Basic facts about tennis racquet frames

1. A heavier frame generates more power.
2. A heavier frame vibrates less.
3. A stiffer frame generates more power.
4. A more flexible frame transmits more vibration to the arm than a stiff frame.
5. A stiffer frame transmits more of the shock load to the arm than a more flexible frame.
6. A stiffer frame provides a more uniform ball response across the entire string plane.
7. A larger frame (either be being longer, or by having a larger hitting surface) generates more power.
8. A larger frame is more resistant to twisting.
9. A longer frame generates more velocity and therefore more power.
10. The string bed in a longer frame allows the generation of more spin due to increased velocity.
11. A head-light, flexible frame is better for your arm than a stiff, head-heavy frame.*

* Many racquet characteristics can be altered through customization, but stiffness is not one of them.

Ways To Find The Tennis Racquet, Tennis Racquet Center

The actual global recognition of Tennis is undoubtedly an undisputed truth. With the passing of time, the sport has begun to hit the peaks of fame as well as attractiveness. Consequently, the providers of the accessories have also overloaded the sports market with some styles. The big part of consists of tennis racquets, tennis court floor coverings, tennis balls, tennis rebounding walls, and so on. Even so, a best tennis racquet is the most important part of the tennis. You’ll find tennis racquets designed for almost all sorts of players together with different playing styles. You will discover power-enhancing tennis racquets, controlling and specialist precision racquets, and so forth. Nevertheless, there exists a common tip which enables you finally choose appropriate tennis racquets for your style that can improve the game and as well keep you away from injuries such as elbow pain or perhaps various arm traumas.

The Head: If you have only started to play tennis, a tennis racquet with an extra-large head is the ideal selection in your case. First, it will give you that additional energy plus second it increases the probability of the tennis balls connecting the sweet area of your racquet. Nonetheless, as you start getting the power, precision and spin properly?, you’ll want to step in the direction of a smaller head. A small head racquet gives that additional control along with precision in the shot.

The Weight: It’s a great misconception among the newbie tennis players that the light tennis racquet is usually a more suitable one because you won’t be required to lift a heavy weight object. But, that is reverse, lighter tennis racquets will need far more strength as well as energy to get the full speed and even strength of the shot. You will need to swing the racquet 2 to 3 times with additional strength compared with almost any more heavy tennis racquet. Additionally, it can be very probable that you could start sensing a pain in your elbow because of placing more efforts in the swing. Therefore, you better select a heavier racquet rather than an extra light-weight racquet.

The Light Head: The light-weight head of tennis racquets happen to be much better fitted to avoid arm injuries. Most of these racquets tend to be mainly made to keep the weight of the head light, however on the whole body stays weighty. This gives a good plus shock freehold which gives you much better control, maneuverability and also recovery. They’re suitable for only those people who have no concerns in producing strength together with the speed of the shots.

The Flexibility: The flexibleness of a tennis racquet ascertains the impact that your arm will have to deal with. The flexible enough tennis racquet will eventually bend a little bit at the time of the impact and so gives less stress on your arm compared to a non-flexible racquet. Having said that, heavy-head racquets may give you that added strength in your shots especially when you’re a newbie. Nonetheless, if you are a more advanced or possibly an advanced player, then you should most certainly try light-head racquets since they will give you much more control over the shots while playing with tennis shoes and the power to move the ball and the positioning. Head-heavy racquets are non-flexible racquets and thereby may hurt your elbow. Fundamentally, when you are going to acquire tennis racquets, you need to think about your technique level as well as the style of your current game play. For anyone who is an amateur, acquire a head-heavy racquet. However, for everybody who is a qualified tennis player, opt for the light-head racquets. Even so, you will find no definite rules to adhere to for you to get a racquet. You can try several models of racquets as well as test them and decide on one that feels superior in your arms and gives you the self-confidence to play your game.

Various brands are offering the best & most comfortable to hold tennis rackets with top reviews by the tennis legends. Such as Wilson Tennis Rackets, Babolat Tennis Racquets, Head Tennis Racquets, Prince Tennis Racquets, Yonex Tennis Rackets, Dunlop Tennis Racquets, Gamma Tennis Racquets, Asics Tennis Racquets and much more.

BABOLAT AEROPRO DRIVE GT 2013-2015 TENNIS RACQUET

WILSON BLX TENNIS RACQUET

WILSON 13 PRO STAFF 90 TENNIS RACQUET

HEAD MicroGel Radical Head Tennis Racquets

Wilson Hyper Hammer 5.3 Strung Tennis Racket

BABOLAT AEROPRO DRIVE 26 JUNIOR TENNIS RACQUET

THE WILSON [K] ZERO STRUNG PERFORMANCE VALUE TENNIS RACKET

Wilson Pro Staff RF97 Autograph Tennis Racquet

Racquet Attributes - Tennis, Squash, Racquetball - Courtside Sports Ltd

At courtsidesports.com we have racquets ranging from less than $50 to over $400. Keep in mind when searching for the right racquet that spending lots of money doesn’t guarantee that it will be the right frame for you. Typically higher priced racquets will feature newer technology and lighter materials. These high-end frames typically are suited to recreational and club-level players that can benefit most from the advancements in technology. More advanced players will likely find suitable racquets in the moderate price range as these frames don’t require as many hi-tech features. All the low-end frames at courtsidesports.com are good quality and come from reputable manufacturers; they just don’t offer all the bells and whistles that may be found in the higher end exotic frames.

All other things being equal, a racquet with a larger headsize will have a bigger sweetspot and therefore more power than a racquet with a smaller headsize and smaller sweetspot which would offer more control. Therefore, players with long fast swings will likely prefer the control of a smaller headsize, and players with shorter, slower strokes will likely prefer the added power of a bigger headsize. Players that suffer from tennis elbow, or any other type of arm injury will find more comfort in a larger headed racquet. Simply put, the shock and vibration caused by hitting a ball off center is less likely to occur with a bigger racquet.

Standard length racquets offer more maneuverability over their longer counterparts. Longer racquets will generate more power and spin through their added leverage. Players will also find added reach with a longer frame but may also find difficulties in quick reflex shots.

Lighter racquets give players more maneuverability and faster swing speeds. Heavier racquets have more stability, power and comfort (unless they’re too heavy). When looking for the perfect racquet for your game try to find a racquet that is heavy enough that it feels solid and stable, yet light enough to react quickly to shots in pressure situations.

Balance is a measurement of the distribution of weight in a racquet. Whether a racquet is proportioned head heavy or headlight can have a dramatic impact on how the racquet will swing and feel. Typically, the lighter a racquet becomes, the more necessary it is to move the balance point of the frame towards the head, to add stability and power in the racquet. The heavier a racquet is the more likely it’s balance point will be proportioned towards the handle so that the head is still light.

Swingweight is a dynamic measurement of maneuverability measured by the Babolat Racquet Diagnostic Center. The higher the number, the less maneuverable the racquet will be. The lower the number, the more maneuverable the racquet will be. A more aggressive, advanced player with a longer, faster swing, will likely prefer a racquet with a heavier swingweight. A less advanced player with a shorter, slower, more compact swing will likely prefer a racquet with a lighter swingweight.

Stiffness is measured by the Babolat Racquet Diagnostic Center. Stiff racquets will be rated with a higher number and will offer more power. Flexible racquets will be rated with a lower number and will offer more control. The stiffness of a racquet is determined by the materials used to make the frame and the cross section, or profile of the racquet.

Cross Section is the measurement of how wide a racquet is when viewed from a side profile. A traditional width racquet will usually offer more flexibility and therefore more control than a widebody frame, which, will offer more stiffness and greater power.

String pattern is a way of measuring the density of strings in a racquet. The more strings there are, the denser the pattern will be. The less strings there are the more open the pattern will be. Denser patterns give players more control and greater string durability. Open patterns give players more power, more bite on the ball, but less string durability.

The manufacturer states a suggested tension range for every racquet they produce. When choosing this range they will take into account how much tension a racquet can endure and also what tensions the racquet will perform best for the target audience they will be marketing the racquet towards. Most players will find their racquet will perform best when strung within the manufacturers recommended range. Occasionally players will find reason to string outside the recommended range, which in most circumstances is acceptable +/- 10%, however this will void the manufacturer’s warranty.

Racquet Facts

Back in the '70s, picking out a tennis racquet was really pretty simple - you just went down to the local drug store, department store or sporting goods store, and found the cheapest wood racket they had. The selection didn't matter because they were all pretty much the same - same size, same weight and balance, same strings, etc.

It seems like there is a new material on the market every several months or so, one that is supposed to be better than the previous one. The latest craze is titanium, which replaces fiberglass, graphite and Kevlar, which replaced wood in the old days. Many frames are actually a combination of one or more of these materials, and may also include copper or nickel.

The size of the racquet head is directly proportional to the size of the hitting area and the sweetspot. The larger the hitting area, or sweetspot, the more power the racquet will generate, and the smaller the more control you will have. The sizes offered today are standard, midsize, midplus, oversize and super oversize. These range from 85 square inches (standard) to over 130 square inches (oversize).

Racquet lengths have increased over the last several years, varying from 27 inches to 28.5 inches, and seem to have recently standardized on about 27.5 inches. In general, the longer racquets generate more power and give you more reach, while the shorter length racquets offer more control and are easier to maneuver.

When you talk about the differences in weight of a tennis racquet, you're really talking about ounces. It doesn't seem like a half ounce here or there can make a difference, but it definitely can. The lighter the racquet, the easier it is to maneuver, and the heaver the racquet, the more stable it is. The weight of today's tennis racquets range from about 8.5 ounces up to 13 ounces, with a trend going lighter.

The swing weight doesn't really have anything to do with the physical weight of the racquet, but more with the weight and balance, and maneuverability during your swing.

Balance is generally designated by "HH" for head heavy, "HL" for head light and "Even" for even balance. You can tell the balance of a racquet by finding the exact middle (lengthwise) and balancing it there - if it falls towards the head, then it is HH and if it falls towards the handle then it is HL. Head heavy racquets generate more power from the baseline but are not as maneuverable at net. Head light racquets are easy to volley with, but don't generate much pace.

If you look at the throat of the frame, between the head and the grip, you will notice the size or width of the frame. Some racquets are a consistent width from top to bottom, and other racquets vary in width from the top of the head to the bottom. Thicker racquet frames tend to generate more power, while thinner racquet frames are more flexible for better control.

When you hit a groundstroke, the way you swing is described by both style and speed, and these influence the type of racquet which is best suited for you. Swing styles are compact, if you have a short or compact swing, moderate if it is evenly balanced, and full if you take a big swing. The speed of your swing is identified as slow, medium and fast.

Your tennis skills, measured by an NTRP rating, will help you determine which type of racquet is best for your ability. When reviewing tennis racquets, manufacturers and playtesters often designate an NTRP range which is appropriate for each racquet. Refer to the Know Your Rating article for more information about the NTRP rating system.

The bottom line on tennis racquets is that there are many choices to select from, and only you will know which one is right for you after you've played with it. Most tennis shops and some sporting goods stores offer a "demo program" which allow you to try out different racquets before buying one. This is the best way to determine which is best for you.

This content was written by Sandy Eggers. If you wish to use this content in any manner, you need written permission. Contact Sandy Eggers for details.