QUOTE(kiddo @ Feb 20 2008, 12:19 AM)
Can someone pls explain the meaning of the following attributes normally described for the racquet specs:
1) Balance... Example: 6pts head light
I understand what's head light or head heavy but what does number 6pts means?
2) Stiffness... Example: 66
How does this impact the racquest and the game? What's the common/average stiffness in good racquet? I know if the racquet is too stiff, it could cause tennis elbow.
3) Power level... Example: Low/Medium/High
Higher power means we don't have to apply more energy or fast swing when hitting the ball?
4) Swing speed... Example: low
Is it related to the "Power Level"??? Low swing speed means the racquet is powerful, so we just swing slow?
TQ
Good question my friend and here's my 2 cents (feel free to correct me if wrong, thanks):
1) Balance -- A standard length racquet of 27 inches is balanced at 13.5 inchs.
Each point is 1/8 inch so 6 pts headlight (HL) is 6/8 inch towards the racquet handle from balance pt (thanks to the other 2 posters for correction).
Racquet Balance Definition2) Stiffness -- The more
flexible the racquet, the
more control and less power you get (think older racquets like Sampras's Prostaff 6.0 or nSix-One 95). The
more stiff the racquet, the
more powerful and less control you get (think modern racquets like the Babolat Pure Drive).
Personally, I feel
all court or serve/volley players (like Federer) like flexible racquets because of the feel and control you get for volleys and touch shots like drop-shots, etc. Power baseliners prefer more power and hence, players like Roddick, Nadal and Djokovic prefer stiffer racquets.
Unless the racquet is very very stiff, stiffness should only play a small part in comfort --
Strings play a large part too.
3) Power Level -- A racquet with
low power (e.g. KSix-One 90, Head Prestige, etc) means you have to
swing more fully (longer swing) to generate power or depth. Advanced players who can generate their own power want less "assistance" from the racquet, for more control.
A racquet with
high power (e.g. o3 Speedport Silver, KThree, etc) means a player only needs a
shorter swing to get power or depth. Younger, older or lady players prefer this characteristic. Drawback is less control (though modern racquets have a good balance of power and control).
4) Swing Speed -- This relates to
Racquet Balance and Power Level. A racquet with Headlight Balance and Low Power feels light (e.g. Nadal's Aeropro Drive or Gasquet's Microgel Extreme Pro) and allows the player to swing fully and faster and hence generate more spin.
A racquet with Head-heavy Balance and High-power (e.g. o3 Speedport Silver, KOne, etc) feels heavy and hence a player swings more slowly, more compact and hence doesn't generate so much spin.
In the end of the day, it
depends on your skill level and play style, to which characteristics suite you best. As always, demos are a way to go but unfortunately in M'sia, demo racquets are hard to come by.
Hope that helps!
This post has been edited by satchman: Feb 20 2008, 10:01 PM 
Feb 15 2008, 02:16 PM
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