Tennis Racquet Features and What They Mean.

You are on the hunt for a new tennis racquet, so you are looking for a quick education on the different features of tennis racquets and how they translate to your game. Well here you go!

Head size is directly related to power. Tennis racquets of today come in head sizes ranging from 85 to 135 square inches. Most players fall somewhere in the 95-110 range. A larger head size offers more power as well as larger sweetspot and hitting area. These are usually used by a beginning to intermediate player. A smaller head size offers more control and is typically used by a more accomplished player.

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Racquets come in a variety of lengths ranging from 27-29 inches. You would use a longer racquet for more reach on your groundstrokes, more leverage on your serves and a bit more power overall. Switching to a longer racquet is usually an easy move for most players. Typically a longer racquet will be lighter than the standard 27 inch racquet. The dynamic swing weight will increase when the lenght increases. This means that without reducing the weight you will lose your maneuvarability and the racquet would feel more like a club.

Ok, now we now how length and head size apply to racquet. We should cover some basic stuff now. A heavier racquet tends to have more power and be more stable than a lighter weight racquet. A lighter racquet tens to be more maneuverable allowing a player to swing through faster. So you ask, well then a lighter racquet swung quickly should be able to create as much power as a heavier racquet swung slowly. This has been a heavily debated question since Wilson intoduced the Hammer series of racquets. Up to that point racquets weighed in around 12-13 oz. and were balanced head light. With the Hammer this was not so. This racquet was lighter, weighing in around 10-11 oz, and was balanced head heavy. They contended that you could improve a racquets maneuvaribility and not sacrifice power by keeping weight in the head. Since that time racquets have steadily dropped in weight and now come in weights 10 oz. So now your telling yourself lighter must be better. That is not necessarily true. So now your saying then which one do I use? The best way to answer this is to find a point of reference, meaning how heavy is my racquet currently, and is it head light or head heavy. For me as I advanced in my abilities I switched from light racquet, with large head that was balanced head heavy to a heavier racquet, with a mid size head that was more balanced overall. I needed this for me, because I was taking such a big cut at the ball with the light racquet I was spraying balls. I could swing the racquet to fast which caused me to lose my control. By switching racquets, I was able to increase my control, because it slowed my swing down some. It did take a little adjusting to at the net, because my racquet was not as light, therefore I did not feel like I could get it around as quick.

Here are some basic guidelines to use on the advantages and disadvantages of the different weights and balances.

Let's start with a head light, heavier racquet, which is often referred to as traditionally weighted and balanced.. Most pro tennis players prefer this model. They usually weigh in around 11-13 oz. They typically offer more control and are used by players that can create their own power.

Let's move onto a head heavy, lighter weight racquet. The advantage to this racquet is increased maneuverability. The theory is you do not lose any power because it is balanced head heavy.

Another point to consider is the stiffness of the frame. A stiffer racquet tends to bend less meaning it depletes less energy from the ball, where a more flexible racquet bends more which means it will deplete energy from the ball. Simply put a stiffer racquet tends to have more power than a more flexible racquet. Stiffer racquets can be less comfortable than their flexible counterparts. Stiff racquets will transmit more shock to your wrist, elbow and shoulder. Generally speaking players with arm or shoulder problems should steer away from stiffer racquets and use a medium stiff frame. A stiffer racquet is also likely to provide less spin.

Last, but not least let's take a look at the string pattern. An open pattern will provide greater rebound than a denser pattern. An open string pattern does not feel as tight as a densely strung racquet. An open string pattern will provide more spin. It also leads to more strings breaking. Players seeking more control, or a person who hits hard with top spin typically string their racquets denser.

Tennis racquets will continue to evolve as I am sure your game will too, hope this helps!

Choosing the Right Tennis Racquet

If you are like most tennis players, you already have a tennis racquet and you are on the search for the one that will really optimize your game. You are looking to upgrade your current racquet for several reasons, but my bet would you are either want more power, want more control or want more comfort, or maybe all of the above. Whatever the reasons, you should have some basic knowledege to help make your decision.

If you are like many, you have no idea which tennis racquet is best for you, you simply are motivated by the reviews you read. To further complicate matters, the shear number of available racquets is overwhelming. There are really three major racquet categories you should understand before you purchase your next racquet. Those areas are: power or game improving racquets, in between racquets and control or players racquets.

Let's start with power or game improving racquets. This is the term that they manufacturer actually uses for the power-oriented racquets. Most of the time these models have oversized or super oversized heads, they are light weight, are longer, more stiff, and are head heavy. Often players with a shorter, slower swing that want more power use these racquets.

The next category of racquets are the inbetween models, often referred to as a tweener racquet. These racquets typically appeal to an intermediate to advanced player that is seeks more maneuverability. These racquets tend to be lighter (9.5-11.0 oz) are balanced anywhere from slightly head light to slightly head heavy, have a mid plus head and are extended length.

The last category of racquets is the control or players racquet. These racquets are used by professionals or high level club and college players. They tend to be heavier in weight (11.5 to 13+oz), with smaller heads. They are also thinner, more flexible and balanced head light which retains the maeuverability. These racquets are low power and more control because the people who use these have to ability to provide their own power.

These are the different types of tennis racquets, next time we will look at the different racquet characteristics.

Tennis Racquets Reviewed: Then and Now

The tennis racquet and variations of the game actually date back before the 1500's. Tennis, which was originally called lawn tennis, came to popularity in the late 1800's and was played with a wooden racquet which was fashioned into the now familiar shape of the key-hole. M

y, my how times have changed!

The modern racquet varies in weight, head size and length. Typically they come in a junior's length of 21 to 26 inches or an adult length of 27 to 27.5 inches, and their weights vary from eight ounces to 12.5 inches. Head size is an important factor too with sizes ranging from 90 sq. inches to a 137 sq. inches. With a large head size you generally have more power and a bigger "sweet spot". A bigger sweet spot means the tennis racquet is more forgiving when the ball is struck off center. With a smaller head you generally have more control which gives you more precision shots.

Through most of tennis's history, the racquet heads were typically around 65 inches and made of laminated wood. Wood limited the size of the racquet as it could only withstand some much pressure which dictated the size of the racquet. Wilson changed that. In the latter part of the 1960's they produced the T2000. The T2000 was a steel racquet with string loops made from wire wound around the frame. Jimmy Connors, America's top player at the time, was responsible for the tennis racquets popularity. In the mid 70's Weed produced a racquet made from aluminum which allowed for an over-sized racquet.

Prince however really was responsible for making the over-sized racquet popular. Their racquet had a head size around 110 square inches which really lead to many of the the non-standard head sizes like the mid-size 90 sq. inches and the mid plus of 95 sq.inches. In the 1980's the graphite composite racquet was introduced. John McEnroe played with an early model of the graphite racquet called The Dunlop Max200G. Dunlop also introduced a longer racquet t

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o provide additional reach for shots. The additional length was a benefit to the shorter players as it provided more reach for the serve and volley.

Professional tennis players typically play with a midsize or mid plus.

An important factor for a tennis racquets is the stringing. Natural gut is still used by a few of the elite players, but the big majority use a a nylon or polyester synthetic. The natural gut is considered by some to be more responsive thereby providing better feel, however the synthetic string is considered superior in its durability and consistency and lower price tag.

A tennis racquet's string pattern is determined by the size and design of the head. Today's racquets have the recommended string tension range marked right on the racquet, most often the throat. When a racquet is strung with a tighter pattern it is supposed to offer more control. However, a racquet with an open pattern will help with more power and spin. Or it is often put that a tennis racquet strung at a lower tension will create more power with a trampoline effect, where a racquet strung toward the top end of its tension will create more control. The reason the higher tension provides control is because the ball will stay on the strings for longer, which should give more feel and allow for shot control. At one time there was a double strung racquet, which was banned for the excessive spin it created.

Tennis is a game that continues to evolve as does the equipment used to participate. Understanding which tennis racquet will benefit your game is a crucial component of constructing a successful tennis game which translates into winning!

Welcome to A Tennis Racquet

Welcome to A Tennis Racquet for Beginners. This site provides tips and must know information for beginner tennis players when purchasing a new racquet. If you have questions not covered on A Tennis Racquet please feel free to email your questions to tennisracquethelp@gmail.com

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