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United States1323 Posts
Little info about how i play and such incuded.
Ok, im getting pretty serious about tennis and school now that i just started high school. I want this racquet- The Racquet I Want but im not to sure on the grip/head size. And the strings, im not to familiar with. The reason I want this racquet is not only b/c Roger Federer uses it, but b/c it had a good review, my other racquet is too light, and it supposedly has good returns, slices, control, and groundstrokes which i mainly focus on. I am a power player and i try to kill every attempted shot that comes to me, which means almost all my shots are groundstrokes(of course i try to get them in too). I am a Federer fanboy and i do try to mimic him(i have a one-handed backhand too  ), but this racquet is strictly for me and my own benefit. Im about 5'5, 14, and i weigh around 100-108 (if this helps any), and my hands arent that big. I am not as weak as people think i am considering my size, so dont say shit like, "ohhh its too heavy for you!!" No its not. just help me find a good racquet, and if it is too heavy, thats why i work out.
I need strings that are durable(wont move around even if i hit hard) yet can provide good power shots to fit my playing style.
If yall have any racquet suggestion plz let me know.
Alrighty then this edit is b/c most of yall think im a beginner.
I have been playing for years, i can hit consistently without making to many errors. I know what im doing, and when i said i was just now getting serious, i meant that i want to get much better then i already am, and im hoping this racquet can helpe me to improve my game style. I do thank yall for your constrctive critisism though.
May 27, 2008 Edit- well going through all my blogs and updating whichever ones I feel like updating.
Just letting yall know when I did write this, I sucked and only thought I was good. I've changed alot and know what "Tennis" is now. My tennis insight has grown to a point where it is unbelievable how much I learned in just one year. But to the point..... So basically I bought it (the K90), played well for a little bit, but yea it was too much for me THEN. Now I've gotten ALOT better and can play against pretty good people. But yea, I'm still a newby trying to grow.
May 24,2009
Using the Dunlop AG 4D 300 16x19 !
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haha. you are like many other federer fanboys.
i do not know if you will take my advice, but do not buy the racket if you have not played for over 4 years or unless you really think you can play on a 4.0 or higher level.
the k factor rackett federer uses arent meant for a lot of rookie tennis players, and if you want a suggestion for a racket, then..reply with your play style. and you should NOT use rackets that you feel are too heavy for you. either way, k factor is highly NOT recommended.
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GrandInquisitor
New York City13113 Posts
From your post, I really really really do NOT think you are at all a good player.
Now, I might be totally wrong, offbase, prejudicial, etc - but I'm fairly confident I am accurate in this assessment. (I mean, anyone who buys a racket like that and thinks that the strings "come with" the racket probably falls under this.) For example, do you know your NTRP rating? Have you ever heard of it? Have you asked someone *good* what your NTRP rating would be - NOT googled what it was and placed yourself on it? If your answer to the above questions is no, then it matters shit what racket you use.
If anything, that racket is one of the worst possible rackets for you. I am not being mean - simply honest. Those rackets with super small head sizes and heavy weights (not that you can't lift it - of course you can, it's still <1lb ffs - but that you don't have the mechanics to handle a heavy racket yet) are unforgiving to poorer players who can't handle it. Unless you genuinely have a good swing and can hit the ball in exactly the same way every time, that racket simply does not give you the pace and spin that a player of your caliber almost certainly needs from his racket.
This isn't mocking you or anything. I'm just pointing out that the racket you are looking at is an advanced racket and one unlikely to be the "best fit" for you.
Now - granted, a lot of that theory (of what is a good racket for a beginner and what is a good racket for an advanced player) is bullshit, insofar as you will never win a match that you should have lost simply because of your racket. You can probably still play fine with that racket (even though it's about an advanced player racket as it gets) - but if that's the case, don't bother posting for help on this forum about what racket to buy. Just get one and play with it. (I would suggest playing with some friends' rackets and seeing which one you like best.)
As an FYI: worse players generally have shorter swings and therefore require more power and spin to be generated by their racket to be competitive. (You probably think you hit really hard - you probably actually don't. There's a difference between how hard you *can* hit it and how you hard you *do* hit it on break point, down love-forty, in the third set tiebreak.) THeir rackets are lighter and are usually longer and/or have larger head sizes (for example over 100 sq in). A more advanced player can generate his own power and spin - to him, what is more important, is that the racket will hit to the same place every time he hits the ball the same way. A beginner doesn't worry about this, since he never hits the ball the same way any two times anyway, but a more advanced player has polished their stroke to the point where if they played with a beginner's power racket they lose too far much control. Their rackets are heavier, generally shorter, and have smaller head sizes (for example around 90 sq in - like this one). And as a frame of reference, Pete Sampras was legendary for playing with a "log" with about an 80 sq in head face - tiny even by professional standards.
This doesn't really have *that* much of an impact, most rackets are still the same. But that's the underlying concept anyway.
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Listen to them. Unless you are good you will be better off with more of a tweener raquet.
From the review at tennis-warehouse:
Jon - "The KSix-One Tour 90 would be well suited for the 5.0+ player looking for new technology with an old school feel. This racquet is definitely not for your average player. I was supremely impressed with this stick, but I don't think I could switch to this racquet quite yet. It's still a little (OK, probably A LOT) beyond my ability. The KFactor 90 does have some advantages over its predecessors. I would definitely suggest giving this racquet a look if you are a 5.0+ looking to replace a previous Tour 90 model, or if your ready to make the jump into a Tour level racquet."
If you are just getting serious about tennis, you are nowhere near a 5.0 caliber player.
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You should definitley demo before you buy; TW has a great demo program that allows you to demo 4 racquets at a time. I wouldn't recommend the K90 to a beginner or to someone who can't supply all of their own power. If you want a racquet that will compliment your abilities, you should probably look elsewhere.
It would be best to demo racquets with varying specs so you can get a good feel for what suits you. Maybe something like this http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/descpageRCBAB-BAPDC.html would be a good fit for you.
As for strings, polyester strings are what you want: durable, and they don't move. Some of the better polys include Luxilon Big Banger Alu, Pro Supex Big Ace, Signum Pro Poly Plasma, and Topspin Cyber Power.
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GrandInquisitor is 100% correct. and if i may add, i recommend a demo before you buy too. you know why? out of all our suggestions, k factor has a small possibility of being the best racket for you. but go ahead and try tweener rackets that give more power than control, such as babolat pure drive series or a yonex rds-003.
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United States1323 Posts
Yo GI u are pretty much right. Im NOT a beginner though for those who thought so. Im just a freashman in the varsity class and have been in the line up before, i know how to play and i know what im doing. i know how to hit, and i know how to how certain shots. GI it would be much apreciated if u could explain the NTRP rating to me, and other things that i should know about.
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United States24767 Posts
On September 16 2007 12:47 In)Spire wrote:
Yo GI u are pretty much right. Im NOT a beginner though for those who thought so. Im just a freashman in the varsity class and have been in the line up before, i know how to play and i know what im doing. i know how to hit, and i know how to how certain shots. GI it would be much apreciated if u could explain the NTRP rating to me, and other things that i should know about.
A few seconds in google yields http://www.usta.com/leagues/custom.sps?iType=930&icustompageid=1237 which I think has what you want.
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When people say a racket is too heavy for you, they mean that you cannot generate the racket speed necessary to be effective with your racket. Just because you can pick it up and work out still doesn't mean a heavy racket is good for you. For instance, you don't want to be volleying and unable to whip your racket from side to side because it's too heavy. I have played quite a bit of tennis and I strongly urge you to choose a different racket. Other rackets that I would look at are the new prince rackets with the open grommits. (I forgot the name of them, I think 03, but Sharapova and a couple other pros use them). These rackets are much more forgiving, lighter, and have a good blend of balance and power. Also, if you want a heavy racket still because you think it's "cool" look into Dunlop rackets (james blake's 200 aerogel) and the babolat pure drive (andy roddick's). These rackets are good all around and much more forgiving than the Wilson. They will suit you just fine as a beginner while you progress. Strings are all preference, but I like Babolat's reel from TW.
In my experience with Wilson, their rackets are good but some are difficult to play with. For example, when I first started I really liked Pete Sampras and tried to play with his prostaff 6.0. It was a great racket but I couldn't play with it. It was not very forgiving in offcenter hits and a bit heavy. However, when you hit the ball cleanly the racket was simply amazing. It was probably one of the best rackets I have ever used, but it was hard to play consistently good with that racket. Instead, I bought one of the new Dunlop 200Gs and it really helped my play and developed good forehand/backhand technique.
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Well you say you want info about grip/head size. Seems to me there's only one head size for that racket and it's tiny.
In regards to grip size - what do you play with now? Do you like it? Do you want it bigger or smaller? That answers your question.
Strings: you want a durable string that can get some touch. Now I've always played with Prince strings just because that's what was available to me, but I'd recommend either Tour Blend or Pro Blend.
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EPT
