WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT RACQUET POWER {2009}
By Vince Chiarelli, PTR, MRT and Owner of String Along With Vince in Largo
As I speak with customers coming into my store, I find that the majority of them are very confused about what power actually means when it’s related to racquet frames. They think (as they have been so cleverly led to believe by advertising) that power will help them blow their opponent off the court. When I talk about a low power, or medium power frame, the customer will often say something like, “Why would I want that? I want as much power as I can get.”
Power in a racquet is NOT like power in a car. In a car, power is INDEPENDENT of the person behind the wheel. So long as you push down on the gas, the car goes faster. The more power the engine has, the easier it is to make it go faster. A racquet frame is almost completely DEPENDENT on the person who is using it. The rule of thumb about power is generally how LONG and how HARD you swing. What this means is, if you are a male, 30 years old, 6 feet tall, 175 pounds and work out, your swing is likely going to be much faster than someone who is 75 years old, 5 feet 6 inches tall, 120 pounds who uses tennis to stay in shape. That person will most likely have a much shorter swing thus requiring a frame that has more power. The truth is, if you have a frame that is too powerful for you, you will likely be hitting a lot of your balls long. If that were not the case, why wouldn’t the touring pros use the most powerful frames they could get their hands on?
When watching people play who are using a frame that doesn’t match their game, I find many times they are shortening their swing to compensate. A less powerful frame would allow them to take a long swing which would really give them more control. If you get your racquet strung as tightly as the racquet manufacturer’s upper limit for that frame to keep your shots in the court, you are almost certainly playing with the WRONG frame.
My observation has been that players who take instruction from a competent tennis teaching professional will improve their games and then will move to less powerful frames. Crush your opponent with a combination of power, yours and your racquet’s. You will enjoy playing with more control and less stress on your arm.
COPYRIGHT 2009
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