Why do racquets with a small head size have such high prestige among some people?
- Thread starter davo81
- Start date
mhkeuns
Hall of Fame
It’s easier to hit outright winners from the baseline with midplus or tweener sticks, but it is more rewarding to play the game with the sticks like the Powerbridge 10 or Phantom 93P. I don’t normally volley or attemp touch shots with larger headed rackets. I like to camp at the baseline with those sticks. With the mids, I tend to play with more variety (I guess because I am somewhat forced to do so), but it is fun playing in that manner. I guess the quality of playing gets upgraded using the mids, even if I don’t win, because the play itself becomes more artistic, instead of just baseline bashing.
mhkeuns
Hall of Fame
That is disturbing...Yes, I hear you loud and clear and am in full agreement with the one handed backhand thing. I think that 100" might be the upper limit for most "serious" (4.0 and above) one handed backhand tennis players. My main frame is an old Head Pro Tour 280, which I've read is 98 but heard is really 95. Not really sure but it's such a sweet frame to me - I play a modern top spin game, almost exclusively doubles now. I've got three in very good condition and will probably use them well into my retirement years (already 63). I do have a collection of rackets assembled over the years, and the larger headed frames just collect dust - at some point somebody must've convinced me that bigger is better but they were wrong for my game. Actually, the only other frame I really enjoy playing with is an 88" Kneissl Aeramic Pro 25. I can play great tennis with this racket and as I say I use quite a bit of top particularly on my forehand. It's a little stiffer but I barely if ever notice a difference in head size (could be the teardrop head shape). I also use it because I swear it's easier on my wrist, which can be an issue with as much tennis as I've been playing lately (out for Summer Break and playing almost daily).
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stingstang
Professional
A nice mid feels great, they just do. My main frames are 100" but I have a few PS90's and they play so sweetly. They glide through the air and make a lovely thwack.
If they made a rule banning >95 frames for matchplay I would be totally happy with that.
If they made a rule banning >95 frames for matchplay I would be totally happy with that.
I thought it was just my old Kneissl that made that sound. It's just so organic and reinforcing, great racket to drill with. Another plus is that it makes you more precise without even thinking about it.
flanker2000fr
Hall of Fame
I think you're spot on. The main factor seems to be string spacing. I am amazed how much more control I have with a modern 18x20 pattern over a 16x19 pattern, because my shots are flatter, going through the ball rather than ripping it up. Sure, when I was younger I used to play a 16x19, but that was with a 75 sq.in. Kneissl, so you can imagine how tight the string pattern was. And a 18x20 pattern in a sub 95 sq.in. modern racquet seems to suit this style of game the most.
Leolionroar1983
New User
Just give the small size ones a try. It makes tennis more interesting. Gotta have good technique, and hand eye coordination. To me, hitting the sweet spot on a small size is way better than blasting away spin on a 110 sq in . It will also improve your game, as you will pay more attention to the importance of contact point.
yedibelaugur
New User
I switched from Prestige MP 360+ to pure aero vs then regular pure aero. I think playing with control racquet like Prestige is easier for most recreational players. Most recreational players are flat hitters so just hitting clean is enough for decent ball. Precision and heft do the job. Pure aero requires good spin technique and racquet head speed in order to keep ball in play. Also hitting clean is harder with spin. But reward is bigger.
movdqa
Talk Tennis Guru
I play against a flat, hard hitter who uses a Pure Drive so you can hit very flat strokes with it with a lot of power. He gives college players a hard time because they're not used the time pressure. His approach, though, leaves little margin for error.
The match between Dimitrov and Rublev at MC using 65 sq inch racquets was really interesting. Both players had no problems hitting right in the middle of those racquets and hitting pretty good shots.
I'm at 95 square inches but I really just hate to change racquets. I've hit with 65 sq inch to 108 sq in. I play with my current frames as they are easy on my arm.
I would love to try the Rafa's new racquet - the Origin version.
Grafil Injection
Hall of Fame
Great reasoning in this post. I don't know of anyone who says 'the smaller the racket the better', but there's something about rackets in the 80-90sqi range that seem to have the ideal blend of manoeuvrability and stability (given their weight too). Probably something to do with the dimensions in comparison to a typical hand-span. Their string-beds are a natural hitting area. And then we also have to consider the feel. There are a few modern large rackets that feel nice like the UT, but volleying with a 370g MAX 200G is on another level. Ok, it won't win you a match, but the feeling of a good shot is more important to many people, than winning or losing.
The OP hasn't been here since 2013, and I don't know if we ever found out whether he had played with any of the legendary mid-sizes.
TennisHound
Legend
Pretty sure the OP isn’t around to read this reply,
S
Slicehand
Guest
Because they feel great when you hit perfectly, that means when you have time, are on the offense, and have perfect technique, but in a real match situation, normally a rec player doesnt hit consistently like that, so in my case, grear for practice or messing around, not great if you want to win matches
naturalexponent
Hall of Fame
Same reason Classical and Renaissance statues look the way they do.
Benf15harp3000
Semi-Pro
Any match won with a stick over 95in should be stricken from the record books and result in a 1000$ fine.
Crocodile
G.O.A.T.
I know this thread is almost 10 years old but there are a few reasons to this thing about smaller racquets:
1. In racquet classification charts the smaller, thinner, heavier racquet was always paired with what companies would call a players stick and a players stick was usually associated with advanced or elite players. Many players would like to be associated with this description.
At the other extreme you have the lighter, larger headed racquet with a thicker beam and this was classified as a recreational racquet meant for beginners and senior citizens. The unnecessary and derogatory term for these racquets was having a Gumby stick or granny stick. I don’t know how many of you would like to be told that you use a Gumby stick.
In the mid 90’s manufacturers like Pro Kennex and Volkl tried to combine the benefits of both player racquets and recreational racquets hence the birth of the tweener. Pro Kennex released their destiny frame which later was adopted and modified by Babolat and Volkl released the V1 Classic. The Babolat moved slightly towards the player direction with greater aerodynamic properties whereas Volkl leaned more towards the recreational market focussing on arm comfort. Volkl now market their 8 series as more of a Pure Drive competitor whereas the V1 MP sits right in the middle of their power and control classification chart. At the time when Volkl was on fire they released an organix V1 Pro which was a master stroke of offering that late 40 year old early 50 year old a slightly lighter frame with a 99.5 sq inch head, thick to thin and back to thick frame and with comfort grommets. This type of racquet gave older advanced players the opportunity to gradually progress out of a players stick to a more realistic option.
As it was however different generations in local clubs formed their own conclusions. Some older players in their 40’s and 50’s who grew up playing with smaller and heavier frames still resonated and associated being a high level player with a players stick in their bag. At some stage as they aged they would have to come to terms that they are not the player they used to be and they would need to choose a tweener at least.
Younger players who are now in their 20’s and 30’s grew up with tweeners in their teens probably with a pure drive while the now 50 years olds were playing with Dunlop 200g’s ( 380g and 85sq head) when they were in their teens back in the 80’s.
So what you have now on tour are more tweener sized frames with some modifications like what you would see with a Pure Aero VS.
2. The second thing has everything to do with feel, a one handed backhand slice and serve and volley. These guys enjoy thinner and smaller beams and there are more of these guys playing in local competitions. They find that they lose the ball in an 100sq inch frame, All the pros that played like this retired.
3. The third thing is mass and balance, older racquets with smaller heads from the 80’s were at least 360g strung. Coming down to a 300g Babolat is hard to do.
4. The pleasure and the challenge of playing with a smaller head. Here’s an analogy - a 93 sq inch Volkl PB Mid is like a Porsche Cayman or Opel GT, Datsun 240z - you get to express your movements and skill like a scalpel. A Pure Drive is like a Ford Bronco, Mitsubishi 3000GT- a running shoe replaced with a hiking boots - having a shower with a raincoat on.
1. In racquet classification charts the smaller, thinner, heavier racquet was always paired with what companies would call a players stick and a players stick was usually associated with advanced or elite players. Many players would like to be associated with this description.
At the other extreme you have the lighter, larger headed racquet with a thicker beam and this was classified as a recreational racquet meant for beginners and senior citizens. The unnecessary and derogatory term for these racquets was having a Gumby stick or granny stick. I don’t know how many of you would like to be told that you use a Gumby stick.
In the mid 90’s manufacturers like Pro Kennex and Volkl tried to combine the benefits of both player racquets and recreational racquets hence the birth of the tweener. Pro Kennex released their destiny frame which later was adopted and modified by Babolat and Volkl released the V1 Classic. The Babolat moved slightly towards the player direction with greater aerodynamic properties whereas Volkl leaned more towards the recreational market focussing on arm comfort. Volkl now market their 8 series as more of a Pure Drive competitor whereas the V1 MP sits right in the middle of their power and control classification chart. At the time when Volkl was on fire they released an organix V1 Pro which was a master stroke of offering that late 40 year old early 50 year old a slightly lighter frame with a 99.5 sq inch head, thick to thin and back to thick frame and with comfort grommets. This type of racquet gave older advanced players the opportunity to gradually progress out of a players stick to a more realistic option.
As it was however different generations in local clubs formed their own conclusions. Some older players in their 40’s and 50’s who grew up playing with smaller and heavier frames still resonated and associated being a high level player with a players stick in their bag. At some stage as they aged they would have to come to terms that they are not the player they used to be and they would need to choose a tweener at least.
Younger players who are now in their 20’s and 30’s grew up with tweeners in their teens probably with a pure drive while the now 50 years olds were playing with Dunlop 200g’s ( 380g and 85sq head) when they were in their teens back in the 80’s.
So what you have now on tour are more tweener sized frames with some modifications like what you would see with a Pure Aero VS.
2. The second thing has everything to do with feel, a one handed backhand slice and serve and volley. These guys enjoy thinner and smaller beams and there are more of these guys playing in local competitions. They find that they lose the ball in an 100sq inch frame, All the pros that played like this retired.
3. The third thing is mass and balance, older racquets with smaller heads from the 80’s were at least 360g strung. Coming down to a 300g Babolat is hard to do.
4. The pleasure and the challenge of playing with a smaller head. Here’s an analogy - a 93 sq inch Volkl PB Mid is like a Porsche Cayman or Opel GT, Datsun 240z - you get to express your movements and skill like a scalpel. A Pure Drive is like a Ford Bronco, Mitsubishi 3000GT- a running shoe replaced with a hiking boots - having a shower with a raincoat on.
I will also go back to the other thread where @johnmccabe was asking to trainsition to a more modern racquet.
For rec players who took up tennis later in life, have a good level of coordination, and might have come from another racquet sport, the heavier control oriented racquets allow them right away to play more confidently even though they might shank shots once in a while or might be late preparing for the odd shot.
The lighter bigger racquets are probably easier to get power and even play with in the long run, but you need to invest a lot of time to reign in that power while still taking big cuts at the ball. Most rec adults don’t have that much time to rework their strokes. So the ones who care about hitting with proper technique and don’t want the ball flying deep on them stick to the player’s racquets.
So yes feel and challenges of a small frame might be a factor, but counterintuitively being able to rally more consistently with decemt technique immediately using smaller head frames is probably also why many stick to smaller head frames.
For rec players who took up tennis later in life, have a good level of coordination, and might have come from another racquet sport, the heavier control oriented racquets allow them right away to play more confidently even though they might shank shots once in a while or might be late preparing for the odd shot.
The lighter bigger racquets are probably easier to get power and even play with in the long run, but you need to invest a lot of time to reign in that power while still taking big cuts at the ball. Most rec adults don’t have that much time to rework their strokes. So the ones who care about hitting with proper technique and don’t want the ball flying deep on them stick to the player’s racquets.
So yes feel and challenges of a small frame might be a factor, but counterintuitively being able to rally more consistently with decemt technique immediately using smaller head frames is probably also why many stick to smaller head frames.
johnmccabe
Hall of Fame
I really enjoyed practicing with a vcore 95 a year after I started to learn tennis. It was great for developing my stroke when I don't have to worry about winning points.
I was playing even recently with a 90 inch dunlop revelation pro. I have always enjoyed playing with smaller head frames but age and a degenerative eye condition forcing me to go to my 100 sq in Exo3 tour. I will also look at oversize players racquets soon.
Smaller head racquets are so different also. I had more problems with my PB10 mid 93 than with my Dunlop or KPS88 or Prince 4 stripe Graphite 90 series. Even my Solinco Pro 10 (98 in) seems much more unforgiving than the Prince 90.
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johnmccabe
Hall of Fame
My return of serve is one main issue preventing me from using small head in matches.
Winners or Errors
Legend
Yes, you have to be feeling it to hit out on returns with a smaller headed racquet. That said, as I'm an old man and play mostly doubles now, doing that has limited risk-reward potential. Much easier to slice the ball deep, low, angled, etc. on a return, both forehand and backhand, which tends to set up points for me better. I can hit out on the second shot. Head size makes zero difference when I'm in that mood.
That said, I do like to hit out on returns on occassion and it is easier with more real estate. The problem for me is on the serve, where targeting with a smaller headed racquet is just so much better that I win service games more easily. Volleys and groundies are a wash.
I don't find the "modern" sticks more difficult to control. I just find them "clubbier." Give me a scalpel over a meat cleaver any day.
