Picking the right racquet is essential to the development of your game. Advanced players will learn what kind of racquets to choose for themselves through playing experience, however players just beginning and some intermediate players trying to advance their game dont quite know what racquet to chose.
A great player will be a great player, no matter what racquet he has, even if it isnt very good. But for the average player, the racquet and its string tension can have a major impact on your game, especially your groundstrokes. A beginner with too poweful of a racquet will find themselves firing shots way out, or hitting shots with barely any power at all. An intermediate player with the same beginners racquet will have trouble developing new skills.
So now you're asking, What do i pick? I'm just starting to play and want to know what racquet to start off at. And how much do I have to spend?
Through experience of just learning to play, I learned that the best advice to give someone who's just starting is to have them start off with a racquet with a mid-size to a large face. It's not the most common advice you'll hear. More often you'll be advised to get a racquet with a small face in order to learn to hit the shots first, and learn how to hit power first. However, getting a racquet with a larger face will allow the player to have a better chance of making actual solid contact with the ball, which will help you keep motivated to play. When you first learn to play tennis, making solid contact with the ball is hard to come by. A larger faced racquet tends to have more power than maybe you can handle, so its wise to get strings with about 65-70 tension. That will help you keep your shots in the court. Huh? string tension? String tension is how tight your strings are. Higher tension means more power and lower tension will give you less power but will give you better control. Just remember that numerically, its reverse. Low numbers mean high tension and high numbers mean low tension. 50 is about the highest tension you can go without your strings breaking because they are too tight.
But you didnt answer how much money I have to spend to get a good racquet to learn with?
An expensive racquet doesn't neccessarily reflect with great quality. First you need to decide if tennis is even for you. It's unwise to buy a $100 racquet if you end up hating the sport. A racquet that costs about $40-$60 will be more than enough to get a nice racquet. Pro shops often only sell the expensive ones and often over charge. Plus, expensive ones come unstrung and you will have to pay for the racquet to be strung as well. Sporting goods stores will have a good selection of beginners racquets that don't cost as much.
I've already been playing for awhile and I want to get to the next level. Should I change racquets or keep the same one? If i get a new one, what to I pick now that I'm no longer a beginner?
This is where you begin your serious tennis. First of all, if you really feel comfortable with the racquet of you have now, you might as just well keep it. But unless you've been playing with it for years and years, you probably have found flaws with your racquet and have felt like maybe a new one would help you hit better shots or a better serve. Maybe you would like some power, or you need some better control.
The way you pick the racquet this time is to chose one that will help you're weakness. Again this may be uncovential advice. Coaches will often say, practice and practice often and work on your weakness, however who has the time (and patience ), and that may not be neccessarily the best advice anyways. Remember, tennis should be fun and not a hassle to learn. Instead, chose a racquet that will help you in your areas of need.
Okay so what do I mean? Players that have learned to hit the ball with good power from a larger-faced racquet can now buy a smaller faced racquet to learn control. With the power they already and have added to a racquet that will give them better control, they will have stepped up their overall game. Same thing goes for someone with good control. If you have good control of your shots, now is the time to get a power racquet. A power racquet with some tenion in the mid 50s will step up your game as well.
Once you get this racquet, it doesnt mean you have to stick with it forever. Players go through many different types of racquets into they find one that they really feel they can use to their best of abilities. Just remember, a racquet isn't going to give you the magic to be a great player. Only playing and proving your skills will make you better.