Basic Racquet Selection
Feb 13 '01
The Bottom Line Racquet selection is a relatively simple process once you know what you want.
Hello everyone. I am here to help you decide on which racquet to purchase. So if you want help, read on. I am going to go through my selection process to help you all out.
1. Price
The first thing to consider when looking into a racquet is price. A good quality racquet will generally cost between $100 and $300. It is possible, however, to find a discontinued model that is of excellent quality for roughly $75. I, for example, payed $70 for my Prince ThunderLite from e-rackets.com.
2. Style of Play
Do you play at the net a lot? (You are going to want a racquet with even or maybe head-light balance.) Do you hang at the baseline and hit groundstrokes? (You are going to want something slightly head-heavy, like the Wilson Hammer series or Prince Triple Threat.) Do you play more doubles or singles? (If you play doubles, you will want a racquet that is quick at the net. For singles, it is a bit interpretive.)
3. Weight
As a general rule of thumb, you only want a racquet that is light enough so it is comfortable to play with. The lightest is not always the best. Balance is a matter of style and preference. Both Prince and Wilson use quite a few different types of balance, from the Sledge Hammer weighting of Wilson and the Thunder weighting from Prince to the Pro Staff and Precision weight balance.
4. Head Size
What size of head do you want? Do you prefer the oversize (110 sq in. +) or super-oversize? Or do you like the mid plus? I personally prefer the mid plus just because the strings feel like they lose less tension over time. I know that this is most likely not the case, but all racquet selection is a matter of personal preference.
5. Length
In the last 2-3 years, racquet manufacturers have gone to a longer racquet design, known as the stretch in Wilson terminology and the longbody in Prince terminology. The main selling point of these racquets is the increased serve speed and angles created by a longer racquet. There is also one other advantage that I can think of right know, and the is increased reach on groundstrokes. There really is not a major disadvantage to a longer racquet after you get used to it other than hampered maneuverability at the net, which can be compensated for by shifting the balance point closer to the grip.
6. Construction Material
Within the last year or so, there has been an explosion in the use of titanium in tennis racquets. This metal is extremely lightweight and durable, but you do pay for the quality. The other traditional material of construction is graphite, which is still lightweight and stiff, but not quite as light as titanium. I prefer graphite simply because it costs less for a similar quality racquet. Since I have not used a titanium racquet, I cannot write about that, but it is a matter of preference as to which material you use.
Now after you have gone through these criteria, you should have narrowed the selection down to 3 or 4 racquets, and now you should just go demo them all and see which one catches your fancy.
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princethunder
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Location: Minnesota
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