STEP 3 - What Results Are You Looking For?

Selecting the right kind of tennis Racquet depends on your level of play. The requirements of a club level player will vary vastly compared with a seasoned pro ranked in the top 100 of the ATP rankings.

There are a lot of variables to be considered when choosing a racquet. It all depends on the end result you are looking for, based on your level of play. Are you looking for greater power? Or balance? It all boils down to your current level of talent and sporting.

Even selecting a simple thing like a good grip is not as easy as it sounds. A very small or large grip can inhibit your game and may cause you tennis elbow. A good grip is also vital for racquet speed and should be able to rotate in your hands.

With the increasing use of double - handed backhands and forehands, the grip has to be easily maneuverable for greater control over shots. Beginners should go in for standard grip sizes and should avoid grip sizes that are either too big or too small.

Selecting the racquet with the right head size depends on your level of play. If you are a beginner you can go for the ‘over-sized’ or jumbo racquets, with a larger sweet spot and a greater strung surface. The pros generally go for low to standard sized tennis racquets, which gives them both control and excellent racquet swing. One can gradually move on from the over-sized racquets to the standard sized ones over a period of time, with proper training.

Balance of a racquet is an important factor, to be considered when choosing a tennis racquet. The balance of a Tennis racquet is measured by the distance between the midpoints of a racquet’s length to the point at which the racquet would balance if it were to be supported on a single spot.

A racquet with the balance point closer to the head is said to be ‘head heavy’, with the opposite type being ‘head light’. For those of you who want to generate more power, especially beginners, you can choose the ‘head heavy’ ones. The ‘head light’ type is used by pros and gives them more control over shots.

Those wanting to increase power in their shots can choose racquets which are more ‘stiff’. By stiffness we mean the stiffness of the entire frame, when a ball hits the racquet. The stiffer the racquet, the more power it can generate. Usually racquets with thicker ‘beam width’s’ are generally stiffer.

The string pattern of a racquet also plays an important part in the generation of greater power in shots. The main strings run from the tip of racquet down to the shaft. The crosses as the name suggests run across the racquet. Usually most racquets come with 16 mains/20 cross pattern.

The more the mains and strings, the denser the string pattern and vice-versa are is also true. While denser string patterns give greater control, the open string patterns give more power and spin potential to the racquet. Depending on your playing level and surface you can choose the appropriate string pattern.

The weight of a racquet has to be chosen carefully. Choose the weight you feel comfortable with. The same holds good for the racquet length also. While pros may use longer racquets for greater reach, the beginner’s can go for the standard size of approximately 27 inches.