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Smart Tennis Racket Review
Evolutionary History of Tennis for a Tennis Racket Review:
- First net play and the beginning of tennis in 11th Century – a Tennis Racket Review: 1) The play of the French Monks around the 11Th Century was the first example of net tennis play, 2) they at first used their hands as a racket, 3) but eventually began using the first of what could be called a tennis racket which was a solid wood paddle, and 4) the game was only played indoors.
- First racket with strings in 14th Century - a Tennis Racket Review: 1) In the 14th Century, the Italians are generally credited with using the first of what we would call a legitimate tennis racket with strings which were then mounted in a wood racket frame, 2) the game during this time was still only played indoors and used a fairly dead ball.
- First outdoor tennis play, 1874 - a Tennis Racket Review: 1) In 1874, Walter Wingfield in London, registered a patent which contained the equipment and rules for tennis outdoor play, which is the first version of tennis as we play it today, 2) within a year, this game became popular on a world scale and was played in Russia, India, Canada and China, 3) at this time the racket frame, although still wood, was larger in size, than earlier versions, but the shape wasn’t quite as oval and the head was wider and more flat towards the top.
- The history of the wooden tennis racket since the outdoor tennis play of 1874 – a Tennis Racket Review: 1) Tennis rackets saw only minor changes from 1874, for nearly 100 years, until the end of the wooden tennis era in 1967, 2) however, the wooden rackets did get better, over this period, with the use of laminated technology in gluing strips of the wooden frame together, and in the tennis strings, but they remained relatively heavy (13–14 ounces) and with relatively small heads compared to today (around 65 sq. inches), 2) A tennis racket with a metal head became available at the early date of 1889, but never obtained widespread use and eventually disappeared from tennis play.
- The early history after the end of the wooden tennis racket era beginning in 1967 – a Tennis Racket Review: 1) In 1967 Wilson Sporting Goods introduced the first composition tennis racket, the T2000, 2) it was lighter than wood and had better impact transfer of the racket swinging force to the ball and was the same size (around 65 sq. inches), 2) it was popularized by Jimmy Connors, then the top tennis professional player, and became a best selling tennis racket into the mid-1970’s.
- The history of the oversized aluminum tennis racket beginning 1975 – a Tennis Racket Review: 1) Price introduced in 1975, the first oversized racket compared to the previously used rackets, 2) this racket had an aluminum racket frame with a string area and sweet spot area more than 50% greater than the previous standard 65 square inch racket of the wood racket era, and had great popularity into the late 1970’s, 3) the light weight, relatively huge sweet spot, and greatly increased power made this racket very popular and particularly for non-advanced players, 4) however for hard hitting advanced players the mixture of flexibility and power in the frame with hard off center shots would distort the aluminum frame on impact, changing the direction that the string frame was facing, and causing the ball to rocket off in an unintended direction for typically an error return shot, 5) thus the need for a stiffer frame but still light in weight, with the resulting oversized composition racket frame.
- The history of the oversized composition racket from the late 1970’s till today – a Tennis Racket Review: 1) The need for a stiffer racket than the aluminum racket but still light in weight, brought in the oversized composition racket in the late 1970’s after which the aluminum racket disappeared from use, 2) the new composition material was called graphite and was a mixture of carbon fiber and a plastic resin, 3) since its introduction, the makeup of the composition material has varied over this period till today as has the shape of the racket head, making for a variation in the rackets available from the different vendors, 4) new composition materials such as ceramic, fiberglass, boron, titanium and Kevlar in a mixture with graphite, have been used, 5) and another real plus for the composition racket is its life without noticeable loss in performance, which is typically 10 years-and-more if reasonable care is given to the racket, 5) the net result is that oversize composition rackets are the choice for tennis players of today and this has been the case for about 30 years.
What Makes a Best Tennis Racket For Yourself – a Tennis Racket Review:
- There is not a best tennis racket for everyone – a Tennis Racket Review: 1) An oversized composition tennis racket has become the best tennis racket for everyone but it’s choices vary in such factors as, a) the specific type of composition materials used in its structure, b) its shape, c) its weight, and d) the string pattern on the racket, 2) other factors are a) the string material selected, b) the tension that the tennis strings are strung too, c) the size of the grip, and d) the material that is wound around the grip, 3) tennis players vary in such personal factors as, a) height, b) body shape and weight, c) arm length, d) body, shoulder, arm, hand and grip strength, e) feet, leg and body speed, and f) eye coordination with all of the body functions, and 4) vary in experience, training and skill in playing tennis, thus 5) because of these factors, there is no one best tennis racket for everyone, but of the tennis rackets available there is a best selection for any one particular player.
- Theoretical best method to select a tennis racket – a Tennis Racket Review: 1) The only certain way to select a best tennis racket is to play with many possible tennis racket selections and variations over the same period of time and then to empirically select the one that allows you to play your overall best game of tennis, 2) this is possible for Professional Tennis Players who typically own several different tennis rackets and thus can play with different ones during a single test play on the tennis court and empirically select the best one for themselves, 3) however, this is virtually not possible for the week end amateur tennis player, so what can be done in this case?
- Observation on tennis racket selection for weekend and amateur players – a Tennis Racket Review: 1) For the weekend player, it is not that important that you have the very best possible tennis racket selection, as long as it is at least good, because it won’t have that much impact on your game, 2) this is in contrast to the Professional Player, where even a ½% improvement could be the difference in winning or placing high in a tennis tournament, or losing early.
- Some tips on tennis racket selection for weekend and amateur players – a Tennis Racket Review: 1) Be aware of your physical stature and play, such as, a) are you tall or short, b) fast or slow on your feet, c) a hard or soft hitter, etc., 2) if you can, find other tennis players with similar physical stature and play, then ask them what racket and racket parameters they are playing with and how they like their tennis rackets, and if they will let you, hit a few balls with their tennis rackets to get a feel, 3) if you belong to a tennis club, talk to the teaching tennis-pro and ask him/her for advice stating your physical stature and play, 4) go to one or more tennis stores having tennis rackets and talk to the tennis racket sales specialist stating your physical stature and play and ask for a recommendation, 5) while in the store having tennis rackets, look at the various tennis rackets available, hold each in your hand and swing it to get a feeling for the comfort, 6) then, based on all of this information, make a decision, 7) as stated, it may not be the best possible selection, but as long as it is a good selection, you will still play your game near the top level of possibility.
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