How to choose a tennis racket

[Mason Malmuth]

Hi INSPIRON:

The racket I'm currently using is 11.3 ounces. But lighter rackets with big heads will have a swing weight as heavy as this one. When I was a kid, I used a little wooden Dunlop Maxply and the head was less than 70 square inches. They also weighed up to 16 ounces and you could get a 5 inch grip. None of that is available today.

As for you using a heavier racket, that really depends on the length of your stroke and how hard you swing. But it does sound like you have found what's right for you.

Best wishes,
Mason

Best wishes,
Mason

[Mason Malmuth]

[ QUOTE ]
And now the above related questions:
1. Is the lighter weight directly related to Swing speed?
2. What does Stiffness do to the performance?
3. What are the differences between the materials used in the building process?


[/ QUOTE ]

1. Yes. But with a bigger head your swing speed should slow down. So the lighter weight will make up for that.

2. Stiffness adds a trampoline effect and can increase power. If you have short blocking strokes, like you do on a volley, that can be good.

3. Who knows. Every company makes all sorts of claims for their space age materials. But one thing is certain, today's modern day rackets can go well over 100,000 hits on hitting machines which are used to test the rackets. The early metal rackets could only go about 20,000, and the old time wooden rackets could go 10,000.

Best wishes,
Mason

[INSPIRON]

Thanks Mason for the prompt answers!

[nation]

mason,

we should hit some balls sometime. i've been playing at clubsport in green valley for the past month or so. still pretty rusty though. i would say at my peak i was a 5.0 player, now could probably hang with 4.0's?

[1C5]

paging nick rainey, a tennis thread with no nick rainey?

[Mason Malmuth]

I'm playing again, and Club Sport is where I'm at, but because of my elbow problems I'm only at a half schedule. So it will still be a while.

Best wishes,
Mason

[El Diablo]

Mason,

I look forward to getting you on the court.

I may or may not fare well against you, depending on your fitness. I know you're really, really, really old but I also know you take those 100 vitamins a day...

I think I could beat your wife, though. In college I played regularly against a girl who was the state champion of New Hampshire and a full scholarship D1 player and always won.

[Thremp]

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I think I could beat your wife, though. In college I played regularly against a girl who was the state champion of New Hampshire and a full scholarship D1 player and always won.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not a brag. Women are terrible athletes. Serena would stand no chance against the top 1000 men in the world. Her breakeven level is probably an average NAIA #2.

[J.Brown]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I think I could beat your wife, though. In college I played regularly against a girl who was the state champion of New Hampshire and a full scholarship D1 player and always won.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not a brag. Women are terrible athletes. Serena would stand no chance against the top 1000 men in the world. Her breakeven level is probably an average NAIA #2.

[/ QUOTE ]

not quite accurate dear thremp, but close.

serena is a bad example because she actually has weapons that could help her against second tier men, unlike many of the women who would get destroyed due to an inability to do anything offensive.

an example of this is a good friend of mine (who had atp points and was a teaching pro) played martina navratilova in her prime and barely beat her. she had weapons to hurt him and was able to hold serve. serena could do the same. martina hingis could not. 90% of the russian backboard girls in the women's top 100 couldn't either.

but in theory i totally agree with you.
just calling you out a bit for some exaggeration. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[Thremp]

J,

You are correct. Men with dominant serves would be more likely to beat the women than men who have other skillz. Also a real sick vertical game would exploit agility issues that women have.

But you get the general point [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]