How To Pick Your Next Racquet
Sep 06 '00 (Updated Sep 11 '00)
Hello everyone and welcome to todays class, Purchasing Tennis Racquets 101. I am your instructor Plumdogger and I hope I can help you make an informed buying decision. Let's start shall we?
First, decide how much money you are willing to spend on your new purchase. Most good racquets will cast you between $100 and $300 dollars. The price doesn't always make a certain racquet better then another, it mostly has to do with your preferences.
Second, think about what type of player you are. Do you like to come to the net? A racquet that is head light for quick manuverability may be for you. Do you like to stay back at the baseline and trade groundstrokes with your opponents? Then you may want a head heavy racquet. Maybe you are an all court player and want a evenly balanced racquet. Do you want a lightweight racquet? Titanium and Hyper Carbon frames are among the lightest on the market. Do you have tennis elbow? You may want a frame that has reduced vibration. There are many aspects to consider. If you aren't sure ask your local certified pro if possible.
Third, if you take lessons from a certified tennis professional, talk to them and discuss your options. They should know your game and what type of racquet would be best fore you. Most professionals (like myself) are under contract with a racquet company (Wilson, Head, Prince), and can find a fit for you from that company. They may even recommend a racquet from another company you should try. If you do not take lessons or don't know any tennis professionals check magazines and websites that offer reviews of the latest racquets on the market. If you go to a store like the Sports Authority and ask the sales person there you may get lucky, but most of them don't have racquet specific knowledge, and may be of no help to you.
Fourth, Try out a couple of different racquets you are interested in. Most tennis shops have a demo policy where you can take a racquet out for a couple of days to try them out. Make sure you go through all of your strokes with each racquet. Hit serves, groundstrokes, volleys, and play out points. You want to pick a racquet that feels good for every part of your game. Never buy a racquet without trying it out first!
Fifth, so you have found the racquet you want. Now we have to find the best deal. You can look on the internet, erackets.com has a large selection of frames at good prices. You can look in the back of a tennis magazine for adds (there are many stores that advertise there). Or if your pro or coach helped you out in your buying decision you may want to purchase it directly from them. Many pros will give you a good deal if you sign up for lessons, or if you take from them often.
Finally you have gone through all the steps mentioned above and you found the frame of your dreams at a great price. Now you get to choose what string to put in it! And that will be covered in our next class Choosing Strings 101.
Happy Shopping!
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Member: Jeremy Plumley
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