Weight, balance and swing weight – Testing Equipment #6
Testing Equipment is a video format by Seb Proisy for Tennis Majors. It will tell you what the pros use to be at their best, and what you should use to have fun and win the more matches. Racquets, shoes, strings, and everything a tennis player needs will be tested. Episode #6 is dedicated to balance, weight and swing weight.
Just like grip size, which Seb Proisy explored in episode 5, the balance, weight and swing weight can all be modified depending what you want from your racquets. Professional players all customise their racquets in one way or another.
Change weight according to conditions
“Some players, like Roger Federer, have even been known to change their racquet’s weight distribution between tournaments, depending on the surface and the weather conditions. At the French Open, where the courts are slower, and he usually wants to play with more spin, he uses a more head-heavy racquet. At Wimbledon, where courts are faster, his racquet is more handle-heavy.”
The weight of a racquet, which is measured when the racquet is still, the balance of a racquet and the swing point, which is measured when it’s in motion, will all affect the power and racquet manoeuvrability.
More swing weight means more power
“Between racquets of the same weight, the racquet with the highest swing weight will provide you with more power but it will also be less manoeuvrable than the racquet with the lower swing weight.”
Proisy says that while adding weight to your racquets can be a good option, it’s important to make sure they all have the same swing weight, the same weight and ideally, the same balance, before you start adding weight.
“Adding weight below the balance point, towards the grip of the racquet, will change the weight and balance, but the swingweight will not change, or barely. Adding weight above the balance point will affect the swing weight. And the closer the weight is added to the top of the racquet, the more dramatically the swing weight will increase.”
