All of us tennis players love to update and customise our racquets and gear. But how can you make sure you are doing things correct, and are all customisations really necessary?
Let’s look at the top 5 racquet mistakes we often see players do.
- Focusing too much on the gear, too demanding setup
Sometimes we’re focusing too much on the gear instead of learning the correct technique for what we are trying to achieve. You can’t control the lighter racquets, so you go for a heavy and demanding one? This can lead to other issues, instead of focusing on why you can’t control the more powerful, light racquets, such as your footwork or spin technique. - Using your favorite players preferred gear
This is actually more common than you might think. What your idol on the tour is using will most likely not work as well with your own game. Especially when we see average players using a combination of stiff racquet and stiff strings, such as most modern frames with stiff polyester strings. This can lead to issues such as tennis elbow or wrist problems. - Playing with old strings, or factory strings.
First of all, don’t play with the factory strings, as they are usually not that great and it’s better to find your own setup anyhow. When you play with polyester strings, make sure not to leave them for too long as they lose their elasticity and they can even cause injuries. With multifilament strings you can most often play until they break. - Putting lead tape everywhere
This is a bit similar to the first point in the list, where many players try to take short cuts, this time by adding lead tape and adding to the weight in all kind of places to increase stability. Yes, racquet innovation is improving our game, but if you instead work on your technique and improve your overall game, you will probably be able to use a standard, lighter racquet and still hit the ball well, with more control and confidence. - Not changing the grips
This is something many players need to look at much more. Changing the grip is not expensive and make a big difference, sometimes it feels like a new racquet! You will get rid of all that slippery feel. Especially if you’re using an over-grip, it’s even cheaper to change this from time to time.
These are our tips for avoiding the most common mistakes with your tennis racquets.
