Swingweight

by **Rob ITST** » Sat, 30 Jun 2012 04:28

Got one of these yesterday:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0o8CaQuYHg

It's a machine to measure swingweight.

To anyone who doesn't know, swingweight is a measure of how hard it is to swing a racquet (measured in kg·cm²) - higher numbers give more power, lower numbers give more maneuverability. It is probably the single most important specification of any racquet, and the bad news is that it can vary greatly from racquet to racquet - even though two racquets are identical models and grip sizes. It's a shame, but it's the price we pay for using cheap labor to have lower prices.

When I got the machine, I immediately started taking racquets off the shelf and checking them. It was very rare to find two models with the same reading, and many of them were off by as much as 20kg·cm² - the difference between the 12.6oz ProStaff Tour and the 11.1oz Pure Drive - a huge difference really. If you've ever had two (supposedly) identical racquets, but for some reason one of them is you "favorite", there's a good chance it's because they had different swingweights.

Everyone should encourage their local shop to get some kind of machine to measure swingweight. Previously, they were very costly, but are now much more affordable, so there's no excuse to not have one. Without this type of machine, there is no other way to accurately measure, and adjust, the swingweight of a racquet.

PS - This isn't meant as an endorsement of any specific machine - just a PSA to make people more informed.

by **Tamthewasp** » Sat, 30 Jun 2012 05:09

I will be the first 2 admit that this confused me. My m8 bought 2 tennis bats at the same time both the same bat but he bought 2 of them. This was around september last year. He was convinced that 1 had more "pop" in it. Could this this be the reason? Both bats where strung at the same tension

by **Rob ITST** » Sat, 30 Jun 2012 06:25

If everything else is the same (same racquet, string, and tension), then it definitely could be the swingweight.

by **Moralspain** » Sat, 30 Jun 2012 07:19

Rob what's the swingweight of a Pro tennis racquet? and what do you think an amateur guy in good form should look for in a new racquet?, in terms of swimweight i mean

by **Tamthewasp** » Sat, 30 Jun 2012 12:35

Thanks but all this tennis bat stuff is way lost on me.

by **Rob ITST** » Sun, 01 Jul 2012 03:44

Moralspain wrote:Rob what's the swingweight of a Pro tennis racquet? and what do you think an amateur guy in good form should look for in a new racquet?, in terms of swimweight i mean

For Pro players, they're usually quite high, but it's been dropping lately.

Nadal is around 355, Federer 340, Sampras was around 365..... Some of the highest I've seen are Moya at 399, Soderling at 392, and Taylor Dent was around 400 :shock:

.

For everyone else, a good rule of thumb is to have it as high as possible without slowing down your swing.

BTW: One interesting thing about Nadal's racquets is that they are 1/8 inch shorter. This is done by purposely warping the head when stringing. Basically, the racquet is mounted without the supports touching the frame, so the head is allowed to "compress". The head ends up being a bit wider and shorter.

by **Vieira151** » Sun, 01 Jul 2012 16:25

So Federer's racquet's swingweight is pretty much the same as the racquets weight? Or is it lighter?

by **Rob ITST** » Sun, 01 Jul 2012 17:20

More or less, but you're really talking about 2 completely different specs. You can have a light racquet with a high swingweight, and a heavy racquet with a low swingweight. You can even have two racquets with the same weight and balance, yet still have very different swingweights.

Think of it this way: Imagine you have two 1 pound bars with two 1 pound weights on them. On one bar, the weights are in the center, so the bar is evenly balanced and weighs 3 pounds. On the other bar, the weights are on each end of the bar, so it is still 3 pounds and still evenly balanced. They're both the same weight and balance, but the weight is concentrated on the ends of one bar, and the middle of the other. If you hold the two bars on one end and swing them, they will feel very different. Swingweight measures how hard it is to swing a racquet, which is a function of how the weight is distributed throughout the frame.

by **djarvik** » Mon, 02 Jul 2012 17:47

This is one cool machine! (I finally watched the whole video)

If I ever want to start playing around with lead tape - I think this is a mats have.

How much does it cost?

by **Rob ITST** » Mon, 02 Jul 2012 17:55

About $800.

by **djarvik** » Mon, 02 Jul 2012 18:01

OUCH! Why the? :lol:

It will have to wait then. First I need a Wise Head Tensioner.

by **Rob ITST** » Mon, 02 Jul 2012 19:04

Yeah, they're reasonably priced for a shop, not for players. :lol:

Honestly, I'd pass on the Wise tensioner. I've heard a few bad things about them. Since you only string your own racquets, just pull the strings very slow and steady and you won't notice much difference from an electric - probably no difference.

by **djarvik** » Mon, 02 Jul 2012 19:32

Thanks. I actually read a lot of positive reviews - hence I wanted to buy it. The price tag is the drawback for me. I think I am better off saving the money, selling my machine (in time) and adding a few extra dollars and get a better stringer.

by **Rob ITST** » Mon, 02 Jul 2012 20:02

Definitely. What machine do you have now?

by **djarvik** » Mon, 02 Jul 2012 20:34

NEOS 1500.

I see that TW stopped selling it

Disc?

Swingweight

Swingweight

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