when talking about racquet balance.....?

[Mr. Blond]

when a racquets specs are discussed. weight and balance are two issues mentioned. Some are head light, some are head heavy, but what ever the case, the balance is stated as "5 points head light" or "4 points head heavy". The question I have is what exactly is a 'point'? Is it a measure of distance from tip to handle, or weight? Are the points the same from manufacture to manufacturer, or do they vary between brands? (would a 5 pt head light wilson racquet be the same as a 5 pt head light prince racquet?)

 

[travlerajm]

A point is 1/8", measured from balance point to the midpoint of the length. To compare balance between racquets of different lengths, you should convert the balance to distance from the buttcap.

So 5 pts headlight on a 27" racquet would be 13.5" - 5/8" = 12.875" from butt end.
And 5 pts headlight on a 27.5" racquet would be 13.75" - 5/8" = 13.125" from butt end.\

 

[Court_Jester]

The question I have is what exactly is a 'point'?

A "point" represents 1/8 of an inch.

Is it a measure of distance from tip to handle, or weight?

Consider a standard length (27") racquet. Assuming that the mass of this racquet is distributed uniformly across its length, if we try to position this horizontally on a very narrow edge then we can expect this to balance at a point 13.5" from the butt cap. This racquet is regarded as an "even-balanced" racquet, 0-point head-heavy or 0-point head-light.

Now consider another standard length racquet but this time, more mass is concentrated towards the handle. The balance point of a racquet is always closer to where more mass is placed. This means that the balance point is going to shift towards the handle. Balancing this horizontally will confirm this shift. The distance of this shift from the center of a racquet (13.5" for standard length racquets) is measured in "points." This racquet is going to be head-light by several points. As an example, an 8-point headlight racquet means that its balance point is 1" (8 points x 1/8") away from its center and it's closer to the butt cap.

The same example works for the case of a head-heavy racquet but this time, the balance point is going to be farther away from the butt cap.

Are the points the same from manufacture to manufacturer, or do they vary between brands? (would a 5 pt head light wilson racquet be the same as a 5 pt head light prince racquet?)

They don't vary. It's the same for all manufacturers.



CJ

 

[Mr. Blond]

wow thanks for the quick and informative replies......as with most days, this board answered another of my endless questions.

thanks