The Flexibility of a Racket

[ksam12]

Ok so how many people find the flexibility of a racket pretty important? Do you prefer stiffer, flexible, or in between in a racket. Also would a flexible racket absorb more vibrations or would a stiffer racket?

 

[Marvel]

More flex 60 RDC or lower...

 

[fuzz nation]

I used to use very stiff Prostaffs which were great for my serve and volley game, but when I started using more flexible frames, I found much greater control over my groundstrokes. Now I'm devoted to racquets with a flex rating of around 63 or lower, but I'm also hooked on heft. It gets tough for me to play well with a frame that's lighter than around 12.5 oz., especially up at net where I really need some stability.

Seems to me that more traditional strokes can benefit from racquets with some flex while players with more modern strokes and the angular hits they make on the ball can often benefit from frames with more stiffness. Flex and static weight are basically the two "deal breakers" for me; if one of them isn't right, I can't really do much with the racquet.

 

[Abriano]

a stiffer frame will vibrate less

 

[PimpMyGame]

I get arm trouble with a stiffer frame, so I use a more flexible one. No problems since the transition, and as fuzz nation said, there is more control with a flexible frame (for me anyway).

 

[McLovin]

Stiff all the way. If there was a way for me to inject Viagra into my racket, I would...

 

[kalic]

This is the most important thing to me. Everything else can be "customized". Weight, balance, power (with stringjob and weight), you can "open" dense pattern with very thin strings... I always played with midplus, so I can easy transit to mid or oversize...
Flex is key factor for racquet "feel". I like around 60 RDC. But flexy racquets extinct, unfortunatly.