I just want to know how many people like & prefer one of these head heavy racket : 1. Ti-10 2. AT700 3. AT800OF 4. AT limited editon ( if it is head heavy) what weight (u) & what grip (g) ? what is the reason you prefer that racket?
Have the Ti 10 3U G4. I dont find it head heavy though. Can hit from baseline to baseline with ease, and shots fly further.
heavy-head, to some extend i believe is great for offensive play especially those who doing lots of smashes. but suffer during defensive state.
If you want a head heavy racket and it's Yonex, it has to be the the AT700. There's big difference in weight between the 3U and 4U. If you're primarily using it for singles, 3U is ok. But if you throw doubles in the mix, I recommend the 4U.
The AT700 and AT800OF are similar I guess, in terms of head weight. The main difference I can tell is that the AT800OF is not as whippy because of the shorter shaft but will be easier for nifty doubles play and full-on jump smashing. I like my old colour AT700 in 3U with a modified towel grip in the fashion of a butcher knife handle (kudos to taneepak for sharing his concept which is working well for me). I also tend to add some sports tape to the frame ala Lin Dan on my slightly less head heavy models (have at least three AT700, but balance point can actually range from 297mm to 301mm stock). The Ti-10 (referring to the first gen 2U I have) is actually more even balance to very slightly head heavy IIRC. For your information it is just easy to swing like the NS9900 thus giving you the heavy smashing prowess. I'm about to replace (just usage, not selling!) my Ti-10 with the new NS9900.
Hey there! I was actually sourcing around for information on adding weight to a racket that's not quite as head heavy as I am used to. Would what you mentioned, adding of tape, be what is meant by adding weight? If so, could you advise a long-out-of-action player how to do this? TIA!
The best way is to add lead tape on top of your racquet. This is what I do, considering that I can't play with head heavy factory racquets but I add lead tape on my even balance racquets to make them head heavy and play better this way
Lead tape is a bit too much I think. One strip normally weighs 5 grams and putting two on both sides of the frame will lead to a 4U racquet becoming a 2U (from 80 grams minimum to 90 grams minimum). Regarding the tape I use, it should be available easily in pharmacists or sports specialists. Just ask for a sports tape, finger roll (meaning 1.25cm in width). They come pretty cheap especially the white coloured ones that fit the Yonex racquet colour schemes more appropriately. As for the application all you have to do is just stick it to the frame from the starting end to finish (for example I do my AT700 from 9 to 3 o'clock). But be aware that by doing so you'll be adding weight to the overall weight of the racquet, meaning that a 3U racquet will transform into a 2U one if you use just one layer like how I do it. If you already have a lot of grip on the handle the whole racquet will weigh even more ultimately.
Yes but you don't have to put an entire stripe of lead tape ! You can make your custom piece of lead tape as I do
First off, thanks iceman and Blitzzards Ok... erm please excuse the ignorance of this next 2 questions, seeing as I have never seen a racket with weights taped on. 1) The lead tape is stuck on the inner rims right? (Racket is a new Li Ning and I don't really want my racket to appear like I went through a massive accident and is really banged up with bandages and all) 2) Is there some sort of balancing thing I have to keep in mind so that the racket isn't going to warp the balance in my hand? Just to give a sort of idea, I used to train with a Carbonex 8 (heavy metal frame which I heard has since been 'outlawed') with a large overgrip and I usually cover the base of a doubles game. I'm not sure if that makes me an offensive player or not but a light defensive racket definitely feels 'wrong' whenever I am at the base. This is why with the new light racket I have, I have many probs adjusting, esp with the head weight.
Technically you can apply as much tape to your racquet frame as you want and make an originally head light racquet become theoretically head heavy. However you must remember that the racquets are designed with a specific balance in mind. Like I said, if you start with a 3U head light racquet, you can add 5 grams of weight to the frame to make it even balance, and another 5 grams on top of that to make it head heavy. After that you add another 2 grams or so of overgrip to your handle to make it feel comfortable. Ultimately, you will be adding 12 grams in total to your whole racquet's weight and that will make your racquet feel like a weight training racquet even though it still says 3U and the little finger balance point test tells you it is head heavy. In conclusion, only add weight to your racquet frame if it is meant to be head heavy, but you want it to be even more head heavy so you can generate more momentum in your smashes.
Yes but personnally I can't play with racquets that are built head heavy, or at least those that I tried out, but I like even balance racquets on top of whom I add lead tape to make them custom head heavy