The ULTIMATE Guide to Finding the Perfect Tennis Racket for Your Game!! | Rackets & Runners

So, obviously a ton of rackets came out this year. We got a new Ezone, a new

this year. We got a new Ezone, a new Pure Drive, obviously the new Speed Legend just came out and a ton of other stuff as well. But at some point, you got to stop and pick a racket. And

that's much easier said than done.

[Music] Hey everybody, it's Luca from Rackets and Runners. So, we talk about a lot of

and Runners. So, we talk about a lot of tennis rackets on this channel, and at the end of each video, I do talk a little bit about who it might be made for, but I've never actually made a comprehensive guide going through how to

actually pick a tennis racket. I know it can be really confusing, so that's what we're going to do today. Now, I did go through my own racket journey a couple years ago and talked about the steps I went through to eventually pick the Boom

Pro, but that was really specific to my personal situation. This is going to be

personal situation. This is going to be a much more step-by-step explanation that can apply to pretty much everyone, whether you're a beginner looking to buy your first racket or more advanced player looking to switch rackets. Also,

part of the reason I wanted to make this video is that I'm switching away from the Boom Pro. I've been testing a lot of rackets recently, so I've actually been through some of these steps myself, and I have some examples to back them up.

This is going to be a standalone video, but I'm also going to make a second one in a couple of weeks where I go over that whole personal racket journey that I've been on the past several months.

Now, of course, before we go on, let me remind you that any of the rackets I talk about here today, you can check out on our website, racketsandrunners.ca.

Also, please remember to like the video, subscribe to the channel, follow me in the store on Instagram, and let me know in the comment section what you want me to cover next. So, there is one thing I want to explain before I get into any of

these steps, and that's that there is a difference between buying a racket when you're new to tennis versus buying a racket when you're a more advanced player who's just looking to switch to something new. There are six steps to

something new. There are six steps to this guide. Steps one and two are really

this guide. Steps one and two are really important for beginners, but they will be a little bit redundant for more experienced players. Steps three through

experienced players. Steps three through six are where the fun really starts. So,

the first thing you want to do is type in rackets and runners into Google.

Click on racketsandrunners.ca.

Then you go to tennis rackets, adult rackets, pick the most expensive racket.

Make sure you got the right grip size.

Add that to your cart. Look, even

qualify for free shipping. Review your

order. And that's how to pick a racket, everybody. Just kidding. But if you want

everybody. Just kidding. But if you want to do that, by all means. But no.

Anyways, now let's get into the real guide. Okay, so this first step is

guide. Okay, so this first step is obviously really important for a lot of people, and that's determining your budget. If you're a beginner or maybe

budget. If you're a beginner or maybe even an intermediate player and you don't want to spend more than $150 on your racket, that's totally fine. There

are some great options at and below that price. The most important thing here is

price. The most important thing here is that you go for a graphite racket. I

know you might see something in a big box store that's a lot less, maybe even 30 bucks or something, but I promise I promise it's worth going up to something that's made from graphite. Graphite is

the same material that's used in top-end rackets. It's not going to be quite as

rackets. It's not going to be quite as technologically advanced at that $150 price point, but its main properties are still there. Graphite gives you more

still there. Graphite gives you more stability, more power, better feel, and great durability. It's just point blank

great durability. It's just point blank better than other materials for making tennis rackets. So, I highly recommend

tennis rackets. So, I highly recommend even if you're a beginner to start there. We have the Head Graphine XT

there. We have the Head Graphine XT Radical S at $130, which is very good.

But, there is an issue with limiting yourself to that budget. You don't have many options and there's also basically zero variety. All of the rackets at that

zero variety. All of the rackets at that price are basically one sizefits-all with very similar specs. So, they work for beginners who aren't too worried about finding the perfect racket, but they pretty much won't work for anyone

else. That's why I think most players

else. That's why I think most players should consider top-end rackets. Now, I

know top-end rackets aren't cheap.

They're basically starting at $300 these days, although you can find them on sale sometimes, and fall is a great time to buy sale rackets, but they're not cheap.

I know that. Here's the thing, though.

If tennis is something you're going to be taking seriously, then it's absolutely worth making the investment.

At the top end, you can fine-tune your playability so much more because there are so many options. And also, these rackets have pointlank better performance. They incorporate all of the

performance. They incorporate all of the most modern designs, graphite layups, and technology. So, they will play

and technology. So, they will play better for any player at any level. The

other thing is that rackets are very durable as long as you don't smash them on the ground. So, really, it's an initial $300 investment that you won't need to replace very often. So, I really think most players should look at

top-end rackets or at least top-end rackets on sale. But anyways, once you figured out your price range, you can move on to the next step. And if you have accepted that you're moving into the $300 plus price range, the next step

is very, very important. When I said there was a lot of variety within top- end rackets, I wasn't kidding. And if

you're new to this whole world, it can be very overwhelming seeing all the different options. Step two is

different options. Step two is familiarizing yourself with every type of racket, who each type of racket is made for, and how the specs of those rackets match up to their design. If we

keep it as simple as possible, there are three different categories of rackets.

Players rackets, tweener rackets, and game improvement rackets. All three of these are very different, and buying the wrong one will certainly stop you from getting the best out of your game. I'm

going to start by explaining oversized and game improvement rackets. And these

rackets are very self-explanatory.

They're designed to help the player as much as possible. A few rackets in this category are the Wilson Triad, the Head Instinct Power, and the Wilson Ultra 111. And these are made either for very

111. And these are made either for very beginner players who have a tough time making contact with the ball, or for older players who have lost a bit of strength and mobility and need some help from their racket. They're not going to

be for any advanced player, and really not for most beginners or intermediates either. These rackets help you a lot,

either. These rackets help you a lot, but the downside of that is that they also limit you. They have really big head sizes, usually bigger than 102 square in, which gives them huge sweet spots, but it also makes them quite

imprecise, and they're also usually extremely light, which makes them very easy to swing, but also quite unstable.

The next category of rackets is tweener rackets. Anyone can play with a tweener,

rackets. Anyone can play with a tweener, whether you're just starting the sport or if you're one of the greatest players of all time. Raphael Nadal played with a tweener. Tweeners have a head size

tweener. Tweeners have a head size between 99 and 102, usually 100 square in, which gives them a great balance of precision, user friendliness, and power.

And they're also usually middle of the range in terms of weight. Now, there are a million rackets in this category, but a few of the most popular ones are the Babalot Pure Drive, the Yanx Ezone 100,

and the Headspeed MP. All these rackets and also just tweeners in general are very well-rounded, which is why they work for so many players. There are, of course, many different types of rackets within the tweener category, which I'll

get into in a second. But first, let me finish up with the last category, players rackets. Players rackets are

players rackets. Players rackets are more advanced rackets. They usually have a head size that's 98 square in or smaller, which makes them very rewarding, but more difficult to use, and they also tend to be a bit heavier,

usually 305 g or more. These are very satisfying rackets to play with, which is why good players like them, but they're also very punishing. So, I urge anybody who isn't a high intermediate or

advanced player not to use them. If

you're not quite at the level required to swing a player's racket, it will limit you in your development. So,

there's really no point forcing yourself to use one of them. Again, like

tweeners, there are so many players rackets and different styles within this category. But to name a few, we have the

category. But to name a few, we have the Wilson Blade 98, the Yonx Percept 97, and the Babalot Pure Arrow 98. So, those

are the different racket categories.

Once you familiarize yourself with them, the next thing you need to do is understand the different types of playability that you can get within those categories. Most brands focus

those categories. Most brands focus their designs on three different playability characteristics: power, spin, and control. And they usually have one line dedicated to each one. Babalot

is a great example of this. Their pure

drive line is for power, their pure arrow line is for spin, and their pure strike line is for control. This way of organizing racket lines has been extremely successful for them, which has led a lot of other brands to follow

suit. Now, of course, there are some

suit. Now, of course, there are some rackets that color between those lines, but those are the three main design characteristics. Power rackets tend to

characteristics. Power rackets tend to be stiffer with bigger head sizes like the Pure Drive and the Eison 100. Spin

rackets have very open string beds and generally some sort of aerodynamic design like the Pure Arrow and the Vcore. And then finally, control rackets

Vcore. And then finally, control rackets are a bit softer, a little bit thinner, and have denser string beds like the Gravity Pro, the Blade 981820, and the TF305S. But now the question is, how do

TF305S. But now the question is, how do you know which one to pick? Do you need a controlled tweener? Do you need a spinny players racket? Do you need to go for allout power? Well, that's where step number three comes in. So, chances

are if you've played any tennis, you already kind of knew about steps one and two. So, this is where the important

two. So, this is where the important stuff starts for the majority of you.

How do you know which style of racket to pick? Well, step three is kind of a

pick? Well, step three is kind of a two-step process rolled into one. First,

you have to identify your game style.

And then you have to determine whether you want a racket that complements your strengths or eliminates your weaknesses.

Now, figuring out your game style is something that's a lot easier for higher level players because they've been playing for a while. They know what they're good at, what they're not so good at. But even for beginners and

good at. But even for beginners and intermediates, you can figure this out pretty quickly. Perhaps you're really

pretty quickly. Perhaps you're really tall or you come from a sporty background, so you have no issues generating power, but you do struggle a little bit with control. Well, you're

probably going to be a more power oriented player. This obviously isn't

oriented player. This obviously isn't final, and as you keep developing, things might change, but it's a great place to start to figure out if you want a racket that complements your strengths or something that eliminates your

weaknesses. This is honestly a decision

weaknesses. This is honestly a decision that I struggled with a lot on my own racket journey. And there's no right or

racket journey. And there's no right or wrong answer, but it's important to understand why you might want to go one way or the other. I'm going to start with complimentarity because I think that's what most players will go with.

And that's logical. If you're say a big spin player, a racket that helps you generate even more spin is going to feel very natural. I think that's the key

very natural. I think that's the key there. If it feels natural, great.

there. If it feels natural, great.

That's probably what you should go with.

But it's still worth thinking about something that helps eliminate your weaknesses. And here's why. Let's say

weaknesses. And here's why. Let's say

you are a spin oriented player. You

never really struggle to keep the ball in, but you're also not really bothering your opponent because there's not enough power on your shots. What you need is more power. So going for a more power

more power. So going for a more power oriented racket could help to make your game more well-rounded with very little effort. It's almost like you're cheating

effort. It's almost like you're cheating a little bit with your racket choice.

You're not really good at something.

You'd have to train a lot to get better at it. So instead, you just get a racket

at it. So instead, you just get a racket that helps you in that department. It's

not going to totally transform you, but it will help. I think this is conceptually quite easy to understand for more beginner and intermediate players just because physiological differences in strength and coordination

are quite obvious. But it is a little harder to understand this if you are a higher level player. At a high level, you have good technique. So you can generate power, you can control the ball, you know how to add spin, but your

racket can help to provide marginal improvements in certain areas. This is

one of the most important things I learned on my own racket journey. I tend

to prefer more control oriented rackets because I have a flatter style and I just like their feel, but I've been playing with the Babalot Pure Drive a lot recently. The Pure Drive is

lot recently. The Pure Drive is obviously a power racket, and I have really enjoyed what it gives me compared to control frames. It's not like I get a ton more power, but it does produce a slightly heavier ball, which some of my

hitting partners have told me makes me harder to play. Much to my surprise, I've also not seen a huge drop off in control with the Pure Drive, which I would have assumed, but it really hasn't been that bad. And that just goes to

show you perhaps going for a different style of racket could open up your game a little bit. I know that might seem like an extreme switch to a lot of you, but remember, if you're looking to switch rackets, chances are it's because

you want something different. So, I

would always recommend at least trying to step out of your comfort zone. Even

professional players look for rackets to help eliminate their weaknesses. Shorter

players tend to use longer rackets because it gives them a little bit more leverage for power on serve. And

recently, a lot of players have been switching to more powerful frames to help deal with the slower balls on tour.

So, just remember that your racket is a tool that you have in your arsenal and if you use it right, it can help to unlock your game. And that little something extra is absolutely something you should be looking for when it comes

time to demo. We are going to move on to the next step now. But before that, I do just want to do a little recap of steps one through three. These first steps basically just help to guide you in a certain direction. You found your

certain direction. You found your budget, you understand all the different racket styles and choices out there, and you figured out which one is probably going to be best for you. Now, it's time to narrow it down to a few specific

options. In step number four, you want

options. In step number four, you want to narrow down your list as much as possible before actually taking any rackets out to the court. If you go out to the court with 10 rackets, you're going to get very confused. Everything's

going to sort of start blending together and you're really going to struggle honing in on one. So, before you start the demo process, what you should do is use as many resources as you can to narrow down that list to four or five

rackets you're actually going to try.

One of the best resources nowadays is the internet, especially here on YouTube. With how many great racket

YouTube. With how many great racket reviewers we have, like Tennis Nerd and the other guy that lives 5 minutes away from me, and by taking little bits of information from each one, some rackets might start sounding right for you.

Let's say in steps two and three, you narrowed it down to players rackets and tweeners, but you also want to add a bit more spin to your game, and you have arm issues. So then you start to do your

issues. So then you start to do your research. You hear that this version of

research. You hear that this version of the Eone 98 is quite comfortable, so that's something you want to try. The

Aero98 is a little stiffer, so you're probably going to avoid that. But then

you also want to try a classic spin racket like the Aero 100. All that

content out there can basically help you find different opinions on all those rackets. And that can really help to

rackets. And that can really help to narrow down your list. Then of course, if you take lessons, your coaches are a great resource. They watch you play.

great resource. They watch you play.

They know your style, what you struggle with, what might work well for you. So

you can definitely ask for their opinion. And then finally, you have

opinion. And then finally, you have stringers at retail stores like the ones we have at Rackets and Runners. These

people are generally obsessed with tennis and they get to play with every single racket that they carry. So, they

can give you valuable advice and they're there for that. Stringers also sell rackets. So, they see what does well for

rackets. So, they see what does well for certain types of players and they're also the ones that are going to send you out with a demo, which is step number five. So, they are an extremely

five. So, they are an extremely important resource that you have at your disposal. Just please don't tell any of

disposal. Just please don't tell any of the stringers at the store that I called them important if you ever go into rackets and runners, especially not this guy. But anyways, once you've done your

guy. But anyways, once you've done your research, you've narrowed down the list to four or five rackets, now it's finally time to try them out. Okay,

doing your research is important, don't get me wrong, but by far the most important resource available to you is actually demoing rackets. Obviously,

there's a reason why demoing exists in tennis. Everything might line up

tennis. Everything might line up perfectly on paper. you think you're going to love a racket and then bam, you take it out to the court and you hate it. That's actually a good thing. That's

it. That's actually a good thing. That's

exactly what's supposed to happen with demoing because then you can just quickly eliminate it from your list. As

long as that doesn't happen with every racket, but if it doesn't work for you, it doesn't work. The tennis racket is a particularly special part of our gear.

It's not like a pair of shoes that if you don't like them, you can kind of just deal with it, or a ski jacket that fits too big, but whatever, it works.

The tennis racket is basically an extension of your arm. Sometimes you

know right away if a racket isn't right for you, even if you thought it would be because everything made sense on paper.

And that actually happened to me with unfortunately the Aero98. This is a racket I love as a reviewer because I appreciate so many of its qualities. It

really is one of the most impressive frames I've ever played with, but there's just something about it that doesn't work for my game. I realized

that pretty quickly when I tested it, and it's never gotten that much better.

I just can't seem to let loose and play my best tennis with it. And that's just the X factor that no amount of research or other people's opinions can help you figure out what actually works for you

on court. That's why the demo process is

on court. That's why the demo process is so invaluable for us in the sport. And

it shouldn't take too long. Don't

overthink it. You've done the thinking in the last steps. You'll just naturally gravitate to one or two rackets when you're demoing them. And then you're ready to move on to step number six.

This is the final step. And in my opinion, it's the most important one, which makes sense because this is the one where you actually end up choosing a racket. But you basically need to play

racket. But you basically need to play points in as high a pressure environment as you can create. I'm not saying take a demo racket out into a match. That's a

terrible idea. But maybe if you have a friend that's a similar level to you or a little bit better and you absolutely hate losing to them, that's a perfect person to test the racket against.

Testing if the racket holds up for you under pressure is so so crucial to making sure it's the one because introducing pressure will make you tighten up and that will expose its potential flaws very quickly. I can't

stress how important this step has been in my own racket journey. I went a solid couple of weeks bringing the Pure Strike 98 to most of my sessions and playing very well with it when I was rallying and I really thought it might be my next

racket. As soon as I played a set though

racket. As soon as I played a set though and got to deuce, especially later on in the set, I realized the racket was just too heavy for me. When I get tight, I slow things down a little bit, which isn't necessarily a good habit, but it's

what I do. And as soon as I slowed down my stroke with the Strike 98, I started launching the ball. The strike has a really high swing weight, which is great for adding power and spin when you're loose and swinging well. But when I

don't accelerate the racket face enough, it pushes the ball deep without the necessary control. I was really bummed

necessary control. I was really bummed to go through that with the strike, but that's just testament to how important this step is. You need to go through this process to make sure that the racket is quote unquote pressure. Try to

play as many of these points as you can.

And again, like with step five, be honest with yourself. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. And if it does, great. I can almost promise you that

great. I can almost promise you that this step will lead you to a natural outcome and you'll have found the perfect racket for your game. So, there

you have it. Your complete guide to picking a tennis racket. I know it can be quite daunting, especially if it's your first racket, but by breaking it down into steps like this, I promise you it will be a whole lot easier. But

that's going to be it for this video.

Thank you so much for watching. And

remember, if you want to demo any rackets, you can come visit us in store or if you want to buy them, you can go online at racketsandrunners.ca.