Where's the best place to purchase my racket from? Good quality rackets can be purchased from a variety of sources.  Carl Douglas Coaching has no particular affiliation to a specific retailer but would always advise people to use a reputable supplier with excellent reviews e.g. Tennis Nuts, Tennis Point and Decathlon. The best advice is to shop around as different retailers will have deals and offers available at different time so that you can quite possibly find the same racket at a cheaper price simply by comparing across a number of sites.

What's the best racket for me? First of all its important to say that I have no affiliation to any particular brand of racket but I do often get people asking me what type of racket is best for them so here's a simple and handy guide along with some pointers to current rackets that may be of interest if you are considering making a purchase.

Adult Tennis Racket Length:  Unlike junior rackets which vary in length to allow for different age groups, once kids reach 12+ we tend to get into the adult racket phase where all rackets are basically 27" in length.  Apart from a consistent length though, the variables are  enormous so keep reading...

Adult Racket Materials: Rackets come in many materials from high end graphite to cheaper aluminium . However, note that a really expensive racket will not make you into a better player as the ability of the player will have a much greater impact than the cost of the racket they wield (I'm sure our top pro players would be still be able to beat us no matter what racket they were using!)

• Graphite Rackets -  if you intend to play regularly, have some coaching and maybe go on to play in a club team then go for a graphite racket.
• Composite Rackets - these are mid range and consist of number of layers of material such as fibreglass and graphite around a hollow core. They are lightweight and durable and a good choice as a first racket.  
• Aluminium Rackets  - these are cheaper than graphite or composite rackets and are ideal as starter rackets, especially if you trying tennis for the first time and don't want to make a major investment.

Whats the best brand to go for? This is very much a personal choice with many amateur players choosing a racket from the same maufacturer as their favourite player. All brands including famous names such as Head (Murray, Sharpova), Wilson (Federer, Willams),  Babolat (Nadal, Wozniaki), Yonex (Wawrinka, Osaka) offer a wide range of rackets and prices. 

Racket types - there are basically 3 groupings of adult rackets known as Lightweight, Midweight power and Heavyweight control rackets. The information below provides further details along with a few options worth considering if you are thinking of making a purchase.

Lightweight power rackets - these typically have a Head Size range: 102 sq.in to 110 sq. and a Weight Range: 225g to 280g. These rackets are ideal for beginners and Intermediates or juniors who are getting their first adult size racket. The majority of regular club players love this category as all they want is an easy to swing, user friendly racket.  

• Artengo TR160 Lite
• Babolat Aero Lite

Midweight control rackets - typically have a Head Size range: 98 sq.in to 102 sq. in and a Weight Range: 270g to 300g. These rackets are ideal for intermediate players (or advanced juniors) as they have a good mix of power and control.  This type of racket suits advanced players who are looking for more power in their game, or who want to hit lots of topspin to keep the ball in control. 

• Babolat Evo Drive
• Head Xtreme

Utlimate control rackets - typically have a Head Size range: 98sq.in and below and a Weight Range: 300g to 340g. The smaller head size of these rackets really mean that they are only suitable for advanced players with well developed swings and accurate sweet spot contact. 

• Babolat Pure Strike
• Artengo TR990

Finally grip size - when ordering a racket it may ask for grip size and will typically list choice as G1 , G2, G3, G4 or L1, L2, L3, L4 (see table below). For most ladies grip size L2 would be fine but most men would need a L3 or L4. If you are unsure check with me when I see you.