I give this lecture to many of the young players of today. For a moment I thought he read my speeches! ;-) This is a cogent discussion on how the modern game evolved mostly because of the racket and string technology. Players decades ago could not hit many of the shots now possible. Fitness improvements have also happened but they explain a much smaller part of the evolution of tennis since the 1970's and 1980's. Tennis Spin hit this one right on the head.
As a junior I was on a contract with Puma and played with Becker Pro, now as a senior aged 45 I play with Pure Strikes, I recently picked up an old Puma Becker Pro and oh my god it is so heavy I dont know how the hell I ever played with it without breaking my wrist!!
Love your passion and attention to detail. Keep making this videos, I’m loving it 🎾 💪 ( and like someone said, I appreciate you using the metric system)
I kind of disagree, it depends on the individual... a grip to small grip can cause over tightening of the hand to keep hold of the grip and then cause arm and wrist issues... in the pro game there is no standard, some use big handles, some use small handles, it’s all personal taste and techniques can be done with any size grip as long as the grip is the right size for the individual...
Agreed. This guy never mentioned how big are your hands!! I have big hands use a big grip with two full grips on it and can produce heaps of top spin and his idea that you can't allow the racket to come around on the follow through is nonsense.
Agree. For me, I preferred slightly bigger grip at one time I had to hit with a lighter racket due to injury. Now I am back to my regular 12 ounce racket and i prefer one size smaller. Heavier ones vibrate less and feel less jarring at impact.
Eric Y you won’t be able to create topspin like the pros even if your grip is small. It’s all personal preference, as too small of a grip can cause injuries.
I used to play with the original Jack Kramer pro staff. I remember the 4 1/2 or 4 5/8 grip also. This was in 1980. I was also taught the shake hands grip deal, but I was taught to move a knuckle up for the backhand.
@Eric Y The fact that you used the term "wrist snap" is a barometer of your tennis knowledge and perhaps rocket science. I think grip type, swing shape, hand size, and comfort are all factors. If we don't look at it scientifically, how do you propose we discuss it? Grip a pencil, have someone pull it from your grasp. Now perform the same experiment with a tennis racquet. Because of the larger contact area on the grip, you can use less force to hold the racquet than the pencil. Let's call that a "tennis science" experiment.🙂
I used to use 4 3/4s back in the 1970s and 1980s and then went down to 4 3/8s in the 2000s as I read that it's helpful for a more modern game and better for the larger racquets. I went from a precision player to a topspin player and smaller grips made that easier. The downside is that it can result in more arm problems. But I'm all set with 4 3/8s these days. I do the Flexbar to keep the arm problems away.
thank you very much for fantastic video! I am so with you on the volleys with smaller grips, 4-1/2 old Head grips on Prestige Pro were the best for that.
Dunlop max 200g was the first mass produced racquet, I think? McEnroe used it. I had it as a teenager, didn't even think of the grip size! But it was a beast of a tool to use.
There's a great article around that larger grip sizes can increase hitting force. Alcaraz is a good example, he's not very tall but using a Grip 4. He prob. can produce more power with a thicker grip than with a smaller grip. It really depends on the individual, but bigger grips tend to give you more relaxed stability. U don't need to grip as tight for a stable feel..
Tennis spin,Great topic of gripsize bigger or smaller..,,We here at XTP Xtended Tennis Product butt cap company are finding our best used cap now is the L2,then the L3 then L4..But pickleball players using the the smaller L2 cap for sure. XTP Xtended butt caps allow players to Xtened their length of their racquet by simply changing the factory butt cap to the XTP butt cap and adding half an inch to the overall length, so a standard 27 inch racquet now becomes a XL version of itself at 27.5 inches. This way of customizing ANY RACQUET by installing the XTP cap can give you the feel of playing with a totally different racquet just by adding half an inch. Thanks for your time in breaking down how important gripsize is.truly.jk
I would also add the footnote that the wood racket he is using has an unstrung weight of 13 ounces. Remember that would be a "light" wood racket for that era and this explains to some degree why the swing weight seemed reasonable. Woods came in "light medium", "medium", and "heavy" in those days. Advanced players used the heavier rackets and used 5/8 or 3/4 grips otherwise the racket would turn in your hand. It was the era of blood blisters and tennis elbow (and a disproportionately large dominant forearm!). I have done swing weight tests (and Tennis Warehouse has some good data). The standard rackets typically had swing weights around 365 to 375 unless you added more weight (e.g. stock Adidas GTX Pro racket was 13.7 ounces strung, 70 sq inches, and 370 swing weight). They were handle heavy and not maneuverable. There was no flicking of the wrist and open stance groundstrokes.
I disagree with you that there were no open stances. Please watch any video in the 70, 80, any player, and you´ll see they used open stances all the time (Ashe, Stan Smith, Manuel Orantes, Víctor Pecci, Eddie Dibbs, Harold Solomon, of course Borg, Laver, Connors). All of them used mainly open stances. Watch videos from the 60´s, the same thing. Of course I´m talking about pros. I remember teachers in the 80´s teaching the closed stance. But when you were in matches, you couldn´t use the closed stance anymore, except when you were plenty of time. Today, Federer, Nadal, when have time, they use a neutral stance, for precision.
@@miguelbarahona6636 I respectfully disagree that "All of them used mainly open stances". Maybe we are not agreeing on what open stance is such as used by Djokovic. Open stance means your left leg (on a right-handed forehand) and right leg are nearly in line with each other on the baseline, your torso is facing the opponent. OF course open stance existed back then (all shots existed back then), but these were NOT the main or preferred strokes for 99% of players core game even at the pro level. One used open stance in a crunch. Most of the players you note did NOT use open stance in fact as their bread and butter shot. They used varying degrees of partial open stance but all turned sideways before striking the ball. Some players opened up more than others particularly clay court masters such as Borg whose games was highly atypical (and his coaches had to be dissuaded from eradicating his unusual stroke production). He can found using true open stance more than any other player but reviewing each of those players, including Harold Solomon whom I knew, did not use open stance (go back and watch him play Borg). Pecci on red clay leaned back on his right leg but he is clearly sideways before transferring his left foot to partial open. Orantes clearly turns sideways playing Borg on review. Stan Smith clearly turns sideways on review. Lendl used a very close compact stance on his forehand as a comparator. If you consider partially opening up as open stance then everyone uses open stance because you have to transfer your core momentum to the left to some degree. Let's disagree on this. Now get out there and enjoy tennis. Cheers.
@@ClearMindedOne Yes, I´m considering partially open as a open or neutral stances. By definition those aren´t closed stances, so I think I´m not so wrong. I can´t go out to enjoy playing tennis, we are still in quarantine. But, as soon as can I will. Cheers!
Borg won his first Wimbledon in 1975 using a wood racket small grip & playing as you all know topspin! I played with that racket with a small grip and i remember being able to hit some good angles with topspin, i also remeber compared to my racket today it actually felt more whippy, not sure, probably due to a number of reasons, i was fitter younger and my wrist was more flexible lol! & compared to rackets today they might have been heavier but it was probably more headlight. Some swing weights for rackets that weighed in around the 320g strung are shockingly high! I bought a wilson blade countervail a few years ago, it weighed 328g & only 2pts HL ! shocking QC Wilson at 55 was getting pretty tired swinging it for 2 hours of singles! Ended up taking the bumper off it reduced the weight to 320g & 4 points HL which made a huge difference in playability. One last point before taking the bumper off, i played some guys who played modern game, what i found when i hit the ball full on with little spin, the plough through & weight of shot forced error from them, the ball kept low, and heavy! top spinners don't like this! however on the flip side high balls were a nightmare for me, & taking the ball early consistently with a high swingweight racket is difficult as you get older!
Hi, 🙂 have you heard of a super vintage Tennis racquet called ‘ MASTERPLAY” with an image of a tennis player swinging a racquet, right in the center ? Please let me know. I have one with me right now. Thanks 🙏
Saw your comment, you sure man 4 1/4 on the pro staff is like the 4 3/4 on the head racket? I’m buying a pro staff online, need to know before i spend da money
3:00 It´s not true you can´t hit a forehand with continental and a open stance. Watch Laver, Rosewall, videos from 60´s, 70´s, they hit forehands 90% of the time with open stance. Watch every single video from the 70´s, and you´ll see players hitting with open or neutral stance. Borg brought heavy topspin on both sides by mid 70´s. I don´t know why people think modern play began in the 90´s. Open stance is used when you have less time, and the pace of the game since 60´s didn´t allow ´pro players to use closed stance anymore. Great video by the way. Loved the comparison of weights and swing weights.
Yes it's possible to hit topspin with wooden rackets, the point Mr TennisSpin was making is that it is more difficult because the chance of framing is higher with such a small head. Basically, if you have the timing of a professional you can play any shot with any racket, but for Joe Public hitting with the small wooden rackets is very difficult, whereas modern large rackets are much easier.
Back in the day, I settled on 4 5/8. 4 1/2? even back then I understood the potential for spin etc, but was way out of control, even tried 4 3/4 which felt like swinging a 2X4. I was clearly a 4 5/8 like knowing you're an XL shirt size. So now, poking around the market, at least on websites, the largest sizes I see are 4 1/2. What's a guy to do? and I'm in my 60s. changing stuff up is not trivial. months, maybe a year as a club level player. Changed up foot stance for serves and it has been a couple months and I'm just figuring it out. (Although I haven't really gone out with a bucket of balls yet which, granted, I need to do) Anyway, is it worth my time making the leap, or should I be good beating up on old guys (when they're not beating up on me) Frustrating b/c I wouldn't mind a touch more punch but to get that I'd need to restructure everything. Currently play with Prince O3 Hornets ~ 4.0 player.
4 1/2 is equal to 4 4/8, so you're only dropping down a size from 4 5/8 and if you find it too small/think you can add an over-grip, so if you think it will give you more racket choice, or if the largest size of your favorite racket is 4 1/2 then why not make the change?
Always some random guy that has to argue. He was just offering a counter point to the argument not a blanket statement that smaller grips = bad volleys. Good grief lighten up.
I dug up my old Dunlop Maxply McEnroe, and what do you know: a gripsize 5 ! It actually says: 'M5'. Back in the 80s you had 'Light' ('L'), 'Light-Medium' (LM') and 'Medium' ('M') weight categories. I had forgotten about that. Maybe that's why it's 397 grams strung (!) Graphite isn't necessarily lighter btw, my Prince CTS Thunderstick 110 weighs 385 g (strung) with an overgrip and a little protection tape, so no windshieldwiper forehands with that one either!
you dont flick your wrist at contact with the wooden racquet. I started playing in the 1960s. the principles are the same, whether 1960 or 2020. After contact with the ball, then you have options what you do with your arms and wrists.
i have an old head comp 3 Arthur Ashe at 5/8 ...it feels natural in my hands. a modern head instinct at 5/8 feels terrible i become more error-prone. real disappointment. cant be that hard to make rackets with different shaped grips for different hitters without all the tape and heat shrink.
Grew up with a Jack Kramer Autograph. I wish I'd have kept it now, would look good on the wall. Or maybe take it out to the courts and see how (much worse) my game is with about 50 square inches of stringbed. I'll bet if you nailed it in the sweetspot, though, that thing'd take off! Flat as a board, but fast? Oh yeah. Would more than make up for the other 9 times out of 10 that I shanked it.
Why does a bigger grip make it harder to roll the wrist? The highest rpm shot ever measured was one of Sampras’ kick serves at 5800 rpms he had a massive grip.
Watching Rod Laver against Ashe in 69 Wimbledon semi-final w/that tiny racquet is AMAZING, he hits shots 20 feet out of court 4 WINNERS like Nadal n Federer! IF u hvnt watched itsa MUST on bucket list of Greatest matches EVER..
The first professional tennis match that I watched live from behind the baseline was between Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall. Lever could play every shot , change spin and place it anywhere in the court. Rosewall hit backhand so smooth and consistent from anywhere on the court. I studied and copied Rosewall’s backhand because it was efficient, effective and consistent. Laver was one of the best players that I have watched play over the years. For his time “ The Rocket” was a great shot maker. Most important he won tennis matches and Grand Slams.
I’ve been playing competitive tennis for over 60 years. The pros on tv look like they are using larger grips counting the overgrip rather than smaller. I went from 45/8 wood to4 1/4 or 3/8 now. That is after a career of squash in college. I think they use a larger grip because they rarely come to the net and don’t need the maneuverability of the smaller grip.
funny thing is that some pros actually use cutsomized raquets that weigh as much as that strung wooden raquet at 372 grams i know pete sampras pro staff 85 was weighd in at almost 400 grams strung.
In the ‘70s and before we all only had wood; F=M*A so if you could swing it the ball really went. After the T2000 and the Head Edge head size went way up and shots started to change. But players frames were meant to mimic the “feel” of the old wood = flexible and head light. The real change was the Wilson Profile and then Hammer frames. These were the first “widebody”, head heavy, but really light frames. Only geared at the rec player. This is the real change. Then a generation grew up with frames closer to the “game improvement” sticks than old school frames. Hence we get Nadal and the others that play a completely different style and no more Serve & Volley.
I was playing with 4-3/8 for years until 4-1/4 after I read Nadal prefers smaller grip and my tennis completely changed for the better! Bettter wrist movement and more spin!
I play with a grip 3, but I am buying a new racket and they only have the grip 2 on sale....will I be able to build it up to size 3 just by adding a few grips on it? Will there be a difference?
It will add static weight (6g for each over grip), and it will drag the sweet spot down and decrease the power so u may need to add weight to hoop at 12' clock (at least 1 or 2gram) to keep the balance.
I was watching the "grip" show. Totally in disagreement with you. I am using custom build of 5 2/8 (remember Sempras?). I have no problem generating heavy spin - net work is great, serves as well. Following finger space on the grip. It is about hand size - and yes Nadal removes the grip but compensate with finger bandage (like wearing a golf glove) . Keep up the good work - I enjoy the subjects
Woods are flexible and hard to get balls deep and spin . If you click 88km with woods you are pro. Whilst with new technology one 150km is easy and 1500 rpm
The old saying was “play with the biggest grip you can hold” to give more control, because as you said, the strokes were flatter. Serena still plays with a Coke bottle size grip.
Using smaller grip than your hand is an advanced technique. I prefer half size smaller. But you have to sacrifice stability for faster racquet head speed. Racquet will twist a lot in your hand when you mishit or hit the ball off center. So you have to use non dominant hand to spin the racquet back to continental grip. It is something that I would never recommend for beginner or intermediate players.
Yeah, it's probably not a good idea to generalize what Rafa and Fed use to the general public, those guys surely have a hairline sense where the centroid(s) of the racket are.
Thats really interesting. And somewhat confusing and concerning all at the same time!! 😅 I just started pmaying tennis about 7 months now. I went and spoje with a 'tennis expert' at a local store. He told me to use the L3 or 4 3/8 size grip. This is too prevent tennis elbow. He Said the smaller grip will turn in my hand when in a volley and ill try to grip it harder. Which results in injury. And I have noticed I have a harder time now (new raquet) in turning the raquet and holding it there. As its a lot larger grip size. Have I misunderstood something? 🤔
I have an upcoming 600 plus page book "The History of US Tennis Instruction: 1874-2020." I document every popular tennis theory from the 19th century to present. I should send you some excerpts. You will be surprised. What today is called the ATP FH was used by all women and taught by all women. The SEAHS was used by pre World War one champions. In fact, the book proves that what is taught and used by top pros today was taught 120 years ago. Guga Kuerten used a 4 1/4 grip with no leather grip and just tournagrip on the bare handle. I know this because I worked for his developmental coach for over a decade and in the 1980s in a book he advocated using the smallest grip possible. When I asked him what made him advocate such, upon being invited to a card game in John Newcombe's room after a 1960's tournament he was playing in, he came into Newk's hotel room and picked up his rackets and was surprised Newk had shaved down the grips to 4 and 1/4. Newk told him it increased his feel. So players and coaches knew about the smaller grips even though Braden and Groppel in the 1980s were advocating larger grips. Email me at mtmcoach@hotmail.com if you would like to review some excerpts.
Great!. I agree, some people think topspin appeared in the 90´s and that semiwestern and western grips are "new". I´ve seen old tennis books and every single grip (continental, easterns, semi-westerns, westerns) is described there. People think open stance is "new", when it´s as old as tennis.
Exactly how does the grip size impact strokes / feel? I've always used and encouraged the use of a larger grip. I prefer the feeling of an open hand on the racquet. We must also keep in mind that the grip size must be in reference to the size of the players hand. Not just a number on the stick.
Hey I don’t want you to short circuit your brain but when you buy a tennis racket at a certain grip size you need to add 1/8 “ for base grip and 1/8”for over grip which means if you bought 4 1/4” it’s now 4 1/2” grip.
i wish racquet manufactures would make their rackets with grips fo old style hitters...taller for old style, and more equal for so-called modern players. i hate most racket grips and have to tweak them all the time.
Why does tennis have 100's of brands and configurations of rackets? one type of basketball, one type of baseball and just a few sizes in the bat, one football ....but tennis there are hundreds..
One of my theories looking for a new racket (which I haven't done in a long while) is that you basically compensate, more powerful racket? you probably slow it down to gain control, likewise, you might buy a racket "for more control" but it doesn't have as much power, well, if you're comfortable with it, you start swinging harder, trading off some of that control for more power. So, bottom line as long as you have something that's in your range you'll do OK. Last racket I bought was Prince O3 Hornet, pretty middle of the road which has served me well.
@@TheJhtlag I think you're on the right track. As I continue to learn and teach, I think it's important for players to be aware of what racquet best suits their style and level of play. I used to swing faster and needed more control from the racquet and strings. Now that I don't play singles, my style is much more about consistency, feel, while maintaining control. Bigger head, softer strings, lower tension. I believe the racquet should fit the swing not vice versa.
First of all your grip size doesn't have anything to do with your follow through. Secondly, if you're hitting a volley with a western grip, I would like to see you win a point at the net. You showed an eastern grip as a semi western. I think you should have a talk with a USPTA pro!
All about muscle memory I never had issues using a proper grip size when I was young just come bk playing with these modern rackets had problems using smaller grips(arm wrist & all my strokes gone to the dogs all bcos of smaller grips twisting & holding onto it this video is a load of rubbish
Firstly..... Be comfortable with the grip ...basically how it fits in your palm....ESPECIALLY for MEN..! Who seem to want to get racquet head speed etc..TOTALLY against the PHYSICS ..ALSO ...The EASTERN Grip and WESTERN grip and CONTINENTAL and SEMI-WESTERN and AUSTRALIAN grips are NOT taught to be held properly .....ALL these grip holds are being HELD with a little variation ..which makes for MORE errors PERIOD..! SO MOST of the shots in tennis ..especially at CLUBS are probably over 70% prone to mistakes than they are for correctness of the FORM of the stroke..! EACH Grip HOLD has a PARTICULAR style..footwork SET-UP..and hip cross section . ! Because of this ...NO ONE is taught to strike the ball with PRECISION ....There fore ALL issues show up.. Teaching PROS are mostly teaching by their 'TRIAL ' and ERROR' of themselves or their STUDENTS. NO PRO I know of teaches by PRECISION of the above Forms and Styles and Position. No ONE Teaches ANY SYSTEMATIC S ..nor SPECIFICS ..nor STYLES that accommodate the game..!
You said some intelligent things leading up to grip size, then you give ZERO evidence as to why a larger grip doesn't allow for more spin.. I play with a 4 5/8 grip. I get a crap ton of spin... It's the racquet, poly's, grip and the swing path. That's it.. Sorry. Not trying to be rude honestly.
Great content that is filling a hole in tennis content on youtube. Keep it up! Hope the shop is doing ok during these times.
I give this lecture to many of the young players of today. For a moment I thought he read my speeches! ;-) This is a cogent discussion on how the modern game evolved mostly because of the racket and string technology. Players decades ago could not hit many of the shots now possible. Fitness improvements have also happened but they explain a much smaller part of the evolution of tennis since the 1970's and 1980's. Tennis Spin hit this one right on the head.
As a junior I was on a contract with Puma and played with Becker Pro, now as a senior aged 45 I play with Pure Strikes, I recently picked up an old Puma Becker Pro and oh my god it is so heavy I dont know how the hell I ever played with it without breaking my wrist!!
Love your passion and attention to detail. Keep making this videos, I’m loving it 🎾 💪 ( and like someone said, I appreciate you using the metric system)
Nice ! I know it's more work but we appreciate the conversion to the metric system. Thanks
Nice video, one minor thing - It’s not a difficult conversion from centimetres to millimetres... just move the decimal point one digit to the right.
Even in 2021 the USA doesn't use and hence understand the metric system....
I started w/a dunlop maxply fort back in the 70s, thanks
I kind of disagree, it depends on the individual... a grip to small grip can cause over tightening of the hand to keep hold of the grip and then cause arm and wrist issues... in the pro game there is no standard, some use big handles, some use small handles, it’s all personal taste and techniques can be done with any size grip as long as the grip is the right size for the individual...
Agreed. This guy never mentioned how big are your hands!! I have big hands use a big grip with two full grips on it and can produce heaps of top spin and his idea that you can't allow the racket to come around on the follow through is nonsense.
Agree. For me, I preferred slightly bigger grip at one time I had to hit with a lighter racket due to injury. Now I am back to my regular 12 ounce racket and i prefer one size smaller. Heavier ones vibrate less and feel less jarring at impact.
Eric Y you won’t be able to create topspin like the pros even if your grip is small. It’s all personal preference, as too small of a grip can cause injuries.
Emboldened you do realise that your comment makes absolutely no sense!!!
ben gray In what way. Grips that are too small can cause wrist and elbow injuries. It’s a fact. People should use grips that suit their hand size.
I used to play with the original Jack Kramer pro staff. I remember the 4 1/2 or 4 5/8 grip also. This was in 1980. I was also taught the shake hands grip deal, but I was taught to move a knuckle up for the backhand.
Federer, Sampras, Agassi, use shake hands forehand grip (eastern).
With a smaller grip, I just feel like I need to grip the racket tighter, which tenses up my forearm.
I agree
@Eric Y smaller grip = less surface area for hand contact. Larger grip = more surface area and less force is required to hold the racquet.
@Eric Y No shit
@Eric Y The fact that you used the term "wrist snap" is a barometer of your tennis knowledge and perhaps rocket science.
I think grip type, swing shape, hand size, and comfort are all factors. If we don't look at it scientifically, how do you propose we discuss it?
Grip a pencil, have someone pull it from your grasp. Now perform the same experiment with a tennis racquet. Because of the larger contact area on the grip, you can use less force to hold the racquet than the pencil. Let's call that a "tennis science" experiment.🙂
very true. you need to have the finger test for grip size.
7:10 I needed angel by Sarah McLaughlin to play
I love this channel! Great content! Also, Under Armor hat, Nike shirt and Adidas shoes... just killing the sponsor game hehe :P
I’ve always used a 4.3/8, I did try a 4.1/4 but didn’t like the feel of a thinner grip.
you channel is really cool. top content. should have way more views
Played with a Donnay allwood with a small grip, so did Borg! who i tried to copy!
I used to use 4 3/4s back in the 1970s and 1980s and then went down to 4 3/8s in the 2000s as I read that it's helpful for a more modern game and better for the larger racquets. I went from a precision player to a topspin player and smaller grips made that easier. The downside is that it can result in more arm problems. But I'm all set with 4 3/8s these days. I do the Flexbar to keep the arm problems away.
Check out the Price swing weight-O-meter! You don’t carry Prince racquet but Wilson and Prince are the pioneers of Modern Tennis.
thank you very much for fantastic video! I am so with you on the volleys with smaller grips, 4-1/2 old Head grips on Prestige Pro were the best for that.
Good videos on equipment. Thanks
Dunlop max 200g was the first mass produced racquet, I think? McEnroe used it. I had it as a teenager, didn't even think of the grip size! But it was a beast of a tool to use.
There's a great article around that larger grip sizes can increase hitting force. Alcaraz is a good example, he's not very tall but using a Grip 4. He prob. can produce more power with a thicker grip than with a smaller grip. It really depends on the individual, but bigger grips tend to give you more relaxed stability. U don't need to grip as tight for a stable feel..
Can u do a video on weight, swing weight and balance for the pure strike 100, 16 x 19?
i really enjoy your videos
Tennis spin,Great topic of gripsize bigger or smaller..,,We here at XTP Xtended Tennis Product butt cap company are finding our best used cap now is the L2,then the L3 then L4..But pickleball players using the the smaller L2 cap for sure.
XTP Xtended butt caps allow players to Xtened their length of their racquet by simply changing the factory butt cap to the XTP butt cap and adding half an inch to the overall length, so a standard 27 inch racquet now becomes a XL version of itself at 27.5 inches.
This way of customizing ANY RACQUET by installing the XTP cap can give you the feel of playing with a totally different racquet just by adding half an inch.
Thanks for your time in breaking down how important gripsize is.truly.jk
I remember from the manual, you suppose to roll the handle in from the side for the swingweight
I would also add the footnote that the wood racket he is using has an unstrung weight of 13 ounces. Remember that would be a "light" wood racket for that era and this explains to some degree why the swing weight seemed reasonable. Woods came in "light medium", "medium", and "heavy" in those days. Advanced players used the heavier rackets and used 5/8 or 3/4 grips otherwise the racket would turn in your hand. It was the era of blood blisters and tennis elbow (and a disproportionately large dominant forearm!). I have done swing weight tests (and Tennis Warehouse has some good data). The standard rackets typically had swing weights around 365 to 375 unless you added more weight (e.g. stock Adidas GTX Pro racket was 13.7 ounces strung, 70 sq inches, and 370 swing weight). They were handle heavy and not maneuverable. There was no flicking of the wrist and open stance groundstrokes.
I disagree with you that there were no open stances. Please watch any video in the 70, 80, any player, and you´ll see they used open stances all the time (Ashe, Stan Smith, Manuel Orantes, Víctor Pecci, Eddie Dibbs, Harold Solomon, of course Borg, Laver, Connors). All of them used mainly open stances. Watch videos from the 60´s, the same thing. Of course I´m talking about pros. I remember teachers in the 80´s teaching the closed stance. But when you were in matches, you couldn´t use the closed stance anymore, except when you were plenty of time. Today, Federer, Nadal, when have time, they use a neutral stance, for precision.
@@miguelbarahona6636 I respectfully disagree that "All of them used mainly open stances". Maybe we are not agreeing on what open stance is such as used by Djokovic. Open stance means your left leg (on a right-handed forehand) and right leg are nearly in line with each other on the baseline, your torso is facing the opponent. OF course open stance existed back then (all shots existed back then), but these were NOT the main or preferred strokes for 99% of players core game even at the pro level. One used open stance in a crunch. Most of the players you note did NOT use open stance in fact as their bread and butter shot. They used varying degrees of partial open stance but all turned sideways before striking the ball. Some players opened up more than others particularly clay court masters such as Borg whose games was highly atypical (and his coaches had to be dissuaded from eradicating his unusual stroke production). He can found using true open stance more than any other player but reviewing each of those players, including Harold Solomon whom I knew, did not use open stance (go back and watch him play Borg). Pecci on red clay leaned back on his right leg but he is clearly sideways before transferring his left foot to partial open. Orantes clearly turns sideways playing Borg on review. Stan Smith clearly turns sideways on review. Lendl used a very close compact stance on his forehand as a comparator. If you consider partially opening up as open stance then everyone uses open stance because you have to transfer your core momentum to the left to some degree. Let's disagree on this. Now get out there and enjoy tennis. Cheers.
@@ClearMindedOne Yes, I´m considering partially open as a open or neutral stances. By definition those aren´t closed stances, so I think I´m not so wrong. I can´t go out to enjoy playing tennis, we are still in quarantine. But, as soon as can I will. Cheers!
At 5:23 When u Said full western u Held it semiwestern. And Said semiwestern at eastern grip. Just so kids Dont Learn it Wrong
13:00 Mcenroe uses modern rackets today. He never switched from his continental-one for all grip. He´s still a hell of a player.
Yea but the bad size was tiny asl
his game isn't dependent on high spin.
I went to 4 1/8 and rebuilt my grip back up with gel wrap, great for vibration absorbing..
Borg won his first Wimbledon in 1975 using a wood racket small grip & playing as you all know topspin! I played with that racket with a small grip and i remember being able to hit some good angles with topspin, i also remeber compared to my racket today it actually felt more whippy, not sure, probably due to a number of reasons, i was fitter younger and my wrist was more flexible lol! & compared to rackets today they might have been heavier but it was probably more headlight. Some swing weights for rackets that weighed in around the 320g strung are shockingly high! I bought a wilson blade countervail a few years ago, it weighed 328g & only 2pts HL ! shocking QC Wilson at 55 was getting pretty tired swinging it for 2 hours of singles! Ended up taking the bumper off it reduced the weight to 320g & 4 points HL which made a huge difference in playability. One last point before taking the bumper off, i played some guys who played modern game, what i found when i hit the ball full on with little spin, the plough through & weight of shot forced error from them, the ball kept low, and heavy! top spinners don't like this! however on the flip side high balls were a nightmare for me, & taking the ball early consistently with a high swingweight racket is difficult as you get older!
Which racquet is that on the wall in the glass box? And is it from someone special?
Looks like Head Graphene Speed MP ...
Hi, 🙂 have you heard of a super vintage Tennis racquet called ‘ MASTERPLAY” with an image of a tennis player swinging a racquet, right in the center ? Please let me know. I have one with me right now. Thanks 🙏
I find the Wilson Pro Staff's grips tend to run big so I got 4 1/4 instead of 4 3/8 for Head rackets.
Saw your comment, you sure man 4 1/4 on the pro staff is like the 4 3/4 on the head racket? I’m buying a pro staff online, need to know before i spend da money
@@jadmurr8863 I clearly said 4 1/4 on the pro staff is like the 4 3/8 on the head racket and not 4 3/4.
3:00 It´s not true you can´t hit a forehand with continental and a open stance. Watch Laver, Rosewall, videos from 60´s, 70´s, they hit forehands 90% of the time with open stance. Watch every single video from the 70´s, and you´ll see players hitting with open or neutral stance. Borg brought heavy topspin on both sides by mid 70´s. I don´t know why people think modern play began in the 90´s. Open stance is used when you have less time, and the pace of the game since 60´s didn´t allow ´pro players to use closed stance anymore. Great video by the way. Loved the comparison of weights and swing weights.
Yes it's possible to hit topspin with wooden rackets, the point Mr TennisSpin was making is that it is more difficult because the chance of framing is higher with such a small head. Basically, if you have the timing of a professional you can play any shot with any racket, but for Joe Public hitting with the small wooden rackets is very difficult, whereas modern large rackets are much easier.
Can you put a replacement grip on top of the stock grip to make it thicker? Would you suggest it? I’m doing this to a Dunlop CX 200.
Back in the day, I settled on 4 5/8. 4 1/2? even back then I understood the potential for spin etc, but was way out of control, even tried 4 3/4 which felt like swinging a 2X4. I was clearly a 4 5/8 like knowing you're an XL shirt size. So now, poking around the market, at least on websites, the largest sizes I see are 4 1/2. What's a guy to do? and I'm in my 60s. changing stuff up is not trivial. months, maybe a year as a club level player. Changed up foot stance for serves and it has been a couple months and I'm just figuring it out. (Although I haven't really gone out with a bucket of balls yet which, granted, I need to do) Anyway, is it worth my time making the leap, or should I be good beating up on old guys (when they're not beating up on me) Frustrating b/c I wouldn't mind a touch more punch but to get that I'd need to restructure everything. Currently play with Prince O3 Hornets ~ 4.0 player.
4 1/2 is equal to 4 4/8, so you're only dropping down a size from 4 5/8 and if you find it too small/think you can add an over-grip, so if you think it will give you more racket choice, or if the largest size of your favorite racket is 4 1/2 then why not make the change?
Do you have the ability to check RA specs?
Have you ever seen Federer hitting volleys with his 4 3/8 grip size racket, can you say it is too small grip?
Always some random guy that has to argue. He was just offering a counter point to the argument not a blanket statement that smaller grips = bad volleys. Good grief lighten up.
Naval plays with an replacement grip and an overgrip
I dug up my old Dunlop Maxply McEnroe, and what do you know: a gripsize 5 ! It actually says: 'M5'. Back in the 80s you had 'Light' ('L'), 'Light-Medium' (LM') and 'Medium' ('M') weight categories. I had forgotten about that. Maybe that's why it's 397 grams strung (!)
Graphite isn't necessarily lighter btw, my Prince CTS Thunderstick 110 weighs 385 g (strung) with an overgrip and a little protection tape, so no windshieldwiper forehands with that one either!
Where is your shop? Would love to visit
I did play with wooden racket untill last week when I ordered a new one
I lost terribly against regular racket
Keeps hitting frame
you dont flick your wrist at contact with the wooden racquet. I started playing in the 1960s. the principles are the same, whether 1960 or 2020. After contact with the ball, then you have options what you do with your arms and wrists.
i have an old head comp 3 Arthur Ashe at 5/8 ...it feels natural in my hands. a modern head instinct at 5/8 feels terrible i become more error-prone. real disappointment. cant be that hard to make rackets with different shaped grips for different hitters without all the tape and heat shrink.
Hello, where is shop located?
Grew up with a Jack Kramer Autograph. I wish I'd have kept it now, would look good on the wall. Or maybe take it out to the courts and see how (much worse) my game is with about 50 square inches of stringbed. I'll bet if you nailed it in the sweetspot, though, that thing'd take off! Flat as a board, but fast? Oh yeah. Would more than make up for the other 9 times out of 10 that I shanked it.
Why does a bigger grip make it harder to roll the wrist? The highest rpm shot ever measured was one of Sampras’ kick serves at 5800 rpms he had a massive grip.
Watching Rod Laver against Ashe in 69 Wimbledon semi-final w/that tiny racquet is AMAZING, he hits shots 20 feet out of court 4 WINNERS like Nadal n Federer! IF u hvnt watched itsa MUST on bucket list of Greatest matches EVER..
The first professional tennis match that I watched live from behind the baseline was between Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall. Lever could play every shot , change spin and place it anywhere in the court. Rosewall hit backhand so smooth and consistent from anywhere on the court. I studied and copied Rosewall’s backhand because it was efficient, effective and consistent. Laver was one of the best players that I have watched play over the years. For his time “ The Rocket” was a great shot maker. Most important he won tennis matches and Grand Slams.
My take on it: When we move our hand to a stronger position on the handle, the handle is thicker. So we have to switch to a smaller size grip.
I’ve been playing competitive tennis for over 60 years. The pros on tv look like they are using larger grips counting the overgrip rather than smaller. I went from 45/8 wood to4 1/4 or 3/8 now. That is after a career of squash in college. I think they use a larger grip because they rarely come to the net and don’t need the maneuverability of the smaller grip.
funny thing is that some pros actually use cutsomized raquets that weigh as much as that strung wooden raquet at 372 grams
i know pete sampras pro staff 85 was weighd in at almost 400 grams strung.
In the ‘70s and before we all only had wood; F=M*A so if you could swing it the ball really went. After the T2000 and the Head Edge head size went way up and shots started to change. But players frames were meant to mimic the “feel” of the old wood = flexible and head light.
The real change was the Wilson Profile and then Hammer frames. These were the first “widebody”, head heavy, but really light frames. Only geared at the rec player. This is the real change.
Then a generation grew up with frames closer to the “game improvement” sticks than old school frames. Hence we get Nadal and the others that play a completely different style and no more Serve & Volley.
I was playing with 4-3/8 for years until 4-1/4 after I read Nadal prefers smaller grip and my tennis completely changed for the better! Bettter wrist movement and more spin!
How did 1/8 of an inch inhibit your wrist movement?
I play with a grip 3, but I am buying a new racket and they only have the grip 2 on sale....will I be able to build it up to size 3 just by adding a few grips on it? Will there be a difference?
It will add static weight (6g for each over grip), and it will drag the sweet spot down and decrease the power so u may need to add weight to hoop at 12' clock (at least 1 or 2gram) to keep the balance.
voice volume and ur intro music needs adjusting! like 50 points different man!
oh btw love the videos!
I was watching the "grip" show. Totally in disagreement with you.
I am using custom build of 5 2/8 (remember Sempras?). I have no problem generating heavy spin - net work is great, serves as well. Following finger space on the grip. It is about hand size - and yes Nadal removes the grip but compensate with finger bandage (like wearing a golf glove) .
Keep up the good work - I enjoy the subjects
Woods are flexible and hard to get balls deep and spin . If you click 88km with woods you are pro. Whilst with new technology one 150km is easy and 1500 rpm
The old saying was “play with the biggest grip you can hold” to give more control, because as you said, the strokes were flatter. Serena still plays with a Coke bottle size grip.
hi..your intro music so loud and you so quiet,try to balance ..? thx
Using smaller grip than your hand is an advanced technique. I prefer half size smaller. But you have to sacrifice stability for faster racquet head speed. Racquet will twist a lot in your hand when you mishit or hit the ball off center. So you have to use non dominant hand to spin the racquet back to continental grip. It is something that I would never recommend for beginner or intermediate players.
Yeah, it's probably not a good idea to generalize what Rafa and Fed use to the general public, those guys surely have a hairline sense where the centroid(s) of the racket are.
Thats really interesting. And somewhat confusing and concerning all at the same time!! 😅
I just started pmaying tennis about 7 months now.
I went and spoje with a 'tennis expert' at a local store. He told me to use the L3 or 4 3/8 size grip. This is too prevent tennis elbow. He Said the smaller grip will turn in my hand when in a volley and ill try to grip it harder. Which results in injury.
And I have noticed I have a harder time now (new raquet) in turning the raquet and holding it there. As its a lot larger grip size.
Have I misunderstood something? 🤔
no man the guy did right bcz probably ur size is 4 3/8, and 3/8 is considered small (0.325)
4 5/8 here. Normal sized hands.
Another 4 5/8 here. I´m not a big guy.
@@miguelbarahona6636 try 4 3/8 .. thank me later
Been doing the smaller grips since the 90’s in Europe.
i m sorry man but the first raquet after the wooden ones was a alluminium one :) then after that came grafite
Dang Maw, TS broke my $1000 Vtg wood tennis racquet from Ebay that was used on the set of Frankenstein lives...sheesh!
I have an upcoming 600 plus page book "The History of US Tennis Instruction: 1874-2020." I document every popular tennis theory from the 19th century to present. I should send you some excerpts. You will be surprised. What today is called the ATP FH was used by all women and taught by all women. The SEAHS was used by pre World War one champions. In fact, the book proves that what is taught and used by top pros today was taught 120 years ago. Guga Kuerten used a 4 1/4 grip with no leather grip and just tournagrip on the bare handle. I know this because I worked for his developmental coach for over a decade and in the 1980s in a book he advocated using the smallest grip possible. When I asked him what made him advocate such, upon being invited to a card game in John Newcombe's room after a 1960's tournament he was playing in, he came into Newk's hotel room and picked up his rackets and was surprised Newk had shaved down the grips to 4 and 1/4. Newk told him it increased his feel. So players and coaches knew about the smaller grips even though Braden and Groppel in the 1980s were advocating larger grips. Email me at mtmcoach@hotmail.com if you would like to review some excerpts.
Great!. I agree, some people think topspin appeared in the 90´s and that semiwestern and western grips are "new". I´ve seen old tennis books and every single grip (continental, easterns, semi-westerns, westerns) is described there. People think open stance is "new", when it´s as old as tennis.
Exactly how does the grip size impact strokes / feel? I've always used and encouraged the use of a larger grip. I prefer the feeling of an open hand on the racquet. We must also keep in mind that the grip size must be in reference to the size of the players hand. Not just a number on the stick.
Hey I don’t want you to short circuit your brain but when you buy a tennis racket at a certain grip size you need to add 1/8 “ for base grip and 1/8”for over grip which means if you bought 4 1/4” it’s now 4 1/2” grip.
If people returned to using wooden rackets, they'd probably also have to go back to using correct technique.
There certainly is plenty of room for error with average racquet head sizes 100 si. and larger.
1970 had an Allstar. Cant remember who made it. It was cheap
I had a tretorn wooden racket which I think was called allstar. Various colours on shaft.
i wish racquet manufactures would make their rackets with grips fo old style hitters...taller for old style, and more equal for so-called modern players. i hate most racket grips and have to tweak them all the time.
Berdych looks like he swings pretty well with a wooden racket in this Tag ad: ua-cam.com/video/YWmQEeI9eYc/v-deo.html
lol, if you can do cm, you can do mm. you just add a zero.
360 grams is normal weight for male player, you can’t play quality tennis with 310 g. Invest in lead tape!!☝🏼
Played with a wooden racquet in between playing with his wooden dlck 🤣😂.
Why does tennis have 100's of brands and configurations of rackets? one type of basketball, one type of baseball and just a few sizes in the bat, one football ....but tennis there are hundreds..
Good question. Nascar, all the cars are the same. F1, every single car is different. I guess tennis is like F1, you can pick your gear.
Money
One of my theories looking for a new racket (which I haven't done in a long while) is that you basically compensate, more powerful racket? you probably slow it down to gain control, likewise, you might buy a racket "for more control" but it doesn't have as much power, well, if you're comfortable with it, you start swinging harder, trading off some of that control for more power. So, bottom line as long as you have something that's in your range you'll do OK. Last racket I bought was Prince O3 Hornet, pretty middle of the road which has served me well.
@@TheJhtlag I think you're on the right track. As I continue to learn and teach, I think it's important for players to be aware of what racquet best suits their style and level of play. I used to swing faster and needed more control from the racquet and strings. Now that I don't play singles, my style is much more about consistency, feel, while maintaining control. Bigger head, softer strings, lower tension.
I believe the racquet should fit the swing not vice versa.
Basically with old rackets one must be good, pure talent.
Future number one is using 4 1/2
A small grip is a must in modern tennis You can get great topspin and swing speed
Intro is blaring and when you start talking its so quiet. Just contructive critism maybe get a shirt mic
First of all your grip size doesn't have anything to do with your follow through. Secondly, if you're hitting a volley with a western grip, I would like to see you win a point at the net.
You showed an eastern grip as a semi western. I think you should have a talk with a USPTA pro!
Smaller grip size makes it easier to increase racquet head speed however you have to sacrifice stability.
I'd like to know if he can actually play as at least tennis nerd is a good player. This bloke ?
@@davidglover9210 I am a former USPTA pro, and was rated 5.5 ntrp
Lol if you're using one of these. So funny.
It's hard to take this video seriously when he can't correctly identify the eastern forehand grip, the semi-western grip and the western grip.
All about muscle memory I never had issues using a proper grip size when I was young just come bk playing with these modern rackets had problems using smaller grips(arm wrist & all my strokes gone to the dogs all bcos of smaller grips twisting & holding onto it this video is a load of rubbish
Firstly..... Be comfortable with the grip ...basically how it fits in your palm....ESPECIALLY for MEN..! Who seem to want to get racquet head speed etc..TOTALLY against the PHYSICS ..ALSO ...The EASTERN Grip and WESTERN grip and CONTINENTAL and SEMI-WESTERN and AUSTRALIAN grips are NOT taught to be held properly .....ALL these grip holds are being HELD with a little variation ..which makes for MORE errors PERIOD..! SO MOST of the shots in tennis ..especially at CLUBS are probably over 70% prone to mistakes than they are for correctness of the FORM of the stroke..! EACH Grip HOLD has a PARTICULAR style..footwork SET-UP..and hip cross section . ! Because of this ...NO ONE is taught to strike the ball with PRECISION ....There fore ALL issues show up.. Teaching PROS are mostly teaching by their 'TRIAL ' and ERROR' of themselves or their STUDENTS. NO PRO I know of teaches by PRECISION of the above Forms and Styles and Position. No ONE Teaches ANY SYSTEMATIC S ..nor SPECIFICS ..nor STYLES that accommodate the game..!
You said some intelligent things leading up to grip size, then you give ZERO evidence as to why a larger grip doesn't allow for more spin.. I play with a 4 5/8 grip. I get a crap ton of spin...
It's the racquet, poly's, grip and the swing path. That's it.. Sorry. Not trying to be rude honestly.