hello everyone, I was wondering what sort of weight I would want in a racket. Ive been playing for 3 years and I am quite experienced and I hit lots of loopy topsin balls from the baseline. I'm currently using an exone 100l but I tried an old aero pro lite and it completely changed my perspective on the game, I'm able to generate more spin and it feels much more lively. after trying it, I'm considereing getting something from the pure aero line, and I was wondering if something like the normal pure aeros weight would be suitable, as I feel both the aero pro lite and the 100l I play with normally are a little too light. thanks in advance for responses
what racket weight for 13 year old boy
280-290g, definitely not above 295g speed mp lite or similar. for that age racquet and strings must be soft, otherwise kids don't develop nice loose wide strokes, because they're expecting stiff impact so they constrict their movements
aero will distort the technique, lots of moonballing and defending, it's very difficult to attack and punch through the ball in a clean way with it. people swipe upwards, with a short backswing, and open stance, from their heels. that's horrible tennis technique, exactly what a 13yo shouldn't be doing. choose speed mp lite or vcore lite, drive through the ball, racquet must end its movement around the player, above the other shoulder, while transferring body weight forward
aero will distort the technique, lots of moonballing and defending, it's very difficult to attack and punch through the ball in a clean way with it. people swipe upwards, with a short backswing, and open stance, from their heels. that's horrible tennis technique, exactly what a 13yo shouldn't be doing. choose speed mp lite or vcore lite, drive through the ball, racquet must end its movement around the player, above the other shoulder, while transferring body weight forward
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my technique is quite decent and I am still able to swing through and punch through the ball with the pure aero, I'm just very impressed with it's livelyness as compared to the ezone, which I enjoy. I'm also not using a multi string but hyperg at 47lb, and I'm really enjoying it. I also find it much easier to attack with the pure aero as it feels much more precise or something compared to the ezone in my opinion, I'm able to hit more topsin on approach shots and with more control over the extremity of an angle. I'm the 13 year old btw
Hey, yes, I understood you were the one asking. I've seen so many play with aeros over the years, and then, when they're 18 or 20 they still play the same snowflake kind of high trajectory tennis, that is completely dependent on me hitting the ball as hard as I can, so that they could block it in the direction of the clouds. That can maybe win tournaments when you're 13, but already at U16 level other players could blow you off the court if you don't learn how to hit consistently.
Aero asks for constant swiping upwards, so when you're trying to punch through the court, maybe going for a winner or almost winner, with an ezone your launch angle is lower, and you get both good blocking and counterpunching AND good drive through the ball and attacking. However, with aero, if the ball isn't right between your hip and shoulder level, you're always spinning it upwards, and spinny balls travel through the air much more slowly, so you can end up losing that punch. People mitigate that high launch angle later in their development by choosing strings that lower the launch angle, and stringing tightly, but at your age you need forgiving strings 200%.
Aeros are also very stiff, don't be fooled by texts and people saying 'but this version is softer'. If we could count all juniors who had to stop playing, or had elbow surgery and similar, vast majority would be aero and pure drive users. Same applies to recreational players. Stiff wide frame with an open pattern is very easy for recreational players to hold deep balls with, so aero and pure drive sell like crazy for 25 years already. But many of those players get permanently injured..
Many players choose their racquets by hitting through the middle, maybe with a coach, but that's the worst thing to do. You'll get the impression that a racquet is great, and your coach will be nicely blocking your shots back, higher up into your hitting zone, and all will seem perfect. That story falls apart in points play agains someone slightly better, when all balls are completely where you don't want them, either too low or too high, too slow floaters or too quick sliders. It's only in that scenario that you must evaluate a racquet.
You understand me well I see, you're expressing yourself very nicely
Aero asks for constant swiping upwards, so when you're trying to punch through the court, maybe going for a winner or almost winner, with an ezone your launch angle is lower, and you get both good blocking and counterpunching AND good drive through the ball and attacking. However, with aero, if the ball isn't right between your hip and shoulder level, you're always spinning it upwards, and spinny balls travel through the air much more slowly, so you can end up losing that punch. People mitigate that high launch angle later in their development by choosing strings that lower the launch angle, and stringing tightly, but at your age you need forgiving strings 200%.
Aeros are also very stiff, don't be fooled by texts and people saying 'but this version is softer'. If we could count all juniors who had to stop playing, or had elbow surgery and similar, vast majority would be aero and pure drive users. Same applies to recreational players. Stiff wide frame with an open pattern is very easy for recreational players to hold deep balls with, so aero and pure drive sell like crazy for 25 years already. But many of those players get permanently injured..
Many players choose their racquets by hitting through the middle, maybe with a coach, but that's the worst thing to do. You'll get the impression that a racquet is great, and your coach will be nicely blocking your shots back, higher up into your hitting zone, and all will seem perfect. That story falls apart in points play agains someone slightly better, when all balls are completely where you don't want them, either too low or too high, too slow floaters or too quick sliders. It's only in that scenario that you must evaluate a racquet.
You understand me well I see, you're expressing yourself very nicely
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Also, actually the first thing I should have written - but it's obvious to us older people - the aero you tried was probably lighter than ezone, so you could swing it faster, which is hugely important, so it seems more punchy. And the other, even more obvious thing, if it had some softer looser - older - strings, that gives a lot of power. 13yo don't have the body mass or muscles or legs to move a heavier racquet, so if you tried it for a couple of shots it would seem more stable, which it is, and if you connect nicely on a shot or two it would seem powerful. But you can't swing it consistently like that, especially when balls aren't in your hitting zone, during points play. You would end up stabbing at the ball, short backswing, being late, and a heavier frame makes you much much slower on the court.
How tall are you? How much do you weigh? Are you muscular or really skinny or average with little muscle? You could be 5 feet tall and 90 pounds. You could be 6 feet tall and 200 pounds.
Babolat rackets are extremely stiff and bad for your health. Try Head or Wilson or something else. If you like spin, head Extreme is good, head speed is good.
Babolat rackets are extremely stiff and bad for your health. Try Head or Wilson or something else. If you like spin, head Extreme is good, head speed is good.
no it was restrung with hyper g at 48lb
I'm about 5foot4 and weigh 41kg, somewhat muscular but more on the skinny side
I have a feeling you are going to get a pure aero even though there is a lot of advice against it. I think the pure aero team would be a good weight for you.
I would suggest getting the head speed team instead.
socallefty
G.O.A.T.
Get whatever brand you like and whatever paint job looks cool to you and your peers. If you play with poly, cut it out early within 10-15 hours before arm starts hurting - or even better, play with soft strings. The racquet you pick doesn’t matter too much to your development, contrary to what many here believe. Play with a racquet that makes you enjoy tennis.
When I was your age, I was playing with 14 oz wood racquets because they were the only ones available - got coaching a lot and the racquet weight didn’t hold back my tennis level. Now you have a lot of options and if you dedicate yourself to improving with a lot of practice, you’ll be fine.
When I was your age, I was playing with 14 oz wood racquets because they were the only ones available - got coaching a lot and the racquet weight didn’t hold back my tennis level. Now you have a lot of options and if you dedicate yourself to improving with a lot of practice, you’ll be fine.
ChanterRacquet
Professional
My 12 yo son is 5’2” and 52 kg and plays with a Blade 100 which is 300 g unstrung (https://www.wilson.com/en-us/product/blade-100-v8-tennis-racket-wr07950#covertype=52592). He’s also a former competitive gymnast whose best event was rings. He switched from Pure Drive Lites last year.
So, relatively speaking, If you go for the aero, I’d go no heavier than the Team model. It’s solid.
But, I think your experience has less to do with the model of racquet and more to do with the excitement playing with a different racquet brings. It is super fun, especially when you find one that works well with your game! I know my son gets a kick out of demoing racquets. He liked the Speed Pro (backhands so easy) but the weight was noticeable after a short time. The VCORE PRO 97 is a decently weighted stick with a lower swingweight, great for spin and plenty powerful, though a little less control than his Blade 100.
You’re young and it may be tough, but before buying a new racquet, you need to demo if it all possible. Racquets aren’t cheap and should not be purchased on a whim.
KungfuTennis
Semi-Pro
I'd say 295 or 300g would be fine for you, as long as you can maintain your normal proper technique with the heavier racket. If the racket causes you to play with different form I wouldn't suggest a switch, we've all been there at some point!
Aestheticsaboveallelse
Legend
I know what you mean but I just got my pure aero vs today strung 55 lb black polytour pro and its quite comfy and pleasant. Probably largely due to ptp being a very soft good pocketing string... but I don't think its a harsh racquet anyway
The VS is a little less stiff. It's because you are 29 years old. Young, dumb, and feel invincible still. PTP is a little less stiff than other polys. At least you're not using RPM Blast which is very stiff. There are so many Rafa fans that think it's cool to use the Pure Aero and RPM Blast, but they can't play with me half the time because their shoulder hurts, even some young guns that are your age. People don't listen to other people's advice, they only listen to themselves - you have to experience it, learn from it, then realize, then think - I should've.
Brando
Professional
Hi @nocap100% (gr8 handle BTW), I’m going to assume you already know about the ‘Big-3’ specs of weight, balance and swingweight. But you likely don’t know about recoil weight, the ‘lost spec’ that combines the big-3 to tell you how much mass is distributed toward a frame's tip &/or tail.
<150 RW means the frame is very depolarized, such that its weight is fairly evenly distributed throughout. >170 RW means it’s polarized and much of its weight is at the ends. Recoil weight is important because the length of a player’s arm can significantly determine what RW they prefer.
The taller the player, the more they tend to prefer the laggy pulling-a-hoop feel of high RW. The shorter the player, the more they tend to prefer the pushing-a-handle feel of low RW. So it’s no coincidence that the frames you mentioned liking all have low RWs:
Ezone 100L: 145 RW
AeroPro Lite: 128 RW
Pure Aero Team: 148 RW
Pure Aero Lite: 142 RW
What I’m suggesting is you search for a low (sub-150) recoil weight to quickly focus in on the frames you’ll want to demo. You can calculate a frame’s RW from its big-3 specs on TW using this formula:
Recoil Weight = SW - (kg wt. in x (cm balance - 10)²)
Or you can use Impacting Tennis’ handy Customization Calculator by joining the site, which costs nothing but giving them your email address (well worth it bc they won’t sell your edress; at least they haven’t sold mine– no capping.)
<150 RW means the frame is very depolarized, such that its weight is fairly evenly distributed throughout. >170 RW means it’s polarized and much of its weight is at the ends. Recoil weight is important because the length of a player’s arm can significantly determine what RW they prefer.
The taller the player, the more they tend to prefer the laggy pulling-a-hoop feel of high RW. The shorter the player, the more they tend to prefer the pushing-a-handle feel of low RW. So it’s no coincidence that the frames you mentioned liking all have low RWs:
Ezone 100L: 145 RW
AeroPro Lite: 128 RW
Pure Aero Team: 148 RW
Pure Aero Lite: 142 RW
What I’m suggesting is you search for a low (sub-150) recoil weight to quickly focus in on the frames you’ll want to demo. You can calculate a frame’s RW from its big-3 specs on TW using this formula:
Recoil Weight = SW - (kg wt. in x (cm balance - 10)²)
Or you can use Impacting Tennis’ handy Customization Calculator by joining the site, which costs nothing but giving them your email address (well worth it bc they won’t sell your edress; at least they haven’t sold mine– no capping.)
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Aestheticsaboveallelse
Legend
I'm confused about my body actually thought I have weak joints etc. due to health issues but I haven't had any injury issues in a long time. But at one point I was having pain in back joint below shoulder, quickly went away despite getting super painful for a few days couldnt serve anymore. Before that 2019 and beyond had bicep tendonitis apparently for quite a while but eventually it just disappeared and shockingly never came back.
I avoid stuff that feels really stiff. Its funny you mention that though... Pure Aero 2019 with rpm blast 16 at 30 lbs played AMAZING in that first practice session july 2019 but with such low tension in 100 degree weather it was extremely vibrational and the harshness of rpm blast tore that bicep apart. It was playing so good I pushed thru the pain addicted until it became unbearable. Realized rpm blast and rough are really harsh and stopped using them lol.
TennisJrDad
Professional
@nocap100% If you are able to demo, try the following:
- Head Extreme Tour - 2022
- Wilson Blade 98 16x19 v8
- Tecnifibre TF40 305 16x19 - 2022
- Yonex EZone 98 - 2022
Save yourself! Go to the light! The light is Wilson Clash with full bed gut.
