Now if you’re a player who’s just starting out, the very idea of having a close bond or connection with your tennis racket is absurd and perhaps disturbing.

You might think anyone who does that has completely gone to the crazy side of the court… if you know what I mean. After all, the racket is simply a brainless tool to be used and discarded at a whim, entirely dependent on its owner’s commands, right?

Yes, that’s true, you have total and complete control over where your racket goes when attempting to hit the ball. But your racket has quite a bit of say in how well your shot will be executed and the level of additional impact your balls may have during the course of a match.

The problem is not enough players understand the amount of influence the racket actually has. This mental error usually stems from ignorance, being naive or plain out cocky.  Inside, some players are thinking that there’s no possibility that they could be getting any outside help apart from their hard work and willingness to win. Honestly, I feel sorry for those players, because they’re greatly limiting themselves and their possibility of success.

Just ask around, and you’ll find plenty of tennis players who have tremendous skill and ability that will graciously tell you that it’s not their skill alone that wins them matches. I can speak from personal experience on this one too. When I first started, I was using a Wilson pro staff, the same model Sampras used. I only started with that, because that’s what my dad handed to me when I had my first lesson.

Well, I wasn’t hitting the ball like Sampras as you would imagine haha. I felt like I couldn’t get any power at all, and it seemed like I was using twice as much energy as I should’ve been. That led to frustration. But when I made a switch to one made by the Head Company, it was a 360 degree turn around.

I was hitting the balls better. I felt more fluid on every shot, and I was getting a much better balance of power and control. And the coolest part was, I didn’t change a thing about my mechanics and how I hit the ball.  That’s when I really saw the light of how important having the proper “thunder stick” is to a player’s performance. And that’s why I really want to stress this to you guys early, so you’re not wasting precious time, when you could be seeing results at a much faster rate.

I mean, just as a craftsman needs the right tools to carry out a particular job in a competent and proficient manner, so must the tennis player, regardless of skill or ability. So, you must choose carefully.

A common rookie mistake is to assume that all tennis rackets are created equally. Now, to the inexperienced eye, upon a casual glance, yes they are pretty identical. However,  there’s much more involved than what meets the eye.

The reality is that tennis rackets have ALL been uniquely designed for different kinds of players and playing styles. Each particular model has been created by using different materials and these materials can and will greatly affect the overall feeling the racket has when it’s in your hand. And as you and I both know, feel makes a world of difference out there.

Picking the right one can make your life so much easier while out there on the court. But on the other hand, if you pick the wrong one, you could be in store for an uphill battle and a lot of unnecessary frustration.  That’s why big-time pros like Raphael Nadal, James Blake, Venus Williams, and Andy Murray make sure every racket they use is uniquely tailored to very precise specifications – specs so personal that no racket available in your local tennis shop would mass produce and even offer it to the public. They know it makes that big of a difference.

Now, I don’t expect you to know which one suits you the best right off the bat.  I’d recommend the good old “trial and error” method to help you make a decision. If you go to any sports store that sells rackets, it’s highly likely that they’ll have a process where you can demo their rackets for a small fee. Test them out, and see which one gives you the best results before you go reaching for that credit card.

Though trial and error is great, I know you don’t have time to blindly try out every single racket in the shop until you find the right one. That could be a lifetime in itself –  not to mention the expense in gasoline having to drive back and forth multiple times.  So, to save you some time, I’ve created a TennisMindCamp Cheat-Sheet for racket selection.

(Check it out below)

Racket Selection Cheat-Sheet:

Head Size: When it comes to the head size of your tennis racket, size really does matter, but bigger is not always better. In most cases, if you opt for a larger head size then you’ll get more power and thrust to your serves and ground strokes, but you will lose some of your control. The reverse is true should you opt for smaller head sizes.

However, while you may favor one particular style over another, your personal strategy will dictate your head size choice. For example, if you like staying close to the net, then you’ll need a higher level of control over your shots and so the smaller headsize is ideal for you.

Balance: Again, just as with the head size, balance falls into one of two extremes and so it comes down to the player making a tactical choice as to which one they favor more. If there is more mass centralized in the head of the racket as opposed to the handle, then this means that you’ll be able to hit the ball with a higher level of velocity. But remember, you’ll have to deal with a reduction in direction control at the same time.

Stiffness: This is really more a matter of personal preference. While stiff rackets will generate more power for a shot, they require a higher amount of energy to be expended in order to finish the shot.  This means that you will tire out much sooner.

Weight: The weight of the racket will effect the amount of racket speed you get on your shot. The less the racket weighs, the quicker your racket can fly. The heavier the weight, the more effort it’ll take to get it around to execute the shot.

In short, if it’s comfortable and you feel good playing and winning with it, use it! Ignore the labels and marketing, and play with the racket that best suits your game and gives you the highest level of comfort.

So, think smart, and  use the criteria above.  If you’re in doubt after using the cheat-sheet, make sure that you speak to an expert or someone who has played tennis for sometime so that they can better advise you as to what would be your best choice.  You’ll be glad you did, and so will your wallet.

Have a great day and an even better game,

Brian Hall, Head Coach
TennisMindCamp
webmaster@tennismindcamp. com