Part 2: Are Heavier Racquets Better, Fact or Fiction?
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- čas přidán 20. 04. 2024
- In this video, we delve deeper into the discussion of heavy rackets, addressing some common misconceptions and sharing personal experiences. We start by revisiting Jonas's (Tennis Nerd) perspective on heavier rackets, clarifying his stance and offering alternative viewpoints.
We begin with a clip where Jonas discusses his mother, a beginner, using a racket with a swing weight of 320 to 325. While this may work for some, we argue that beginners generally shouldn't opt for heavier rackets. We illustrate this with examples from our own experiences, including my wife, a former collegiate tennis player, and myself.
Next, we examine Jonas's conversation with a friend regarding players resembling badminton players due to light rackets. We emphasize that comfort and form should dictate racket choice, not just weight. We explore the link between racket weight, form, and injuries, emphasizing that bad form, not racket weight alone, is the primary cause of injuries.
We conclude by addressing the misconception that heavier rackets universally improve performance, asserting that individual preferences and playing styles should guide racket selection. We also highlight the importance of proper racket customization, particularly focusing on weight distribution.
Thanks for tuning in! Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more insightful tennis discussions. See you in the next video!
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This is just another viewpoint from someone who's been immersed in the sport for nearly 40 years, not a critique of Jonas from Tennis Nerd. Jonas does a fantastic job on his channel (I definitely need to improve my audio quality) and offers valuable content for the tennis community. However, on this particular topic, I simply believe that the general advice may be somewhat off track. Players should be skeptical by the prevailing narrative promoted by many CZcams creators that heavier racquets are better overall. As with anything, there are pros and cons to adding weight to a racquet, as well as to playing with lighter ones. The journey for each player is to find the ideal racquet weight that maximizes benefits while minimizing drawbacks.
CZcams audience: You may find the (How to customize in 3 steps) video relevant as well: czcams.com/video/SJ8lBbiGfnw/video.htmlsi=2uWweRoKMbYPUP0S
The updated swing weight chart can be seen here: drive.google.com/file/d/1qgnJmiRRxpVOU-ooxP0n7cSyiIFxVvK0/view?usp=sharing
I feel this video missed the point again. Tennisnerd's video was just advocating using the heaviest racket you can handle. In their case it was heavier than what most people can use, but ultimately that sentiment still holds true. If someone is using a 255g racket, but can handle a 300g racket, using a heavier racket will always be more beneficial. They aren't saying a heavy racket that you aren't capable of using is better.
Well, I think that the word “handle” can be left up to interpretation. I played for a couple of years with a racquet with a static weight of 350 g (and a 350 swing weight), and I could definitely “handle” it, as in I could swing the racquet, had good technique, and was injury-free. However, over time, I came to realize that the heavier racquet did not match my identity as a tennis player. I like to play with high acceleration in my swings, and the heavier racquet was more suited for stability and using pace. I dropped down to a 330 swing weight, and my game is much better for it, even if I was am technically able to play with either setup.
@@armleg8374 Thanks for sharing your perspective, good stuff
@@armleg8374u werent tehnically able it was an ilusion
One point that perhaps was missed...even for beginners, a heavier racquet encourages better form. Even I, who have good form, when hitting with a lighter racquet, arm the ball more often in certain situations instead of setting myself up correctly and plowing through because a heavier racquet encourages it.
I disagree, a racket should fits in your game and athletics right now, not what it should to be.
What encourages a player is the path and a racket suited fot each moment of the player development.
90% of the players will never demand a racket higher than 300 grams, at the recreational level.
Alcaraz uses a 305 grams racket, in stock form.
Technology evolved to produce good and stable light rackets. Today is total myth that heavy rackets are better.
Fair, but I'm skeptical whether there is much merit in that. Novice players have bad form due to their lack of muscle memory and dexterity. Would a heavier racquet help or hurt, probably a little of each. The best way to possibly prove this would be to play with your opposite hand and gauge the pros and cons
It's like your bad footwork and technique limits the weight of your racquet choice
@@K4R3Ni am a walking counter argument to that 😂
Your comments are spot on. When I first started playing tennis I thought I could play with a 97 sq inch, 345g strung, 327 SW racquet. The moment I acknowledged that I was not strong enough and started going lighter, I started playing better and getting Ws became easier. Now I'm playing with a Radical S that is customized to 320g strung and 315 SW. Never seen that amount of spin and power in my life 😊
Totally agree your point. I used to add weight on my Vcore 95 (6g in total on frame and leather grip replaced). Racket was stable but I always late to the optimal contact zone. After de-loading by removing all the lead tapes and change back to a regular synthetic replacement grip, I found that I hit my groundstrokes more comfortably with more spin and better depth.
Good deal. Extra weight is nice, but not at the expense of hitting late 👍
I had 315 unstrung before now 305 unstrung, much better racquet speed for me (thin frame), therefore better techniques and more power. Can put more string tension (if I want) without hurting!
100% agreed with you
Have you wondered that perhaps the reason you got TE with Gravity Pro is because of its 18x20 string pattern, not because of its weight? Also, the heavier the racquet, the more headlight it must be, otherwise you will find it more difficult to manoeuvre, especially on fast surfaces where you've got less time to react and hence greater stress on joints, unless you've got Nadal's biceps :))
Possibly but I think it's doubtful since I tested other 18x20's without experiencing any effects in the arm. Agree on the balance point, i created a video on the topic to help people understand how important it is: czcams.com/video/SJ8lBbiGfnw/video.htmlsi=AeHaXJVuBcOEoA7S
Heavy racquets do not cause wrist and elbow issues, High RA (Stiffness) and full string beds of (poly), in twisting, vibrating low swing weight set-ups usually with a balance under 5 pts H/L. I have been playing 350-370 swing weight, 6-9 pts H/L for 10 years with no issues, but did get tenderness when I tried a full bed of RPM in my RF 97 and Poly tour pro in my Yonex DR-98, but with my usual multi/poly or gut/poly hybrid set-ups no problem, I have 20+ racquet in my collection and have a passion for customising racquets, benchmarking and experimenting.
350-370, but you already know the value of having a very head light balance with such heft.
What I failed to address in the video was swing speed. Players with smooth and slower swing speeds yield more benefit with heavier racquets, where players with faster swing speeds and higher topspin benefit from weights that are lower and more conducive to acceleration
The doc, also a player, who did my elbow (detached tendon, detached ligament, another tendon 50% torn) recommended a heavier racquet, multi string, lower tension to absorb more of the shock.
Better doc than most, delivering 2 out of 3 sound recommendations 😜
@@TK-Tennis 2 of 3? Waddaya mean?
@@lcervantes8505 Meaning the docs recommendation to use multi for your strings and lower tension were good suggestions. Call me a skeptic on the heavier racquet idea, but only you will be able to determine that.
Well, at least there was something in this video I could agree with. It usually is better to add weight to the handle before adding it to the hoop. This can actually make it feel easier to swing despite the increase in static weight and also help in injury prevention.
The non RF Pro Staff 97 gave me severe shoulder pain in stock form. After adding 20g silicone to the handle and a bit of lead to the hoop, the shoulder pain went away and it was super comfortable. Despite being 366 grams, it is very easy to swing because it's more than 10 points headlight.
To each their own, but I can only smile and laugh reading this. Unless you are posting as Novak or Fed anonymously, OR a really big dude, a 5.0+ player, with short compact strokes; IMO is not the way. But again, if it works for you then great. Not knowing anything else about you or your game, if I knew this my strategy against you would be to hit to your forehand and wait until your arm turned into a wet noodle ;-)
@@TK-Tennis I'm a fairly small guy. My racquet has a much lower swing weight than Fed's or Novak's because it's much more headlight. I once lent it to a hitting partner who broke a string who then proceeded to thrash me in the match. I have tried playing with a RF97 that was customised to Fed's specs and I couldn't swing it properly for a single point let alone an entire match. Anyway, the moral of the story is that where you place the weight has a huge impact on how easy the racquet will be to swing.
@@goldencalf5144 Right on, that makes much more sense. Even with the headlight balance I suspected your swing weight was still very high and out of range of mere mortals. With that said, I've done the 350+g static weight thing with very head light balance and it was still too lethargic.
330 sw from the gravity pro didn’t hurt my elbow. But the pure aero does with a lower swing weight
lol, now we need to discuss how racquet construction impacts tennis elbow
It's funny you should make this video. I bought a 275g racket for my gf who is a beginner and tiny. Then she tried my racket which is the same but the mp version and her hitting improved straight away. She barely hits it out the middle but have that extra plow through really helped her. So I think you might be wrong.
PS, when she plays with the light racket any off centre shots just die on impact and hurts her arm and the ball goes no where.
@@megowopwop8545 You should watch the follow up vid, it may be related to her swing style as well. It's very reasonable that someone may prefer an MP 295-300g racquet over a 275g racquet. The very light end of the market is not only often too light, but the balance points are not comfortable.
I love my head Ti60 its sub 290 gm, very powerful , my new willson 98 is like a club in comparison
And then what is the LOWER limit on weight and swing weight then? Should we keep moving down in weight? To take it to the extreme, should we all use Target racquets or junior racquets so we'll never be late? That's of course nonsensical. So what's the right "range"? What are the factors for the upper AND lower limits?
Of course not, there is a point of diminishing returns on both the light and heavy arguments. I posted swing weight recommendations in the first video and can be found here: drive.google.com/file/d/10oqo5MEqkXaKbRuUyw-KtEyV8IkBjLq9/view?usp=sharing
@@TK-Tennis ah thanks. Will take a look
Honesty it just depends on many factors. I think you are thinking from a pro or teacher's point of view, for someone who wants to learn the right way. My son plays a 265g racket with 282g strung swingweight, and gets more topspin and racket head speed this way, we tried to give it only 3g more swingweight and he hated it, took the lead off, and swings hard with it. He plays a lot of competitions and anticipates the ball well, so for him the impact is not too much a problem yet, just like a boxer can "roll with the punches". My wife on the other hand, she plays at a lower level but has to receive my heavy balls and my son's too, a light racket is more damaging to her arm because she doesn't anticipate the swing as well and more often than not has no swing speed based counter punch to give, and of course doesn't use her legs and body weight transfer as well. So more weight and stability definitely is better to protect her arm, and let's be honest she will never develop true topspin, just like many rec level players. So actually what works really well for her is a more controlled racket with a swingweight around 310g (we tried many rackets and she feels best plays best with a 2023 Radical MP), more stability, more easy plow through, but balls not flying all over the place like her previous racket (which was a Babolat Pure Drive Lite). A good compromise. Above 315g and her arm feels tired swinging it, below 300g and the shock is too hard for her arm receiving our balls. Same for my daughter. I added around 12g in the throat of her racket and she immediately felt a lot better playing us and the guys in her club lessons. So I can totally see where Jonas is right especially for a lot of amateurs who will never learn the right way. For people who want to develop topspin and racket head speed, true swing, of course start lighter. You are right for those players. But then the idea of using the heaviest we can handle makes sense. Someone who doesn't play competition and plays only twice a week, more weight doesn't hurt and topspin works just fine. Now having to play three hour matches in competition a lot, naturally the same people may want to go down in weight to be able to swing with the same quality till the end of the match. Anyway, my two cents. I don't think swingweight and level of tennis are necessarily linked. It is case by case, and even body types, some weaker females are better playing a higher swingweight than higher level males. It does happen.
Your wife’s ball where flying because Pure Drive is a stiff racket for power and spin with a higher launch angle, not because it is lightweight. Radical made her balls more controlled and flat bacause the racket is made for that, not bacause it is heavyweight.
Do not confuse the characteristics of the racket based only on weight. Stiffness, head size, string pattern, string material and tension are variables more determinant than the weight for the play style that the racket is made for.
Fair point of view 👍
@rodrigocosta1852 I did not. You assume things I didn't say. I never implied it was only a weight thing. Read again carefully, my logic is very clear.
@@JulienGaudfroy I read very well. Another point I disagree with is that a Pure Drive is unstable and bad for the arm. Wrong. A 100% of arm friendly racket are very stiff, lightweight, big head, head heavy balance and should be used with soft strings. Exactly, 100%. The comfort your wife feels about Radical is because her game is probably based on a counter puncher controlled style. It demands a control racquet to block heavy shots.
It’s a myth that stiff and lite rackets are bad for the arm. Stiff rackets demands less effort to generate power, because you don’t need a full swing and precise body mechanics to put the ball over the net.
@rodrigocosta1852 oh my goodness your logic is quite abysmal. I NEVER implied a stiff racket was bad for the arm, I did not say stability was bad on the Pure Drive either. The extra stability I mention comes from the extra weight. I also don't need you to teach me that Radical isn't the best racket for everyone and Pure Drive Lite isn't the worst racket. And I never said you couldn't have as much stability with the Pure Drive either, we could add weight here and there to it, and it could work perfectly without adding weight for another even better player. You really imagine things that I did not imply at all, and try to teach me things you know and I know. I am just saying that a little extra overall weight and swingweight can be better for the arm, again, depending on the situation, but here for sure in my wife's case since she doesn't have her own power but has to absorb ours. Everyone has to find the balance between getting tired swinging a heavy racket, and getting arm problems from playing powerful playings with a too light racket. And I actually never ever though that a stiff racket creates arm problems, at least way less than strings that are too tight. Read again! You draw the crazy conclusions here, not me. I am quite cautious with my wording. At least it seems the original poster understands my logic very well, no need for you to try to create something else.
Heavier racquets are objectively better. What is subjective is individual tolerance for weight. This is why the traditional advice is to use as heavy as a racquet as you can comfortably manage for an entire match, not simply use the heaviest racquet on the market.
I suppose Carlos Alcaraz and his team don't know what they are doing knowing he plays with a relatively light racquet 😜
@@TK-Tennis not everyone can be athletic enough to swing as fast as Alcaraz. You don't need high sw if you can swing so fast, but 99% of us can't so higher sw helps a lot.
@@devoker666 Fair 👍. It is one example that a heavy racquet is not required to play against even the best players in the world.
I have a hard time with lighter racquets. After these kind if vids I tried my light racquet 319g strung not sure what the sw is but guessing its around 320. Thats about 130 sw points LESS than my 459 sw regular racquet. Anyhow I struggle with the lighter racquet to get any power and serves are super weak. No pace at all and if I try to swing fast it just gets spinny but little pace. With the high sw racquet a smooth swing gives more pace and serves are much faster and heavier. Light racquet is more tiring because you have to really setup and come through the ball.
Huge if true. You are playing with a racquet with a swing weight 100 higher than Novak. Are you huge or do you simply bunt the ball around the court without much of a stroke?
@@TK-Tennisweird. Its not keeping my responses. Must be the link to the hitting vid. Anyhow I am not huge. And I don’t bunt but am a lowly 4.0 so maybe compared to better players I bunt? But no one would accuse me of bunting. Also the swing weight is measured on the biffredi sw1 and accuracy of the measurement was confirmed by the owner.
@@shroud1390 I noticed not accepting replies last week as well, CZcams is being a little wonky. My skepticism is not meant to be accusatory towards you, so please don't take it that way. It just seems so far outside the bounds of any reasonable swing weight. The Briffidi is a little finicky to calibrate, is it possible it's not configured properly. Maybe something to think about.
What racquet do you have, and is it customized and loaded with lead tape and weight in the handle?
Yeah its jacked for sure. As a skeptic, i get it. The Biffridi is finicky and I had several bad readings but in a Talk tennis thread the owner had me post measurements and after several several calibrations and back and forths he sad the calibration was correct and the reading was 459. I matched another racquet to it as well.
The stock racquet is the Wilson Hyper Hammer 5.3 stretch OS. Its listed as 255g strung. I add my handle which is about 50g and brings the stock 4 3/8 to 5 1/2. I also extend the length to 28.5”. Then I add lead at 10+2 and a bit at 12. Also I add around 30g at the top of the handle. One stick is 402g and the other is 407g so around 147g-152g is added.
Heavier racquets are for physically stronger players with perfect timing. That’s why pros use heavy rackets
Carlos Alcaraz plays with a swing weight around 330. Andy Murray played with something between 360 and 400 (I don’t remember the exact number, but it was very heavy). Alcaraz is certainly strong enough to wield a heavy racquet, but his groundstrokes favor racquethead acceleration, so the lighter setup makes more sense for his game. Murray generally has slower swings and prefers to absorb and re-direct pace, so the stability provided by the heavier frame works for him. I think that’s the point of the video. Of course there probably is a minimum weight that a top professional would be expected to use, but two pros with the exact same physical capacity may choose different weighted racquets simply based on the way they prefer to produce their shots.