It can be quite hard to find the best racquet for you or for your child/ren. I get asked a lot on what would be the best racquet to buy.
There are so many different types and every single one has advantages and disadvantages. It's like buying a car. Which car is the best to buy? How would you answer that? What car do you drive and why?
I focus on racquet size as a starter, especially if the player has never played before. I go for the right size racquet for their height, and then I recommend a good value racquet from a price perspective. I avoid aluminium racquets as I find young children can knock them out of shape very easily, especially when they're still learning how to look after their racquets. Big name brands are not necessarily expensive and for a racquet between 15 and 23 inches, you can expect to pay between £15 and £45. I wouldn't pay more for an entry-level junior racquet.
However, if your child (or you) has been playing for a while and you'd like to make sure they have the best tools possible for the job in hand, then we can get a bit more clever.
I'd want to see the player hit the ball and possibly even try out 4-5 different racquets. I always have a few demo racquets for a player to use in a lesson.
Here’s why: what feels and performs best for one individual isn’t necessarily what’s best for the next.
Both strings and graphite frames vibrate at distinct frequencies. Depending on the variations of the player's muscles, tendons and ligaments, these frequencies are absorbed quietly by some yet they aggravate others.
String types, string gauges, string patterns and tension matter.
Racquet weight, length and thickness (profile) and grip size matter.
Any Coach or Shop Salesmen who says “This is the best racquet for you” based on what they like, is simply guessing and highly likely doing a disservice to the player.
The little differences matter!
However, if you're playing purely for social reasons and just want to have fun, and just want a racquet to play with, that's ok too and my non-technical answer is "What colour do you like? “Blue!” .....go BLUE! (But just not aluminium please!).
Writer: Doug Robinson, May 2018