Tuesday 31 December 2013

Tennis Racquets

Summer's here which in Australia means cricket, swimming and tennis.  Some useful info below about tennis racquets.  More to come next week on tennis injuries.

LB
 
Anatomy of a Racquet
The terminology used to describe a tennis racquet is pretty straightforward (see below).  A player tries to hit the ball with the sweet spot as this spot results in decreased vibration and increased force production.


Great website for basics of tennis: http://www.tennis101.com/anatomyofthetennisracquet.htm

More detailed description of racquet. Picture from: http://blog.activepepper.com/finding-the-perfect-tennis-racquet/

Racquet Variables
There are many factors to consider when choosing a tennis racquet.  These include:

o   Length

o   Children play with small racquets

o   Adult racquets are approximately 27 inches long

o   Material

o   Racquets weigh between 230g unstrung and 350g strung

o   Originally made from wood, then aluminium, racquets today are made of composite mixes such as carbon fibre (graphite) and boron and Kevlar.

o   Racquet head size

o   Children play with smaller, modified racquet heads

o   The larger the head the less stiff the strings are, increasing the speed of the ball

o   The small the head, the more control over the ball the player has

o   Strings

o   The lower the string tension the more flexibility/less stiffness the racquet has, this increases the speed of the ball, but decreases control of the ball

o   The higher the string tension, the less flexibility/more stiffness the racquet will have, resulting in more control over the ball, but the ball tends to skim lower and slower over the net

o   The pattern of the strings can also affect the string tension

o   Tension on the strings varies between players; males average 230N and females 180N. 

o   Vibration dampners

o   These are used reduced vibration when the ball hits the racquet

o   Somewhat controversial, may reduce ‘feel’ of the ball as it hits the racquet

o   Grip size  

o   Influences grip strength on the racquet

o   The handle is octagonal to improve grip and comfort in the player’s hand
 

How to Hold A Racquet
The three most common grips are continential, eastern and western.  A player may change grips several times within a match depending on what shot they are hitting.  Best not to follow Jimmy Connors’ example below:


Below is an illustration of 6 different grips.


Link to further explanation on each grip http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grip_(tennis)

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