You're a genius man. I used to use a 320 swingweight and after watching all of your videos, I bought myself a lead tape reel and started to add weight, 1 or 2 grams at a time. I'm still in that process but I'm currently using a 345g Head Prestige Pro 2019. 6g of lead at 12 o'clock (2 x 8 inches strips + 2 x 4 inches on top) and 4,75g (6 x 2 inches strips + 4 x 1,75 inches strips) on the pallets of the handle close to the buttcap. Swingweight might be around 345 now and it is such an advantage against players hitting a 320 SW racquet. If I hadn't watched your videos, I would still be around looking for the "perfect racquet" I now know that I can almost make any racquet suitable for me. I hope everything is going well for you, I know you dealt with some health issues in the past so be well man and thank you again!
dude keep these videos coming, uve presented the community with such useful information thats almost always overlooked. racket tuning is extremely important and you prove it
So funnily enough the retail RF Autograph is actually better for flatter hitters in the vein of Djokovic or Berdych! Excellent videos by the way. I now have a much better understanding of why a certain type of racket feels better for me and what to do to get a different racket to play better for me. Cheers.
Yeah weird right? Twist weight has some funny effects that I'll go in to later. Hopefully it doesn't seem too conflicting with this stuff. I'm glad it helped shed some light. Honestly working as a customer service rep, and trying to find a racquet for myself, I felt completely lost when I went by what I was trained to say. I just couldn't tell what worked right. Adjectives and colorful words make everything sound good. But on court, half the time it was just junk. I hope my experiences can help others too especially people trying to improve their game or return after injury without sacrificing performance
So if adding led to 3 and 9 will increase the TW the most, if you throw on a leather grip and over grip does that lower the SW? What’s the best way to test swing weight at home? My assumption was adding weight to the handle wouldn’t effect the SW as much as it would adding weight to the head, is that correct?
LOL! This is very true! My old coach got a hold of gulbis's pt57a, still managed to get a good swingweight reading out of it even though it was cracked. Had boat loads of lead on it. 360sw
DK Ang Haha he's trying to fix it. I think his forehand had some draw backs. He had a take back with his hand up behind his head, and it was really bizarre. Just not too consistent. A new video came out of him hitting the new forehand. Still looks a bit odd, but definitely an improvement.
Love the video, other than the older head models like the microgel and ig speed do you know of any other newer racquets that would be very suitable to modify?
Hey I love your videos man! The way you break down the physics in simple English is awesome. Your like the Neil degrasse Tyson of tennis! Anyway you mentioned that the rf97 is scary because it has a 14~ twist weight, with a high static weight. Would this mean that it is similar to a Novak setup? I wasn't exactly sure on what you meant? Why is it "scary" is that good or a bad thing? Also to get to a setup similar to federers, one would go for a racquet that is around 12~ twist weight, high 350's swing weight and roughly high static weight (12-12.7oz)? With a smaller pulley grip?
Hi Racquet Talk, thanks for the awesome videos. I know you mention the TW of Pure Aero Tour in the video, but by any chance would you know the TW of Pure Aero (non-Tour version) Thanks in advance
+Anton Frank Yeah not a problem. Here are all the tw for all the pure aero's Hope this helps! Babolat Pure Aero 14.98 Babolat Pure Aero Lite 14.35 Babolat Pure Aero Plus 14.43 Babolat Pure Aero Team 14.59 Babolat Pure Aero Tour 15.58
Right now, bang for buck included, probably the microgel radical MP. If you can find one, they're really great for a bigger open string pattern, the ig speed 300 I believe. I liked that one and had one for a while. Fairly flexible, really open pattern, like an APD but not as unpredictable. Those two both have great low specs so you can have a very wide range in end setups.
I heard that Nadal's grip is 4-1/8 and Fed's is 4-1/4. I to know the truth, just to satisfy my curiosity. What scale are you using to measure the weight of the racket?
Really good series of videos. Would love to see more stats of the common racquets. Any chance you could start a spreadsheet on a website or something that people could submit data?
+Gavin S At this time I don't have any data compiled. And I don't have a website. Maybe in the future though!? As for that data, it's not worth doing in a mass pile at the moment. As racquets get changed so quickly, and there are already so many that you can't even buy anymore. Since the video has been posted, for some manufacturers, the transition is already onto the next generation.
Racquet Talk I'd say that as many people, if not more, buy used racquets. Just because a racquet isn't in the current range doesn't mean people won't hunt it out if has good specs and plays well.
Gavin S I definitely can't say you're wrong, but in my experience working for a retailer, there are plenty of people who unfortunately won't buy used. And the one problem with the used market is it's more inconsistent. Like I said though, you totally have a point and I understand where you're coming from.
gumbo Maybe in the future! That's a great idea! Firs though, I need to sort out my editing software issues, and get more videos that have been sitting on my hard drive up for you guys.
thanks for the video man! learned a lot. can you tell me the average twist weight and swing weight? my racquet has swing weight of 308 and a twist weight of 14.07.
+Huy Lam Sorry I didn't see any comments! The average twist weight for a mid plus "tweener" racquet is usually between 14-14.5, although I would say that is fairly high. Average swing weight for most Mid Plus "tweener" frames is usually between 310-325. I couldn't give you an exact number as there are so many frames out there, and new ones come out so frequently. 308 however is a very low swing weight. Which although makes the racquet very easy to accelerate, will give you very little power, plow through, and consequently will be a lot harder on the arm and give you less spin/power. Again, there is no "Ideal" number. For some people a low swing weight is all their stroke mechanics can handle. In those cases it's probably best to work on form/technique, either before, or as you increase swing weight.
Thanks for this! It gives me much better understanding of the racquets and tennis in general and takes out and eliminates some of the myths and crap out there. Btw- what camera and mic do you use to take this video?
I just use my phone (s6 normal) and a lavalier mic. This one was done on movie maker, so the video got cropped down in size. I call it my camera but it's nothing fancy. Pretty good for a phone imho!
Hey @racquettech. You're a boss, love the content. Question. My stick has a 300 SW. If I add 2 grams at 3, 9, and 12 for total of 6 grams. What will be my new SW roughly?
loop nailed it, that's the best way to learn stuff. The cool thing about working with grams though is that when you add at 12 (27" mark roughly) every 3 grams adds 10 swing weight points. So each gram is 3.33 sw. And raises balance by .1cm. Every gram at the trap door lowers balance by .1cm. So you can end up doing a lot of it in your head with no extra help.
That would be a strung spec. All of the TW specs are strung. However, I never found out what string they use so, it's hard to tell. They do have a data plot of all the additional weight added for different patterns+head sizes of different strings, they just don't hand out that information, and it stays with their top technician.
Racquet Tech Thanks! I got confused all the time. I'm 26 and 5'6 with an average shape. Do you think that swing weight(320) is too heavy for me? I use to use a pure drive team with added weight at the buttcap, so I think the static weight is around 11.3. Pro Staff 97 has a static weight around 11.78 considering the overgrip and dampener. I just bought it and played it like twice. My shoulder felt sore afterwards. I talked to a stringer and someone else also came in....they(both more than 45 years old i think) use racquets less than 11....i was like...wait did i make the wrong choice to buy pro staff 97...it feels really good though, i could actually feel my swing. Will be glad to hear your advice and I do understand this question might be hard to answer since they say every person is different. But I hope you can do your best. Thanks in advance!
I don't think 320 is too much. And I don't think your static weight is too high. I'm a scrawny 5'11" (somewhere north of 5'10", pretty close to the 11 so I round up), and my racquet weight is 13.4 oz. I hit some of my best shots with that wooden dunlop which has a 380+ swing weight and weighs even more. That thing after a few hours of heavy hitting will give me some shoulder soreness, though I have quite a bit of labral damage in my shoulder so the shoulder can get imbalanced. Shoulder soreness probably isn't helped by increased weight, but it is probabl due to rotator cuff problems. Impinging motions as a result of different stroke technique can wreck your shoulder over time (happened to me). I would recommend checking out some rotator cuff exercises. That being said, it can also happen when your racquet speed is really high (weight makes a small impact here, this kind of injury can happen with 350sw or 320sw, as I had a 320 and it would make my shoulder hurt just as much). Your shoulder is what slows your arm down most, so making sure you have as long of a follow through as possible will give your arm more room to slow down, so there is less strain on the shoulder. Either way you likely will want to look into rotator cuff exercises. My physical therapist called it "toyota shoulder" where you have "all gas, no brakes." Apparently this kind of injury is happening more often, as people have tons of muscle to speed up the racquet, but not enough in the shoulder to slow the racquet down. I'm obviously not a doctor, but in my experience if you have nagging pain in your shoulder the same day or next couple days after hitting, it's usually rotator cuff issues. Recoil weight can sometimes help, but in most cases it's the racquet head speed. A few people will argue that a high swing weight will cause this to be worse, and while it may cause the onset of such a problem to happen sooner (45 minutes rather than an hour, hour and a half for example), it will happen with both a lower (320) or a higher (340+). The difference between a 320 and 340 is less than 6%. I personally had the same shoulder pain when I played with a sub 330 as when I started with the 340's. The thing that finally fixed it was taking a LONG break. As in months of no playing. If you're having consistent shoulder pain, it would absolutely be worth it to try and get medical care if you can. Physical therapy can fix this if you give your body time to heal. You likely have some kind of tendinitis in your shoulder. Don't try to push through joint pain of any kind. Take it seriously, and talk to a doctor. If moving up 10 swing weight points causes you to have pain, there's a problem in your shoulder or whatever it is, not the racquet. Whether it's partially from arming the ball too much, or swinging with an impinging motion, or a rotator cuff instability. Just to say again, I'm not a doctor, and I obviously can't take any kind of responsibility if you follow my advice or not. But, these are the things I wish I understood when I first started developing arm problems.
Thanks for your efforts. It's very helpful. What are impinging motions ? Is rotater cuff problem caused by impinging motions? I think you are right about the SW. My PureDrive Team has a 312 SW according to TW. With added weight at the buttcap, it has to be more than 312, so the SW variance should be less than 8 (320-312) points, which I don't think is significant enough to cause the pain. I might misinterpret my body when I swing. I think it feels "heavier" but now I don't think it's caused by the swing weight. Somehow my Pro Staff is a lot more stiffer or solid during my swing comparing to Pure Drive Team even though the Pro Staff has a slightly lower stiffness according to TW. My Babolat is very soft and comfortable. A side question: How is Yonex racquet? Soft like Babolat ? Or stiff like my Wilson Pro Staff?
thewindrises Flex has very little to do with comfort unlike what manufacturers have been telling people for years. If you added weight to the buttcap of the babolat, chances are the recoil weight is just higher on your babolat than the pro staff, thus feeling more comfortable. It also could be that the bigger, more open string pattern along side the woofer grommets is more plush and you're feeling that more than anything. Have you seen my video on recoil weight?
Excellent video. Good information. I must say though from working in a retail store is that you have to consider the average customer that walks in and buys tennis racket. Things like twist weight and trying to explain every angle of everything can overwhelm the consumer. I am a believer that this knowledge is available to everyone if they want it and are passionate about the sport, but to adapt it into a retail setting would really be unfitting. As well as the fact I dont need a bunch of grandmas and 40 year old rec adults blaming there last poor hit on the twist weight on the frame haha. But all in all great video really value your insight. Thanks!
Yeah I can understand your sentiment, I used to work for a very big retailer myself. I think my problem is more with the review videos, where they talk about all the other stats of the racquets, and simply exclude twist weight, and recoil weight. They basically very directly dance around the term twist weight, even though the info is public and on TW's website. As for recoil weight, it's just a pretty straight forward expression of stability. In a retail store I can see what you mean. But if you're doing a review video and you're going to talk about how the racquet plays, and many many times talk about the specs of the racquet, it's not a hard jump to make when the person who measures the twist weights, works about 40 feet away from your play tester's desk! I mean, in some reviews they claim the neck stiffness adds torsional stability, even though that isn't even possible, and the real stat that changed was the increase in twist weight. I personally think it's one thing to keep it simple and approachable, but it's another to knowingly mislead people
tajsaleem I have a very modified nissan. I'm working on finishing the project up soon, so I'll definitely link you to the future video. Un-till then, I'll let the suspense build hahahaha
+Racquet Talk I had a Porsche 993 (last year of air cool engine) for 10 years, price went up on those cars like crazy for last year or so and I decided to sell mine and always wanted a twin turbo, came across this one which is Turbo S with 50 more HP than twin turbo, along with PCCB brakes, could not be more happier.
tajsaleem You sold your 993? Sad day! At least you went with something way faster hahahaha. Was the 993 reliable? I've heard mixed things from a local engine builder about the air-cooled motors.
Hard to know what roger's doing exactly these days, but yes in the past that was the case. I did get some recent info on his rf97a and he reduced his static weight a bit. The thing about twist weight is it makes adjusting the racquet face angle a bit harder, making it slower/require more force to change. So that can make the racquet less maneuverable, especially at net. However, this can come down to player preference. Sampras had a lot of weight at 3/9 and he made it work. However, he was facing different shots all together. Less spin, and his opponents had a lot less time when he S&V'd. Combined it's a bit different of a scenario to that of what fed might see when he hits an approach and comes in.
This is a really tough question that I'm battling with at the moment myself. More maneuverable with lower TW so more confidence coming to net, but at the same time, it's less forgiving, so you'd better return those volleys right in the middle of the string bed. With another one of my rackets I've got a high TW, very low confidence coming to net because it just feels like a brick in your hand, so I think there's really no two ways about it, if you want to volley, you better learn to play with a less forgiving racket i.e. low TW.
Atomic_Sheep Totally valid point! And that's how I feel roughly about it with my own game, as well as on the forehand. I love a high twist weight on my backhand, but on the forehand I can feel handcuffed. But then again, sampras had a boat load at 3/9, and he'd surely kick my ass all around, especially at net. Albeit on a mid so the twist weight increase won't be AS dramatic, but still. It's a tricky one no doubt!
Atomic_Sheep Exactly. To me it's not a coincidence someone with a relationally low twist weight like nadal, or fed had a "bad" backhand, and heavily favored their forehand. Then wawrinka and djokovic come along with higher twist weights, and more lethal backhands, albiet not as devastating of forehands. There's definitely some technique differences there (both novak and stan have more hip drive than their backhand counter parts in rafa/roger) but it's still interesting to note
Hello. Your video was very helpful. Would you happen to have or get the specifications for the Dunlop Maxply McEneroe from the early 2000s? 27in frame with a 68RDC and 98in square midsize head. It’s empty weight was 306g and 320g strung. 21mm beam and 3pts HL at 13.39. I would like to increase the stability of the frame by adding weight to the 3 and the 9 and handle not to exceed a total weight empty 354g / strung approximately 372g while keeping the swing weight at about 325-327 and staying close to the the stock 3pts HL. Can you help me? Thank you sincerely Darin
dude...your videos are awsome man!!!! how would you say weight at 2 and 10 affects sw and tw...would you say that in iqual percentage? I almost threw a racquet to garbage (youtek speed mp, 312 sw, 12 tw, 315 static weight), that racquet was dead man...after trying lead al 3 and 9 and then at 12, found that 2gr at 2 and 10, plus 1 gr at 3 and 9, turned the racquet into a rocket!!! thanks for sharing all this information!!!!
Dude, your video is really awesome! This gave me new ideas for tweaking my racquet a bit more. As for myself, i really like the high TW rax, as it really works with my 1HBH. Can you confirm if high TW really connected to a good 1HBH ? I've tried to get more SW by adding lead on 12 o clock, but it seems to be bad on my 1HBH. I'm using babolat APD 2013 from: 320gr, 316SW, 14TW, -4balance; and now set it up: 328gr, 325SW, 14.6TW, -5balance
The 1HBH can be a tricky thing. I think that a high twist weight can work very well on both the 1hbh and 2hbh. Stan has a higher twist weight than Fed, and I think he has one of the best of all time. I think the issue is that with higher swing weights, you need to make sure you're using your body to accelerate the racquet and not the arm. Here's a video with great insight to how stan achieves this, better than fed or anyone else. Most players (especially rec) arm the ball on the 1hbh. So it's good info to look at. Sorry it took me so long to see your comment th-cam.com/video/mxgE-n9G7XU/w-d-xo.html
What is Stan racquet spec? Ah, if it's about technique, i'm quite confident that i have it right, the thing still bugging me is that i really can't hit 1HBH without high TW racquet....
Alfando Savant Well then in that case go for it. Stan is using a vcore 95d, approx 360 swing weight, 31.2 ish cm balance, 370+ grams static, and twist weight over 15 (bare minimum, he's likely closer to 17 or maybe 16.5). So he's got a twist weight close to most oversize frames.
+obsidian chimp Hey! Sorry I didn't see there were any comments! Unfortuneately there is no "official" way to reduce twist weight. I have experimented however with prestige racquets, by removing a large portion of the "Cap" from the cap grommet. This reduces weight along the sides, but also dramatically reduces the swing weight. Theoretically removing any weight that's not directly down the center of the racquet can reduce twist weight... So, technically speaking, you could reduce it some by switching to a lighter stringbed (going to a much smaller string gauge). However, it's really the weight at the edges of the frame that has the biggest impact. So, this would be minuscule, if not un-noticeable
You mean to make it thicker? I've just used like medical tape that I've had lieing around. Seems to work pretty well. It does initially squish a bit, but seems to stay about the same. Seems pretty firm too. I can't recall where I got it from, but should be whatever you can get at the local CVS/Rite Aid etc. Nothing fancy. Hope that helps
This might be the stupidest question, but I feel like I've been misguided by different people talking about twistweight (or just my own tennis ball sized brain), but when you add twistweight (tw up): Less twist on off center shots (this is what I know for sure). But if you add weight on 3 and 9, I think someone said this makes the racket twist more on off center shots. I feel like if there is the same amount of lead on 3 and 9 it would twist less. Which one is it?
Nadal's swingweight is more than average, around 360. Novak was at 370 at his peak (2015-16). Did you mean Nadal had a lower one before 2012? Because I remember him adding tape in 2012.
Hey...does it make sense to buy a lighter version of a racket in order to have a low twist weight and increase the static and swingweight by adding leadtape? Or do the light rackets also have hight TW?
Just a question about a thing I can't totally wrap my head around; If racket A had 330 swingweight with a 12 Twistweight, and racket B had 330 swingweight with a 16 Twistweight, would there be any difference in maneuverability (all other specs even)?
+FMNanobeats Yes! The 16 twistweight racquet will have more weight along the width of the frame, which naturally moves more weight down towards the bottom of the hoop. That naturally decreases the "maneuverability" However, depending on your stroke mechanics and your grip, this specific can be either hugely noticeable or hardly noticeable. Each player is different in this regard, however I've found a majority of players will notice the difference in maneuverability. The best way to describe this is the racquet feels a bit more sluggish in various parts of the stroke. And when you think about it, it makes sense. Greater twistweight req,uires more force input to adjust racquet face angle, and greater twistweight means more weight lower in the hoop (along the sides, think 3/9 or 10/2). Given that these two frames have the same SW, the higher twist weight frame should weigh more in the hoop (assuming both racquets are identical/have the same starting spec). More weight typically means less manuverability in one way or another.
+Racquet Talk Thanks for the response! A day after my question I played with someones Graphene XT Prestige MP instead of my own Pro Staff 97. I found that it was much easier for me to generate spin because I could control my swing much better. It seemed as well that I could use more power because I could nuance my swing better. After I played with it I looked the Twist weight up on TWU since the Swing weight should be almost the same. The Prestige MP has a TW of 13.46 and the Pro Staff which is 1 sq inch smaller has a TW of 14.52, I am convinced that explains the difference I felt. Does this seem plausible? Thanks again, this channel is way underrated!
Yes absolutely. A 14.5 vs 13.46 is a very noticeable difference of almost 8%! It absolutely may very well be the difference you felt, along side MGR/I (I have another video about this on this channel), or indirectly swingweight. Thanks for the kind words! I promise I have some exciting stuff planned, and a lot more content coming this summer! The more these videos get liked, shared, and this channel gets subscribed, the more power we as consumers receive. I'm trying to take on the whole industry here and turn it on its head, so every single person counts! Thanks for watching!
High 350's, now these days low 360's. I would guess around 362 363 swing weight, based off what moya, babolat, etc have said (+2g at the tip keeps coming up, so 357+2g would get him 363, maybe even 364 depending on how close to the tip it is placed, how the machine is calibrated etc etc etc).
I was wondering how much twist weight 1g of lead at 3/9 would increase it by. For example I was planning on customizing a wilson blade 98 (18x20) countervail which as a twist weight of 14.27 on tennis warehouse website. so if i were to add half a gram on each side how much would twist weight increase by, or 1g on each side etc. Thanks!
It really depends on the width of the frame it's self. I could throw some estimates at you, but the far more accurate way would be take a ruler to the middle of the frame, measure the width, put that in the width part of the TWU calculator (twu.tennis-warehouse.com/learning_center/customizationReverse.php). You should be looking at a .6 increase. You can feel that slightly. You'll also boost the power in that area, next video will explain that better
So I tried to estimate the twistweight range of some players based on a couple of things like their playstyle, racket history, and known lead placement and I came up with some estimations which I hope you can share your thoughts on whether you think i'm close on my estimations or not. I came up with the following categories: Low: 15.5/16 Wawrinka: Med/High Nishikori: Medium Thiem: Med/High Tsonga: Medium Goffin: Medium Cilic: High Ferrer: Medium Monfils: Medium Kyrgios: Low or Medium Jack Sock: Low Simon: Medium Coric: Med/High I'm curious what you think, please let me know if you can be arsed!
Yeah I'd agree with that list. If any of them start "low" they'll likely end up medium. Maybe I would move medium to like 14+/- .5 so 13.5-14.5. They key is that we recognize as we add weight to the tip, the twist weight does come up. So if you start in medium/high, you can end up in the "high range" very quickly/easily. And again to some players that's a non issue, especially with more direct on strokes (flatter paths so to speak), but with whippier strokes it seems players prefer lower twist weights. I think my next swing weight video will explain this a bit better, but it's a phenomenon I've felt personally, and seen stay consistant with fed/nadal. I think the big reason why people struggle with the rf97a for example is quite a few come from other sticks with lower twist weights (because they suit their mechanics better), and switch to a high one. Especially if someone was using a 90" before that which has very low twist weight. While other sticks out there don't have that low maneuverability stigma, because they don't attract players with the same mechanics. The one thing i want to just clarify, is that if you have a lets say 13 twist weight. That 13 twist weight is totally different with a fully modded 359 swing weight, compared to a stock 320 swing weight frame. And that's probably the biggest thing I didn't properly emphasize. Because the stock frame for a modded 350+ has to be very low. So hopefully that makes some sense. I wish we had data on that, but there are people in the industry who can't even explain twist weight.
Thanks for the reply! When you say; "The TW will go up when you add SW". Do you then mean that when you for example add 30 SW on a 13 TW racket, the impact power will go up and the 13 TW will become relatively less stable so you want to add TW to get a racket which has the same stability or in other words; the same ratio between TW and SW? So for example in practice this would/could mean that when Jack Sock played in his youth with a Aero Storm GT (12.35 TW) and a 334 SW which has helped him to base his game on heavy spin, he could possibly up his TW to for example 13 if he would up his SW to for example 350 to relatively get the same stability? Sorry for the messy sentences:p
No, in my "how to mod your frames like the pro's" videos I go over it. As you add weight at the tip, you start to have to use wider and wider strips of tape. When the tape gets wider, it increases twist weight, because not all the mass is perfectly at the center axis. It's just a by product of adding a lot of mass to the tip. Depending on how you add the mass to the tip you can minimize twist weight added. So if you were to use tungsten tape, and then layer that tungsten tape so the strips are narrower then you will add a very small amount of twist weight.
Hello! I think FMNanobeats has a point about SW/TW ratio :) I've put a lot of weight on my frame already, and after gaining SW only (mass very close to the middle) I felt much more trouble with off-center hits than before. It makes sense, because of different force distribution after impact. Sorry for my English if I missed some terms :)
What is the formula for twist weight? I have about 344 SW and 12.4 ounces and 32.3 balance point. You don't have to do it lol, i just want the formula. Thanks!
There is like a rough formula for it, but it isn't very good in my experience. Like it won't always be right. The best way is to measure it, but if you scroll down you'll find it in this article: www.tennisindustrymag.com/articles/2005/02/a_new_twist_on_the_twistweight.html
So I have checked the twistweight of the Pro Staff 97 i just bought and it's 14.52 Considering it's not a low twistweight and i was willing to modify my raquet...am i f***ed? I mean if i start with a allready high TW and i could want to try a lower one just like the pros you mention, do i just have to buy again two other racquets with a lower TW ? Or is 14.52 allright?
14.5 isn't bad. It may or may not be good either. It totally depends on the player. Since you already bought it, I would just mod it up. If anything the ps97 is the one to get over the rf97. Give it a shot and see how it goes. If I could get my hands on one, I might be able to find a way to reduce the twist weight, but I'd need one that's broken as I'd just cut it up anyway. I imagine that wilson is just adding foam to the hoop like they did on the older pro staffs, so if that's the case I may be able to figure out a way to remove some foam in less desirable areas.
Thanks for awnsering so quickly! I'll mod them both and maximise the SW. By the way, what frame would you recommend if i want to mod it and find the perfect specs?
Inr Flw Well the very first thing to consider is what pattern you like. That being said, the older ATP 315 Tfights are great for modding. Another is the old IG Speed 300 (if you like open patterns). Pretty much any frame that is very light will be good to consider. MG Rad MP is one too for 18x20
Sz Ki We can only guesstimate fed's specs on the 97 as 355~ sw, 32.2-5 cm balance, but known as 359g (at least for one iteration, he's talked about changing stats). The ps 90 you can find on the forums but that was 355, 364g and 32.1-32.4cm balance
Just saw this. Well there's nothing I know about fed's current setup, but for his 90 he's definitely below 13.5. Nadal is likely well below 13. Thiem would probably be higher, but due to to his new whatever it's called one7 babolat, no idea what he's at (no idea what the base twist weight is). From what I was told by someone who tested nadal's actual match stick, the thing was crazy unforgiving and made it "hard to use". Everyone reacts to twist weight differences, differently though so yeah.
hey hey what grip size do u recommend? I have a 4 5/8 size and using this yonex tour 97 310g currently too. i shrink it down to 4 1/4 by spreading my hand upwards. i added 3g to the tip, a 4g dampener at the usual zone, took off the original replacement grip and put 2 overgrip to get a nice whippy feel. i have a mild sweaty palm and i feel that i rely on grips alot to get to have the stable feel on impact. i hear abt twist weight but dun quite get it 😅😅 i tried putting lead at 3 and 9 oclock before around 4 g per side but i realise it dun suits my style. need some advice on customising
The grip size may feel smaller by spreading your fingers (you're supposed to do this), but the grip stays the same regardless. As for what grip size, it's entirely dependent on your hand and what feels comfortable to you. So there's no right or wrong answer. You can try a smaller one, to get hopefully a bit more top spin, or a bigger one to make the racquet easier to maneuver. But there is no wrong or right answer.
I don't understand why Rafa's racquet would have the lowest recoilweight because of a low static weight. To my knowledge, RW = SW - (Balance - 10cm)^2 * staticWeight[kg]. Thus, a high SW, low static weight and low balance point contribute to a high RW.
1 you're not considering how much balance point or the mass distribution actually matters. I really wish I hadn't deleted my Recoil Weight video, as it was the first time anyone talked about it, now everyone is going in circles with some weird ass logic.
Generally I would reccomend that for swingweight. As increasing static weight doesn't really give you the same types of benefits when going to your "max." Just keep in mind that as you move up in swing weight, your game will adjust, so what might be your max SW at one point, could be easy or below max later. For me at first 345 was about as high as I could go, but I made more and more adjustments, now it feels a bit light. Not in the sense that I can't use it, just that I could be getting more on my shots without sacrificing very much, using a higher swing weight. It's about finding that sweet spot between the racquet's higher swing weight giving you more power/spin, and it not requiring too much more effort. An interesting way to look at it, is that a 350sw is only about 6% more inertia than a 330sw racquet. But in my experience, I get a lot more out of the 350sw. As in, the 350sw is only marginally more difficult to accelerate, yet gives me a big boost in plow through/spin production.
Sorry, but I disagree with you in that Novak's game is not based on spin and that he uses the least spin out of the 3 of them. For example, how is it that Novak can hit the ball so big and still have the ball stay in. He has to be using spin... Also, of the 3 players, I believe Novak and Federer play the most similar because they are both all-court players. That is why early on in their match-ups, Novak could not compete against Federer - because they played similar styles, but Federer just did everything a little bit better than Djokovic, which is why early on their head-2-head was not even close. However, as Federer got older, Novak started coming into his own starting in 2011 and because they played each other a lot since then, when Novak was in his prime and Federer past it, was the only reason why Novak was able to reverse their head-2-head record (similar concept to how Novak was able to reverse the head-2-head vs. Nadal, but Nadal is younger and their head-2-head has gone through a lot of ebbs and flows). Anyway, if anything, the odd man out when talking about styles of play is Rafa, because he stays on the baseline (more defensively: defense into offense) and spins the heck out of the ball. Both Federer and Djokovic play more like each other with their all-court games than when compared to Rafa.
Maybe it wasn't worded clearly. But novak does use the least amount of spin out of the three. Both his average spin and peak spin on many tournaments has been lower for many years, while averaging not only a higher ground stroke speed, but also a lower net clearance (consequently lower ball height post bounce). So I think we're actually in more agreement than you think. It's certainly not the case that he doesn't use lots of topspin, but the spider graph comparative to nadal and fed is tilted more towards court penetration, and that is directly linked to how his racquet is weighted. However he hits more than double the average spin of someone like berdych (I think I've seen berdych hitting in the 1k range of spin where as novak was 2.5k-2.7k, there was a period pre 2k10 that novak was averaging near the same spin as fed though, averages however are a screwy stat as fed can average a 2.5k but be hitting really flat shots after topspin shots with over 3k... I wish I had access to the IBM cloud!) I personally feel novak and fed have more similar games because they look to dictate through the middle of the court and look to play inside the baseline as much as possible when they're playing well. Where as nadal is more content opening up court angles from the back of the court, and then stepping in to take the ball earlier.
Thanks for checking out the video. This was one of my first ones so really not so great, and I appreciate your comment. What are your thoughts going into wimby 2k18? How do the guys look? Any under dogs?
Did you see that Wawrinka result!? Hopefully I'm not spoiling that for you, but what a match! I'm un easy about fed, as you said he had a lot of tight sets. And Coric really just manned up on him... He can definitely turn it around though. I though playing 2 tournaments ahead of Wimby was a bit of a mistake. Would love to see him play novak again. I'm hoping for Novak. I think his backhand is changing direction very cleanly now and that's a huge part of his game, he's more aggressive again with his court positioning. I think he just sort of pulled the plug mentally against cilic after he didn't convert his match point. His first serve was much more consistent too. I think he's got a really good shot at going deep if he continues to keep his first serve percent high and can change direction on that backhand wing. Cilic has been on fire... Nadal I'm hesitant about... Thiem I think will get to quarters or so... He just struggles to get the time he needs for those super long strokes. Just takes a high quality player who can really take the ball early to punish that. That's what I love about Grass. It's fast, so good ball striking gets rewarded, and aggressive tennis. I'm not a huge tall guy big serve fan, but I'm looking forward to wimby this year. So many players have a legit shot at taking it.
Thanks I try. I'll be getting more content and a lot more in depth soon. I'm going to be starting some new medication soon (hopefully it will work) and then I can get back the energy I need to get a lot more done. But I've been doing plenty of research in the mean time
@@devinotero1798 added lead tape that changes every fundamental performance aspect of the racquet. Considering a standard distribution model of racquet swingweights centered about 335 (x=335 according to TW data), that means more than 50% of racquets sold aren't even ball park the same swing weight. But you also forget that roger has a custom pallet. And in the retail pallet there are additional weights. Which p1 compensates for. This ultimately results in a racquet that performs very very differently. But that's not what matters right? That's your point? That it doesn't matter how the racquet actually plays. It matters that the stiffness and paintjob are the same. Oh and string pattern! Right. Right. That's definitely what matters buddy
Huy Lam, I can't reply to your comment directly, but to answer your question the twistweight is fairly normal for most retail frames. It's closer to the higher side of twistweights, but is normal. As for your swingweight it is below average, and is quite low. Most retail frames are between 315 and 325 which although are higher than yours, are still quite low.
![Racquet Customization [3 Applications | Adding Weight to the Handle of a Racquet]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/vQMnzCHz294/mqdefault.jpg)
You're a genius man. I used to use a 320 swingweight and after watching all of your videos, I bought myself a lead tape reel and started to add weight, 1 or 2 grams at a time. I'm still in that process but I'm currently using a 345g Head Prestige Pro 2019. 6g of lead at 12 o'clock (2 x 8 inches strips + 2 x 4 inches on top) and 4,75g (6 x 2 inches strips + 4 x 1,75 inches strips) on the pallets of the handle close to the buttcap. Swingweight might be around 345 now and it is such an advantage against players hitting a 320 SW racquet. If I hadn't watched your videos, I would still be around looking for the "perfect racquet" I now know that I can almost make any racquet suitable for me.
I hope everything is going well for you, I know you dealt with some health issues in the past so be well man and thank you again!
This is the best racquet video ever.
Amazing work man! I'm more informed in picking racquets now thanks to your video! Keep em coming!
dude keep these videos coming, uve presented the community with such useful information thats almost always overlooked. racket tuning is extremely important and you prove it
u r somewhere in vicinity of a GURU- Remover of darkness!!! Bre!!!!! Hvala!!
Best racket explanation video! Thanks!
So funnily enough the retail RF Autograph is actually better for flatter hitters in the vein of Djokovic or Berdych!
Excellent videos by the way. I now have a much better understanding of why a certain type of racket feels better for me and what to do to get a different racket to play better for me. Cheers.
Yeah weird right? Twist weight has some funny effects that I'll go in to later. Hopefully it doesn't seem too conflicting with this stuff.
I'm glad it helped shed some light. Honestly working as a customer service rep, and trying to find a racquet for myself, I felt completely lost when I went by what I was trained to say. I just couldn't tell what worked right. Adjectives and colorful words make everything sound good. But on court, half the time it was just junk. I hope my experiences can help others too especially people trying to improve their game or return after injury without sacrificing performance
Very interesting. Does twistweight influence the comfort of the racket? Higher twistweight more comfort?
So if adding led to 3 and 9 will increase the TW the most, if you throw on a leather grip and over grip does that lower the SW? What’s the best way to test swing weight at home? My assumption was adding weight to the handle wouldn’t effect the SW as much as it would adding weight to the head, is that correct?
Didn't know the story about Twist-Weight, nor the relation between grip size and spin (revs). Interesting! Thank you
This gives me a whole new level of insight into pro players mangling their rackets beyond recognition after errant shots.
LOL! This is very true! My old coach got a hold of gulbis's pt57a, still managed to get a good swingweight reading out of it even though it was cracked. Had boat loads of lead on it. 360sw
I heard someone describe Gulbis' forehand as pterodactyl once. Maybe he needed the movement to get that thing moving!
DK Ang Haha he's trying to fix it. I think his forehand had some draw backs. He had a take back with his hand up behind his head, and it was really bizarre. Just not too consistent. A new video came out of him hitting the new forehand. Still looks a bit odd, but definitely an improvement.
Great Video! Super explained, Thank you!
Great job explaining the twist weight.
+tajsaleem Thanks! And nice 996 TT ;)
most informative tennis chanel. gonna have to pick up the book now
Love the video, other than the older head models like the microgel and ig speed do you know of any other newer racquets that would be very suitable to modify?
Hope u r well and want u back sensei!!
Hey I love your videos man! The way you break down the physics in simple English is awesome. Your like the Neil degrasse Tyson of tennis! Anyway you mentioned that the rf97 is scary because it has a 14~ twist weight, with a high static weight. Would this mean that it is similar to a Novak setup? I wasn't exactly sure on what you meant? Why is it "scary" is that good or a bad thing?
Also to get to a setup similar to federers, one would go for a racquet that is around 12~ twist weight, high 350's swing weight and roughly high static weight (12-12.7oz)? With a smaller pulley grip?
Hi Racquet Talk, thanks for the awesome videos. I know you mention the TW of Pure Aero Tour in the video, but by any chance would you know the TW of Pure Aero (non-Tour version)
Thanks in advance
+Anton Frank Yeah not a problem.
Here are all the tw for all the pure aero's Hope this helps!
Babolat Pure Aero 14.98
Babolat Pure Aero Lite 14.35
Babolat Pure Aero Plus 14.43
Babolat Pure Aero Team 14.59
Babolat Pure Aero Tour 15.58
+Racquet Talk thanks. Love your videos!
Anton Frank Thank you for taking time out of your day to watch!
What is the best raquet to start modifing from your perspective?
Right now, bang for buck included, probably the microgel radical MP. If you can find one, they're really great for a bigger open string pattern, the ig speed 300 I believe. I liked that one and had one for a while. Fairly flexible, really open pattern, like an APD but not as unpredictable. Those two both have great low specs so you can have a very wide range in end setups.
I heard that Nadal's grip is 4-1/8 and Fed's is 4-1/4. I to know the truth, just to satisfy my curiosity. What scale are you using to measure the weight of the racket?
Really good series of videos. Would love to see more stats of the common racquets. Any chance you could start a spreadsheet on a website or something that people could submit data?
+Gavin S At this time I don't have any data compiled. And I don't have a website. Maybe in the future though!?
As for that data, it's not worth doing in a mass pile at the moment. As racquets get changed so quickly, and there are already so many that you can't even buy anymore. Since the video has been posted, for some manufacturers, the transition is already onto the next generation.
+Racquet Talk You could build a quick and easy website and just provide a calculator on it for people to insert their own numbers.
Racquet Talk I'd say that as many people, if not more, buy used racquets. Just because a racquet isn't in the current range doesn't mean people won't hunt it out if has good specs and plays well.
Gavin S I definitely can't say you're wrong, but in my experience working for a retailer, there are plenty of people who unfortunately won't buy used. And the one problem with the used market is it's more inconsistent. Like I said though, you totally have a point and I understand where you're coming from.
gumbo Maybe in the future! That's a great idea!
Firs though, I need to sort out my editing software issues, and get more videos that have been sitting on my hard drive up for you guys.
Very helpful. Thanks
thanks for the video man! learned a lot.
can you tell me the average twist weight and swing weight?
my racquet has swing weight of 308 and a twist weight of 14.07.
+Huy Lam Sorry I didn't see any comments!
The average twist weight for a mid plus "tweener" racquet is usually between 14-14.5, although I would say that is fairly high.
Average swing weight for most Mid Plus "tweener" frames is usually between 310-325. I couldn't give you an exact number as there are so many frames out there, and new ones come out so frequently.
308 however is a very low swing weight. Which although makes the racquet very easy to accelerate, will give you very little power, plow through, and consequently will be a lot harder on the arm and give you less spin/power. Again, there is no "Ideal" number. For some people a low swing weight is all their stroke mechanics can handle. In those cases it's probably best to work on form/technique, either before, or as you increase swing weight.
Thanks for this! It gives me much better understanding of the racquets and tennis in general and takes out and eliminates some of the myths and crap out there. Btw- what camera and mic do you use to take this video?
I just use my phone (s6 normal) and a lavalier mic. This one was done on movie maker, so the video got cropped down in size. I call it my camera but it's nothing fancy. Pretty good for a phone imho!
I think this one I still had my regular mic, so thats why it's hard panned left, which sucks. Newer videos have mono which is the lavalier mic
Hi mate, how can i calculate the twist weight?
hey how do you find the tw of a racquet? can’t seem to find it on retail sites.
twu.tennis-warehouse.com/cgi-bin/twistweight.cgi
Hey @racquettech. You're a boss, love the content. Question. My stick has a 300 SW. If I add 2 grams at 3, 9, and 12 for total of 6 grams. What will be my new SW roughly?
@Loop Puvalayou're a genius
loop nailed it, that's the best way to learn stuff. The cool thing about working with grams though is that when you add at 12 (27" mark roughly) every 3 grams adds 10 swing weight points. So each gram is 3.33 sw. And raises balance by .1cm. Every gram at the trap door lowers balance by .1cm. So you can end up doing a lot of it in your head with no extra help.
Pro Staff 97 has a 320 SW according to Tennis Warehouse. Is it before strung or after? I don't get why videos never address this issue.
That would be a strung spec. All of the TW specs are strung. However, I never found out what string they use so, it's hard to tell. They do have a data plot of all the additional weight added for different patterns+head sizes of different strings, they just don't hand out that information, and it stays with their top technician.
Racquet Tech Thanks! I got confused all the time. I'm 26 and 5'6 with an average shape. Do you think that swing weight(320) is too heavy for me? I use to use a pure drive team with added weight at the buttcap, so I think the static weight is around 11.3. Pro Staff 97 has a static weight around 11.78 considering the overgrip and dampener. I just bought it and played it like twice. My shoulder felt sore afterwards. I talked to a stringer and someone else also came in....they(both more than 45 years old i think) use racquets less than 11....i was like...wait did i make the wrong choice to buy pro staff 97...it feels really good though, i could actually feel my swing. Will be glad to hear your advice and I do understand this question might be hard to answer since they say every person is different. But I hope you can do your best. Thanks in advance!
I don't think 320 is too much. And I don't think your static weight is too high. I'm a scrawny 5'11" (somewhere north of 5'10", pretty close to the 11 so I round up), and my racquet weight is 13.4 oz. I hit some of my best shots with that wooden dunlop which has a 380+ swing weight and weighs even more. That thing after a few hours of heavy hitting will give me some shoulder soreness, though I have quite a bit of labral damage in my shoulder so the shoulder can get imbalanced.
Shoulder soreness probably isn't helped by increased weight, but it is probabl due to rotator cuff problems.
Impinging motions as a result of different stroke technique can wreck your shoulder over time (happened to me). I would recommend checking out some rotator cuff exercises. That being said, it can also happen when your racquet speed is really high (weight makes a small impact here, this kind of injury can happen with 350sw or 320sw, as I had a 320 and it would make my shoulder hurt just as much). Your shoulder is what slows your arm down most, so making sure you have as long of a follow through as possible will give your arm more room to slow down, so there is less strain on the shoulder. Either way you likely will want to look into rotator cuff exercises.
My physical therapist called it "toyota shoulder" where you have "all gas, no brakes." Apparently this kind of injury is happening more often, as people have tons of muscle to speed up the racquet, but not enough in the shoulder to slow the racquet down.
I'm obviously not a doctor, but in my experience if you have nagging pain in your shoulder the same day or next couple days after hitting, it's usually rotator cuff issues. Recoil weight can sometimes help, but in most cases it's the racquet head speed.
A few people will argue that a high swing weight will cause this to be worse, and while it may cause the onset of such a problem to happen sooner (45 minutes rather than an hour, hour and a half for example), it will happen with both a lower (320) or a higher (340+). The difference between a 320 and 340 is less than 6%.
I personally had the same shoulder pain when I played with a sub 330 as when I started with the 340's. The thing that finally fixed it was taking a LONG break. As in months of no playing.
If you're having consistent shoulder pain, it would absolutely be worth it to try and get medical care if you can. Physical therapy can fix this if you give your body time to heal. You likely have some kind of tendinitis in your shoulder.
Don't try to push through joint pain of any kind. Take it seriously, and talk to a doctor. If moving up 10 swing weight points causes you to have pain, there's a problem in your shoulder or whatever it is, not the racquet. Whether it's partially from arming the ball too much, or swinging with an impinging motion, or a rotator cuff instability.
Just to say again, I'm not a doctor, and I obviously can't take any kind of responsibility if you follow my advice or not. But, these are the things I wish I understood when I first started developing arm problems.
Thanks for your efforts. It's very helpful. What are impinging motions ? Is rotater cuff problem caused by impinging motions?
I think you are right about the SW. My PureDrive Team has a 312 SW according to TW. With added weight at the buttcap, it has to be more than 312, so the SW variance should be less than 8 (320-312) points, which I don't think is significant enough to cause the pain.
I might misinterpret my body when I swing. I think it feels "heavier" but now I don't think it's caused by the swing weight. Somehow my Pro Staff is a lot more stiffer or solid during my swing comparing to Pure Drive Team even though the Pro Staff has a slightly lower stiffness according to TW. My Babolat is very soft and comfortable.
A side question: How is Yonex racquet? Soft like Babolat ? Or stiff like my Wilson Pro Staff?
thewindrises Flex has very little to do with comfort unlike what manufacturers have been telling people for years. If you added weight to the buttcap of the babolat, chances are the recoil weight is just higher on your babolat than the pro staff, thus feeling more comfortable.
It also could be that the bigger, more open string pattern along side the woofer grommets is more plush and you're feeling that more than anything.
Have you seen my video on recoil weight?
Excellent video. Good information. I must say though from working in a retail store is that you have to consider the average customer that walks in and buys tennis racket. Things like twist weight and trying to explain every angle of everything can overwhelm the consumer. I am a believer that this knowledge is available to everyone if they want it and are passionate about the sport, but to adapt it into a retail setting would really be unfitting. As well as the fact I dont need a bunch of grandmas and 40 year old rec adults blaming there last poor hit on the twist weight on the frame haha. But all in all great video really value your insight. Thanks!
Yeah I can understand your sentiment, I used to work for a very big retailer myself. I think my problem is more with the review videos, where they talk about all the other stats of the racquets, and simply exclude twist weight, and recoil weight. They basically very directly dance around the term twist weight, even though the info is public and on TW's website. As for recoil weight, it's just a pretty straight forward expression of stability.
In a retail store I can see what you mean. But if you're doing a review video and you're going to talk about how the racquet plays, and many many times talk about the specs of the racquet, it's not a hard jump to make when the person who measures the twist weights, works about 40 feet away from your play tester's desk! I mean, in some reviews they claim the neck stiffness adds torsional stability, even though that isn't even possible, and the real stat that changed was the increase in twist weight.
I personally think it's one thing to keep it simple and approachable, but it's another to knowingly mislead people
Thank you Racquet Talk, it is my new toy I bought few months ago, it is 996 TTS I believe there are less than 600 in North America.
+tajsaleem Too bad you're not in the US. We could have a fun little race ;)
+Racquet Talk what is your toy? a fellow porsche fan?
tajsaleem I have a very modified nissan. I'm working on finishing the project up soon, so I'll definitely link you to the future video. Un-till then, I'll let the suspense build hahahaha
+Racquet Talk I had a Porsche 993 (last year of air cool engine) for 10 years, price went up on those cars like crazy for last year or so and I decided to sell mine and always wanted a twin turbo, came across this one which is Turbo S with 50 more HP than twin turbo, along with PCCB brakes, could not be more happier.
tajsaleem
You sold your 993? Sad day! At least you went with something way faster hahahaha.
Was the 993 reliable? I've heard mixed things from a local engine builder about the air-cooled motors.
hi racquet tech, nice work. just to clarify isnt twist weight good for volleys? based on your understanding is Roger trying to reduce TW for more SW?
Hard to know what roger's doing exactly these days, but yes in the past that was the case. I did get some recent info on his rf97a and he reduced his static weight a bit.
The thing about twist weight is it makes adjusting the racquet face angle a bit harder, making it slower/require more force to change. So that can make the racquet less maneuverable, especially at net.
However, this can come down to player preference. Sampras had a lot of weight at 3/9 and he made it work. However, he was facing different shots all together. Less spin, and his opponents had a lot less time when he S&V'd. Combined it's a bit different of a scenario to that of what fed might see when he hits an approach and comes in.
This is a really tough question that I'm battling with at the moment myself. More maneuverable with lower TW so more confidence coming to net, but at the same time, it's less forgiving, so you'd better return those volleys right in the middle of the string bed. With another one of my rackets I've got a high TW, very low confidence coming to net because it just feels like a brick in your hand, so I think there's really no two ways about it, if you want to volley, you better learn to play with a less forgiving racket i.e. low TW.
Atomic_Sheep Totally valid point! And that's how I feel roughly about it with my own game, as well as on the forehand. I love a high twist weight on my backhand, but on the forehand I can feel handcuffed.
But then again, sampras had a boat load at 3/9, and he'd surely kick my ass all around, especially at net. Albeit on a mid so the twist weight increase won't be AS dramatic, but still. It's a tricky one no doubt!
Yer I feel the same way... my backhand is amazing with high TW but my forehand kinda sucks vice versa... I guess the key is to find the happy medium.
Atomic_Sheep Exactly. To me it's not a coincidence someone with a relationally low twist weight like nadal, or fed had a "bad" backhand, and heavily favored their forehand. Then wawrinka and djokovic come along with higher twist weights, and more lethal backhands, albiet not as devastating of forehands. There's definitely some technique differences there (both novak and stan have more hip drive than their backhand counter parts in rafa/roger) but it's still interesting to note
Hello. Your video was very helpful. Would you happen to have or get the specifications for the Dunlop Maxply McEneroe from the early 2000s? 27in frame with a 68RDC and 98in square midsize head. It’s empty weight was 306g and 320g strung. 21mm beam and 3pts HL at 13.39. I would like to increase the stability of the frame by adding weight to the 3 and the 9 and handle not to exceed a total weight empty 354g / strung approximately 372g while keeping the swing weight at about 325-327 and staying close to the the stock 3pts HL. Can you help me? Thank you sincerely Darin
dude...your videos are awsome man!!!! how would you say weight at 2 and 10 affects sw and tw...would you say that in iqual percentage? I almost threw a racquet to garbage (youtek speed mp, 312 sw, 12 tw, 315 static weight), that racquet was dead man...after trying lead al 3 and 9 and then at 12, found that 2gr at 2 and 10, plus 1 gr at 3 and 9, turned the racquet into a rocket!!! thanks for sharing all this information!!!!
Great video man! Really helps cut through all the marketing from racket manufacturers. Could you make one on how to measure swingweight / twistweight?
Yes I will, there's more to be said, I'm getting back to it.
Dude, your video is really awesome! This gave me new ideas for tweaking my racquet a bit more. As for myself, i really like the high TW rax, as it really works with my 1HBH. Can you confirm if high TW really connected to a good 1HBH ? I've tried to get more SW by adding lead on 12 o clock, but it seems to be bad on my 1HBH.
I'm using babolat APD 2013 from: 320gr, 316SW, 14TW, -4balance; and now set it up: 328gr, 325SW, 14.6TW, -5balance
The 1HBH can be a tricky thing. I think that a high twist weight can work very well on both the 1hbh and 2hbh. Stan has a higher twist weight than Fed, and I think he has one of the best of all time. I think the issue is that with higher swing weights, you need to make sure you're using your body to accelerate the racquet and not the arm.
Here's a video with great insight to how stan achieves this, better than fed or anyone else. Most players (especially rec) arm the ball on the 1hbh. So it's good info to look at. Sorry it took me so long to see your comment
th-cam.com/video/mxgE-n9G7XU/w-d-xo.html
What is Stan racquet spec? Ah, if it's about technique, i'm quite confident that i have it right, the thing still bugging me is that i really can't hit 1HBH without high TW racquet....
Alfando Savant Well then in that case go for it.
Stan is using a vcore 95d, approx 360 swing weight, 31.2 ish cm balance, 370+ grams static, and twist weight over 15 (bare minimum, he's likely closer to 17 or maybe 16.5). So he's got a twist weight close to most oversize frames.
Is there a way that you can reduce twistweight by adding weight or is it like swingweight and it can only increase?
+obsidian chimp Hey! Sorry I didn't see there were any comments!
Unfortuneately there is no "official" way to reduce twist weight.
I have experimented however with prestige racquets, by removing a large portion of the "Cap" from the cap grommet. This reduces weight along the sides, but also dramatically reduces the swing weight.
Theoretically removing any weight that's not directly down the center of the racquet can reduce twist weight... So, technically speaking, you could reduce it some by switching to a lighter stringbed (going to a much smaller string gauge). However, it's really the weight at the edges of the frame that has the biggest impact. So, this would be minuscule, if not un-noticeable
Hey man, what tape do you use to build up the buttcap? I've been using masking tape, but gets squashed down over time.
You mean to make it thicker? I've just used like medical tape that I've had lieing around. Seems to work pretty well. It does initially squish a bit, but seems to stay about the same. Seems pretty firm too. I can't recall where I got it from, but should be whatever you can get at the local CVS/Rite Aid etc. Nothing fancy. Hope that helps
Thanks bro! Looking forward to your next vid :)
This might be the stupidest question, but I feel like I've been misguided by different people talking about twistweight (or just my own tennis ball sized brain), but when you add twistweight (tw up): Less twist on off center shots (this is what I know for sure). But if you add weight on 3 and 9, I think someone said this makes the racket twist more on off center shots. I feel like if there is the same amount of lead on 3 and 9 it would twist less. Which one is it?
When you add weight at 3 and 9 o'clock, the racquet would twist less rather than twist more. And twist weight increases also.
Nadal's swingweight is more than average, around 360. Novak was at 370 at his peak (2015-16). Did you mean Nadal had a lower one before 2012? Because I remember him adding tape in 2012.
Hey...does it make sense to buy a lighter version of a racket in order to have a low twist weight and increase the static and swingweight by adding leadtape? Or do the light rackets also have hight TW?
Light racket usually have low twist weight. You can check the rackets' specs
Just a question about a thing I can't totally wrap my head around; If racket A had 330 swingweight with a 12 Twistweight, and racket B had 330 swingweight with a 16 Twistweight, would there be any difference in maneuverability (all other specs even)?
+FMNanobeats Great vid btw, thanks!
+FMNanobeats Yes! The 16 twistweight racquet will have more weight along the width of the frame, which naturally moves more weight down towards the bottom of the hoop. That naturally decreases the "maneuverability"
However, depending on your stroke mechanics and your grip, this specific can be either hugely noticeable or hardly noticeable. Each player is different in this regard, however I've found a majority of players will notice the difference in maneuverability. The best way to describe this is the racquet feels a bit more sluggish in various parts of the stroke. And when you think about it, it makes sense. Greater twistweight req,uires more force input to adjust racquet face angle, and greater twistweight means more weight lower in the hoop (along the sides, think 3/9 or 10/2). Given that these two frames have the same SW, the higher twist weight frame should weigh more in the hoop (assuming both racquets are identical/have the same starting spec). More weight typically means less manuverability in one way or another.
+Racquet Talk Thanks for the response! A day after my question I played with someones Graphene XT Prestige MP instead of my own Pro Staff 97. I found that it was much easier for me to generate spin because I could control my swing much better. It seemed as well that I could use more power because I could nuance my swing better. After I played with it I looked the Twist weight up on TWU since the Swing weight should be almost the same. The Prestige MP has a TW of 13.46 and the Pro Staff which is 1 sq inch smaller has a TW of 14.52, I am convinced that explains the difference I felt. Does this seem plausible? Thanks again, this channel is way underrated!
Yes absolutely. A 14.5 vs 13.46 is a very noticeable difference of almost 8%! It absolutely may very well be the difference you felt, along side MGR/I (I have another video about this on this channel), or indirectly swingweight.
Thanks for the kind words! I promise I have some exciting stuff planned, and a lot more content coming this summer! The more these videos get liked, shared, and this channel gets subscribed, the more power we as consumers receive. I'm trying to take on the whole industry here and turn it on its head, so every single person counts! Thanks for watching!
What is Rafa SW?
High 350's, now these days low 360's. I would guess around 362 363 swing weight, based off what moya, babolat, etc have said (+2g at the tip keeps coming up, so 357+2g would get him 363, maybe even 364 depending on how close to the tip it is placed, how the machine is calibrated etc etc etc).
I was wondering how much twist weight 1g of lead at 3/9 would increase it by.
For example I was planning on customizing a wilson blade 98 (18x20) countervail which as a twist weight of 14.27 on tennis warehouse website.
so if i were to add half a gram on each side how much would twist weight increase by, or 1g on each side etc.
Thanks!
It really depends on the width of the frame it's self. I could throw some estimates at you, but the far more accurate way would be take a ruler to the middle of the frame, measure the width, put that in the width part of the TWU calculator (twu.tennis-warehouse.com/learning_center/customizationReverse.php). You should be looking at a .6 increase. You can feel that slightly. You'll also boost the power in that area, next video will explain that better
So I tried to estimate the twistweight range of some players based on a couple of things like their playstyle, racket history, and known lead placement and I came up with some estimations which I hope you can share your thoughts on whether you think i'm close on my estimations or not.
I came up with the following categories:
Low: 15.5/16
Wawrinka: Med/High
Nishikori: Medium
Thiem: Med/High
Tsonga: Medium
Goffin: Medium
Cilic: High
Ferrer: Medium
Monfils: Medium
Kyrgios: Low or Medium
Jack Sock: Low
Simon: Medium
Coric: Med/High
I'm curious what you think, please let me know if you can be arsed!
Yeah I'd agree with that list. If any of them start "low" they'll likely end up medium. Maybe I would move medium to like 14+/- .5 so 13.5-14.5. They key is that we recognize as we add weight to the tip, the twist weight does come up. So if you start in medium/high, you can end up in the "high range" very quickly/easily. And again to some players that's a non issue, especially with more direct on strokes (flatter paths so to speak), but with whippier strokes it seems players prefer lower twist weights. I think my next swing weight video will explain this a bit better, but it's a phenomenon I've felt personally, and seen stay consistant with fed/nadal. I think the big reason why people struggle with the rf97a for example is quite a few come from other sticks with lower twist weights (because they suit their mechanics better), and switch to a high one. Especially if someone was using a 90" before that which has very low twist weight. While other sticks out there don't have that low maneuverability stigma, because they don't attract players with the same mechanics.
The one thing i want to just clarify, is that if you have a lets say 13 twist weight. That 13 twist weight is totally different with a fully modded 359 swing weight, compared to a stock 320 swing weight frame. And that's probably the biggest thing I didn't properly emphasize. Because the stock frame for a modded 350+ has to be very low. So hopefully that makes some sense.
I wish we had data on that, but there are people in the industry who can't even explain twist weight.
Thanks for the reply!
When you say; "The TW will go up when you add SW". Do you then mean that when you for example add 30 SW on a 13 TW racket, the impact power will go up and the 13 TW will become relatively less stable so you want to add TW to get a racket which has the same stability or in other words; the same ratio between TW and SW?
So for example in practice this would/could mean that when Jack Sock played in his youth with a Aero Storm GT (12.35 TW) and a 334 SW which has helped him to base his game on heavy spin, he could possibly up his TW to for example 13 if he would up his SW to for example 350 to relatively get the same stability?
Sorry for the messy sentences:p
No, in my "how to mod your frames like the pro's" videos I go over it. As you add weight at the tip, you start to have to use wider and wider strips of tape. When the tape gets wider, it increases twist weight, because not all the mass is perfectly at the center axis. It's just a by product of adding a lot of mass to the tip. Depending on how you add the mass to the tip you can minimize twist weight added. So if you were to use tungsten tape, and then layer that tungsten tape so the strips are narrower then you will add a very small amount of twist weight.
Hello! I think FMNanobeats has a point about SW/TW ratio :)
I've put a lot of weight on my frame already, and after gaining SW only (mass very close to the middle) I felt much more trouble with off-center hits than before. It makes sense, because of different force distribution after impact. Sorry for my English if I missed some terms :)
What is the formula for twist weight? I have about 344 SW and 12.4 ounces and 32.3 balance point. You don't have to do it lol, i just want the formula.
Thanks!
There is like a rough formula for it, but it isn't very good in my experience. Like it won't always be right. The best way is to measure it, but if you scroll down you'll find it in this article:
www.tennisindustrymag.com/articles/2005/02/a_new_twist_on_the_twistweight.html
@@RacquetTalkwhat is the balance of Rafa, Federer and Novak’s Racquets. Thanks for opening our eyes.
So I have checked the twistweight of the Pro Staff 97 i just bought and it's 14.52
Considering it's not a low twistweight and i was willing to modify my raquet...am i f***ed? I mean if i start with a allready high TW and i could want to try a lower one just like the pros you mention, do i just have to buy again two other racquets with a lower TW ? Or is 14.52 allright?
14.5 isn't bad. It may or may not be good either. It totally depends on the player. Since you already bought it, I would just mod it up. If anything the ps97 is the one to get over the rf97. Give it a shot and see how it goes.
If I could get my hands on one, I might be able to find a way to reduce the twist weight, but I'd need one that's broken as I'd just cut it up anyway. I imagine that wilson is just adding foam to the hoop like they did on the older pro staffs, so if that's the case I may be able to figure out a way to remove some foam in less desirable areas.
Thanks for awnsering so quickly! I'll mod them both and maximise the SW.
By the way, what frame would you recommend if i want to mod it and find the perfect specs?
Inr Flw Well the very first thing to consider is what pattern you like. That being said, the older ATP 315 Tfights are great for modding. Another is the old IG Speed 300 (if you like open patterns). Pretty much any frame that is very light will be good to consider. MG Rad MP is one too for 18x20
where I can chat with you?
Keep doing what you are doing man. Amazing channel. Lots to learn. Subscribe.
Thanks man, sit tight I'll have some stuff coming soon.
+Racquet Tech do you have the number specs of Federer's racket? twist and swing weight of the non retail rf97a and the pro staff 90?
Sz Ki We can only guesstimate fed's specs on the 97 as 355~ sw, 32.2-5 cm balance, but known as 359g (at least for one iteration, he's talked about changing stats).
The ps 90 you can find on the forums but that was 355, 364g and 32.1-32.4cm balance
What would be your (Rough) estimation on what twist weight fed, nadal and thiem use? Would it be save to say they all 3 are beyond 14, or 13.5?
Got any idea about this?
Just saw this. Well there's nothing I know about fed's current setup, but for his 90 he's definitely below 13.5. Nadal is likely well below 13. Thiem would probably be higher, but due to to his new whatever it's called one7 babolat, no idea what he's at (no idea what the base twist weight is).
From what I was told by someone who tested nadal's actual match stick, the thing was crazy unforgiving and made it "hard to use". Everyone reacts to twist weight differences, differently though so yeah.
hey hey what grip size do u recommend? I have a 4 5/8 size and using this yonex tour 97 310g currently too. i shrink it down to 4 1/4 by spreading my hand upwards.
i added 3g to the tip, a 4g dampener at the usual zone, took off the original replacement grip and put 2 overgrip to get a nice whippy feel.
i have a mild sweaty palm and i feel that i rely on grips alot to get to have the stable feel on impact.
i hear abt twist weight but dun quite get it 😅😅 i tried putting lead at 3 and 9 oclock before around 4 g per side but i realise it dun suits my style. need some advice on customising
The grip size may feel smaller by spreading your fingers (you're supposed to do this), but the grip stays the same regardless.
As for what grip size, it's entirely dependent on your hand and what feels comfortable to you. So there's no right or wrong answer. You can try a smaller one, to get hopefully a bit more top spin, or a bigger one to make the racquet easier to maneuver. But there is no wrong or right answer.
I don't understand why Rafa's racquet would have the lowest recoilweight because of a low static weight. To my knowledge, RW = SW - (Balance - 10cm)^2 * staticWeight[kg]. Thus, a high SW, low static weight and low balance point contribute to a high RW.
1 you're not considering how much balance point or the mass distribution actually matters.
I really wish I hadn't deleted my Recoil Weight video, as it was the first time anyone talked about it, now everyone is going in circles with some weird ass logic.
hey man,
Ive heard that you should use the heaviest racket that you can use over 2-3 hours. Does this apply to swing weight or static weight?
thanks!
Generally I would reccomend that for swingweight. As increasing static weight doesn't really give you the same types of benefits when going to your "max."
Just keep in mind that as you move up in swing weight, your game will adjust, so what might be your max SW at one point, could be easy or below max later. For me at first 345 was about as high as I could go, but I made more and more adjustments, now it feels a bit light. Not in the sense that I can't use it, just that I could be getting more on my shots without sacrificing very much, using a higher swing weight. It's about finding that sweet spot between the racquet's higher swing weight giving you more power/spin, and it not requiring too much more effort. An interesting way to look at it, is that a 350sw is only about 6% more inertia than a 330sw racquet. But in my experience, I get a lot more out of the 350sw. As in, the 350sw is only marginally more difficult to accelerate, yet gives me a big boost in plow through/spin production.
Sorry, but I disagree with you in that Novak's game is not based on spin and that he uses the least spin out of the 3 of them. For example, how is it that Novak can hit the ball so big and still have the ball stay in. He has to be using spin... Also, of the 3 players, I believe Novak and Federer play the most similar because they are both all-court players. That is why early on in their match-ups, Novak could not compete against Federer - because they played similar styles, but Federer just did everything a little bit better than Djokovic, which is why early on their head-2-head was not even close. However, as Federer got older, Novak started coming into his own starting in 2011 and because they played each other a lot since then, when Novak was in his prime and Federer past it, was the only reason why Novak was able to reverse their head-2-head record (similar concept to how Novak was able to reverse the head-2-head vs. Nadal, but Nadal is younger and their head-2-head has gone through a lot of ebbs and flows). Anyway, if anything, the odd man out when talking about styles of play is Rafa, because he stays on the baseline (more defensively: defense into offense) and spins the heck out of the ball. Both Federer and Djokovic play more like each other with their all-court games than when compared to Rafa.
Maybe it wasn't worded clearly. But novak does use the least amount of spin out of the three. Both his average spin and peak spin on many tournaments has been lower for many years, while averaging not only a higher ground stroke speed, but also a lower net clearance (consequently lower ball height post bounce). So I think we're actually in more agreement than you think. It's certainly not the case that he doesn't use lots of topspin, but the spider graph comparative to nadal and fed is tilted more towards court penetration, and that is directly linked to how his racquet is weighted. However he hits more than double the average spin of someone like berdych (I think I've seen berdych hitting in the 1k range of spin where as novak was 2.5k-2.7k, there was a period pre 2k10 that novak was averaging near the same spin as fed though, averages however are a screwy stat as fed can average a 2.5k but be hitting really flat shots after topspin shots with over 3k... I wish I had access to the IBM cloud!)
I personally feel novak and fed have more similar games because they look to dictate through the middle of the court and look to play inside the baseline as much as possible when they're playing well. Where as nadal is more content opening up court angles from the back of the court, and then stepping in to take the ball earlier.
I do think nadal and fed have the most similar forehand mechanics, followed closely by verdasco. Exquisite forehands
Thanks for checking out the video. This was one of my first ones so really not so great, and I appreciate your comment. What are your thoughts going into wimby 2k18? How do the guys look? Any under dogs?
Did you see that Wawrinka result!? Hopefully I'm not spoiling that for you, but what a match!
I'm un easy about fed, as you said he had a lot of tight sets. And Coric really just manned up on him... He can definitely turn it around though. I though playing 2 tournaments ahead of Wimby was a bit of a mistake. Would love to see him play novak again.
I'm hoping for Novak. I think his backhand is changing direction very cleanly now and that's a huge part of his game, he's more aggressive again with his court positioning. I think he just sort of pulled the plug mentally against cilic after he didn't convert his match point. His first serve was much more consistent too. I think he's got a really good shot at going deep if he continues to keep his first serve percent high and can change direction on that backhand wing.
Cilic has been on fire... Nadal I'm hesitant about... Thiem I think will get to quarters or so... He just struggles to get the time he needs for those super long strokes. Just takes a high quality player who can really take the ball early to punish that.
That's what I love about Grass. It's fast, so good ball striking gets rewarded, and aggressive tennis. I'm not a huge tall guy big serve fan, but I'm looking forward to wimby this year. So many players have a legit shot at taking it.
Thanks I try. I'll be getting more content and a lot more in depth soon. I'm going to be starting some new medication soon (hopefully it will work) and then I can get back the energy I need to get a lot more done. But I've been doing plenty of research in the mean time
Lmao rafa uses a swingweight of 361 dude
And the rf97a is almost identical as the racquet roger uses besides same added lead to rogers racquet
you got that sw from the forum. And I was the one who pushed it on the forum.
Racquet Tech dude wtf youre back make a damn video😂😂😂😂
Racquet Tech go to tennis spin channel bro he has all the goat’s personal racquets
@@devinotero1798 added lead tape that changes every fundamental performance aspect of the racquet. Considering a standard distribution model of racquet swingweights centered about 335 (x=335 according to TW data), that means more than 50% of racquets sold aren't even ball park the same swing weight.
But you also forget that roger has a custom pallet. And in the retail pallet there are additional weights. Which p1 compensates for.
This ultimately results in a racquet that performs very very differently. But that's not what matters right? That's your point? That it doesn't matter how the racquet actually plays. It matters that the stiffness and paintjob are the same. Oh and string pattern! Right. Right.
That's definitely what matters buddy
Huy Lam, I can't reply to your comment directly, but to answer your question the twistweight is fairly normal for most retail frames. It's closer to the higher side of twistweights, but is normal.
As for your swingweight it is below average, and is quite low. Most retail frames are between 315 and 325 which although are higher than yours, are still quite low.