Lucien Laverdure Sport

Finding a suitable racquet

In addition to your personal preferences, and to make browsing and purchasing easier, we recommend that you consider one essential aspect of your playing style: your stroke speed. If your stroke speed is:

LOW : speed build-up is insufficent. You’re probably looking for more POWER. MEDIUM: speed build-up is good. You’re probably looking for better CONTROL. HIGH: speed build-up is excellent. You’re probably looking for more ACCURACY and better FEEL.

Take a look at the following three animations. The table below determines what you need to look for (less than average, average or better than average power) depending on your stroke, and provides a Lucien Laverdure rating for every racquet sold on-line.

Racquet weight

Generally speaking, a lighter racquet is more manueverable and quicker, but it requires more acceleration to deliver the power of a heavier racquet.

LIGHTER: ideal for those who seek maneuverability and control. HEAVIER: beneficial for those who seek power and precise shot making.

Balance Point

The balance point of a racquet determines how heavy-headed or light-headed the racquet is. At equal swing acceleration, a head-heavy racquet generates more power than a head-light racquet (even at similar raquet weight). Balance point becomes an important factor when the racquet weight is at the heavy or light extreme.

Head size

Head size specifications: LARGER: Will procure more POWER. SMALLER: Will procure more CONTROL.

Frame Stiffness

Basically, one rule applies : the stiffer the raquet, the more power it can deliver.

Grip size

Racquets come in more than one grip size. To determine your grip size, wrap your fingers around the handle. Your middle finger should almost touch the palm of your hand. Do not forget to do this exercise with racquetball gloves on, if you plan to wear some. Tennis players must bear in mind that raquetball grips should always be smaller than tennis grips. The smaller the grip, the more efficent your «wrist snap» will be, and the more powerful your swing will be.

Stringing

You should never overlook stringing. After all, one hits the shuttlecock with the strings, not the racquet. There are two main stringing characteristics: gauge and tension.

Gauge

Lower gauge: Although they provide less feeling, THICKER strings last LONGER. Beginners, who usually want stringing durability, should therefore avoid high-gauge stringing. Higher gauge: THINNER strings are FRAGILE, but they provide more FEELING and greater repulsion power. Thicker string is represented by a lower gauge, while thinner string is represented by higher gauge.

Tension

Higher tension: Basically, HIGHER string tension provides more CONTROL and less power. Lower tension: Conversely, because of its ability to strech and create a «trampoline effect» (or resilience), LOWER string tension gives more POWER, but less control.

Experienced players usually prefer low-gauge string, and high-tension stringing.