Since the last time I posted about how addictive a heavy swingweight can be (link), I still hold the same opinion, that swingweight remains the most important factor for any tennis racket.
Swingweight for pros varies around 330-360 kg/cm2 while recreational players use mainly between 300-330 kg/cm2. The higher the number, the more powerful that racket is.
What I have not been able to narrow down, is exactly how much to add. Too much and the racket becomes clumsy and unwieldy. Too little and it makes almost no difference at all.
So far, what seemed to work well for me, is to add only as much as my "weaker" strokes can bear comfortably and consistently. Those weaker strokes would be my backhand and second serve.
The forehand enjoys a much wider arc of shoulder rotation, so power is easy. On the contrary, the backhand requires muscles less used in daily activities. Even the backhand preparation needs support from the non-dominant (left) hand as well, so it makes no sense to add swingweight based on the stronger wing.
Compared to the forehand or backhand, the serve is even more sensitive to swingweight changes. It is the only stroke in tennis executed with the elbow straight and arm in full extension. That places the racket furthest away from the centre of our body rotation.
During the serve motion, the wrist rotates the racket through almost 270 degrees from start till completion (link). Naturally, the serve is the first to suffer deterioation after racket changes or weight adjustments.
1 gram added inside the hoop at 12 o'clock adds about 3.3 kg/cm2. Whereas 1 gram added at 3 or 9 o'clock adds about 1.8 kg/cm2. Just add up whatever you add to the stock swingweight of your racket model and keep that below 330 kg/cm2.
Use small weight adjustments. Protect your wrists and enjoy the plusher plowthrough, stability and better bite for spin!
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