TENNIS TIP OF THE WEEK
Lightweight Tennis Racquets
Space age materials and technology have brought lighter racquets into the mainstream. Graphite was the first real big break through that allowed racquet manufacturers to make a stiffer racquet. Since racquets could be made with more stiffness, weight could be removed and not weaken the frame. Since then companies have been trying to make lighter and lighter racquets like it was a competition.
Are lighter racquets really better? Yes, lighter racquets do let you swing faster at the ball. Creating more swing speed is a good thing but at what price. Lighter racquets have more power because of the stiffness and larger head sizes. Older model racquets gathered most of their power from their weight. So lighter racquets are probably better for senior players or petite ladies who actually could use more swing speed.
This time Wilson came out with the first lightweight racquets. It was called the “Profile”. It was widebody frame that created a lot of stiffness from the thick beam that weight could be removed. Later Wilson, came out with the “Hammer” which took weight out of the handle and put it higher in the head. This head heavy design is still with us today because these racquets produce good power with lightweight, creating faster swing speeds.
So light weight racquets might be better but not for everyone. Advanced or intermediate players usually like a heavier racquet because they like the flexibility of these frames. Racquets with more flex and smaller head sizes need to get their power from weight. Power is not always an issue with better players. What they really want to take big swings and control their shots.
The final problem with light weight racquets is pain. Most people with arm pain from playing tennis comes from equipment that is too light. Having something light collide with a tennis ball traveling at 50 mph is a lot of stress and shock put on the arm. I like to think of hitting a tennis ball with a badminton racquet. If one could make a badminton racquet strong enough not to break when hitting a tennis ball then you would see how swinging something so light and fast can hurt. There is not much mass in a badminton racquet.
Finally, the best weight of racquet for you is the one that is heavy enough to keep your arm from hurting and allows you to swing repeatedly during the course of a match without fatigue.
Doug Hofer, USPTA & USRSA February 7, 2007 hofertennis.com
