Category Archives: Juniors
Racquet & Tournament Management
Management is not just for adults! Juniors that play tournaments need to have some management skills! During this coronavirus slow down it is a good time to learn some of these management skills.
We see many different management slip-ups such as no racquets for the tournament tomorrow! All racquets have broken string and are at the bottom of a bag nobody wants to stick their hand into!
Juniors Management Tip #1:
Every Monday takes every racquet out of the bag. If one or more are broken leave them out of the bag.
Juniors Management Tip #2
To get some idea of how much longer the string may last simply try to move the 5th or 6th cross string by pulling up toward the top of the racquet. If you can not pull the cross string up it is time for stringing. If you are able to pull a cross string up pay attention to the “snap” it makes as you push it back into location. A serious “snap” indicates a deep notch.
Monofilament strings typically fail by notching which makes it difficult to move the cross strings. If your string is a multi-filament and looks like the picture on the left it is time to string!
Abrasion Fail Visual Test
Notching Visual Fail Test
What if neither of these conditions exists?
Every racquet in your bag should have a tag indicating when the racquet was last strung and if it has been more than one month it is time to string, period!
Just for fun you can go to our SFC function and get a good ideas as to how many times per year yu need to have your racquet strung.
Head Graphene 360+ Speed Lite
As you probably guessed, this is the lightest of the Speed Series, 100 square inch head size, at a weight of 281 grams (9.91 ounces)!
There are several positive features in this racquet and one is the reasonable flex (stiffness) of 63 RDC, plus the uniform string pattern that provides a consistent hitting experience needed by developing players. This pattern should contribute to extended string life as well.
Head Graphene 360+ Speed Lite
As with all light racquets, this one can be customized as the need or desire arises, and I think that will happen more quickly than most other racquets.
This is just too light, in my opinion, for players wanting to improve all aspects of their game. Remember, weight is your friend! However, if you prefer a light racquet for any reason this is a top choice!
As I am working on this post I realize how much trouble it is to switch between racquet reviews for comparison so here is a link to the Head Graphene 360+ Speed Series Comparison.
| Manufacturer | Head |
|---|---|
| Racquet Model | Head Graphene 360+ Speed Lite |
| Reference Tension | 56 lbs - 25.4 kg |
| String | Victrex PEEK fiber Experimental 7718 |
| Machine Used | True Tension Professional |
| ASPS, RDC | 56 |
| ASPS, FlexFour | 68.5 |
| Racquet Flex, RDC | 63 - After stringing |
| Racquet Flex, FlexFour | 43 |
| Weight, Grams | 281 |
| Weight, Ounces | 9.91 |
| Balance, mm | 345 |
| Balance, Inch | 13.58 |
| Length, Cm | 68.5 |
| Length, Inch | 26.97 |
| Head Width | 9.71 |
| Head Length | 13.06 |
| Head Area, cm2 | 640.8 |
| Head Area, Sq. Inch | 99.6 |
| Beam Width, mm, Shaft, Center, Tip | 25, 25, 25 |
| In Plane Stiffness, Pounds/In | 422.5 Lbs/In. |
| In Plane Stiffness, Kg/cm | 191.6 Kg/cm |
| Number of Main Strings | 16 |
| Number of Cross Strings | 19 |
| Ratio Cross/Mains | .626 |
| Main String Grid | 7.30 |
| Cross String Grid | 9.53 |
| Density (% of head filled with string) | .710 |
| Average Cross String Space | .503 |
| Average Main String Space | .463 |
| Dynamic Tension, Kp, ERT | 36 |
| Dynamic Tension, Lbs/in | 201.4 |
| First Moment, Nm | .758 |
| Polar Moment | 311 |
| Torsional Stability | 18 |
| Swing Weight, Kg/cm2 | 293 |
| Swing Weight, Ounces | 10.34 |
| Swing Weight Calculated | 334.5 |
| Power, RDC | 42 |
| Control, RDC | 61 |
| Manueverability, RDC | 91 |
| Power, Calculated | 1838.3 |
| Head Points | -0.79 (negative = head heavy) |
| Head Weight, % | 50.4% |
| Center of Percussion | 20.7 |
| Dwell Time, ms, No Swing | 8.50 |
| Efective Stiffness - lbs | 29.6 |
| K, Lb/In (SBS) RDC | 198.31 |
| Recoil Weight | 126.53 |
| Twist Weight | 198.31 |
| End Weight | 98.6 |
| Tip Weight | 182.3 |
| 9 O'Clock | 90.5 |
| 3 O'Clock | 91.2 |
| Butt Cap | 98.3 |
Head Graphene 360+ Speed MP Lite
The Head Graphene 360+ Speed MP Lite may be the perfect racquet for a player looking for a thin(er) beam, 100 square inch head size, slightly lighter than most MP racquets!
As you will see in the specifications this racquet is about 28 grams (1 ounce) lighter than the MP model, and, just a little more flexible, or better said, less stiff!
Forty-nine point nine percent (49.9%) of the total weight resides toward the head of this racquet, so if you think in terms of “points” it is 0.16 points head light.
Some customization will make this a racquet that you can stay with for a long time. As your skills advance, so can the racquet!
Head Graphene 360+ Speed MP Lite
As I am working on this post I realize how much trouble it is to switch between racquet reviews for comparison so I am including a link to the Head Graphene 360+ Speed Series Comparison.
| Manufacturer | Head |
|---|---|
| Racquet Model | Head Graphene 360+ Speed MP Lite |
| Reference Tension | 56 lbs - 25.4 kg |
| String | Victrex PEEK fiber Experimental 7718 |
| Machine Used | True Tension Professional |
| ASPS, RDC | 51 |
| ASPS, FlexFour | 62 |
| Racquet Flex, RDC | 60 - After stringing |
| Racquet Flex, FlexFour | 49 |
| Weight, Grams | 293 |
| Weight, Ounces | 10.34 |
| Balance, mm | 342 |
| Balance, Inch | 13.46 |
| Length, Cm | 68.5 |
| Length, Inch | 26.97 |
| Head Width | 9.68 |
| Head Length | 13.06 |
| Head Area, cm2 | 640.8 |
| Head Area, Sq. Inch | 99.3 |
| Beam Width, mm, Shaft, Center, Tip | 23, 23, 23 |
| In Plane Stiffness, Pounds/In | 307.3 Lbs/In. |
| In Plane Stiffness, Kg/cm | 139.4 Kg/cm |
| Number of Main Strings | 16 |
| Number of Cross Strings | 19 |
| Ratio Cross/Mains | .624 |
| Main String Grid | 7.30 |
| Cross String Grid | 10.62 |
| Density (% of head filled with string) | .780 |
| Average Cross String Space | .559 |
| Average Main String Space | .456 |
| Dynamic Tension, Kp, ERT | 35 |
| Dynamic Tension, Lbs/in | 195.76 |
| First Moment, Nm | .782 |
| Polar Moment | 323 |
| Torsional Stability | 15 |
| Swing Weight, Kg/cm2 | 308 |
| Swing Weight, Ounces | 10.86 |
| Swing Weight Calculated | 342.7 |
| Power, RDC | 46 |
| Control, RDC | 57 |
| Manueverability, RDC | 81 |
| Power, Calculated | 1835.6 |
| Head Points | 0.16 (negative = head heavy) |
| Head Weight, % | 49.9% |
| Center of Percussion | 21.0 |
| Dwell Time, ms, No Swing | 8.91 |
| Efective Stiffness - lbs | 27.6 |
| K, Lb/In (SBS) RDC | 163.46 |
| Recoil Weight | 138.67 |
| Twist Weight | 205.8 |
| End Weight | 105.8 |
| Tip Weight | 186.5 |
| 9 O'Clock | 95.1 |
| 3 O'Clock | 94.5 |
| Butt Cap | 103.0 |
Head Graphene 360+ Speed S
I think we all know what “Pro and MP” mean but what about “S”? I am not sure, so we are going to call it “Special”!
The Speed S is indeed special and probably one of the best all-around racquets for 2020! You will see by the specs why this may be the case but a couple of things stand out. A 100 square inch head size. A uniform 16×19 string pattern and 25mm beam producing the stiffness of RDC 64!
The overall weight and swing weight are just right for most advancing players and can be modified when the need arises! This is really a “players” racquet in disguise!
Head Graphene 360+ Speed S
While I was doing this post I realized how difficult it is to switch between racquet reviews to see a comparison so here is a link to the Head Graphene 360+ Speed Series Comparison.
| Manufacturer | Head |
|---|---|
| Racquet Model | Head Graphene 360+ Speed S |
| Reference Tension | 56 lbs - 25.4 kg |
| String | Victrex PEEK fiber Experimental 7718 |
| Machine Used | True Tension Professional |
| ASPS, RDC | 54 |
| ASPS, FlexFour | 67.5 |
| Racquet Flex, RDC | 64 - After stringing |
| Racquet Flex, FlexFour | 40 |
| Weight, Grams | 302 |
| Weight, Ounces | 10.44 |
| Balance, mm | 328 |
| Balance, Inch | 12.91 |
| Length, Cm | 68.5 |
| Length, Inch | 26.97 |
| Head Width | 9.68 |
| Head Length | 13.06 |
| Head Area, cm2 | 641.2 |
| Head Area, Sq. Inch | 99.3 |
| Beam Width, mm, Shaft, Center, Tip | 25, 25, 25 |
| In Plane Stiffness, Pounds/In | 425.2 Lbs/In. |
| In Plane Stiffness, Kg/cm | 192.8 Kg/cm |
| Number of Main Strings | 16 |
| Number of Cross Strings | 19 |
| Ratio Cross/Mains | .624 |
| Main String Grid | 7.35 |
| Cross String Grid | 9.40 |
| Density (% of head filled with string) | .749 |
| Average Cross String Space | .539 |
| Average Main String Space | .453 |
| Dynamic Tension, Kp, ERT | 37 |
| Dynamic Tension, Lbs/in | 206.94 |
| First Moment, Nm | .764 |
| Polar Moment | 312 |
| Torsional Stability | 16 |
| Swing Weight, Kg/cm2 | 296 |
| Swing Weight, Ounces | 10.44 |
| Swing Weight Calculated | 324.9 |
| Power, RDC | 45 |
| Control, RDC | 57 |
| Manueverability, RDC | 89 |
| Power, Calculated | 1880.4 |
| Head Points | 4.57 (negative = head heavy |
| Head Weight, % | 47.9% |
| Center of Percussion | 20.9 |
| Dwell Time, ms, No Swing | 8.66 |
| Efective Stiffness - lbs | 29.3 |
| K, Lb/In (SBS) RDC | 173.08 |
| Recoil Weight | 141.20 |
| Twist Weight | 211.83 |
| End Weight | 119.7 |
| Tip Weight | 182.9 |
| 9 O'Clock | 94.2 |
| 3 O'Clock | 94.2 |
| Butt Cap | 113.0 |
Head Graphene 360+ Speed Mid Plus
The new(est) model of the very popular Graphene 360+ Speed series racquet is available NOW, so get up to “speed” by taking a look at the specifications for a strung racquet and the series comparison data.
The major difference between this and the previous version is the “flipping” of the colors! What was black is now white and what was white is now black! I believe not very much else was changed and for good reason! The racquet is a very, very good racquet so why make a bunch of changes? I don’t think Head made a bunch of changes!
Here is an overview of all the new Speed models. This is unstrung data, however, you can add 16 to the overall weight for string and 30 to the swing weight number to approximate the strung data.
| Manufacturer | Head |
|---|---|
| Racquet Model | Head Graphene 360+ Speed Mid Plus |
| Reference Tension | 56 lbs - 25.4 kg |
| String | Victrex PEEK fiber Experimental 7718 |
| Machine Used | True Tension Professional |
| ASPS, RDC | 52 |
| ASPS, FlexFour | 63.5 |
| Racquet Flex, RDC | 61 - After stringing |
| Racquet Flex, FlexFour | 51 |
| Weight, Grams | 322 |
| Weight, Ounces | 11.36 |
| Balance, mm | 332 |
| Balance, Inch | 13.07 |
| Length, Cm | 68.5 |
| Length, Inch | 26.97 |
| Head Width | 9.67 |
| Head Length | 13.06 |
| Head Area, cm2 | 639.9 |
| Head Area, Sq. Inch | 99.2 |
| Beam Width, mm, Shaft, Center, Tip | 20, 20, 20 |
| In Plane Stiffness, Pounds/In | 329.6 Lbs/In. |
| In Plane Stiffness, Kg/cm | 149.5 Kg/cm |
| Number of Main Strings | 16 |
| Number of Cross Strings | 19 |
| Ratio Cross/Mains | .623 |
| Main String Grid | 7.44 |
| Cross String Grid | 10.62 |
| Density (% of head filled with string) | .797 |
| Average Cross String Space | .559 |
| Average Main String Space | .465 |
| Dynamic Tension, Kp, ERT | 34 |
| Dynamic Tension, Lbs/in | 190.16 |
| First Moment, Nm | .828 |
| Polar Moment | 345 |
| Torsional Stability | 21 |
| Swing Weight, Kg/cm2 | 324 |
| Swing Weight, Ounces | 11.43 |
| Swing Weight Calculated | 354.9 |
| Power, RDC | 48 |
| Control, RDC | 53 |
| Manueverability, RDC | 71 |
| Power, Calculated | 1960.1 |
| Head Points | 3.31 (negative = head heavy |
| Head Weight, % | 48.5% |
| Center of Percussion | 21.0 |
| Dwell Time, ms, No Swing | 8.82 |
| Efective Stiffness - lbs | 28.1 |
| K, Lb/In (SBS) RDC | 166.67 |
| Recoil Weight | 153.07 |
| Twist Weight | 225.5 |
| End Weight | 125.1 |
| Tip Weight | 197.1 |
| 9 O'Clock | 97.4 |
| 3 O'Clock | 96.9 |
| Butt Cap | 126.7 |
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