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It happens in the Shop every day: Someone has recently decided to initiate their journey as a tennis player and must decide on what racquet to purchase. Upon reckoning the numerous options hanging on The Tennis Shop’s wall, it can be overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be so. In fact, for a beginner the buying criteria should be simple: budget and cosmetic design. What looks appealing enough and its affordability, or better stated: the amount of money willing to be spent.

Why so simple of a consideration? Because, at the beginner stage, there is not an on-court skill set to align to any given characteristics of a tennis racquet. A beginner doesn’t apprehend concepts around feel (muted, rigid, or flexible), swing weight, and string-pattern. There are no athletic strengths/weaknesses to inform the decision-making process. There is grip size, aesthetic appeal, and price. And, there should be knowledge of the fact that a beginner’s first tennis racquet won’t be their last racquet. If a beginner becomes enchanted with the sport and gradually improves, then a natural occurrence of criticality will follow. At this point, there will be demands placed on the racquet. And, that’s when things get really interesting. The beginner is no longer a beginner.

But things get a bit complicated for the intermediate and the advanced player. There is a known skill-set and an adopted strategic pattern of play that’s insistent upon specific performance attributes of a tennis racquet. For example, will the racquet be conducive to a serve and volley game? Is the racquet head easily maneuvered at the net for put-away volleys? Will the racquet add power to serves and base line rallies? Is the weight of the racquet manageable throughout a competitive match? Is the racquet flexible enough to expect feedback-feel that’s satisfying? Or, is it preferably dampened and the feel somewhat muted? Is the racquet stable enough to withstand power and re-direct groundstrokes?

All of the above (and I’m sure the reader can add more criteria/questions) encapsulate the buying criteria of a more experienced tennis player. And, yes, this is where a tennis racquet demo program can help. By the way, The Tennis Shop has a racquet demo program…go figure!

The Tennis Shop’s demo program allows any player to test up to 3 racquets at a time for a period of 5 days. Some of our suggested best practices to get the most out of the experience are as follows:

• Use all racquets in each session of play (preferably not a match; but, instead, a hitting session with a practice partner, friend, or coach)
• Be aware of the type of string and tension on the racquet (we can impart this information to you at the Shop)
• Test the racquet on all strokes and take note of outcomes (backhand/forehand/serves/overhead/volleys/slices, etc…).

While there is rarely a Eureka moment (if there is, consider yourself lucky!), there should be enough empirical data gathered to determine if results warrant further testing or actual purchase. With any new frame will come a period of assimilation. Perhaps even a “break-in” period where a player’s arm and game develop a connection with the racquet’s attributes. The demo program, while helpful, will offer up at best a potentiality in the way a new racquet will assist with forward progress.

If you made it this far then here is the pay-off: The Demo Racquet Program at The Tennis Shop is free of charge…starting May 5th! That’s right, beginning May 5th anyone with picture id and a credit card can walk out of the shop with 1 or 2 racquets to test. We do have a limited number of demo racquets so we ask in advance for your consideration in returning the racquets on time so that others can take advantage of the promotion.

See the Monthly Special for details!

So rip it up. See you in the shop and on the court!