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.
