2 posts categorized "February 2009"
 I’m a weight snob. I like my racquets chubby. Unless it’s around the 12-ounce mark I won’t play with it. I prefer the stability and control I get from a heavier frame, and, for the moment, I don’t have any problems handling the extra mass. (Five years from now it could be a different story.) A racquet’s weight is a huge consideration when buying a frame. And how the weight is distributed throughout the frame has a significant impact on its playability. Heavier racquets tend to be head-light so they have adequate maneuverability, while lighter frames usually have more weight in the head to maintain stability on off-center hits.
What’s the best weight and balance for a racquet? How heavy is too heavy?
Readers send me these types of questions quite frequently. I find them difficult to answer because a racquet is a pretty personal thing. What feels solid and comfortable to one player can feel exactly opposite to another. In the March issue of TENNIS I wrote a piece that started out with the goal of explaining the differences in balance points and how that can impact a player’s perception of a racquet. But during my research it became apparent that players may be better off paying more attention to a racquet’s swingweight.
In scientific terms, swingweight is a measurement of how heavy a racquet feels when its rotated around an axis that is four inches from the butt cap (basically where you hold the racquet). In simpler terms, it’s how difficult a racquet is to swing. It takes an expensive piece of equipment to measure, which many pro shops possess, or, the more industrious types can do it themselves (see here). It’s measured in kilogram centimeter squared, but it’s more commonly referred to as swingweight units. The higher the number, the more challenging the racquet is to swing.
According to the United States Racquet Stringers Association most frames fall between 310 to 315 on the swingweight scale. The new Big Bubba, which is 29 inches long, and has a 137 square-inch head (both as big as you can legally get) is a robust 377. On the opposite end, the Head CrossBow 4 is a very maneuverable 299. And just because a racquet weighs more than another, doesn’t mean it will have the higher swingweight. The new Yonex RQiS 1 Tour XL 95 comes in two versions: G and HG. The HG is almost an ounce heavier, yet actually has a lower swingweight (306 vs. 316).
What makes swingweight such a valuable measurement is you don’t need to know any of the other specs of the racquet to get an impression of how the frame will handle. Plus, it’s incredibly precise. Two racquets with identical weight and balance points can actually have differing swingweights due to slight variances in the positioning of the weight throughout the frame.
Obviously swingweight won’t tell how a racquet feels at contact or whether it has a big enough sweet spot. But once you become familiar with the swingweight you prefer, it can certainly give you a indication of whether a frame is right for you. Perhaps more so than knowing the weight or balance. If you’re not already using the number as a barometer for trying out racquets, give it a shot. It may change the way you look at frames.
 A few posts back I referenced an article which appeared in the Jan/Feb issue of TENNIS called, “The 10 Greatest Racquets Of All Time.” Many readers left impassioned comments on what should, and should not, have appeared on the list. Some even took the magazine and myself to task for our final conclusions. While several frames were mentioned, the racquet that drew the loudest complaints for its omission was the Prince Graphite. It’s a valid argument. I’ve always been somewhat of a devotee of the black-and-green pioneer having played with almost every incarnation of it, including the NXG, which not everybody loved (a tennis buddy called it the “Heineken” racquet because of the cosmetics). I’m not currently playing with a Graphite, but I’ve got a Classic Midsize in my closet and take it for a spin when I’m feeling ambitious.
So, like many fans of the racquet, I was excited to welcome the first Graphite in five years – the EXO3. It hit stores a few weeks ago, but we’ve had it in the office for several months. There are two models: a 93 square-inch midsize, and 100 square-inch midplus. They’ve been give the O Port treatment for enhanced swing speed and a more forgiving sweet spot. Still, if you’re not a big fan of the deadened O3 feel, string hole inserts are available for more traditional feedback at contact. Besides that, it has the new Energy Channel which is a sculpted groove within the hoop that helps redistributes the weight more towards the edges of the frame for enhanced stability and ball control.
(The other new component of EXO3 technology is the Energy Bridge – multiple carbon fiber strands around the racquet face to create an almost suspended string bed. You get less feedback from the frame and more from the strings, plus a bigger sweet spot. The Graphite doesn’t have it, but you find it on the EXO3 Red and Silver frames.)
All these updates sound good, but what you really want to know is how the racquet performs.  We’ll have a full review of it in the April issue of TENNIS, which will also appear on this website, but the short answer is the new Graphite is worthy of its name. In fact, there seems to be a real effort to duplicate the classic feel of the original, right down to the coloring and calfskin grip. The mid is about a half-ounce heavier than the midplus (12 to 11.6), which gives it the edge in stability. With the bigger face, the midplus has the bigger sweet spot making it more forgiving if you don’t connect dead center. Unlike the Original, which had an outrageously open 14-by-18 string pattern, the EXO3 Graphite has a more modest 16-by-18 pattern. You can still produce plenty of spin, but you won’t leave as many busted strings in your wake.
Along with the Graphite, Prince is also putting out a new Rebel. It’s the yellow-and-black stick Gael Monfils has been wielding since the beginning of the year. At 12.3 ounces, with a 95-square-inch head and a 18-by-20 string pattern, it’s something we haven’t seen from Prince in a while. You may remember the black-and-blue Triple Threat Rebel, which had the same head size and string pattern as the EXO3 version, but possessed a thinner beam and much lighter weight. Throw in the new Energy Channel and the focus of this update is on stability and precision. It’s a challenging frame meant for talented, high-level players who are spending plenty of time working on their games. Casual, recreational players may find it too demanding. Unlike the Graphite, the Rebel comes standard with the string hole inserts, so you’ll have to remove them if you prefer a more deadened feel. We’ll have a full review of it in the April issue as well.
If anybody has already tried out one of these frames I’d be curious to read your reaction.
Do we have another all-time great on our hands?
|
