Wood racquet demo: Wilson Jack Kramer Pro Staff

[money_ball]

[Note: I had originally put this in the wrong section.]

My ATP-ranked hitting coach was gracious enough to humor me and let me hit with a wooden racquet. You can see a video of it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_kiapu3ZHY


I got a few of these Wilson Jack Kramer Pro Staff wooden racquets from the online auction site (that for some reason cannot be mentioned in this forum), and strung my first one from Brad Gilbert's tennis shop in San Rafael a few years ago. (It was too small for the automatic Babolat stringing machines, so the stringing pro had to bring out the old Prince NEOS manual machine to string it.)

I don't live in the Bay Area any more, and it was difficult to find people who could string woodies. (For example Mason's Tennis Mart in NYC can't string woodies.) While out visiting family in Southern California I found that Hank Lloyd's in Costa Mesa can string woodies, so I got one of my Jack Kramer Pro Staffs strung up with basic 17 gauge Prince synthetic gut at 55 lbs.

The strung weight of the racquet is over 13.5 ounces, and the head size is 65 square inches. Grip size is 4 5/8 inches. I have a couple other Jack Kramer Pro Staffs that are over 14 ounces, but since I'm not used to playing with woodies, I didn't want to hit with them yet as playing with a racquet over 13.5 ounces is tough enough as it is.

I actually prefer hitting with woodies over modern racquets because you really can't get away with poor technique hitting with a woodie. Also the modern racquets and polyester strings allow you to take huge cuts at the ball, and as I get older, my body cannot handle that kind of physical tennis any more. I want to be able to play good clean tennis when I'm old, like John McEnroe, who is still kicking ass in his 50's with his efficient serve-and-volley game.

In tennis, old school is the best school!

 

[racquetfreak]

thank you for sharing. i'm taking one of my woodies out tomorrow for sure.

 

[money_ball]

thank you for sharing. i'm taking one of my woodies out tomorrow for sure.

You're welcome!

 

[zapvor]

haha....yea but a modern frame will blow the cover off the ball. woodies cant compare. not even clost

 

[Harl Goodman]

I actually prefer hitting with woodies over modern racquets because you really can't get away with poor technique hitting with a woodie.

Agreed. What's sad is how fast the good technique goes away when I switch back to a modern racket.
As soon as I realize I don't have to swing as hard, I tell myself in some manner or another to "back off". It takes about 30 seconds from that point for all my good mechanics to vanish and I'm flat-footed, slapping at the ball.

The best solution I've come up with, so far ... stick with wood

 

[Hannah19]

I'm about to try a brand new Pancho Segura made by Sabine Tennis Project. I strung it with a Vilsbiburger type pattern as mentioned in Kuebler's book of tennis rackets.
Should strip the felt of the balls.

 

[joe sch]

I'm about to try a brand new Pancho Segura made by Sabine Tennis Project. I strung it with a Vilsbiburger type pattern as mentioned in Kuebler's book of tennis rackets.
Should strip the felt of the balls.

You have a new Segura racket that is speghetti strung or is it the standard diagonal pattern for that racket using the pattern where the mains are double strung ? I personally did not like the diagonal pattern since it makes it harder to control hits and double stringing does not make that much of a difference.