What New Racquet for 13yo

[illzoni]

My son is a very active USTA player and made it to Southern Section 12s this summer. He will turn 13 in November and now playing 14s. He's 5'5" and lean. Last year I would've described him as thin, but he's matured a bit.

He's been playing with the Wilson BLX Blade Lite Pink:
Head Size: 100 sq. in. / 645 sq. cm.
Length: 27in / 69cm
Strung Weight: 10oz / 284g
Balance: Even Balance
Swingweight: 302
Stiffness: 65
Beam Width: 24mm / 24mm / 24mm /
Composition: Karophite Black / Basalt
Power Level: Medium
Stroke Style: Medium
Swing Speed: Medium
Racquet Colors: Black / White / Gold
Grip Type: Pro Hybrid
String Pattern: 16 Mains / 20 Crosses; Mains skip: 7T, 9T, 7H, 9H; One Piece; No Shared Holes
String Tension: 53-63 pounds

We had three of those racquets, as I got them from TW on a great deal. That allowed me to play around with strings a bit. Unfortunately, one broke a couple of months back. However, as we've been using a copoly/SG hybrid string life has been much better than when it was all SG. The remaining two racquets are significantly worn on the upper hoop from scraping the court.

My first guess is to go up in racquet weight a bit, progressing toward more of a player's racquet. Maybe down a bit in head size. And probably keep to an open string pattern.

I'd appreciate any advice.

Thx,
Jon

 

[SpinToWin]

I would recommend looking at the following racquets:

-Wilson Blade 98 16x19
-Yonex Ai 98
-Head Graphene Speed MP
-Babolat Pure Control

 

[DustinW]

SpinToWin made some good recommendations.

Definitely get the strung static weight above 11 oz. There are a ton of good frames in the 11.0-11.5 oz range.

 

[illzoni]

Thanks for the inputs. I have three demos on the way.

 

[AHJS]

Maybe Im crazy and ill catch a lot of heat for this im sure, but when i was 13 i was playing with my blade 93 :shock: maybe worth a look...?

 

[illzoni]

We're now demo'ing and he's favoring them in this order:
1) Babolat Pure Control;
2) Wilson Blade 98 16x19;
3) Prince Tour 16x18.

The Prince is a distant third and I think I'll pull it from him and concentrate on the other two.

 

[jorel]

get him a pure drive..its wat all 13 yr old boys need..

or repaint all his racquets black and add lead to beef them up

 

[jorel]

lead is ur friend

 

[davidhshon]

Wait until the new pro staffs come out and demo the Prostaff 97, the 315g one. I'm sure he'll enjoy it as will many players on this forum.
If he wants a new racquet now.. then I suggest the Head Graphene speed pro, as it is the same weight as the pure control that you stated he liked. It is a great racquet and they also happen to be $40 off currently.

 

[SpinToWin]

Wait until the new pro staffs come out and demo the Prostaff 97, the 315g one. I'm sure he'll enjoy it as will many players on this forum.
If he wants a new racquet now.. then I suggest the Head Graphene speed pro, as it is the same weight as the pure control that you stated he liked. It is a great racquet and they also happen to be $40 off currently.

*shakes head*

Pure Control: 10.9 oz strung
Graphene Speed Pro: 11.7 oz strung

 

[The forehand]

The blade 98 16x19 is very powerful the blade 104 with lead is a great set up lots of control and I loved that stick.

 

[davidhshon]

*shakes head*

Pure Control: 10.9 oz strung
Graphene Speed Pro: 11.7 oz strung

I originally saw the Pure control 95 and thought that was the racquet he was talking about.

At any rate, I guess the mp is the better choice...but who knows, he might actually enjoy a heavier racquet.

 

[The forehand]

The Pure Control 95 is a bad racket for anybody who does not have fantastic footwork timing and power.

 

[maxhunter]

Go with what spintowin said

 

[gplracer]

My son is 5'7" and turns 13 in June. He also played in the southern championships. He played with the blade lite, then the Wilson juice lite and now the Wilson 6.1s. We found the blade to be a little too much racket for now.

 

[illzoni]

We're now demo'ing and he's favoring them in this order:
1) Babolat Pure Control;
2) Wilson Blade 98 16x19;
3) Prince Tour 16x18.

The Prince is a distant third and I think I'll pull it from him and concentrate on the other two.

The order of precedence didn't change. The Babolat Pure Control is the best choice. Those racquets are headed back to TW now. I have a new demo order in for:

Babolat Pure Control;
Babolat Pure Drive;
Head Graphene Radical Midplus;
Wilson Pro Open 100.

Although I really would like to get him down to 98 sq in, a trusted source advised trying the Babolat Pure Drive. So I filled out the demo order with the others to see. The Head Graphene Radical Midplus specs out very similar to the Babolat Pure Control, with the Wilson Pro Open 100 being pretty close as well.

My son is pushing 5'6".

Thx,
Jon

 

[yellowoctopus]

Why not give Dunlop iDapt a try? They come in different headsizes, colours, lengths, feel, etc. Your son might actually have fun picking and customizing his racquet.

http://www.dunlopidapt.com/

 

[Sebang]

A players racket really isnt in his best interest. A pure drive is ideal really

 

[yangster007]

Pure Drive is your best friend.

 

[wolfinsignia]

the prince tour that you demoed aren't ideal for him. i do suggest that you give the idapt racquets a try because i love em. personally from the 98 i had everything i like about babolat racquets and head racquets.

also, try increasing the weight of the racquet with lead tape, might be a cheaper alternative to buying new racquets for now. i think ~2 inches of a 1/4 inch lead at 12 o clock might be what he needs and work from there.

 

[illzoni]

13yo Follow-Up

From my original post:

My first guess is to go up in racquet weight a bit, progressing toward more of a player's racquet. Maybe down a bit in head size. And probably keep to an open string pattern.

So we demo’d these:

The Babolat Pure Control was the clear winner of that group. The Pure Drive was highly recommended, so I set up another batch to demo:

In each graphic, I’ve included his current racquet as a baseline and highlighted any specs I thought warranted it.

A players racket really isnt in his best interest. A pure drive is ideal really

Pure Drive is your best friend.

the prince tour that you demoed aren't ideal for him. i do suggest that you give the idapt racquets a try because i love em. personally from the 98 i had everything i like about babolat racquets and head racquets.
[Also, try increasing the weight of the racquet with lead tape, might be a cheaper alternative to buying new racquets for now. i think ~2 inches of a 1/4 inch lead at 12 o clock might be what he needs and work from there.

The Pure Drive is now tied as his favorite with the Head. Their specs are very similar, so that’s not a surprise.

Could someone define ‘players racquet’ for me?
I believe it’s heavier (~12oz) and smaller (~95sq in). Is that correct?
I want to head that direction for my son, but have no ambition to get him all the way there.

I don’t know about the iDapts. And they don’t demo.

His current racquets are due for replacement. While he doesn’t abuse them, they are definitely used and ‘abused’…if that makes any sense. I’ll probably keep them as experimentation platforms.

So, it’s between the:
Babolat Pure Drive – I’m concerned about the stiffness. We’ve only transitioned from SG to a poly/SG hybrid this year and I’m not sure about the potential additional stress. The online reviews are good. The Wimbledon edition is an option. The trusted advice we’ve gotten and the general popularity may push us this way…the psychology of a 13yo is part of the equation.
Head Graphene Radical Midplus – I really don’t have any ‘concerns’ with this one. The reviews aren’t as strong, citing some instability issues, but I get the impression the TW testers are coming from heavier racquets in their assessments. It is 98 sq in, which I was trying to move toward (worth it?).

They’re priced nearly the same, so that isn’t an issue. What do you think?

Thanks again!
Jon

 

[illzoni]

Settled on the Babolat Pure Drive Wimbledon. Unfortunately, although TW had them listed earlier today, they ran out of stock and I bought elsewhere.

 

[wolfinsignia]

actually a players racquet usually denotes of a upper 11 ounce range and the frame is 98 or lower that are usually headlight meaning low powered racquet typically.

as for idapt demos, i know that you can find 27 length demos from ************** in all 3 shock sleeves but i couldn't see the listing so you have to select them and view them in cart. and from ******* sports website you can demo 27.5 in length in medium shock only. the racquet is 4 points headlight in 27 form which seem like its apparently is his wheelhouse, it felt powerful for a low powered racquet.

i think your kid can handle a pure drive's stiffness as he is young and if his form is good and he maintain a healthy body there shouldn't ever be an issue. how is he handling the hybrid?

when i went from SG straight to poly i didn't have any issues in fact, my control was drastically improved. i did get tennis elbow but that was from me over working myself and developing a bad habit.
when i went to hybrid the stiffness didn't feel any different, but it was enough for me to play without the fear of TE.

the radical is more control oriented than the pure drive. i mean if he like the pure drive, then it might be for him.

 

[illzoni]

Thanks for addressing the 'players racquets' question.

He's had no issues with the poly/SG hybrid. I plan to continue with it. I've been stringing his current stick 5 pounds under the suggested range (48 v 53-63). The Pure Drive range is 50-60. I think I might stay with 48.

 

[illzoni]

Here is the pair of Babolat Pure Drive Wimbledon racquets I got him. On left is as it came from the retailer, strung with N.Vy. On the right is my poly/SG (Pro's Pro Black Out/Forten Sweet) hybrid with black Tourna Tac overgrip. I've since put black Gorilla tape across the head--let's see how much that helps.

 

[bl14]

Good choice! I got a pure drive as my first real racquet when I was 11. It was great but then I switched to a heavier frame when I was around 14. You can always add lead tape to it though if you want to increase the weight. Pure drive is definitely a better choice than the radical in my opinion