How to choose the right tennis racket
How do you select the best tennis racket for your game? You may be overwhelmed by the dizzying variety of rackets available at your local tennis store or sports equipment store. Well, as an avid tennis player who has spent hundreds of hours on the court, I’ve owned a lot of rackets and learned a thing or two along the way.
The right tennis racket won’t turn a novice player into a pro, but it can really help you improve your game and get the most out of your skills.
I think the first place to start is with an honest assessment of your tennis game. Are you a beginner, intermediate or advanced player? If you play regularly, you probably have a pretty good idea of what your skill level is. Another thing that can be helpful is getting a rating. Or just ask your tennis coach what level of player you are.
If you’re a beginning player, you might want to go out and buy the same racket as Novak Djokovic, because he’s your favorite player and the racket looks great. But since you don’t have his skill level (yet!), you’ll be playing with a racket that isn’t designed for your abilities, and I promise you’ll be frustrated. Conversely, the advanced club level player wouldn’t be happy with a beginner’s racquet because it wouldn’t give him the level of control he’s looking for. So if he knows where his game is, he will make things a lot easier for you to pick the right racket.
And by the way, if you don’t know anything about tennis rankings, you can learn more about them here http://www.usta.com/Play-Tennis/USTA-League/Information/About_NTRP/.
Another thing to keep in mind about buying tennis racquets is that if you start playing as a beginner and stick with it and get better and better, chances are you’ll use a pair of racquets as your game improves. Once you get closer to your full potential as a tennis player, it’s less about getting help from your racket and more about adjusting your game so that you’re likely to switch rackets less often.
Tennis rackets basically fall into three categories, which roughly correlate to the skill level of the player. game improvementgold force The rackets are designed for beginners. They are meant to make up for the shortcomings a beginner generally has in generating power and hitting the ball accurately. These rackets are longer, have larger heads, and a larger sweet spot. They’re also lighter, with more weight in the racquet head to help generate power through a slower swing.
The next category of rackets is designed for the intermediate player, offering some game-enhancing features but also designed to exploit the higher skill level this player has. Some people call these “interpolator” rackets In this category we see the heads get a little smaller, the racket a little shorter, a little heavier and with a smaller sweet spot. The intermediate player hits the ball with more speed and accuracy than the beginner, so he needs less help with power and a design that gives him more control over the higher level shots he’s taking.
The third category is for the advanced player who hits the ball with great speed, has very good directional control, and can execute all tennis shots with proficiency. These are often called players gold control Rackets As you may have guessed by now, these rackets are generally smaller, heavier, and have a smaller sweet spot. The player at this level is primarily looking for the greatest amount of control for the forward shots he is taking.
So once you’ve determined your level of play, I recommend trying out two or three rackets in the category that’s right for you. A sports equipment store that specializes in tennis, or at least has people on staff who play, should be able to guide you to rackets that are good for your game. And they should have some kind of trial or loan program. Because at this point, it’s all about feeling and which racket you like best and feel most comfortable with. If you’re not working with a store with knowledgeable tennis staff and they won’t let you try out the rackets, then I recommend you go somewhere else.
I hope you found this article useful. Choosing a tennis racket doesn’t have to be so difficult. And don’t forget to look for used or demo rackets as well. You can save a lot of money that way. Keep practicing and have fun!