Great Racquet to Buying a Tennis Racqet Video:
Selecting the Right Tennis Racquet for You.
If you want to buy tennis racquets for own personal use, for gifts or for your kids, be sure that the tennis racquet you buy matches the skill levels of the tennis player who intends to use it. Popular choices of racquets include Prince tennis racquets, Dunlop tennis racquets, Wilson tennis racquets, Head tennis racquets, Babolat tennis racquets, and Volkl tennis racquets.
Buy youth tennis racquets
If you have kids and want to equip your kids with junior tennis racquets and teach them how to play tennis. The age of your child is what determines racquet length. Kids between four and six years old typically do best with a 21-inch tennis racquet. Children five- to eight year-olds usually do best in the range of 23- to 25-inch tennis racquet. Children eight to 11-year-olds move up to a 25- to 26-inch tennis racquet. Older children can then move into the adult realm of 27- to 29-inch tennis racquets.
Choosing tennis racquet for beginner adult players
When buying a tennis racquet for an adult tennis player who’s new with tennis, make sure to look for tennis racquets in the "power tennis racquet,” category (also called "game improvement tennis racquet,") category. These racquets are stiff power tennis racquets. They are engineered for beginners with short swings or tennis players who lacks power. These racquets are either balanced between head and handle or head-heavy.
The stiff power tennis racquets usually measure between 27 inches which are standard tennis racquets and 29 inches which are the longest regulation tennis racquets. They also weigh anywhere between 8 to 9.5 ounces, and have an oversized head of at least 100 square inches. Oversized heads have large sweet spots and generate power so that the players can concentrate on their techniques. Power tennis racquets are typically come already pre-strung by the manufacturer.
Select tennis racquets for intermediate or power players
Advance tennis players who have a long stable swing and generate sufficient power on their own usually prefer more flexible "control tennis racquets" which arealso called "player's tennis racquets". These control tennis racquets have a head area of 80- to 105-inch midsize head or midplus head, and usually have a 1- to 1.5-inch head-light balance, and weigh between 11.5 and 13 ounces. The heavier the handle, the more absorbent of vibration the racquet is. This concept appeals to players who put a lot of power behind their swings. Likewise with power tennis racquets, control racquets can measure the standard 27 inches long or the extend 29-inch length that also qualifies for regulation play.
Understanding Tennis Racquet Features
Racquets manufacturers use various specifications to produce tennis racquets appropriate for certain levels of tennis players. Knowing how these specification can help you determine the best racquet for you.
Know which size tennis racquet head you need
Tennis racquet manufacturers measure the tennis racquet head size in square inches. Tennis racquets with larger heads have larger sweet spots. This means that these racquets have large hitting areas for optimal power and control during impact. The head size of the tennis racquet also determines how much power a racquet produces. Simply put, tennis racquets with larger heads typically produce more power than tennis racquets with smaller heads. On the other hand, tennis racquets with smaller heads are much easier to control, this is perfect for tenni players who produce a lot of power on their own.
· Standard tennis racquet: Tennis racquets with heads smaller than 80 inches fall into the vintage tennis racquets category.
· Midsize tennis racquet: Midsize tennis racquets have head sizes anywhere from 80 to 93 inches. Midsize tennis racquets have smaller sweet spots than midplus and oversize tennis racquets. Intermediate to advanced tennis players choose tennis racquets with midsize racquets more than oversize tennis racquets because although they require more precision, midsize racquets also provide the player with more control.
· Midplus tennis racquet: Midplus tennis racquets are sometimes called the "mid-over" tennis racquets. They have head sizes ranging anywhere from 95 to 105 inches. The benefit of a midplus tennis racquet is that it makes a good compromise for players looking for a control tennis racquet that provides more power.
· Oversize tennis racquet: Oversize tennis racquets have heads that measure 100 to 115 inches. The purpose of having an oversize head is to maximize have the sweet spots, which help beginners get solid hits. Though, this also comes with the sacrifice of controllability.
· Super-oversize tennis racquet: Super oversize tennis racquets have head size ranging from 116- to 135-inch. These types of tennis racquets are much more forgiving than other types of tennis racquet heads with smaller head size. But on the downside, super-oversize racquets may provide too power for the inexperience tennis player to handle.
Determine your tennis racquet grip size
The “grip” refers to the handle of the tennis racquet. It is measured increments of an eighth of an inch. The purpose of the appropriate grip size is solely for comfort. One way to measure the right size of your grip is to place your palm facing up and extend your fingers. Measure the distance from the top of your ring finger and the last lateral crease on your palm. Juniors generally fit best with grip smaller than 4 inches. Women anywhere from 4-1/8 to 4-3/8 inches. Men are recommended to use grip with length from 4-1/2 to 4-3/4. What is also recommended is that you should always buy tennis racquets with grip smaller than you think you need. This way, you can always install overgrip to increase the size of the grip.
Evaluating the tennis racquet length
Tennis racquets are made in a variety of lengths designed for players of different levels and sizes.
· Youth-sized tennis racquets: Youth-sized tennis racquets are racquets from 21 inches to 26 inches long.
· Standard-size tennis racquets: Standard-size tennis racquets measures 27-28 inches long. Most beginners and smaller players prefer these standard-length tennis racquets.
· Long tennis racquets: Long tennis racquets measure between 28.5 and 29 inches in regulation play. The advantage of these longer racquets is that they allow you to reach for groundstrokes, offer more power than standard-length tennis racquets, and at the same time weigh less than standard-length tennis racquets with similar head size, stiffness, and grips. Although, these factors of long tennis racquets can also reduce the player’s mobility.
Looking at tennis racquet string patterns
Tennis racquets feature string designs specific to different types of players. The string patterns on pre-strung tennis racquets fit and enhance these designs. Though, more advanced players may want to look for unstrung racquets and use an open-string pattern or a closed-string pattern.
· Open-string tennis racquet pattern: Power tennis racquets more often than not use open-string pattern. When in contact with a tennis ball, strings woven in an open pattern tend to bend more, thus allow a tennis ball to rally farther, and require less power from a tennis player. Tennis racquets with an open string pattern can also give more spin on a tennis ball.
· Closed-string tennis racquet pattern: Control tennis racquets typically use a denser, or closed, string pattern. Strings woven in a closed pattern will give the ball less spin than strings woven in an open pattern. It also requires a player to use more power to strike the tennis ball. On the other hand, closed-string patterns usually last longer than open-string patterns, especially for power players.
Tennis racquet strings can be made from natural gut, a synthetic material, or a combination of the two. Natural gut strings offer a good feel and are more forgiving than synthetic, even though natural gut strings do not last as long as synthetic tennis racquet strings. Synthetic tennis racquet strings tend to work well for beginners beginners and last longer than natural gut strings. Combining the two types of strings on tennis racquets provide a good feel and last longer than natural gut strings.
Choosing a tennis racquet materials
Recently made tennis racquets often have frames made of lightweight graphite or graphite composite material such as Kevlar, titanium or fiberglass. Simply put, composites offer more flexibility than graphite frames. Stiffer tennis racquets offer more power but also sacrifice more controllability than more flexible tennis racquets. Flexible tennis racquets bend more than stiffer tennis racquets and provide less power, therefore they are widely used by power players who need more control, especially preventing the tennis ball from traveling out of bounds.
You may also see inexpensive tennis racquets made of aluminum. It is not recommended that you use aluminum tennis racquets since the aluminum material tends to vibrate more than other tennis racquet materials. This is because aluminum tennis racquets deliver more impact to the arm of a tennis player. Vintage tennis racquets are made of wood and have leather-wrapped handles and natural gut strings.