September 3, 2019 8:52 am

// Lawn Tennis

Anyone who has decided to master an incredibly popular, noble and such a beautiful sport as lawn tennis may have their own reasons for this. For some, sport becomes a way to strengthen health and get the body in shape, others, enjoying the game, detach themselves from the worries and problems of everyday work, others do not spare themselves in training, gradually moving towards the cherished goal — another victory at the tournament. Lawn tennis is a sport that you can start practicing at any age. The main conditions for success are desire, perseverance and, of course, correctly selected sports equipment. How to choose rackets for lawn tennis and where to buy cheap the best copies for a beginner or an experienced athlete, we will tell you in this article.

General rules and recommendations on how to choose a tennis racket 

How to choose the right racket based on age, experience and style of play

The choice implies an assessment of a number of properties of the main “weapon” of a tennis player. Some characteristics are critical, and some are just a formality. Let’s analyze in detail the most significant indicators so that you can make a successful purchase and avoid discomfort and disappointment during the training process. A wide selection of branded sports equipment can be found on the pages of the catalog of the online store “League of Sports”, where you can also buy bags, cases and backpacks for lawn tennis at a low price.

Holding the racket in your hand, you should feel it as a natural extension of the brush. The purpose of choosing an inventory is to transfer the energy of your hand movements to the ball as accurately and efficiently as possible and at the same time minimize the risk of injury. Completing the mission — to choose the right racket — begins with familiarization with the standard characteristics of sports equipment:

• weight;
• length;
• the area of the string surface;
• balance and composition of materials.

All these parameters are selected individually for players of different classes and different age categories.

We choose a tennis racket for the child, which is comfortable to hold

To make it comfortable for a child to hold a tennis racket, it must match his height and weight, therefore, models designed for children have such features:

• lightweight materials, for example, aluminum;
• short handle;
• increased area of the string surface. 

The last moment allows children to hit the ball with greater accuracy. When the kids grow up and move to the next age group, you can think about buying adult tennis equipment, but in its lightweight version. When a young tennis player is 100-130 cm tall, the weight of his racket should remain in the range of 150-195 g. With a height of 135-145 cm, the inventory can already reach a weight of 200-255 g.

Features of choosing tennis equipment for beginners 

If you are going to make a purchase for an adult, you will have to consistently study the following product characteristics:

• Composition. There are several options — pure graphite or composite (an alloy of graphite and titanium).
• Length. Women are recommended to buy lightweight models (245-275 g), which are much more convenient to hold, and men — heavier (up to 300 g). The impact force directly depends on the weight of the product. Armed with a heavy model, you will be able to deliver powerful blows, but for a novice player, improving technique is much more important than developing strength.
• The head of the racket. By standards, its size varies in the range of 645 cm2-680 cm2. It should be borne in mind that increasing the surface area, although it makes it easier to hit the ball, nevertheless contributes to a decrease in the accuracy of strikes. The principle is simple: less head — more precisely a blow.
• The handle. Depending on the size of the handle, they are numbered from 1 to 5. One and two are children’s options that will also be comfortable for women with small palms. The three and four are designed for adults, and the five are for tall men with large palms. 

When choosing a handle, you can use the generally accepted rule — with the full circumference of the handle, a finger-wide distance should be kept unoccupied with the palm. However, the main criterion is always the personal comfort of the player.

How to choose the best rackets for amateur athletes for regular classes

If you already have a solid experience of the game and go out on the court at least 2-3 times a week to practice, the choice of a tennis racket will be based on the following criteria:

• The area of the string surface. The string tension stiffness directly depends on its size. Strong tension allows you to hit the ball harder, but reduces control over it. The best option will be an area of up to 645 cm2 and a rigid stretch. This choice will allow you to successfully resist an opponent equal or superior to you in power.
• The composition of the strings. The strings themselves can be made of both natural materials and durable wear-resistant synthetics. Thanks to modern technologies, synthetic materials have long surpassed natural ones in terms of performance, and their price remains absolutely affordable. Therefore, synthetics in this case is an excellent choice.
• The weight of the racket. If you are interested in the impact power and have a standard build, you can buy a model weighing from 300 grams, which are usually chosen by professional players.
• Balance. It can be in the head, handle or in the center of the product. It is simply determined: place the middle of the racket on the index finger and see in which direction the displacement occurs — to the head or to the handle. The balance is preserved, which means that the balance is in the center.

The choice of balance matters for different styles of play. The attacking style and powerful serves require balance in the head, the game-defense — in the handle. Neutral is a universal option that allows you to freely change styles, attack and defend.

Professional rackets and their features

When the result of the game comes out in the first place, and victory in the tournament is at stake, the requirements for sports equipment are extremely tightened.

• Composition. It is not difficult to pick up a tennis racket for a professional in composition. Feel free to give preference to graphite with tungsten. As a rule, such models have an increased weight and a reduced head surface. The handle can also be long, which gives an experienced player some additional advantages.
• Balance. In models for top-class players, the balance is most often directed towards the head, but another option is also possible, determined by the style of play, when it is necessary to increase control over the ball and maneuverability.
• To ensure the maximum level of control, tennis professionals choose fairly heavy specimens weighing from 325 to 370 g with a small head size. Club players who have reached a steep level of skill compensate for the low power of such rackets by putting their own strength into the blow.

The length of rackets for professionals, as a rule, is standard and only in rare cases the handles are elongated.