sensor inside, I would not think this is any different than other "unconnected" rackets.
I replaced the string with Volkl Cyclone 17 at 55lbs, my usual setup and also leaded it up similarly to better compare how it hits with my regular racket.
How easy was the app to use? The app is very simple and straight forward in certain areas and complicated and difficult to understand in others. Here are some examples, in the records category, there are strongest forehand, backhand, serve. It is very straight forward and easy to understand, I can go in and instantly see how big I can hit and that's fun! With a slight bit of calculation one and convert the percentages into a rough estimate of mils per hour.
What did you like about the app? The app allowed me to confirm what I am trying to do with my shots. Certain training sessions I am practicing running around the backhand and dictate play with my forehand and the app can confirm what I was doing by showing the shots I was hitting, forehand or backhand. At times when I want to see if my power, pace and spin is at the level I would like it to be, I can use the app to confirm it. If there is a drop off, I can check and make sure my technique is where it should be. There are also some interesting things I have yet to try, say if I was to use a different style to hit and change my grip, will this increase my power and spin or is it not helping. The app can be a useful tool once I have figured out how best the app can assist me in developing my game.
What did you dislike about the app? At the moment there are not too many things that I dislike. The may be things that I don't understand that well but I may figure out how to utilize those later on. One aspect of the app that I think could use a bit of adjustment is the impact locator, I know for a fact that I make contact with the ball slightly above center but the app shows 61% at the tip of the racket and 22% at center. This makes me look like I'm miss hitting the ball 61% of the time.
Was there anything you thought was missing? In my opinion, this is an excellent technology that Babolat has developed. It is a wonderful tool to the players once they have figured out how to unleash its potential. I feel that if the software team can find a way to better inform the players on how to use the app and show how it can benefit them, this innovation could be off the charts! Please put together a video tutorial and show us what this technology can really do.
How did you use the data you received from the app? I mainly use it to confirm what I know about about my swing. Initially it was quite exciting to see how much spin I can hit, at what speed my serve was, and where I am hitting on the racket. If I was to make changes to my swing, I would be interested to see how the data reflect this. I'd also like to get this into the hands of some beginner/intermediates to see how it would benefit them.
Thank you Babolat and TW for the opportunity to playtest this, as always its has been a pleasure!
palmerop
Rookie
I would like to add something else I liked about the PD PLAY: the instant gratification effect. Improving your game in tennis is a long term project. Improvements generally come slowly but what this new technology gives is a powerful monitoring tool that can give you some instant gratification after each playing session. By showing your efforts pay off even if only with small increment in some metric you are interested in, I think it makes it easier to keep up your motivation to work on your game. This I think is working for me, at least.
themitchmann
Hall of Fame
I just edited my original post to include my review. Thanks again to Tennis Warehouse and Babolat for the opportunity. I look forward to seeing how the future plays out with the Play technology.
Daniel, I'm happy to help if you are interested in developing a coach's app.
Daniel, I'm happy to help if you are interested in developing a coach's app.
Tennis experience/background:
USPTA/PTR Certified. I have taught for a bit over 12 years.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley):
All court game. I enjoy taking advantage of short ball and adding in Serve and Volley.
Current racquet/string:
I had no transition issues as my current racquet is a Pure Drive standard length 2012 strung with Luxilon 4G 16g at 52lbs.
How many hours did you play with the racquet?
Since receiving it I have used it consistently through teaching and playing.
How easy was the racquet to use (turning on/off, syncing with app)?
Operation was a simple. Although, I would have preferred a more physical, sliding on/off switch. It took me sometime to trust that the racquet was indeed on and recording while I or students used it.
How did the racquet play (if you have used a Pure Drive in the past, did it play similarly)?
It played just like my regular Pure Drive. At no time did it feel modified or feel like there was something in there.
How easy was the app to use?
The latest release with tooltips explaining important factors and how information was calculated made it a lot easier for me to understand things such as what "Pulse" is based on. The app is easy to navigate for the most part. When first using it can be difficult to understand what is clickable.There were a couple instances where I was not aware that something was clickable for more information. Once you understand the logic to it is is easy.
What did you like about the app?
The graphical user interface has a clean look to it.
What did you dislike about the app?
Was there anything you thought was missing?
As an instructor my primary interest in the racquet is being able to track a player or a set of players' progress. This is not a focus of the device or app to track different students on the same racquet. I would have loved to have "Profiles" to organize different players training and match recording.
I did not like that I had to stop play and sync the racquet. Having a student use it I would have loved to be able to sync at any time during their play or hitting to get information on the fly.
This a great a for player looking for basic information on their strokes and to keep them motivated to play when they receive a lowered pulse reminder via e-mail.
USPTA/PTR Certified. I have taught for a bit over 12 years.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley):
All court game. I enjoy taking advantage of short ball and adding in Serve and Volley.
Current racquet/string:
I had no transition issues as my current racquet is a Pure Drive standard length 2012 strung with Luxilon 4G 16g at 52lbs.
How many hours did you play with the racquet?
Since receiving it I have used it consistently through teaching and playing.
How easy was the racquet to use (turning on/off, syncing with app)?
Operation was a simple. Although, I would have preferred a more physical, sliding on/off switch. It took me sometime to trust that the racquet was indeed on and recording while I or students used it.
How did the racquet play (if you have used a Pure Drive in the past, did it play similarly)?
It played just like my regular Pure Drive. At no time did it feel modified or feel like there was something in there.
How easy was the app to use?
The latest release with tooltips explaining important factors and how information was calculated made it a lot easier for me to understand things such as what "Pulse" is based on. The app is easy to navigate for the most part. When first using it can be difficult to understand what is clickable.There were a couple instances where I was not aware that something was clickable for more information. Once you understand the logic to it is is easy.
What did you like about the app?
The graphical user interface has a clean look to it.
What did you dislike about the app?
Was there anything you thought was missing?
As an instructor my primary interest in the racquet is being able to track a player or a set of players' progress. This is not a focus of the device or app to track different students on the same racquet. I would have loved to have "Profiles" to organize different players training and match recording.
I did not like that I had to stop play and sync the racquet. Having a student use it I would have loved to be able to sync at any time during their play or hitting to get information on the fly.
This a great a for player looking for basic information on their strokes and to keep them motivated to play when they receive a lowered pulse reminder via e-mail.
Kudos
Hi,
just to mention that I referenced your post above at tennisplayer.net
I find the last part of the your post very interesting
Julian W.Mielniczuk
USPTA
Hi,
just to mention that I referenced your post above at tennisplayer.net
I find the last part of the your post very interesting
Julian W.Mielniczuk
USPTA
juststrungout
New User
I can tell you that my son is already fretting about his pulse, rank and status. For the "connected" generation this has been a big hit. At his hitting academy most of the kids knew what the racquet was already and went nuts. Most parents hadn't heard of it. I probably sold six of these things based on demos of the data and parents seeing my son geek in gout about it.
Overall, this is a very cool thing so far and should just get better over time.
- Jamie.
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
Just like the nike fuel band has become a big hit, I'm sure the Play racquets will be as well.
Babolat Official
Hall of Fame
Syncing takes 15 seconds at the most. We usually do it during our water breaks when we hit so we can check our data for specific drills.
anubis
Hall of Fame
Had a match last night, 7.0 doubles. It was a bit mismatched though, me and my partner are 3.5s, and I'm actually a very new 3.5, was bumped from 3.0 only a couple of weeks ago. Our opponents were a 3.5 and a 4.0, so we should have lost, but we didn't. We won 7-5, 1-6, 1-0.
Here's some screen caps of what my Play captured about my game. Some of the things are easy to understand, such as impact locator. But most of the rest of the numbers don't mean much to me. All I know is, the more I upload my data, the farther down the list of players I go, as if my game is "regressing", or perhaps there's just more and more better people playing.
When I browse the top tier people in the community list, I have to wonder to myself: perhaps people are cheating? I There's a lot of folks there with really amazing scores, some seem too high IMO. I can imagine some people taking this too seriously, as in people that want nothing more than to have the #1 scores, so they sort of falsify the data. It would be easy to stand in front of a wall and pound away as hard as you can knowing that you can't hit the ball "out". It gives you false numbers, since you aren't playing a game and there's no recourse for going all-out.
Well hopefully Babolat can use my numbers as legitimate match data, you certainly can't consider my data as an "outlier".
Here's some screen caps of what my Play captured about my game. Some of the things are easy to understand, such as impact locator. But most of the rest of the numbers don't mean much to me. All I know is, the more I upload my data, the farther down the list of players I go, as if my game is "regressing", or perhaps there's just more and more better people playing.
When I browse the top tier people in the community list, I have to wonder to myself: perhaps people are cheating? I There's a lot of folks there with really amazing scores, some seem too high IMO. I can imagine some people taking this too seriously, as in people that want nothing more than to have the #1 scores, so they sort of falsify the data. It would be easy to stand in front of a wall and pound away as hard as you can knowing that you can't hit the ball "out". It gives you false numbers, since you aren't playing a game and there's no recourse for going all-out.
Well hopefully Babolat can use my numbers as legitimate match data, you certainly can't consider my data as an "outlier".
Last edited:
juststrungout
New User
Playing doubles where the frequency and impact of shots is less than singles will negatively impact your pulse rating. I played 2.5 hours of doubles the other day and took a hit on the pulse ranking since my intensity level and power were lower (especially at the net) versus singles. If I hit on the ball machine for one hour my pulse shoots up as I'm swinging more freely, hitting the ball well and hitting a lot of shots in a short period of time.
- jamie
- jamie
dgoran
Hall of Fame
Had a match last night, 7.0 doubles. It was a bit mismatched though, me and my partner are 3.5s, and I'm actually a very new 3.5, was bumped from 3.0 only a couple of weeks ago. Our opponents were a 3.5 and a 4.0, so we should have lost, but we didn't. We won 7-5, 1-6, 1-0.
Here's some screen caps of what my Play captured about my game. Some of the things are easy to understand, such as impact locator. But most of the rest of the numbers don't mean much to me. All I know is, the more I upload my data, the farther down the list of players I go, as if my game is "regressing", or perhaps there's just more and more better people playing.
When I browse the top tier people in the community list, I have to wonder to myself: perhaps people are cheating? I There's a lot of folks there with really amazing scores, some seem too high IMO. I can imagine some people taking this too seriously, as in people that want nothing more than to have the #1 scores, so they sort of falsify the data. It would be easy to stand in front of a wall and pound away as hard as you can knowing that you can't hit the ball "out". It gives you false numbers, since you aren't playing a game and there's no recourse for going all-out.
Well hopefully Babolat can use my numbers as legitimate match data, you certainly can't consider my data as an "outlier".
I know what you mean but I believe the data is correct...Just look up those top players names they are mostly juniors or young pros they play 6-7 hrs per day mostly training thus hitting groundless hours and hours on end... Something like if you were to get a ball machine and hit for 3 hrs. Their impact location is largely superior to us weekend hacks that mostly play matches and contrary to what some folks on here think we are not that good and most would not even get a set off any currently training junior girl not to even compare WTA...
I found that with babolat play in match situation you power level will vary on you current game style and your opponent game style. You simply cannot power hit out of a pusher or clay match in 9/10 situations unless you have amazing day and those are not that often we all know that...I learned this the hard way in last few yrs...
