Category Archives: Speed
Big 10 Tennis Player of the Week.
Jack Anthrop has been playing extraordinary tennis for a long time and was recently named Big 10 Tennis Player of the Week after an impressive outing in Dallas!
The link below will take you to the Ohio State post; however, I want to share some of the things Jack has done to secure the game he has.
Jack uses a Head Speed SMU racquet. The head size is 96 square inches and has a swing weight of 333 kg/cm^. This inertia couples with the overall weight of 352 grams (12.4 oz) to create stability and power.
Jack uses MonoGut ZX Pro natural at a reference tension of 56 pounds and string bed stiffness of 60 pounds. This creates a dynamic stiffness of 393.6 PPI.
Jack has been using Ashaway MonoGut ZX Pro since the age of 9! Yep, that’s right, age 9! MonoGut ZX and ZX Pro material is PEEK, a unique string that offers outstanding comfort, feel, and power with better durability than some other materials.
It is our position that more players of any level should consider MonoGut ZX or ZX Pro (thinner). It really just makes sense…just ask Jack, Big 10 Men’s Tennis Player of the Week!
Let us know if you have questions about Jack’s racquet or string. We have been working with Jack since age 9, and we would like to share what we can to help achieve your tennis goal(s).
Thank you, Head and Ashaway, for your continued support!
mens-tennis-anthrop-earns-big-ten-player-of-the-week
Congratulations, Jack, your new Head Speed SMU’s are on the way.
Head Speed SMU
Head Speed SMU
Let’s get up to Speed!
The new Head Speed 2024 series is here! This series comprises the Pro, the MP, the MPL, and the Team.
The 2024 Speed series retains the white and black graphics pack, however, the finish “feels” different. Don’t worry! It is not the finish that falls off or turns to sticky stuff!
We will start with the MP, for no reason, except it is the one I picked up!
Head Speed 2024 Series
From our perspective, the Speed series is the most popular of all the Head series but not by a huge margin!
We believe this is a factor of proper stiffness and powerful head geometry.
As you read the numerical reviews this will become clear.
The first clue that this is going to be a powerhouse is the swing weight of 343! This property reminds me of many years ago when car dealers would use their most powerful cars for demonstration purposes! Very impressive!
Sort of the same principle applies here being that heavier racquets will perform much better than light racquets, however, 343 is a little more than we would recommend for most players. We will update this property as we setup more Speed MP 2024’s!
| Manufacturer | Head |
|---|---|
| Racquet Model | Head Speed MP 2024 |
| Reference Tension | 53 |
| String | 7710 1.32 Natural |
| Machine Used | True Tension Professional |
| String Bed Stiffness - RDC | 49 |
| String Bed Stiffness -FlexFour | 56.0 |
| String Bed Stiffness - SBS | 40 |
| String Bed Stiffness - ERT | 33 Kg/Cm |
| Racquet Flex, RDC | 63 |
| Racquet Flex, FlexFour | 40 |
| Racquet - In Plane Stiffness | 416.7 |
| Weight, Grams | 333 |
| Weight, Ounces | 11.75 |
| Balance, mm | 336 |
| Balance, Inch | 13.19 |
| Length, Cm | 68.6 |
| Length, Inch | 27.03 |
| Head Width | 9.65 |
| Head Length | 13.04 |
| Head Area, cm2 | 637.8 |
| Head Area, Sq. Inch | 98.9 |
| Beam Height @ Grip, mm | 21.3 |
| Beam Height @ Mid, mm | 23.3 |
| Beam Height @ Tip | 23.5 |
| Beam Width @ Grip, mm | 13.4 |
| Beam Width @ Throat, mm | 10.4 |
| Beam Width @ Mid, mm | 11.4 |
| Beam Width @ Tip, mm | 12.2 |
| Number of Main Strings | 16 |
| Number of Cross Strings | 19 |
| Ratio | .623 |
| Main String Grid Inch/mm | 7.51 / 191 |
| Cross String Grid Inch/mm | 10.62 / 269 |
| Density (% of head filled with string) | 81.1% |
| Average Cross String Space | .562 |
| Average Main String Space | .469 |
| Dynamic Tension, Kp, ERT | 33 |
| Dynamic Tension, Lbs/in | 184.57 |
| First Moment, Nm | .865 |
| Polar Moment | 359 |
| Torsional Stability | 16 |
| Swing Weight, Kg/cm2 | 343 |
| Swing Weight, Ounces | 12.10 |
| Swing Weight Calculated | 373.7 |
| Power, RDC | 60 |
| Control, RDC | 37 |
| Manueverability, RDC | 58 |
| Power, Calculated | 2136.1 |
| Head Points | 2.36 |
| Head Weight, % | 48.9% |
| Center of Percussion | 21.2 |
| Dwell Time, ms | 6.69 |
| Efective Stiffness - lbs | 27.6 |
| K, Lb/In | 157.05 |
| Recoil Weight | 161.6 |
| Twist Weight | 232.4 |
| End Weight | 129.4 |
| Tip Weight | 204.9 |
| 9 O'Clock | 105.0 |
| 3 O'Clock | 103.3 |
| Butt Cap | 123.7 |
| COF, Main | .370 |
| COF, Cross | .306 |
Which Comes First!
We all have heard the question “which comes first the chicken or the egg”? However, my question is “Which comes first the game or the string”?
I believe they happen simultaneously. But first a quick story.
In 2005 I was attending a Head product introduction on the island of Mallorca, Spain, Yes, that one!
The product introduction was exciting but what I am going to tell you about now was even more meaningful.
The Director of one of the top US Tennis Training organizations, at that time, was there and we were discussing teaching techniques and what he said after being in this part of Europe was “we need to start teaching our players how to hit this way!” Well, “this way” was the way of low-powered strings that were popular in Europe but not so much in the US, yet.
So, it began! The players could not hit harder, like the Europeans, unless they used the same string material as the Europeans and that was very stiff and mostly PET polyester.
So, the idea was the “egg” and the string was the “chicken”, sort of! I guess the feeling was that “if Americans are going to compete we must use the same equipment”.
Now, I believe the professional game can go on about its way but otherwise, we need to consider changing the game by returning to a combination of comfort and playability.
Our history shows us that the “high performance” life span of many polyester strings is about 2-3 hours, or less, maybe about 10-12 games. We don’t believe this is quite long enough for most players. But, how do you quantify “performance”? It may be different things for different players.
There are many components to performance but what if it was associated with UTR data? Racquet Quest can track UTR numbers and make some determinations based on that data. If a UTR is stable or increasing it is a good bet that the performance of the player and equipment is OK. However, if the UTR is slipping it is a good indication that something is not working as it should…but what?
We have found that, in some cases, it is injury or discomfort, that is causing the slippage! Stop it! The following data is for a 12 month period and acquired from the UTR website. Even small positive changes are tough! But negative changes seem to have an enormous impact more quickly than positive changes!
For example:
| Player | Racquet | String | UTR1 | UTR2 | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Head Speed | PEEK | 12.84 | 12.86 | + .02 |
| B | Babolat Pure Aero | Polyester | 10.91 | 9.56 | -1.35 |
| C | Head Radical MPA | PEEK | 4.50 | 5.61 | +1.11 |
| D | Wilson Pro Staff 97 | PEEK | 5.0 | 7.03 | +2.03 |
| E | Babolat Pure Aero | PEEK | 3.8 | 5.64 | +1.84 |
| F | Wilson Blade 98 | Polyester | 10.0 | 9.41 | -.59 |
| G | Head Radical Pro | Natural Gut | 3.7 | 5.15 | +1.45 |
Head Graphene 360+ Radical Series Comparative Data
Click Here to See Radical Series Comparison Data
Radical MP v21
A Close Look at Orange
The new, for 2021, Head Graphene 360+ Radical series is a radical step into colors that have always been the “mark” of the Radical Series but now it has gone even further into radicalism!
We think that is a good thing! Why mess around with just a little orange when you can go all out!
It is impossible to see the vibrancy of this orange without holding it in your hand! We invite to to hold one in your hand and even hit with it!
The Radical MP has been the most popular model over the years. This model has all the attributes of the Pro without the added weight, (which can be added later if needed)!
The thin beam carries over to the MP and Pro while the S has a slightly wider beam.
The S model fits the very necessary range of 102 square inch racquets because Head has, correctly, reduced the number of head sizes per model. The Speed series has the 100 square inch head size very well covered.
You will see all the specifications on each individual review that will be posted shortly.
Head Graphene 360+ Radical Pro
Head Graphene 360+ Radical S
Racquet Quest, LLC
