Racquet Performance Criteria – Part 2

BALANCE

A racquet’s balance relates to its stability and maneuverability, and how it feels in your hand. But from a design perspective, it’s how weight is distributed from the center of the stick.

The center is determined by measuring the length of the racquet from the top of the head to the bottom of the grip. Let’s say that’s 27 inches, which is standard. Hence, the center point is 13.5 inches from the bottom of the handle.

In the tennis world, the balance or weight distribution for a racquet can be shifted more towards the head or more towards the handle.

The terminology used to describe this distribution is Head Heavy (HH) and Head Light (HL). HH means there’s slightly more weight towards the head, and HL means there’s slightly more weight towards the handle.

You might be wondering, why in the world would manufacturers create designs in this way. Well, the answer is simple. It’s all about satisfying player preferences and allowing them to excel in different areas.

The differences between HH and HL can be important for some players. For example, a stick with a Head Heavy balance means that the user will get greater hitting power from the head, although some maneuverability will be lost. Of course, this may not be important for an athlete who can generate their own power. But if you’re a beginner or love to play from the baseline, then an HH leaning stick will help.

You’ll often find Head Heavy weight distribution in lighter frames, such as those weighing around 9 to 10 ounces.

On the other hand, a model that is Head Light will have more weight shifted towards the handle, and it will feel more solid in your hand when striking the ball. It will also be more stable and easier to maneuver. This can be especially beneficial for those who serve and volley or love to attack the net.

Head Light weight distribution is also desirable in heavier racquets, such as those exceeding 13 ounces.

Now, I want you to bear with me. I’m about to do a little math because the weight distribution will vary among different racquets. You’ll need to know how it’s calculated to determine whether you prefer a minor or major shift one way or the other.

Truth be told, if you’re a beginner or light recreational player, these numbers and calculations probably won’t mean much. But once you’ve played with a racquet or two and know what works for your game, you’ll definitely want to pay more attention to balance.

So moving on, when you read the specifications for a particular model, you will probably find the balance numbers described as something like “4 points HL” or “2.5 pts. HH”. Just remember that the 6 and the 2.5 numbers need first to be converted to inches.

Every point equals 1/8 inch. Therefore, 4 points come to 4/8 inch which is the same as a half an inch (.5). Do the same thing with the 2.5 points. In this case, it would translate into 2.5/8 inches or .31 inches. Got it? Good.

Next, let’s determine what these inches mean in the real world.

At the beginning of this section, I calculated the starting center point for a 27-inch long racquet. It came to 13.5 inches. All I did was divide 27 inches by 2.

So whatever model you buy, measure its length from top to bottom and divide by 2 to get the center point.

When that’s done, find the HH or HL number in the specs and translate it into inches just like I did.

For my example racquet, the “4 points HL” balance number is letting me know that the true center point for it is actually .5 inches below the initial simple calculation that I made. Therefore, I need to take 13.5 inches and subtract .5 inches, meaning that the weight is tilted that much more towards the handle.

You might have noticed that for the HL calculation, I subtracted half an inch from the initial center point number. This is important to remember because for the HH calculation we are going to add to the original center point calculation, rather than subtract.

So here we go. The “2.5 pts. HH” balance number translated into .31 inch which needs to be added to the initial 13.5 inches center point. Again, the reason we add to the center point is because the manufacturer is letting us know that the weight distribution is tilted towards the head in this instance.

Now, you might be thinking that an inch here or a half inch there doesn’t seem like it would make one bit of difference. For your game, it might not. But if you consider yourself to be a Ferrari that is battling Porches and Lamborghinis, then every millimeter matters.

BEAM WIDTH

When you turn a racquet to the side, you’ll notice that the hoop that encompasses the head has a certain thickness to it. This is the beam. In most cases, the width of the beam will range from 20 millimeters (.787 inches) to 28 millimeters (1.1 inches).

What you need to know about the beam is that the thinner it is the more control you’ll have over the racquet. And the thicker it is, the more power you’ll be able to generate. Here are the basic beam width guidelines:

More Control – 20mm to 22mm
Tweener – 23mm to 26mm
More Power – 27mm to 28mm

LENGTH

The standard length for teen and adult racquets is 27 inches. However, you can find versions that are 28 inches, which will deliver greater pop and momentum but could hurt maneuverability.

For children, the recommended stick lengths will vary with age as follows:

19″ – up to 5 years old
21″ – 5-6 years old
23″ – 7-8 years old
25″ – 9-10 years old
26″ – 10-12 years old
27″ – teens and adults

Naturally, if your child is bigger or smaller than the average for their age, you should purchase a longer or shorter model, accordingly.

A Few Tips For Choosing A Racket

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