The J011yroger Guide to Racquet Selection.

Hoot said:
J011yroger thanks for the great post it was very helpful. As some what of a newbie I have always wondered what racquet I really should be playing and I have tried several.

I would love to pick your brain when you have time about the racquet I am currently playing and if I should be looking at something else.

Thanks.
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J011yroger said:
Ask away, or send an e-mail.

J
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Jo11yroger did you get the email I sent you? Don't mean to pester you but wanted to make sure you did receive it.
 
Think there is something missing :confused:

;) its a great tread, and i read it all with great interest as i'm desperately trying to replace my old dunlop select pro revelations.

And I finally understood something :grin: ( yes yes ) BALANCE , my old dunlops are headlight , the balance is at 32cm , so i took a few racquets from the shop the babolat pdc and also 2 prince models the midplus diablo and another, and guess what for the first time in my life i was happy , very happy and didnt long for my old stick.
i still have to demo against a friend of mine who hits much harder then my other sparring partner so i know what to expect when i'm pushed into defense, cause in offense mode this stick has really amazed me. ( it came strung with alu power ) also it is much lighter , but it really suits my swingstyle, still have to try the prince as well. but at least i dont need to demo tons of racquets.

so when can we find a good string/tension advise tread :grin:
keep up the very excellent work and goodluck improving your game.

ps i feel i play much more stable with this pdc, my depth is much more consistent but i think i should be carefull not to judge on 1.5 hours of play

so this summer i intend to win ( yep ) a few tournaments here.
 
Hi J011y,

I was thinking of the topic of Bumper and Grommt replacement sets, and possibly mentioning that in the review might be helpful.

That said, I am unsure if it might instead, or maybe also, best work on your upcoming String review, or a possible review on other essential Accessories.

All My Best,
John
 
Oops, sorry for the post above this one J011y. I meant to place my suggestion in your thread titled "How Many Racquets Do You Need."
 
The B&G question would be better answered by one of our pro stringers. I know I leave mine in too long. Until they break or are really trashed.

I really try hard to only talk about things I know a lot about. And this is something I dont know a terrible amount about.

J
 
Thing is, being a n00b and all, it is hard to know what strings to select to start experimenting, so any help in this department would be great help.
 
J011yroger said:
The single most important attribute of a tennis player is consistency. You absolutely must keep the ball in play at all costs. Every shot you miss you forfiet the point. Until you get to about #200 in the world tennis is about one more ball. The difference as you go up in level is the quality of that ball, which will be addressed in the next point.

QUOTE]

I recommend folks read this paragraph a minimum of 10 times. ;) CC
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Craig A. Clark said:
J011yroger said:
The single most important attribute of a tennis player is consistency. You absolutely must keep the ball in play at all costs. Every shot you miss you forfiet the point. Until you get to about #200 in the world tennis is about one more ball. The difference as you go up in level is the quality of that ball, which will be addressed in the next point.

QUOTE]

I recommend folks read this paragraph a minimum of 10 times. ;) CC
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Hi Craig. I think this can be really good advice and can also be less than good advice.

I think it is important for a person to play a style which matches their personality to some degree. For many, hitting one more ball just doesnt match how their brain works...if people try and do things that dont match their personality, they have less chance at playing their best tennis and their fun factor will also likely go down. some people would find hitting one more ball to be pretty boring. these days, the hitting one more ball thing often doesnt get a person very far with the modern gear making it easier to be offensive and can lead to people playing one dimensional tennis or even being a pusher <which can no longer get someone to a higher level (with the very rare exception)>
Before this gets twisted about, I am not advocating everyone play go for broke style tennis either....i believe in matching the style of play to the personality to some degree, once someone gets ok w. the basics
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Craig A. Clark said:
I recommend folks read this paragraph a minimum of 10 times. ;) CC
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NoBadMojo said:
Hi Craig. I think this can be really good advice and can also be less than good advice.

I think it is important for a person to play a style which matches their personality to some degree. For many, hitting one more ball just doesnt match how their brain works...if people try and do things that dont match their personality, they have less chance at playing their best tennis and their fun factor will also likely go down. some people would find hitting one more ball to be pretty boring. these days, the hitting one more ball thing often doesnt get a person very far with the modern gear making it easier to be offensive and can lead to people playing one dimensional tennis or even being a pusher <which can no longer get someone to a higher level (with the very rare exception)>
Before this gets twisted about, I am not advocating everyone play go for broke style tennis either....i believe in matching the style of play to the personality to some degree, once someone gets ok w. the basics
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When I put this into the guide, I wasn't so much talking about style of play, so much as racquet selection. I hear so many people saying "When I hit the ball right, it is awesome, but when I am off just a little, it goes out, or into the net, or some other thing."

I am in agreement with Mojo, about the personality thing. I tell everyone, you gotta play like you, you can't try to be someone else. If you are a crafty guy, that is how you gotta play. If you don't have that "Here it comes, hit it if you can" personality, then no one will be able to teach it to you.

That being said, one needs to objectively take a look at what they are doing on the court.

I remember when I was out bowling with some friends of mine, and said "Hey, I throw the ball 18mph"

My friend (Who is actually competant) replied "That is great, now why don't you try knocking down some pins with it."

J
 
NoBadMojo said:
Craig A. Clark said:
Hi Craig. I think this can be really good advice and can also be less than good advice.

I think it is important for a person to play a style which matches their personality to some degree. For many, hitting one more ball just doesnt match how their brain works...if people try and do things that dont match their personality, they have less chance at playing their best tennis and their fun factor will also likely go down. some people would find hitting one more ball to be pretty boring. these days, the hitting one more ball thing often doesnt get a person very far with the modern gear making it easier to be offensive and can lead to people playing one dimensional tennis or even being a pusher <which can no longer get someone to a higher level (with the very rare exception)>
Before this gets twisted about, I am not advocating everyone play go for broke style tennis either....i believe in matching the style of play to the personality to some degree, once someone gets ok w. the basics
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Greetings Mojo and Jo11y,

Hope the Holiday treated you both well. ;)

Actually, I was making a little joke.......I recommend you read about hitting a bunch of balls back ten times.............get it?! ;)

I couldn't agree more about the personality thing. I am patient, studious, and enjoy feeling like I am in control. I am therefore a natural 'attacking all courter' and that's how I play. I've always found forcing errors to be ALMOST as much fun as hitting winners, but that doesn't stop me from going for an ace or two here and there. ;) Still, I think my 'hold game' is pretty sound and is MUCH more oriented toward moving the serve around the box, with lots of different spins, speeds, and placements to 'keep 'em guessing'. My training as a psychiatrist comes in handy here. ;)

Best,

CC
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J011yroger said:
Could you still fit into your pants after the time off?

I couldn't :oops:

J
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wait until you reach old fart stage like Craig........and me ;) the ole metabolism starts to slow down and the healing takes longer....being from NYC you prolly just went out and bought some of those pants with the stretchy waist.............
 
NoBadMojo said:
wait until you reach old fart stage like Craig........and me ;) the ole metabolism starts to slow down and the healing takes longer....being from NYC you prolly just went out and bought some of those pants with the stretchy waist.............
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I sacrificed my body for research. The world needed to know the effects of cookie dough ice cream and miller light on severe wrist injuries more than I needed a 32" waist.

J
 
J011yroger said:
I sacrificed my body for research. The world needed to know the effects of cookie dough ice cream and miller light on severe wrist injuries more than I needed a 32" waist.

J
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J.......Please help me out. You've got to get the tazer out put it on full blast. and go to the Jr Tourney section and let 'em have it. They've gone over the deep end. Seriously.
 
NoBadMojo said:
wait until you reach old fart stage like Craig........and me ;) the ole metabolism starts to slow down and the healing takes longer....being from NYC you prolly just went out and bought some of those pants with the stretchy waist.............
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Interestingly, my weight is exactly the same, but I lost lean muscle. My body fat % went up 2% in one month. :( CC
 
J011yroger said:
I sacrificed my body for research. The world needed to know the effects of cookie dough ice cream and miller light on severe wrist injuries more than I needed a 32" waist.

J
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I've heard those 12-16oz wrist curls can do wonders for speeding up re-hab. You have to be careful with the 22oz and 40oz weights. Too much weight can be hard on wrists and forearms (and head :shock:)
 
Hey Jolly, i was wondering how muhc of a change occurs from a Open String to a Dense Close string pattern?

I just realize up to this point, i have not a hit an 18x20, only but once which was the Wilson "Midplus" (93in) ROK, which back then i could barely hold.

I have been demoing and hitting all opens like Babos, k90 and n90, and RDS 001,
I was wondering would i be stepping into something entirely different with 18x20's

also note, i dont hit that much topspin in the first place, so yea.
any help?
 
herosol said:
Hey Jolly, i was wondering how muhc of a change occurs from a Open String to a Dense Close string pattern?

I just realize up to this point, i have not a hit an 18x20, only but once which was the Wilson "Midplus" (93in) ROK, which back then i could barely hold.

I have been demoing and hitting all opens like Babos, k90 and n90, and RDS 001,
I was wondering would i be stepping into something entirely different with 18x20's

also note, i dont hit that much topspin in the first place, so yea.
any help?
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It is a different feeling, that is for sure. They are a little bit more muted, but I wouldn't say the 18X20s are exclusively for flat hitters. I can spin the ball surprisingly well with a prestiege mid, but I would hit big top with a cast iron frying pan.

Try it and see what you think. It is a more solid feeling more even feeling bed. Good for taking some air out from under a guys ball which is too spinny. Also will cut down on string breaking bigtime.

J
 
J011yroger, im thinking about switching from microgel extreme to babolat aeropro drive cortex. i have a full western forehand w/ a lot of topspin, a two hand backhand, and overall i use a lot of spin. wat do u think?
 
I think you should choose the racquet you like best, and play best with, keeping in mind the points I have put forth in the guide.

J
 
The "Depth" section really hit home for me. I use a Prince Tour Diablo mid strung with kevlar/syn gut. Overall, the racket is boardy, stiff, low-powered, the way I like it. I love this racket.

Playing 4.0s and lower tier 4.5's (which I am), depth is hardly ever a problem. I'm in control of the point, no one else is hitting that hard or that deep super consistently (except some of the 4.5s). I can get the Diablo around on the run and usually don't feel behind in the shot.

When I play upper level 4.5s and 5.0s who hit heavy, everything changes. The Diablo becomes burdensome. And even though I can hit good shots and get the racket around sometimes and even dictate some points, overall my depth coonsisency goes way down and it just sets up my opponent for short court balls that they put away. It also makes passing shots that much harder.

Granted, I'd probably lose to these players anyway since they are a level higher. But, I want to be as competitive as possible and have the score be as close as possible. So, I've started using my POG OS in these matches. I give up a little control, but depth is so much easier to come by - the sweetspot is bigger, the string pattern is more open, and I have my POG strung with syn gut at a lower tension than my Diablo, so I gain a lot of power. The swingweight is slightly lower too. I can maintain rallies much better and stay in points much longer. Power and depth are so much more easier to generate.

Thing is, considering how great the Diablo is playing the 4.0 and lower level 4.5 players, I don't know if I should change permanently or just keep breaking out the POG (or some other slightly lighter, less swingweight, more forgiving racquet) for higher level players.
 
Lovin' this thread

Great job, Jolly one. You've nailed it. And thanks NBMJ and KK for your helpful posts as well. I've already forwarded this to a friend or two who are racquet nuts, like me. I'm helping one with technique, and what you say about hitting deep in particular is really important. I'd like him to settle on a frame after months of demoing, and I'm trying to do the same....

Thanks!

Harry
 
bluetrain4 said:
Thing is, considering how great the Diablo is playing the 4.0 and lower level 4.5 players, I don't know if I should change permanently or just keep breaking out the POG (or some other slightly lighter, less swingweight, more forgiving racquet) for higher level players.
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I think that it is foolish to change racquets for different opponents. Nothing wrong with having a bat in your bag strung 2lbs looser for days when you are having trouble keeping the ball deep, but I would advise that you choose one or the other and stick with it.

Now you have already stated that you fare better against the 5.0 crew with the OS, but against the people whom you would ordinarily play the diablo against, how do you fare when using the OS?

Try playing the OS against someone you would play close against with the Diablo, and against someone you would beat handily with the diablo, and record the results.

I am not so much interested in the results from a win loss perspective, but as to the general tone of the points. Win/loss will come, but if you find yourself dictating play more, that is a good indicator, even if you lose more points due to balls flying.

J
 
harryz said:
Great job, Jolly one. You've nailed it. And thanks NBMJ and KK for your helpful posts as well. I've already forwarded this to a friend or two who are racquet nuts, like me. I'm helping one with technique, and what you say about hitting deep in particular is really important. I'd like him to settle on a frame after months of demoing, and I'm trying to do the same....

Thanks!

Harry
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my pleasure..Jolly did a really good job. I did my version of this guide in a more simplistic manner some while ago. i like to reduce things to a basic elemental level, as i think there is beauty in simplicity, especially considering all the bits of minutia people consider when selecting a tennis racquet
 
Hey Jolly how do the 13.6 k - n 6.1's feel?
I got my LE Radical and the TT Radicals to 13.5 and the amount of power I generate is tremendous :)
 
didnt see any mention of string pattern in the writeup.... well maybe its personal preference, but to me string pattern is a rather important factor in racquet selection. sorry if its mentioned but somehow I missed...
 
J011yroger said:
I think you should choose the racquet you like best, and play best with, keeping in mind the points I have put forth in the guide.

J
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You should listen to your advice imo. Although while you probably do like your 90in frames for whatever reasons- i doubt you play "best" with it compared to what most other racquets have to offer. Switch to a babolat and change your name to JollyRafa, i bet you will play better.
 
How much would you like to bet?

While we are at it, you can witness my backhand first person, and we can RDC one of my flexed out Ncodes.

As long as winning the three bets evens out the cost of the trip I am down.

J
 
Ultra2HolyGrail said:
You should listen to your advice imo. Although while you probably do like your 90in frames for whatever reasons- i doubt you play "best" with it compared to what most other racquets have to offer. Switch to a babolat and change your name to JollyRafa, i bet you will play better.
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I'm not so sure - I hit with the N 90 for a month or so and found advantages with the 90, especially in the stability dept and control. The problem for me was the fatigue factor after 1/2 hr, but I'm a middle ager and not in great shape. In Jolly's case ( from what i've read) he's in great shape and hits quite often.
 
J011yroger said:
How much would you like to bet?

While we are at it, you can witness my backhand first person, and we can RDC one of my flexed out Ncodes.

As long as winning the three bets evens out the cost of the trip I am down.

J
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Interesting post...

You know the other day I was talking to a guy about this message board. I told him that it was nice to have some really high level players on the board. I mentioned your name specifically and told him that you could literally smell the greatness from some of your posts. This for instance qualifies.

Sorry, know this adds nothing to this thread, but J you're in the NBMJ/TennisMastery etc. status for me (those who give great info).
 
DrewRafter8 said:
Interesting post...

You know the other day I was talking to a guy about this message board. I told him that it was nice to have some really high level players on the board. I mentioned your name specifically and told him that you could literally smell the greatness from some of your posts. This for instance qualifies.

Sorry, know this adds nothing to this thread, but J you're in the NBMJ/TennisMastery etc. status for me (those who give great info).
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thanks for the nice word. appreciated.
 
bluegrasser said:
I'm not so sure - I hit with the N 90 for a month or so and found advantages with the 90, especially in the stability dept and control. The problem for me was the fatigue factor after 1/2 hr, but I'm a middle ager and not in great shape. In Jolly's case ( from what i've read) he's in great shape and hits quite often.
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Yep. There are advantages and disadvantages to EVERY frame. The issue is to find the one that best suits YOUR biomechanics, playing style, and 'tastes' when it comes to that elusive quality of 'feel' or 'feedback'. :) CC
 
Craig A. Clark said:
Yep. There are advantages and disadvantages to EVERY frame. The issue is to find the one that best suits YOUR biomechanics, playing style, and 'tastes' when it comes to that elusive quality of 'feel' or 'feedback'. :) CC
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I'd also add - find the racquet which best suits your 'capabilities' and will either accentuate your positives or help compensate for your negatives. Which one you choose - accentuate or compensate- depends on which will determine the result of more points/games/matches.

In my case, as a result of injuries, I'm in that bracket of 'when good(ish) players go slooooow'. Physically, I can swing a K90, Diablo Mid, etc all day and, technically, hit the ball very well... when it's in the slot. Unfortunately, when the injuries flare up, I don't move well enough to when it isn't in the right spot. At those times I tailor my equipment choice to help compensate for my lack of foot speed and the subsequent loss of power that ensues.
 
AndrewD said:
I'd also add - find the racquet which best suits your 'capabilities' and will either accentuate your positives or help compensate for your negatives. Which one you choose - accentuate or compensate- depends on which will determine the result of more points/games/matches.

In my case, as a result of injuries, I'm in that bracket of 'when good(ish) players go slooooow'. Physically, I can swing a K90, Diablo Mid, etc all day and, technically, hit the ball very well... when it's in the slot. Unfortunately, when the injuries flare up, I don't move well enough to when it isn't in the right spot. At those times I tailor my equipment choice to help compensate for my lack of foot speed and the subsequent loss of power that ensues.
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You've got to. . . Ac-Centuate the positives, E-Lim-Minate the negatives, and latch onto the affirmitive. And don't mess with mister in between.

Maybe I had better stick to tennis...this singing stuff is really not for me.

J
 
Ok, I definitely don't want to re-ignite the mid and over size stick wars here but if big, strong pros(ie, Rafa, Nalbandian, Bagdatis, Agassi, Djokavic, Roddick etc) can use 95- 100 heads and still consistenly control the ball then what the heck are we still using smaller heads?
I'm currently using the RDS 001 90 and love it however my buddy just bought a pure drive and it's added some pace to his game. As for touch, the jury's still out. I don't want to sell my Yonexes
PS I'm a 5.0+ and play on clay in Taiwan.
 
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