...actually, for me, those players with wicked slice backhands are really a handful and tough to play... most players live and breathe a typical flat/topspin backhand, so you can more or less guess the bounce, depth and speed of the ball, but slicers (especially the good ones) realise that flat/topspin proponents like the ball to be at waist level thereabouts to generate good lift and spin, so to have a sliced ball coming in at unknown/strange side/back spin which more often than not have zero bounce and which literally dies once it bounces on your side of the court, well let's just say steffi graf's slice backhand wasn't always a weakness it was made out to be... in the right hands, a slicer can be a devastating opponent, especially when used against the right opponent... so redcaffeine, take heart from what i said... keep perfecting that slice backhand, it will come in handy... but of course try to master the topspin backhand also, for options sake...

morning guys

...anyways, just bought my son his first racquet yesterday... an aluminium dunlop 3 hundred twenty 7 ...bought it in alamanda carrefour... between prince, wilson and head, i chose the dunlop... can't stand anymore he scratched my donnay pro-one ...played with it for more than 10 years with barely any visible scratches and he goes scratched it all along the crown his first day sob sob... bah it's okay though... plus the racquet is better for his age/skill... so seems i will need to buy a couple of dunlops too for myself... back to origin anyone selling? fyi, i prefer classic beams with non-oversize heads (95-100 is okay) and open string pattern... would love to get some max 200g's, but i doubt there's any left in mint condition... also doubt if i can generate power nowadays ...

melaka??? hey there jacklsw86, studying in mmu, or i assume wrongly? anyways, fancy a hit-about anytime while you're here in melaka? *hopehopehope*

FAI, vibration in a tennis racket does not affect the body i.e. causing tennis elbow... -shock- mainly causes tennis elbow... vibration and shock are two very different things... reducing vibration does not reduce shock caused by ball impact... as another poster said, either reduce the tension you string your racquets with/use softer strings, or change the racquet altogether... having tree trunks for arms from exercising will not have much effect when the shock coming in is still the same... true, proper technique and conditioning helps to an extent, but in tennis terms, if your arm cannot take the existing shock, better look at the options...

... hello there ...as you have said you play only for recreation, i doubt you will be able to (nor need to) gain much from testing/using various models of racquets... not putting you down here, just telling it as it is... for your level and needs, just about any light-weight and over-sized racquet from an established manufacturer should do, which incidentally will also fit your budget and expectations... though of course you can go test all sorts of models to find one you really like, but like you said, for recreation only, so why bother? and please don't let my statement discourage you from fully enjoying the sport... far from it, as a recreational player you should just be happy to play and not fret yourself over equipment details... just concentrate on the finer aspects of the game i.e. stroke technique and footwork, and most importantly, just enjoy

I totally agree with you there... that's why she shouldn't fret on the technical details... at that level he/she can just pick up the racquet and determine if it's too heavy or too light, and grip is just nice or not... which is just about what players of that level can gauge, and probably that's all they need to know... balance, weight, flex etc just jumbles everything up... again, not undermining anyone or any level, it is just that way... first and foremost it is just a game, albeit an utterly fantastic game so just go out and enjoy it... oh this quote sums it up perfectly:

... uh just re-read my post, and just to clarify, i totally agree with your statement SSJBen... don't want you thinking i am contradicting you or anything... that was absolutely correct... if you have the time and willingness, go out and explore, if not, just whack it (properly)

in a (very) pitiful way, that pic is quite hilarious i am sobbing inside while laughing... heh... anyways, just to tie your pic with the threadzdepth dude, i am sure this pic was snapped while you were on the way to the courts, right? ...really hope this isn't one over-zealous mate of yours waiting for the courts to open up early morning

hey guys, anyone using or perhaps played with the dunlop aerogel 300? can you tell me how it feels/plays? thinking of changing to this la...

to tchiaming, vckk, SSJBen and ahwee1987, thank you very much for your all your very good input ...from the reviews online and your own comments, seems to be a good stick... the light weight might be a problem for me though, but since now in my *cough* 'later' years, probably a good time to switch to such a racket anyways...

...
...but this comment aaaa, really men'cucuk' my hati you know... ...implying anything ka SSJBen??? ...veteran? ...advanced perhaps, veteran??? adoiiii... heh

...ahwee1987, so you currently using eh? hmm... can demo from you ah? ...we meet up (if it happes) when the rest are doing the 'friendly' match in kl/klang amacam? teh tarik on me la later ...but s'okay if no... i know some players are very particular of who can play or even touch their stick racquets ...i know because i was am one of them

This post has been edited by grinner: Apr 4 2009, 01:07 PM

...you are from melaka is it ahwee1987??? all this while i have been pleading for someone to play with in melaka, only now you show up? heh heh ...if i am not mistaken, you are somewhat new in here, is it? forgive me if i am mistaken, but haven't noticed you before... heyyy, how bout we have a hit-about sometime? just pm/call me anytime if you have time... leave me a pm yeah if you're interested?

...yeah, i suppose so, though till now i have never customised a frame yet... i prefer my racquets to be naturally suitable for me, but yeah, that is something i would do if i like the frame...

...and please do forgive me SSJBen, sometimes my (perverse) sense of humour doesn't transmit itself well... i was only kidding la mate ...hah hah, sorry if it got you concerned... no offence taken, i prefer if we all can talk like friends in here, where no offence is taken whatever said (within reason of course )... again, sorry!!!

This post has been edited by grinner: Apr 6 2009, 12:40 PM

adoi reminds me of my younger days ...but you should stop playing when it starts to rain and tell the groundsmen to haul up the tarp covers mate ...but jokes aside, even damp courts will ruin your balls(?), and as you have found out, your grips not to mention your strings... at the very least your string will drop a few pounds, and shorten its life... or have they come up with waterproof strings during my tennis hiatus??? no idea... but i get where you're coming from... when you're enjoying playing, not even a bit of rain can make you stop, right? heh...

...so true... so true... ...ahhh to be young and foolish again... heh heh (...just teasing ya guys!!!)

...and talking about western, more precisely extreme western grips (otherwise known as the Hawaiian grip ) reminds me of this player: Alberto Beratasegui (?? or something like that)... dunno if any of you kids know/can remember him... he hits off both wings with this grip, thus generates monster spin and also uses only one face of the racquet... kinda neat... he made a name for himself on reaching the french open final against (?) ...forgot... he lost, so ...

anyways, try catching up on him on youtube...i assume there's a vid, no idea... the next day after he lost, there were loads of people imitating his style, but aside from the wicked spin, you need dang good timing and skill to reply your opponent's low balls, so after a while the style got dropped (incidentally the player also vanished after that... spooky huh? )

...~Battousai~ mate, that sounds mighty interesting... and just about perfect for a cheapo like me ...now just have to test one, hopefully this evening with ahwee1987's... *please.do.not.rain* ...if i like it, hope to get a couple from you...

...i had thought a looser tension would let the ball stay on the string longer, thus more bite on the ball? ...ah don't mind me... been out of the game for so long, my facts could be jumbled up...

---

Added on April 13, 2009, 8:58 am...ahh this is where i may be of some help... tell me what you want for your site and i'll see where i can assist... though it may take a while since i have a lot still k.i.v now ...anyways, consider me the last option... and i am dirt-cheap hah hah...

This post has been edited by grinner: Apr 13 2009, 08:58 AM

hah! ..i just googled this poser and guess what? the jury is 50/50 on this one... yeah one site actually put it like that as to whether higher or lower tension creates more spin... though to be honest a lot were saying higher tensions creates slightly better spin... but the site i quoted before said a test was done where the tension was raised by 50% and created just 5% more spin... i just know this for a fact... when i was using the dunlop max200g and strung at 5lbs more than the recommended maximum, coupled with the small head size, it was a pure b**** to apply spin on that wonderful frame... dang i love that frame *sigh*... heh sorry i do get emotional about the max200g...

...anyways, ~Battousai~ mate... got ya p.m. (i have no idea why i am brodcasting this ) and we'll see if we can get this site of yours up and running asap (with monster automatic discounts for me built-in into the code of course hah hah!)

*sigh* ...now i confirm already old man... finally got to meet ahwee1987 at the mmu courts, and he can definitely kick my wrinkled ass ...well, we didn't exactly play... just had a hit-about, where he nicely let me play with his aerogel 300... my verdict on the racquet? ...nice balance, nice power, nice cushioning but one can really feel the lack of mass of this racquet... it's a good racquet, no doubt about it, but lacks the solid feel of both my prince and donnay sticks... got twisted on off-center hits, which yesterday there was a lot *doublesigh*... that said, i could get used to it, so thinking of getting a couple... it is a dunlop after all, so can't really go wrong ...

...about ahwee1987... now here is a smashing fellow... came all the way from elsewhere to meet up with me late yesterday... very nice guy... but come on ahwee, no way you have only played for 6 months... at least a year only can you hit shots as hard and as straight as yesterday... the spin he generates is quite commendable too... yeah, he could definitely kick my ass (now!!!) ...but again, great guy and thanks again for letting me demo your racquet!

...as for me, i might as well find 50++ age guys to play with, since i definitely have no stamina, no footwork and my technique, danggg... 10 years really takes away a lot huh? trust me guys... do not -Not- play for too long like me... tennis is definitely not like riding the proverbial bicycle ...so come, come... queue up to kick my ass later on y'all... heh heh...

basically, if you first hit it (your backhand) with topspin, then your ball will have topspin as well...?!? makes sense? anyways, topspin, whether forehand or backhand makes the ball bounce higher once it touches your opponent's court... it will also have a higher clearance over the net and sharper angle of fall compared to a flat backhand... a topspin backhand is always a good shot to have in your arsenal due to its higher net clearance and also gives you options in terms of shot-angle... disadvantages are you have to exert a bit more effort to generate sufficient bite, and also you will have problems with sliced or low shots... that's why you need to add as many shots as you can to play effectively, so do try to add more options to your strokes, kudos to you mate!

i would be tempted to bring my creaky ass over there, but have my assessment on monday, and i still have a lot of paperwork to finish, so that's a No from me ...dang assessments!!! have to decline a convoy to pd too... dang dang danggg!!!

... besides the difference you mentioned, i can say thinner strings give you more 'feel' of your shots... using thicker strings doing drop shots and touch volleys are a bit harder... can't tell how long to let the ball stay on the strings... having said that though, i prefer to use thicker strings just so i don't have to go restring very often... i used to whack and spin the ball very hard previously, so when i used thin strings, sometimes even after two hard practise sessions they would burst

... "Eyes on the ball" is a good tip, an essential mantra if you will for beginner and intermediate players, since it helps you track and set-up for your shot... especially you said that you were playing with old-timers (like me *doh!*) where that phrase is often used and repeated... -However-, in themodern game, you will find the top players don't really track the ball all the time, at the level they play they don't have the luxury to 'watch the ball' all the time, instead, you will find that even before the ball leaves the opponent's side of the net, they will focus on the spot where the ball will land, and use peripheral vision instead to track the ball, which is something you can get from experience i.e. need to hear the shot leaving your oppo's racquet to judge how the ball is hit, and then judge where it will land (thereabouts)... so at a certain level, you can't really 'keep your eyes on the ball' anymore... you need to go to the next level...
...but having said that, Do watch the ball for now... get the basics right and when you need to go to the next level, it will become much easier ...for drills, just do the simple stuff i.e forehand/backhand down and cross courts initially slow then in increasing intensity to help you 'track' the flight... hope this helps!

hah hah... i used to have a lot of trouble when playing with older dudes too when i was *cough* young and learning... they just know how to control their shots and place it, thus negating our speed and power... heh heh, but that's something you have to learn to improve...

... i didn't have a coach too, in fact never had a coach until i was 18... so by that it wasn't about re-learning techniques... i wasn't to be bothered changing my admittedly unorthodox grip and strokes... what i did was look at pros on tv, but more effective would be to learn from someone you can play side-by-side or nearby with, so you can see better how he hits his strokes and footwork... i got my serve (version 4) from this guy (state player) in school and my backhand from a national player (his backhand was sweeeeeeet...)... so although it's an advantage to have a coach teach you, learning from your peers is an alternate way too...

This post has been edited by grinner: Apr 21 2009, 01:11 PM