Game is looking so much better already man! Loving the shape on your groundies now, I was using the pro staff v14 but it was just the wrong racquet for my game. Using the aero 98 with a one hand bh and somehow i love how whippy it is. Id also recommend trying the ezone as well and vcore cause yonex make some really great sticks
Thank you 🙏 the pro staff is a great racket just unforgiving, the aero is so much easier to use. Yeah I’m a big fan of yonex, their quality control is very good and the rackets are very easily matched.
Stick with the Extreme your swing seems much more relaxed/fluid with it. That will definitely add more confidence with your strokes. The RF is so heavy where if your wrist isn’t completely relaxed throughout it’s a guaranteed miss hit. I would add about 5 grams in lead tape. 3 grams at 12 , and 2 grams at 10 and 2. Some silicone at the grip(just fill the but cap) wouldn’t be a bad idea as well. Head rackets tend to have a much crisper feel that I think you will enjoy. I wouldn’t go the babolat route. I find them too stiff without enough feel. If you want to stick to head use Hawk Touch or my personal favourite which is Yonex poly tour pro 1.25. I would avoid 1.30 strings with stiff fast swinging rackets as they tend to bring up arm issues. I think 23/22 or 24/23kg with a soft string should be a good enough combo. Wishing you the best the up coming season!
Thank you 🙏 I’ve added some weight to the frame and dropped my tension slightly to 54, I think you’re right about the string, I’ve considered going to 1.25 lynx tour instead of 1.30 what I normally use. Thank you for the advice 👍
Hi, very cool video I also play head extreme pro 2024, put leather grip (it added 10g to the handle) and lead at 12 o'clock (5g) and 3/9 o'clock (3g), so the racket with strings came out to be 348g You say that you put leather grip and lead tape in the head (18g), then the racket should be heavier than 350g? Please clarify again, do you have 18g of lead tape glued to the head? And how much is glued to 12 o'clock and 3/9? Thank you very much for the answer!
Yes it is better to switch as your game upgrades. I played with blx one team and pro staff for almost 14 years but last year switched to Shift pro v1 due to elbow issues with the 340g pro staff. Dont know how pros stick to their old rackets for decades. Maybe they change the weight using led tapes.
Another awesome vid. Extreme Pro looks good on you. Good luck with your racquet journey and pre season. If you have any questions about the Pro, let me know.
@@boylol4415I guess that all depends on what you are trying to accomplish and where you want weight added and the feel in the grip. I have weight in the handle but I used lead. You can do the same thing with a leather grip. However if you just add the grip the racquet will feel more head light. That is fine if that is what you want. Make sense?
Good luck! How would you compare the Head Extreme with your old Pro Staff and the Blade V9? I play with the Blade now, which is on the soft and dampened side, but a good all-rounded. Always liked the Pro Staff but it is a bit harder to play at 315g weight and 97".
Compared to the blade v9 and the pro staff the extreme felt a lot easier to use, definitely a bigger sweet spot than the pro staff and it didn’t sacrifice too much feel on the ball either. Pro staff is a beautiful frame but hard to manoeuvre, with the head being at 305g it felt very easy to move and also at a good weight for me to fully customise
Fingers crossed for your gols :) I also want to switch my racqet (Blade 98 16x19) so I m super keen on your finall decision. It would be intresting to hear from you some racqet comparison, for me Blade vs Pro Staff for example 👍
Thank you 🙏 thank you, I’ll be testing a few more rackets over the next few weeks, the blade is a great choice, I’m going to all things tennis next week and will be comparing some rackets there 👍
Funny that just yesterday I've decided to ditch my Extreme tour racquets after 2 years. I tried everything with them, led in different places - leather grip - different strings. It did generate good pop and is a manoeuvrable racquet but the stability on return or fast balls was killing me. I've also had some slight arm issues when hitting everyday. For reference am almost 40 and my last futures tournament was almost 18 years ago.
Can you do an episode on why you have a single handed. Most juniors get recommended a double of course. Its weird you complain about your age, im almost double 43 and I don't notice.
I always think a leather grip adds abit of stability and enhances the feel of the racket. I personally add them onto any racket i use. I did also try this with the softer grip and it did still feel okay
I tried it with all things tennis a while ago, very funny racket to play with, powerful…as you’d expect, I had to string it pretty tight to keep it in the court, hit my serve massive with it tho
mate have you considered doubles first? to make some decent coin and then move over to singles more? I just think your skills are super suited to doubles already, you'd probs go straight to the top pretty quick.
Really hoping to see the customization video 😊 If you've put 15g at 3&9 that's double layered then? No lead at the top at all? Head leather grip or some other maybe? Some are thinner and lighter and others weigh a lot. Cheers @@seanplaystenis
My heart broke a little when you said you were switching away from the RF97 😩. It does look like you have more spin/speed on the ball on some of those shots you’re reaching for, though.
It’s been difficult to let go of something I’ve pretty much been using since I was 17. Such a good frame and a shame they didn’t continue it. But feeling like the head extreme gave me a lot more spin and manoeuvrability
I hustle 😂 I do some coaching and paid hitting on the side which I have documented a little bit in previous videos, I haven’t focused on it much recently as I’ve just been showing what my training is like etc
Sean, I know you answer a lot of messages (thank you), so I wanted to continue that, in the spirit of constructive feedback. When I look at a lot of training sessions that are often player led (and not coach led), I see a lot of rallying. I really dislike this, because I think you can get just as much volume from coach led sessions, but ALSO work on very specific goals. And I understand this would be prohibitively expensive, because coaches don't work for free. That said, I wanted to talk to you about YOUR specific training, and how you identify what you need to work on. When I look at some of your previous matches, I see repeated patterns where you win points, and repeated patterns where you lose points. Do you yourself go through these, and identify the same? Because where you see those patterns, it makes sense to try to focus on the winning patterns (and do more of them), and to also identify the losing patterns and either not get into that position in the first place, or try to work on different shot options. So: Question: Is that something you work on actively?
Hi Rob, yeah completely agree, I need to be aware of the patterns that are working well, I’ve been going through matches and have a lot of ideas about where to go with my game. It’s just getting the matches in and being brave enough to stick to patterns in the moment Yeah definitely would like to have individual sessions but it’s just more expensive, I agree the specifics are very important, when I get some financial backing it’s definitely something I’ll invest in
@@seanplaystenis Again, thanks for coming back to me. I will say, I know I commented on some previous matches early when you started to get more competition volume in, and said at the time that you weren't hitting through your backhand. I'm really happy to see that this looks like it has improved. In your practice, you look like you're striking the ball well, though for me, its a very controlled shot, and not really struck with full power / venom. I would love to see you do some practice sessions where you actively try to hit the ball maybe 10-20% harder. You know the first few sessions will be a disaster, because you're doing something you don't normally do. But after awhile, you would get the hang of it, and then you would have a much more powerful shot in your toolkit. The question would become, WHEN to use that. That would be a discretionary shot, when you have time on the ball. If struck well, it would be something that could really damage anyone, and either win the point outright, or setup your next shot. Please have a think about striking the backhand harder. You've improved it already from previous matches, and I'd love to see that improvement continue, to the point where it becomes an absolute weapon.
RF97A is the best racket on the market. It is a shame you dropped it. To find smth close to it (impossible really) you need a racket with stiff throat and shoulders and this is definitely not Head Extreme. More like Radical Pro, Babolat Aero VS. But definitely not Extreme. It’s also muted like hell while RF97A is crisp and provides great feedback when you strike the ball.
@seanplaystenis Absolutely ,don't give up. Keep trying for a few more years atleast. I have given my 15 year old son end of January 2025. Who has zero ITF junior ranking and if he is not ranked around 200 in junior ITF ranking by then it will be end of his tennis journey . He just training again after been out due to injury. He is beating 10 ,11UTR boys in practice but that hasn't translated into the tournament yet. He played a ATP ranked player with 13 UTR today. And after being 2-2 and love 30 up, he lost the set 6-2. So the ability is there but it doesn't mean anything if the results doesn't come in. I hope he does it now that he is finally putting in the effort required to succeed.
Do it without fear. Just a message of encouragement, I've been there and I know that there can be very difficult days.
Just go. You can do it.
Cheers
Thank you for your kind words 🙏 I love this game and I have no plans to stop. Let’s do it 💪
Game is looking so much better already man! Loving the shape on your groundies now, I was using the pro staff v14 but it was just the wrong racquet for my game. Using the aero 98 with a one hand bh and somehow i love how whippy it is. Id also recommend trying the ezone as well and vcore cause yonex make some really great sticks
Thank you 🙏 the pro staff is a great racket just unforgiving, the aero is so much easier to use. Yeah I’m a big fan of yonex, their quality control is very good and the rackets are very easily matched.
new racket looking 🔥
also looks like the added spin gives you more consistency and safety in your shots
Thank you, the extreme is a beast
Good work! Keep it up and good luck next season
Thank you 🙏 really appreciate it 🙏
Stick with the Extreme your swing seems much more relaxed/fluid with it. That will definitely add more confidence with your strokes. The RF is so heavy where if your wrist isn’t completely relaxed throughout it’s a guaranteed miss hit. I would add about 5 grams in lead tape. 3 grams at 12 , and 2 grams at 10 and 2. Some silicone at the grip(just fill the but cap) wouldn’t be a bad idea as well. Head rackets tend to have a much crisper feel that I think you will enjoy. I wouldn’t go the babolat route. I find them too stiff without enough feel. If you want to stick to head use Hawk Touch or my personal favourite which is Yonex poly tour pro 1.25. I would avoid 1.30 strings with stiff fast swinging rackets as they tend to bring up arm issues. I think 23/22 or 24/23kg with a soft string should be a good enough combo. Wishing you the best the up coming season!
Thank you 🙏 I’ve added some weight to the frame and dropped my tension slightly to 54, I think you’re right about the string, I’ve considered going to 1.25 lynx tour instead of 1.30 what I normally use. Thank you for the advice 👍
@@seanplaystenisI’m thinking about using lynx tour how is the feel or feedback from the ball is it crisp or very muted
Looking good Sean!
Thank you 🙏
Head make great racquets also.. good luck with the new stick 🎉
They are very good I agree, thank you 🙏
Man I don't know if it's the racquet change, but your game seem a loot better, more fluid, and hope to improve a lot your game! BTW looks amazing!
Thank you 🙏 very kind of you to say so. Really enjoying the head extreme, massive sweet spot and very easy to play with
Aero 98 or extreme pro are the two best modern control rackets. Plenty of spin and control too.
Im a big fan of the extreme, really enjoy using it at the moment 👍
how about the aero 100? do you think that it's good for a one-hander backhand?
Good luck for the season mate !
Thank you 🙏 appreciate it
Hi, very cool video
I also play head extreme pro 2024, put leather grip (it added 10g to the handle) and lead at 12 o'clock (5g) and 3/9 o'clock (3g), so the racket with strings came out to be 348g
You say that you put leather grip and lead tape in the head (18g), then the racket should be heavier than 350g?
Please clarify again, do you have 18g of lead tape glued to the head? And how much is glued to 12 o'clock and 3/9? Thank you very much for the answer!
Some big hitting there mate! Hope you had plenty of coffee to refuel and recover😂👍☕️☕️☕️
Thank you mate, it was a tough day tbh I think I only had 2…rookie numbers 😂😂
@seanplaystenis that is rookie mate. I had 5 strong coffees today😂😂🤣☕️
Yes it is better to switch as your game upgrades. I played with blx one team and pro staff for almost 14 years but last year switched to Shift pro v1 due to elbow issues with the 340g pro staff. Dont know how pros stick to their old rackets for decades. Maybe they change the weight using led tapes.
Definitely, I’d make it as easy as possible by choosing a racket that gives you more of an advantage or comfortable
Another awesome vid. Extreme Pro looks good on you. Good luck with your racquet journey and pre season. If you have any questions about the Pro, let me know.
Quick question would you recommend a leather grip on this?
@@boylol4415I guess that all depends on what you are trying to accomplish and where you want weight added and the feel in the grip. I have weight in the handle but I used lead. You can do the same thing with a leather grip. However if you just add the grip the racquet will feel more head light. That is fine if that is what you want. Make sense?
Thank you 🙏 really enjoying the racket 💪 hope things are going well with you 👍
Thank you 🙏 really enjoying the racket 💪 hope things are going well with you 👍
Youve got such good volleys and a big serve ideed more serve and goley would be awesome. Im thinking cressy...
W Ella's meal prep! First tournament win = ring for Ella💍
First tournament win marry Ella.
I agree with both of these comments 😭😂
She may be waiting a while 😂
@@seanplaystenis Now that's what I call believing in yourself.
Good luck! How would you compare the Head Extreme with your old Pro Staff and the Blade V9? I play with the Blade now, which is on the soft and dampened side, but a good all-rounded. Always liked the Pro Staff but it is a bit harder to play at 315g weight and 97".
Compared to the blade v9 and the pro staff the extreme felt a lot easier to use, definitely a bigger sweet spot than the pro staff and it didn’t sacrifice too much feel on the ball either. Pro staff is a beautiful frame but hard to manoeuvre, with the head being at 305g it felt very easy to move and also at a good weight for me to fully customise
Thank you 🙏
Fingers crossed for your gols :) I also want to switch my racqet (Blade 98 16x19) so I m super keen on your finall decision. It would be intresting to hear from you some racqet comparison, for me Blade vs Pro Staff for example 👍
Thank you 🙏 thank you, I’ll be testing a few more rackets over the next few weeks, the blade is a great choice, I’m going to all things tennis next week and will be comparing some rackets there 👍
Funny that just yesterday I've decided to ditch my Extreme tour racquets after 2 years. I tried everything with them, led in different places - leather grip - different strings. It did generate good pop and is a manoeuvrable racquet but the stability on return or fast balls was killing me. I've also had some slight arm issues when hitting everyday. For reference am almost 40 and my last futures tournament was almost 18 years ago.
Keep up the grind and you will see the results in 2025!
Thank you 🙏 I’ll do my best 💪
Can you do an episode on why you have a single handed. Most juniors get recommended a double of course. Its weird you complain about your age, im almost double 43 and I don't notice.
As soon as i am abt to switch racket my fav yt goes to the same one. Quick question would you recommend a leather grip on it?
I always think a leather grip adds abit of stability and enhances the feel of the racket. I personally add them onto any racket i use. I did also try this with the softer grip and it did still feel okay
have you tried the vcore95 by chance? probably underpowered for your game but I'm curious what your thoughts would be
I haven’t actually, I’ll see if I can get one from ATT, would be keen to review it
Have you ever used the latest head boom pro?
I tried it with all things tennis a while ago, very funny racket to play with, powerful…as you’d expect, I had to string it pretty tight to keep it in the court, hit my serve massive with it tho
Let's go champ 🤝
When did you start playing Sean ?
Tennis is brutal even at lower levels.
Started playing at age 10, played pro since I was 18 so about 8 years now
Shame you don’t win tournaments for technique. Your ground strokes are a thing of beauty.
Let's go Sean
mate have you considered doubles first? to make some decent coin and then move over to singles more? I just think your skills are super suited to doubles already, you'd probs go straight to the top pretty quick.
Great point, my doubles skills definitely need to be enhanced, I could easily transfer my game into doubles. Will just take a while and some matches
How did you customize your Extreme Pro as in how much you put at 12, 3, and 9?
I put about 15 grams at 3 and 9, and a leather grip, all in it was about 350g. I’ll do a video soon going through specs.
@seanplaystenis lookin forward to it. Curious about the balance too.
Really hoping to see the customization video 😊 If you've put 15g at 3&9 that's double layered then? No lead at the top at all? Head leather grip or some other maybe? Some are thinner and lighter and others weigh a lot. Cheers @@seanplaystenis
My heart broke a little when you said you were switching away from the RF97 😩. It does look like you have more spin/speed on the ball on some of those shots you’re reaching for, though.
It’s been difficult to let go of something I’ve pretty much been using since I was 17. Such a good frame and a shame they didn’t continue it. But feeling like the head extreme gave me a lot more spin and manoeuvrability
With not much income coming in , how do you manage it ?
I hustle 😂 I do some coaching and paid hitting on the side which I have documented a little bit in previous videos, I haven’t focused on it much recently as I’ve just been showing what my training is like etc
Sean, I know you answer a lot of messages (thank you), so I wanted to continue that, in the spirit of constructive feedback.
When I look at a lot of training sessions that are often player led (and not coach led), I see a lot of rallying. I really dislike this, because I think you can get just as much volume from coach led sessions, but ALSO work on very specific goals. And I understand this would be prohibitively expensive, because coaches don't work for free. That said, I wanted to talk to you about YOUR specific training, and how you identify what you need to work on.
When I look at some of your previous matches, I see repeated patterns where you win points, and repeated patterns where you lose points. Do you yourself go through these, and identify the same? Because where you see those patterns, it makes sense to try to focus on the winning patterns (and do more of them), and to also identify the losing patterns and either not get into that position in the first place, or try to work on different shot options.
So: Question: Is that something you work on actively?
Hi Rob, yeah completely agree, I need to be aware of the patterns that are working well, I’ve been going through matches and have a lot of ideas about where to go with my game. It’s just getting the matches in and being brave enough to stick to patterns in the moment
Yeah definitely would like to have individual sessions but it’s just more expensive, I agree the specifics are very important, when I get some financial backing it’s definitely something I’ll invest in
@@seanplaystenis Again, thanks for coming back to me. I will say, I know I commented on some previous matches early when you started to get more competition volume in, and said at the time that you weren't hitting through your backhand. I'm really happy to see that this looks like it has improved.
In your practice, you look like you're striking the ball well, though for me, its a very controlled shot, and not really struck with full power / venom.
I would love to see you do some practice sessions where you actively try to hit the ball maybe 10-20% harder. You know the first few sessions will be a disaster, because you're doing something you don't normally do. But after awhile, you would get the hang of it, and then you would have a much more powerful shot in your toolkit. The question would become, WHEN to use that.
That would be a discretionary shot, when you have time on the ball. If struck well, it would be something that could really damage anyone, and either win the point outright, or setup your next shot.
Please have a think about striking the backhand harder. You've improved it already from previous matches, and I'd love to see that improvement continue, to the point where it becomes an absolute weapon.
the backhand of the hitting partner in the first 200 seconds is horrendous.
Ay-up, which Sheffield club are at? I play S&D Div 1 and 2. 😁 . This looks like Abbeydale
It is abbeydale, great club, love training there 💪
RF97A is the best racket on the market. It is a shame you dropped it. To find smth close to it (impossible really) you need a racket with stiff throat and shoulders and this is definitely not Head Extreme. More like Radical Pro, Babolat Aero VS. But definitely not Extreme. It’s also muted like hell while RF97A is crisp and provides great feedback when you strike the ball.
It’s a shame because the rf 97 isnt made anymore, have to buy them second hand, I just think eventually will have to switch, beautiful racket tho
Can I buy your old RFs. I'm size 4.
I sold a few on EBay, I have a few more to be listed soon 👍
I sold a few on EBay, I have a few more to be listed soon 👍
@@seanplaystenis Nice shout me here i'll buy for sure
Didnt miss a ball 😂
😂 that’s the aim, not always achieved
I like your content, you are a nice guy but do something for you for your future, Tennis is a brutal expensive sport.
I see what you’re saying but it’s what I want to do 💪
@seanplaystenis Absolutely ,don't give up. Keep trying for a few more years atleast.
I have given my 15 year old son end of January 2025. Who has zero ITF junior ranking and if he is not ranked around 200 in junior ITF ranking by then it will be end of his tennis journey .
He just training again after been out due to injury.
He is beating 10 ,11UTR boys in practice but that hasn't translated into the tournament yet.
He played a ATP ranked player with 13 UTR today. And after being 2-2 and love 30 up, he lost the set 6-2.
So the ability is there but it doesn't mean anything if the results doesn't come in.
I hope he does it now that he is finally putting in the effort required to succeed.