How to Select a Tennis Racquet

When you get excited about tennis you are more likely to want to improve your game. One of the best ways to do this is to go out onto the courts and practice on improving your strengths and work on correcting your weaknesses. The only problem for many players is finding enough time to do this. Another real concern is the more time on court can put more stress on your body, which can result in injuries from over-use or poor technique.

A good place to start is to make sure you have the right racquet in your hand to give you the most benefit and complement the way you play. Deciding on getting the right racquet can be a difficult quest. When you start to do some research about racquets things can quickly get confusing. There are about 15 different brands of racquets, the most notable ones being Wilson, Babolat, Head, Dunlop, Yonex and Prince. The majority of top players use one of these brands so in order to maintain their edge, these companies tend to do the most research and invest the most in their product to produce the best quality racquets.

What a beginner really needs is a racquet that has a medium amount of power and a good amount of control, so a mid plus head size would be ideal. An intermediate player whose strokes are pretty much set and they want to use power to hurt their opponents could use an oversize racquet. An advanced player is more inclined to use a mid or mid-plus racquet with very little power. These players rely more on generating their own power and letting their racquet be used for the control component. 

·         Do your homework. There are many online sites like doittennis.com that have racquet reviews that are written by pros. Sites like tenniswarehouse.com also have racquet reviews but be careful to check who is writing the review as they will post everyone's reviews, no matter who is posting them. Sometimes there is value in reading what another recreational player, though many times they will overstate their level.

·         Demo the racquets that you think will fit your playing style.

·         Ask us for our opinion, especially if we've been working with you and know how you play. We're here to help.

If you still want to educate yourself about the details behind a racquet, here are the different variables to consider:

1)    weight of racquet - light 9 oz to heavy 12 oz

2)    swing weight  - low or high

3)    grip size - 1,2,3,4,5

4)    head size - mid, mid plus, over size

5)    racquet length - regular and long

6)    racquet technologies - BLX, DNX, You Trek, Woofer System

7)    players ability level - beginner/intermediate/advanced

8)    price - $50-$250

9)    cosmetics - how the racquet looks, colors and designs on racquet

The weight of racquet is a personal preference, some people like the feel of a heavier racquet, which gives them the feel when they make a solid contact of the ball. The trade-off is the racquet can become harder to maneuver and requires more energy than a lighter racquet.

The swing weight of a racquet is a better measure to determine if the racquet is suitable to your style of play. The lower the swing weight the easier it is to accelerate the racquet to create racquet head speed; the trade-off is the more shock you will feel when you impact the ball. The higher the swing weight the harder it is to accelerate the racquet, resulting in slower racquet head speed. The power you are able to create is also affected by swing weight; the lower weight the more you have to create the power and the higher weight the more the racquet creates the power.

The correct grip size of a racquet is important to avoid unnecessary injuries from having a grip that is either too small or too big. An easy way to find the correct grip size is to grip a racquet with a shake-hands-grip (like you are shaking hands with another person) and see if there is significant amount of gap between your index finger and thumb. If you are unable to fit your little finger in the gap the grip is too small.

The head size of a racquet varies from a small surface area (mid 90 sq. in; e.g., Roger Federer) or (mid plus 98 sq. in; e.g., Novak Djokovic) or oversize racquet (120 sq. in.; e.g., David Ferrer).  The smaller the head size, the more control but less power; the larger the head size, the more power but less control.

The regular racquet length for an adult racquet is 27 in. However, you can buy racquets that are half an inch longer. The reason you would use a racquet with more length is for more power (think: centrifugal force) and to increase your reach to pick up balls. A drawback to this type of racquet is it is less maneuverable at the net and you can get trapped when balls are hit right at you.

Each brand of racquet has their own version of technology that they promote. This usually involves how they spread out the different fibers and materials within the racquet. Some of the most popular ones are the woofer system from Babolat, which helps to stiffen the racquet and gives the racquet more power so you don't need to swing as hard for your power. Another popular one is the BLX technology from Wilson. The Basalt is the natural volcanic rock which is made into gold fibers woven into the materials of the racquet. It has exceptional vibration resistance helping to make the racquet feel more comfortable when you strike a ball.

Lastly, the cosmetics of a racquet play a minor part in buying racquets too. If you don't like the color or the way a racquet looks you're less likely to buy it even if it is the best racquet for you.

So the next time you are looking to buy a racquet, come by and talk to us. We're happy to give you our opinion and help.

Come by and say hi!