I recently changed my racquet and was about to go nuts since I was stuck with the unexpected complexity of selecting a racket among tons of alternatives and tons of different features.

The racquet manufacturers do their jobs well, they are confusing you by differentiating their products with so many interesting “technologies” (!). Some racquets have chips, some of their frames’ material are siliconized at molecular level…etc Amazing huh!

Anyway.. Before continuing, let me provide some information about technical aspects of features of a racquet.

Headsize

Headsize is the area of the hitting plane inside the head of the racquet (usually measured in square inches). Headsizes are usually categorized in the following way:

• Midsize / Midplus: 85 to 104 square inches
• Oversize: 105 to 117 square inches
• Super Oversize: 118 to 135 square inches

The rule of thumb is that racquets with larger headsizes supply more power, a larger sweet spot, and more stability on off center shots, while smaller headsizes tend to give better control. Young players (age below 40) are generally advised to use?smaller head racquets. Also, if you have a big swing and generate a lot of power, then you must prefer a smaller headsize since you might have trouble keeping the ball in play with a large head racquet. A racquet with a smaller head will take some pace off the ball and improve control. For example, most professional tennis players have long, powerful swings and thus they rarely use racquets with more than 100 square inch heads.

The above guidelines are true in general, but it is not always the case that a 95′ racquet provides less power than, say, a 98′ racquet. There are many other factors that contribute to a racquets power level. Some of these factors include stiffness, string tension, and balance.

Balance

Balance is usually measured as the distance between the midpoint of a racquet’s length and the point at which the racquet would balance if you were to support it in a single spot (balance point). A racquet is said to be “head heavy” if the balance point is closer to the tip of the head, and it is said to be “head light” if the balance point is closer to the bottom of the handle. If the balance point and midpoint are the same, the racquet is said to be “evenly balanced”. Compared to a head light racquet, a head heavy racquet generates more power, but feels heavier to swing. Head heavy racquets are generally best suited for beginners, while head light racquets are used by more advanced players.

Note that the terms head heavy and head light have nothing to do with the total weight of a racquet, only the distribution of the weight. Head light racquets can be (and typically are) heavier than head heavy racquets.

Stiffness

Refers to the amount that the racquet bends or deforms upon contact with the ball. The bending and deformation of a racquet consumes a great deal of energy that is not returned to the ball, and thus reduces power. As a result, stiffer racquets (that deform little) are more powerful. More flexible racquets, on the other hand, are in contact with the ball for a greater amount of time and thus allow you to impart more spin on the ball. Additionally, flexible racquets are generally more comfortable as they generate less shock to the hand, arm, and shoulder. Beginners and players with compact strokes usually benefit most from stiff racquets, while more advanced players (and players with arm problems) favor more flexible racquets.

String Patterns

A racquet listing will usually include a line saying something like “16 Mains / 20 Crosses.” This line is describing the racquet’s string pattern. The mains are the strings that run from the tip of the racquet down to the handle. The crosses are the strings that run perpendicular to the mains. The line “16 Mains / 20 Crosses” means that there are 16 main strings and 20 crosses running perpendicular to them. Generally speaking, more mains and crosses equate to a denser string pattern, while fewer mains and crosses give a more open string pattern. When the number of mains and crosses is the same, the racquet with a larger head size usually has a more open string pattern because there are fewer strings per unit area. It is, however, possible for the larger racquet to have strings closer together around the sweet spot and much farther apart along the frame when compared to the smaller racquet. In this case the smaller racquet could have a more open string pattern in the sweet spot.

Open string patterns “bite” into the ball more, providing enhanced spin potential.?Because the strings deform more upon contact with the ball, open string patterns provide extra power at the cost of decreased depth control. An important downside of the enhanced string movement generated by open string patterns is that it will shorten the life of your strings. Dense string patterns provide more control and longer string life, at the cost of less spin and power.

Weight

A racquet’s stationary weight is the weight of the racquet if you were to place it on a scale. It is completely independent of the racquet’s balance, which only measures the distribution of weight throughout the length of the racquet. An obvious downside of a heavy racquet (one with a high stationary weight) is that it will be harder to maneuver and will wear your arm out more quickly than a lighter racquet. However, a heavy racquet will transmit less shock to your arm, thus reduce or even prevent elbow injuries.

After bothering you with all these details, let me releive you a little.. You hardly need any of this information.. When you search the catalogues of the racquet manufacturers, you are going to notice that there are, in fact,?2 critical factors, which should affect your decision. The first and the most important one is your swing style and the second one is the head size of the racquet. All manufacturers rank their racquets according to a swing index therefore you only need to know how fast and long your swing is in order to select the alternatives. As for the headsize, check the trade offs of smaller and larger head sizes mentioned above. If your are not sure, then select a large midplus racquet (100′-105′).

Let me give you a few more advices, which will prove useful in your purchasing decision.. I assume that you are also an intermediate player like me and want to improve your performance by investing a little more money for a nice racquet.

1. There are 2 major racquet manufacturers, Wilson and Head. Look from their portfolio and forget the others. If you are a recreational player like me, I can suggest Liquidmetal Rave or Fire from Head and H4 or N6 from Wilson.
2. Ask for a demo of the racquet you want to purchase. Bring all the racquets you want to test and use them all in the same outing, rotating multiple times if possible. Test racquets by returning powerful serves. This is usually a good way to determine if the sweet spot will be to small for you. Don’t forget to test the racquets volleying and serving capabilities. You should rely heavily, but NOT completely on groundstrokes to determine the best racquet.

If you wonder about my choise, I got Wilson N6 103′.