Blog Archives
Solinco Confidential (string)
As you know, Racquet Quest, LLC does not promote polyester string to most tennis players. We do, however, test any racquet string we can. This really helps us understand what happens during play and helps make a better performance selection for the player!
All of the information shown in the table is interesting but the most important data is Power Potential.
We have added three (3) Solinco strings to the Power Potential table, so take a look here
Weight is Your Friend!
Is this instance we are talking about racquet weight. Not the few pounds we put on yesterday, Thanksgiving Day!
In the early 1990’s we made a tennis racquet which weighed slightly over 7 ounces. Awesome, some said! This racquet traveled along with the standard weight racquets in the line and was available for anyone to hit with.
“Hit” in this case is a misnomer because the mass of the racquet was not enough to get the ball over the net in most cases! Instead of a “hit” it was like a light “shove”!
With out a doubt the weight of a racquet must be “usable”. Take a look at these brief warm-up videos to see weight in action then we will find out how much these racquets weigh and the swing weight…
This is a Wilson Blade 98 18×20 pattern. Racquet weight is 329 grams (11.61 Oz.) with a swing weight of 332 kg/cm^2.
Next let’s take a look at a different player…
This is a Head Radical with the Pro Cap System creating a racquet that weighs 340 grams (11.99 ounces) with a swing weight of 349 kg/cm^2.
It is obvious that both payers are swinging the racquet with gusto and it should be obvious that the racquets are stable on impact and this stability is necessary for power and control.
So the next time your oppponent asks if you have “gained weight” it will because the ball is coming at them with more “heaviness”! And you can repsond “yes!” with a smile on your face! Just like Robert, Sophie, and Aleks!
Need Direction?
A client just sent me the following statement and I think it has reason to be distributed amongst tennis players searching for “direction” when it comes to string and their game!
“Hah. Trying out these different strings has been very interesting. Over the past week or so, trying the different strings has given me some insight into what my game should be. I think usually people do it in reverse. They try to find the string that tailors to their game. By experimenting with the strings, I realize the direction my game should be going.”
“I’ve been coming to realize that my game is better with control and feel rather than power. Experimenting with different strings have helped me recognize this.”
Do you think this applies to you?
Racquet Quest, LLC
