Tennis Racquet Shot Speed

Shot Speed Tool (mph)

Incoming Ball Speed: Racquet Tip Speed: Choose Racquets To Compare
Racquet ARacquet B

74.0

73.9

81.2

73.9

67.5

76.1

84.1

76.1

67.5

74.7

83.3

74.7

79.2

— Test Point Locations —
Vertical: 16, 19, 21, 23, 25 in. from butt.
Horizontal: 0, -3, -2, 2, 3 in. from center.

Spec	Babolat AeroPro Drive GT
Length (in)	27.00
Headsize (in²)	98
Weight (g)	323
Balance (cm)	33.50
Swingweight (kg*cm²)	335
Flex (RDC)	70
Twistweight (kg*cm²)	14.2
Vibration (Hz)	160

Key Points

Assumption 1: both racquets are swung at the same speed.
Assumption 2: racquets and ball both travelling parallel to ground with collision perpendicular to stringbed.
Location of greatest speed depends on relative speeds of incoming ball and racquet speed.
Faster racquet-to-ball ratio, location moves toward tip.
Slower racquet-to-ball ratio, location moves toward throat.
Highest max speed location will be on a serve (23-24").
Lowest max speed location will be on a punch volley (16-17").
Max location for most groundstrokes is the middle (20-22").
Speed decreases significantly to the sides on all shots.
See Also:

Explanation

Ingredients of Shot Speed

The racquet is always more powerful in the throat area, so why do players hit in the middle or higher on the stringbed? It would seem that players have found that they get more power higher in the racquet. Is the the most powerful point on the racquet really closer to the tip than the throat? The answer is "no." Surprisingly, the fastest shots do not always occur where the racquet is most powerful. Here's why.

Ingredient One: Built-in Power Potential

When a ball hits a stationary racquet, it bounces back at a speed that depends on the racquet's ability to rebound the ball. That ability depends on all the characteristics of the racquet such as weight, swingweight, stiffness, materials, and design. Each racquet has an innate ability to bounce the ball back. We call this the power potential.

Ingredient Two: Racquet Speed

If the racquet is moving when the bounce occurs, the rebound speed is a combination of the speed produced by this innate rebounding ability and the speed of the racquet from which the bounce takes place. The racquet speed is an "add-on" speed. The speed of the shot is the speed of the bounce plus the speed of the bounce surface.

Power Potential Varies with Location

Points near the racquet's center of mass (the balance point, located near the throat area) have greater power potential than those near the tip. That's because there is more "stuff" there to do the rebounding. In other words, the power potential is different at each location on the stringbed.

Racquet Speed Varies with Location

Racquet speed is not the same at each point on the racquet. As you move from butt to tip, the speed gets faster and faster. The racquet as a whole swings in a giant circle, but each point along its length traces out a different size circle. Points near the handle or the throat trace smaller circles than those in the center of the strings or tip. For example, imagine the racquet swinging around the very end of the racquet. As you swing through any given angle, every point on the racquet sweeps through the angle in the same time . However, the tip travels a greater linear distance than does a point farther toward the handle. In other words, the tip travels a greater linear distance in the same time as the throat, so it is moving faster. It is linear speed of the impact point that makes the difference in power.

The Tradeoff

For hits near the tip, we have more speed, less stuff. For hits near the throat we have more stuff, less speed. Said differently, near the tip we have a faster running start but less ability to bounce the ball, and near the throat we have greater ability to bounce the ball but a slower head start.

The Solution

Ignoring the messy details, the maximum shot speed occurs at a point where the speed of the bounce plus the speed of the bounce surface add to a greater amount than any other combination. For most shots, this location occurs near the center of the strings to a couple inches above that — just where you are used to hitting. How convenient!

What It Means to You

Here is the key point. It is the measured power potential in the location where you usually hit that is most important. A racquet with a higher power potential in that location will hit the ball faster than one with a lower power potential. The power potential tells all. It is a measurement of the combined performance contribution of every atom of the racquet to a particular shot situation. It is an absolute indicator of the racquet's structural contribution to the shot.