How to Choose a Tennis Racket – Tennis Racquet Guide

As a tennis player, you can play with any racket you want. But what if I tell you a tennis racket has a huge impact on your performance? How to choose a tennis racket that can give you power and control. Yes in this article I will discuss the factors that play a major role in a racket’s performance.

Basically, before choosing a racket, the factors you must look into are head size, string pattern, and weight.

In this article, I have unraveled the secret recipe of choosing a tennis racket that can make you undefeatable and a pro player.

Also, you will learn about a tennis racket size chart according to your skill level, so read the article up to the very end to understand everything you need to know.

Choosing A Tennis Racquet:

Opting for a suitable tennis racket for yourself is a major decision. Your requirement is to be sure you get a proper racket keeping in mind what skill level you stand at. Choose the racket that will also help you in improving your techniques to become a good tennis player. Some racquets offer power, whereas others offer more control. This thorough and comprehensive article will help you in finding yourself a good racket to start your game with. Narrowed down are some points that will help you in finding the perfect racquets according to your skill levels.

Determine your skill level, strength, personal preference, and budget:

When assessing the best tennis racquets for your game, you must look for the right choice. When you begin to search for a tennis racket, consider these few things discussed below:

Your skill level:

Skill level and your ability to play tennis are the v first things to consider before choosing the type of racquet for yourself. For beginners, rackets come with bigger frames that deliver power whilst the advanced rackets tend to deliver good control and usually come in small sizes.

Strength:

Your strength will help you in determining whether you need a large and heavy racquet or not. Senior or old players may require weightless and larger racquets, whereas younger ones may opt for heavier, tight tennis racquets.

Consider what you like:

Go for the kind of racquet you personally prefer. It depends on your playing style. If you like to play singles then you might need a racquet that delivers good spin to your strokes. However, if you prefer playing doubles and also prefer playing near the net, then you might like a racquet that offers control.

Budget and objectives:

Keep your objectives and budget in mind. If you are looking to play tennis as a fun activity, then you might consider getting a reasonable or cheap racquet. And if you are beginning to take tennis lessons and want to enhance your game, then going for a high-quality racquet would be great.

Specification Chart:

In case you are wondering what size tennis racket I need, you must see the following chart. It will help you understand what kind of racket you must choose according to your skill level

What things to look for before buying a tennis racquet?

There are specific specifications you should understand before getting yourself a good tennis racket. For instance, a finely designed and bright racket might attract you to purchase it. Your mind will ignore the cons of that racket and pursue you to buy it.

Now let’s discuss the important points before buying a tennis racket:

Determine your strength as well as body size 

Some rackets are excellently suitable for many different sizes, heights, weights, and strengths of tennis players. You may be a strong individual and for that, you will need a racket that provides you with more control instead of adding power. On the other hand, you can desire to produce more power.

Power:

In general, you might find that the broader and wider frames of a racket help you produce more power. When you see a professional tennis player playing tennis, you would see that their racket frames are slightly narrow and not too wide. This is because normally these players are strong players and competent enough to generate their own power instead of relying on their rackets to help them.

Height:

Moreover, you should also keep your height in mind. For instance, if you are tall and have long arms, then you will generate more swing and speed as well as power. On the other hand, if you are a short heightened person, then your swings will be shorter and less powerful. Although this is not the case with every short person, some people tend to play powerful shots depending on their strengths.

Know your swing and styles

You might have a faster or slower speed swing. Your tennis coach will help you in identifying your swing for you whether it’s average, fast, or slow. A faster swing will usually generate more power as compared to slower swings.

To tackle that, you need to buy yourself the kind of racket that will provide you with more power. Whereas, you are looking for more control than you might need a narrow frame racquet.

Know your style

The same goes for your styles. Whether you are an aggressive player or a defensive player. If your playing style is aggressive, you will need a powerful racket. If defensive is your style then the narrow farmed racket would suit you best.

A tennis racquet may seem like a simple and easy piece of sports kit but it is different in many aspects from a racket. It’s crucial that you know all the differences before choosing one. Below described are the key differences you will see when you buy rackets. Apart from differences, some direction, and advice on how these characteristics can affect your game.

Size of head

The size of the head will generally be between 95-110 sq in. Large heads induce better power and will also have a large sweet spot. This will make it comfortable to hit the ball. On the other hand, small head sizes have more control and if you are convinced that you know and can strike the ball finely like a powerful player then a smaller head size is for you.

Racket’s length  

Rackets that adults use to play are commonly 27 to 29 inches long. Long rackets are lighter than common standard frames. Long rackets propose better reach and generate more power on the serving end. Keep in mind that controlling a longer racket is a tough job. Only go for it when you are confident that you can control a long racket.

Racket’s weight

This is one of the major aspects to know about your racket. A racket’s weight plays an important role in your swing and speed. This has to be your deciding element to buy a racket.

It’s accurate that many manufacturers have a variety of the same weighted rackets. Heavier rackets are weighted 320g and above and are typically more powerful. Whereas lighter rackets are weighted 280 and above and require less strength. Also, adding strings to your racket can increase its weight by 30g.

Balance: 

This is a tough aspect and is mostly dependent on your personal preference. Some people prefer more weight on the head side of the racket and some prefer weight on the body side. Rackets that are heavier from the head, offer powerful strokes. Whereas, light head rackets are heavier but slightly manageable.

Stiffness:

Stiffer frames influence your power, control as well as comfort. Though stiff framed rackets require less strength and energy to hit the ball, the vibration it produces sends a shock to your limbs.

Grip:

Everyone’s hand size is different and for that, you must check the size before you go on to purchase the racket you desire.

• Rackets commonly have different grip sizes and to know your size, you need to try holding different grip sizes until you find the one that works well for you.
• The adequate procedure for knowing the grip size of a racket is by measuring the length from the tip of your ring finger to the second line on your palm.
• If you still have a doubt then go for a tennis racket that is smaller in grip size. You can add your own grips for a small cost.
• It is mostly recommended to buy a racket that is a bit small in grip size and then can, later on, buy over-grips.
• These are inexpensive and can be changed on an ordinary basis. It can be slightly difficult to wear the overgrip in the beginning and you might need some help with it.
• But once you learn the art of it, your game will get better and better. It is recommended to change your grip after 10 or more times you play.
• Depending on how ragged your grip is or how sweaty you are.

These are some of the aspects that you need to understand before buying yourself a good tennis racquet. Knowing what suits you best will help you level up your game.

Conclusion:

To become a pro at tennis, you first need to know about the rackets that are used for the game. Tennis rackets come in different shapes and sizes, you need to do thorough research and understand your skill level, ability, strength, style, and many more things. The tennis rackets that many are good with may not be suitable for your style, as well as your game, and you, need the perfect rackets that help you in standing out and polishing your game.

FAQs

Which tennis racket is best for beginners and amateurs?

The light weighted racket would be good for beginners as it is easy to control and swing and you can play with it for a long time.

Are heavy rackets hard to play with?

Heavier rackets require strength and can be harder to move and are heavy on the body as well. Heavy rackets are certainly not advised for beginners to play with.

How to measure the size of your grip?

Grip size can be measured from your ring finger to the second line on the palm of the hand you are using to pay.

Does your racket influence your playing style?  

Your racket does influence your playing style. For instance, if you like playing controlled and powerful shorts but your racket does not offer that then it can ruin your game.

How to measure a tennis racket?

If you want to determine tennis racket size, take the measurements between the butt of the handle to its tip.