The Demo Dilemma

In Praise of Balance and Swingweight

About every 15-18 months I like to demo some new tennis racquets. The four that I just returned to Tennis Warehouse (TW) were two from Prince and two from Yonex.

The thing that irks me a bit is that when I first started demoing racquets perhaps 7-8 years ago from TW, they were all strung with a quality multifilament (high end nylon) like Tecnifibre NRG2 and they were strung at mid-point + 2 lbs. Today you get them and you are lucky if you can even identify 2 of the 4 strings. Forget about tension, there is no way of knowing because a lot of tennis-techies will cut out the existing strings and restring them with their favorite string at a tension they generally like to play.

And as most of us already know, string composition, from gut to nylon to polyester, varies the feel greatly. Coupled with that, increasing or decreasing string tension can result in power and control for your style if strung correctly.

So about the only thing you can demo when trying out a new racquet is the FEEL while swinging, volleying and serving. For instance, I found I could hit groundstrokes fine with the Prince XO3 but the swingweight and balance prevented me from serving well, especially when it came to a kickserve. Furthermore, demoing a racquet when you are fresh at the start of a hitting session often feels different when you are tired after 90+ minutes. The swingweight is more obvious to you when you are tired than when you are fresh.

The size of the sweetspot and the power/control ratio can always be tweaked later when stringing for your preferences but if it it doesn't feel good-- balance and weightwise-- then no amounts of stringing and restringing are going to make it feel better. Of course there are those among us who use lead tape at various places to alter the playing characteristics, and I was one of those briefly 7 or so years ago, but that is a slippery slope-- always tweaking it, never satisfied.

To summarize, don't flip out and say that one racquet has too much or too little power when trying out a new stick. The stringing can greatly influence power level and control but you can correctly evaluate the balance and swingweight even before you hit a ball, just by going through the various strokes you will be playing in a match. That should be your primary guide in selecting a new racquet.

Resist the Urge

We could be talking about eating chips here, or donuts. We all know how tempting those are, but of course this will have something to do with tennis.

As I watched Juan Martin del Potro play James Blake yesterday I couldn't help but notice how unnaturally hard that the Argentinian could hit the ball. It got me excited and I tried to look to see what racquet he was playing with. The fantasy behind that thought was "if I get that racquet I can hit like him!"

Sure, and if I switch to T-Mobile I will be chatting up with Catherine Zeta-Jones. Okay, so we all know that to be folly, and yet, we all have the illusion that if I buy racquet X, I will be playing like my favorite player. Forget the fact that I played tennis maybe for 300-400 hours last year, am 49 years old, almost 5' 10" and not quite Herculean at 155lbs.

Would my using del Potro's racquet allow me to hit like him? Let's compare those above statistics with his-- all estimated on an annual basis:

• 1000-1200 hours playing or practicing


• 300-500 hours additional physical training


• 6' 6" and 180 lbs


• 21 years old

Coupled with this are numerous meetings with an entourage including nutritionists, sports psychologists, coaches, equipment gurus, and massage therapists/trainers, etc. Sure, give me the same racquet as del Potro and I'm ready for the tour.

It's ridiculous but everytime Federer wins a Grand Slam, more Wilson racquets are sold. And everytime Tiger wins, more Nike golf equipment goes out the door, well that and Trojan condoms (sorry, couldn't resist).

But the best racquet for you (and me) is the one we can control the best. One that combines both power and control and one that won't lead to arm pain or tennis elbow. Sure it would be nice to hit with "the next big thing" but resist the temptation. Better training and practice, more intelligent shot selection, better strategy, and losing some weight will all result in improved tennis, as much or more than the new racquet we lust for.

If you're interested, here is a related post I wrote last year- but more on the "new technology" that racquets have. http://paul-ihearttennis.blogspot.com/2009/02/searching-for-holy-grail.html

Searching for the Holy Grail

There are people out there, okay men out there, that are at Frys or Best Buy right now trying to decide between the 48” Plasma 720 HDTV or the 52” LCD1080Q HDTV. It’s a big decision, for them. In either case they are convinced that their quality of life, er… TV life, will be enhanced such that they will reach TV or DVD nirvana. And it will work for them, for about 6 months. Six months from now they will read an article or see an ad for the new DIGITAL FP2000 with a Zerna 12XKF Controller that promises to make all other TV’s obsolete. And now they have to have "the new one".

The Holy Grail. A mythical object that promises eternal life, fresher breath, a flatter stomach, well behaved children and more! Just 4 E-Z payments of $29.99, Visa-Mastercard accepted! Call now, operators are standing by. Sounds ridiculous huh?

If you read a tennis magazine and look at the racquet ads you see phrases like areo modular, woofer, smart grip, aerogel, magnetic speed, flexpoint, metallix, speed port, morph beam, n-code, v-engine, and a whole lot more!

-- for a dizzying array of tennis tech, click on this>

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/technologies.html

Each promises that the feature will translate into better shots. What they don’t mention is that losing 10 lbs, taking some lessons, and going for more reasonable shots will actually improve your tennis a lot more than all those things combined. However, we don’t want to think about that, we want the quick cure—for our double faults, slice onthe golf course, weight loss, baldness, etc.

Instead of searching for the Holy Grail, be the Holy Grail. Could Tiger Woods win the Master’s with clubs bought at K-Mart? Probably. Could Nadal pick up a used racquet from a Salvation Army and beat most of us 0 and 0? Probably.

I am not saying that certain strings and racquets can’t lead to improvement, but the best gut and racquet will not make up for bad technique or being out of position, etc.

So if you’re looking for that one magic racquet (or string) okay, but remember it’s a slippery slope. One player I know has switched racquets (and brands) more than 5 times in 2 years. Don’t look for the next "big thing" as far as equipment goes, work on your game the old fashioned way; with lessons, improved technique, improved conditioning and better on court decision making.