Wednesday, June 10, 2009
The More Things Change........
The More They Stay The Same!
Pursuant to and somewhat contradictory to my esteemed colleague Jeremy's article I feel compelled to let all our readers in on a few trade secrets. Some will be obvious, some not so much. At the end of this article you will be a more informed consumer.
#1-We are in the business of sales! Shocking I know! Ian, Jeremy, and I, as tennis professionals are in the business of selling ourselves (not that way) and our services! We are also in the business of selling equipment, particularly of the equipment of whichever racquet manufacturer happens to sponsor us.
#2-The racquet companies in order to remain profitable need you to buy equipment on a regular basis. The industry's preferred rate is a new racquet for every player every 1.5-2 years. You will also notice that the aforementioned time frame also coincides with the rate at which racquet technologies change and racquets are discontinued to make room for newer models. This planned obsolecence is a long standing industry practice that has been particularly perfected by Wilson and copied by everyone else. How do you explain discontinuing the best selling frame EVER!! (The Prostaff 6.1 Classic)
In most instances the changes that are made from one version of a racquet to the next are largely cosmetic. If one looks at the most popular frames that have stood the test of time the weight, balance, head size, swing weight, and playbility have remained the same despite multiple technology changes. Some great examples include: Volkl C-10 Pro & V1, Head Prestige & Radical, Wilson Hammer 6.2 & Pro Staff 6.0, and Babolat Pure Drive.
The reason that these racquet stay the same is that upper level players don't want their frames to change, they want them to play the same way they always have and not to posses the qualities that new technologies supposedly bring. New technologies always propose to make the racquets stiffer, lighter, more powerful, and easier on the arm. Upper level players prefer to have their racquets be heavy, flexible, control oriented, and have a significant level of feedback. In conclusion, just because the company who makes your racquet introduces and newer, prettier version of your stick there is no need to run out and buy it because if you are using a players frame the only change you'll notice is in the paint job!!
#3-If you like to sample new technologies and the benefits that they present then you need to step your game back. Class of racquets that receive the majority of the benefits of increasing technology is the Game Improvement sector. These racquet come and go and change far more than the Player's Frames every will. G.I. racquets and the testing ground for new technologies, it is where the new techs can provide the most benefits and provide the most measurable improvement in on court results. In the coming weeks I will be playtesting and reviewing a number of G.I. Racquets, among the comments that you are sure to hear are: "Racquet X is much stiffer and more powerful than its predecessor" or "Racquet X is much lighter and easier on the arm and more than previous versions." While I am 5.0 and play with one of the most bare bones frames that you'll find, I can certainly appreciate the benefits that can be derived from new technologies in the Game Improvement sector.
Despite the fact that Game Improvement frames benefit the most from new tech changes, there is a significant drawback! Like any other tech driven business i.e. cell phones, tv's, and cars, the more technology that is involved, the higher the price. Don't be surprised to see the price tag on your newest G.I. frame to run in the $240-$250 range!
#4-For most people who take equipment seriously and do their research this will come as a thank you Capt. Obvious moment but it needs to be said anyways. When purchasing a racquet NEVER use the fact that your favorite player uses a particular racquet as a determinative factor. ALL pro tour players play with heavily customized frames that are specifically redesigned just for them by the world top racquet customizers. The racquet that Rafael Nadal uses is a similar to the Aero Drive at your local pro shop as a mountain lion is to your household cat. In order to find the racquet that will suit you best you must play test them, that's why we keep demo in the proshops and in our teaching bags, so you can try'em before you buy'em!
Although this article isn't about any particular piece of gear, hopefully it will help you make a more informed decision the next time you are considering making a racquet purchase.
Pursuant to and somewhat contradictory to my esteemed colleague Jeremy's article I feel compelled to let all our readers in on a few trade secrets. Some will be obvious, some not so much. At the end of this article you will be a more informed consumer.
#1-We are in the business of sales! Shocking I know! Ian, Jeremy, and I, as tennis professionals are in the business of selling ourselves (not that way) and our services! We are also in the business of selling equipment, particularly of the equipment of whichever racquet manufacturer happens to sponsor us.
#2-The racquet companies in order to remain profitable need you to buy equipment on a regular basis. The industry's preferred rate is a new racquet for every player every 1.5-2 years. You will also notice that the aforementioned time frame also coincides with the rate at which racquet technologies change and racquets are discontinued to make room for newer models. This planned obsolecence is a long standing industry practice that has been particularly perfected by Wilson and copied by everyone else. How do you explain discontinuing the best selling frame EVER!! (The Prostaff 6.1 Classic)
In most instances the changes that are made from one version of a racquet to the next are largely cosmetic. If one looks at the most popular frames that have stood the test of time the weight, balance, head size, swing weight, and playbility have remained the same despite multiple technology changes. Some great examples include: Volkl C-10 Pro & V1, Head Prestige & Radical, Wilson Hammer 6.2 & Pro Staff 6.0, and Babolat Pure Drive.
The reason that these racquet stay the same is that upper level players don't want their frames to change, they want them to play the same way they always have and not to posses the qualities that new technologies supposedly bring. New technologies always propose to make the racquets stiffer, lighter, more powerful, and easier on the arm. Upper level players prefer to have their racquets be heavy, flexible, control oriented, and have a significant level of feedback. In conclusion, just because the company who makes your racquet introduces and newer, prettier version of your stick there is no need to run out and buy it because if you are using a players frame the only change you'll notice is in the paint job!!
#3-If you like to sample new technologies and the benefits that they present then you need to step your game back. Class of racquets that receive the majority of the benefits of increasing technology is the Game Improvement sector. These racquet come and go and change far more than the Player's Frames every will. G.I. racquets and the testing ground for new technologies, it is where the new techs can provide the most benefits and provide the most measurable improvement in on court results. In the coming weeks I will be playtesting and reviewing a number of G.I. Racquets, among the comments that you are sure to hear are: "Racquet X is much stiffer and more powerful than its predecessor" or "Racquet X is much lighter and easier on the arm and more than previous versions." While I am 5.0 and play with one of the most bare bones frames that you'll find, I can certainly appreciate the benefits that can be derived from new technologies in the Game Improvement sector.
Despite the fact that Game Improvement frames benefit the most from new tech changes, there is a significant drawback! Like any other tech driven business i.e. cell phones, tv's, and cars, the more technology that is involved, the higher the price. Don't be surprised to see the price tag on your newest G.I. frame to run in the $240-$250 range!
#4-For most people who take equipment seriously and do their research this will come as a thank you Capt. Obvious moment but it needs to be said anyways. When purchasing a racquet NEVER use the fact that your favorite player uses a particular racquet as a determinative factor. ALL pro tour players play with heavily customized frames that are specifically redesigned just for them by the world top racquet customizers. The racquet that Rafael Nadal uses is a similar to the Aero Drive at your local pro shop as a mountain lion is to your household cat. In order to find the racquet that will suit you best you must play test them, that's why we keep demo in the proshops and in our teaching bags, so you can try'em before you buy'em!
Although this article isn't about any particular piece of gear, hopefully it will help you make a more informed decision the next time you are considering making a racquet purchase.
Jay Wiseman is a certified Master Racquet Technician (MRT) by the United States Racquet Stringers Association (USRSA), a certification that is bestowed upon only the elite racquet and equipment service professionals. Additionally Jay is a certified P-1 Professional by the USPTA and has served as the Head Professional and Pro Shop manager at multiple clubs on the East Coast and Midwest. Jay has previously spent 3 years coaching Division I collegiate women's tennis and currently serves as a teaching professional at the largest tennis club in Toledo, Oh and is the Head Boy's & Girl's Tennis Coach at Sylvania Southview High School.
Monday, June 8, 2009
New Sticks for Top Players
The last couple of months have been very exciting if you follow the equipment of the top pros! Since the Aussie Open we have seen the number 3 player in the world switch racquets, the top American player get an updated frame, and in a couple of weeks we'll see the great British hope get a new technology.
Let's start with Novak Djokovic's all new Head YOUTEK Speed Pro. This is an all new frame for Head, and features YOUTEK technology powered by d30. Essentially what the YOUTEK and d30 technology does is change its stiffness for fast or slow swings, making your power shots more powerful, and your touch shots more uh... touchier?Anyway, the Speed Pro is a 12 ounce, 98 square inch beast, but it feels less cumbersome than other similar weighted frames. In my opinion it is a well rounded frame. When you want to hit through the ball the frame follows along eagerly, and you can also downshift to a drop shot with nice feel and touch. A lot of people have compared this frame to the classic Head Tour 280, but I don't think that is has nearly as much flex as the old blue monster. Either way I think that this frame is worth a demo for 4.0 all court players and above.
Somewhat lost in the shadow of the Speed introduction is Andy Murray's new stick the YOUTEK
Radical. Sharing the same technology as the Speed frame, the newest generation of Head's best selling Radical line will be premiering during the grass court season. I have had very little court time with this frame, but my thoughts are that it is a new Radical, with a new technology, anbd if you are a Radical user you should like it. It seems like the bechmark for new Radicals in terms of playability is the Ti.Radical, and in my opinion this one falls short of that, but it might be the best Radical in a long time.As always the YOUTEK Radical will come in three variations, Mid Plus, Oversize, and Tour version which Andy Murray will be playing with. The Tour version will be the heviest of the three, have a more open string pattern, and will come with a leather grip.
The final new frame we will talk about is the new updated Babolat Pure Drive GT. GT stands for Graphite and Tungsten, and that is the big change for the new series. Essentially this is a stability technology, not a huge change from the Pure Drive w/ Cortex, but in my opinion, a welcome one. The new Pure Drive has a much more solid feel to it, is a lot less "pingy", and does not feel as hollow as it's predecessor. I have really enjoyed the new update. The paint job is a lot less busy, and while the Cortex system is still present, it doesn't look as glued on as the old model. Pure Drive fans should really like this update because it reminds me of the original Pure Drive. In fact I think I will be switching to this frame in the very near future.Of course there is a new GT version of the Pure DRive Roddick as well. I will stick with the above review... Just add abount an ounce of extra weight. Both the standard and Roddick models also come in extended plus versions.
So if you are a 4.0 and up player, and looking for a new frame, you should give these frames a demo. If you don't quite reach that 4.0 level though, rest easy... The new Head Speed racquets come in a Lite version, and in my opinion the star of the series the Speed Mid Plus. But we'll save that for another day!
Jeremy Plumley is a certified Master Racquet Technician (MRT) by the United States Racquet Stringers Association, a designation that is only given to service professionals who demonstrate superior technical competence and product knowledge in racquet sports. In addition he is also a certified teaching professional at one of the most prestigious country clubs in the United States, where he also is the pro shop manager for racquets, shoes and accessories. His knowledge of tennis equipment and teaching background give him the ability to recommend the proper equipment for the type of player he is working with.
