The BEST Tennis Rackets for Beginners!! | Rackets & Runners 

This is more or less exactly what I would have said.

Glad I could help!

Thank you very much and glad I could help!

@@RacketsRunnersVancouver Just an update. I bought my Pure Drive Team (285 grams) Wimbledon model. It's beautiful and has changed my performance during my tennis class today. Thanks a lot!!

Lots of people recommending oversized rackets here and while I think the ones you mention are great, I actually think oversized rackets have such unique playability that they're almost like the inverse of 95-97 square inch rackets where beginners shouldn't try them yet because they are SO forgiving and powerful. I think beginners should go for the most standard "blank slate" playability which is why 100 square inches is optimal.

@@RacketsRunnersVancouver good point indeed. The risk is to stay in this “comfort zone” not progressing in the technique.

Go for the Pure Drive! It’s the racket of the people, especially intermediates.

Thank you! I really appreciate the constant support you give us, it doesn't go unnoticed.

Thank you very much! And yes, they are.

I would go with the Ezone since the Pure Drive is also very powerful!

I would stick with the Ezone since he is used to the shape. Better to keep things as constant as possible while he develops.

The Shift is a great racket. I use it, but I’m a 4.0 player. It’s also a spin friendly racket that beginners may not need yet. I don’t think they considered it because the lightest version is 300g which is out of their beginner range. It’s 99 square inches, too, which isn’t a huge deal but is smaller than what most beginners use. If you get the Pure Drive Team, be wary of sting type and tension. I never had tennis elbow until I started using a regular Pure Drive. I was using poly strings at a higher tension than I should have. Softer strings and/or lower tensions are a must. When I switched to the Wilson Clash, the elbow issues went away. It is a super comfortable racket with great control. I would highly recommend it for beginners. Once my elbow issues were taken care of, I went to the Pure Aero, which I wouldn’t recommend for beginners. Now I’ve settled on the Shift.

Thank you! I would go for the Pure Drive Team. The Shift is great but it's significantly more demanding than the Pure Drive so maybe a line of rackets to work your way into.

Awesome that it worked out for her! Go for Babolat Xcel 16!

The cheap racquets will destroy your arm.

If you’re having fun with it, that’s awesome, no need to spend the money. I would only upgrade if you’re looking to develop more proper technique as top end graphite rackets respond much better to that than cheaper aluminum ones.

@@RacketsRunnersVancouver Wow... is there aluminium racquet tennis exist? What is the brand?? I never heard before, bcos my oldest racquet was TiS6.

Don't worry! Tennis is frustrating. Play with it for now and then upgrade in a few months if you enjoy the sport enough.

Thank you! You can't go wrong with either but keep in mind, the Radical Team is a 102 so it will be more forgiving, but less precise.

Yes that's exactly it, the better mechanics complement a heavier racket.

I started tennis a couple years ago as an athletic beginner with some previous casual tennis playing experience and I used a Wilson steam 99 not the S version which I got second hand off a friend. I love it and found that version extremely easy to use and very versatile as I improved.

Thank you! These can be a little punishing if you don't play with spin as they will be too wild/uncontrollable, so I would go for something a little more standard.

The control will be very similar unless you play with a lot of spin where you'll feel more control with the Aero because it's more spin-friendly.

I'll be talking a little bit more about the Boom MP in the next video, but in general, it's a good racket for beginners. The Boom Pro is a little too heavy/difficult.

@@RacketsRunnersVancouver was thinking about purchasing both since the 2023 models are heavily discounted, maybe the MP for practice and the Pro for tournament games, but I'm fairly new to tennis. Will need to adapt to playing with +300g racquets.

Spin and power on the extreme, control and user-friendliness on the Blade.

It's definitely not the "right" racket for you but if you develop properly with it, I see no reason to look for something else.

I think there’s more user friendly 300 gram rackets out there that could suit you better, but it sounds like you won’t have any trouble generating power so if you want something to control that power, it could be the right racket. Review coming soon, so stay tuned.

@@RacketsRunnersVancouver Thank you for the reply and looking forward to more great content.

I think 3.5 is a good level to switch to a 300 gram racket. Looking at the specs of the Prince tour 100p 305 it would probably be better for a more advanced player who has a preference toward 18x20s.

@@RacketsRunnersVancouver Thanks for your answer Luca! I'm a 3.5 but I enjoy Prince tour 100p 2019, It's a more powered version of Gravity Tour with SW around 322 (mine) & twist weight around 15. Back to your answer, what NTRP level you'd call as 'more advanced' players to wield these kind of frames?

Yes! It would be great.

@@RacketsRunnersVancouver thank you for the reply. Now I will definitely buy that racket. Very big help.

Yes, both of those would be great!

@@RacketsRunnersVancouver what bout blade team v8, blade 101L, pro staff team, vcore 100L, radical team, blade 100L, pure strike 100 team, boom team? Ik it’s kinda too much, but i’m just a bit confusing. Just like what u said in the video, i require allrounded so i can figure out which type of player i am. Thanks a lot!

@@RacketsRunnersVancouver as well as percept 100L

@@RacketsRunnersVancouver and extreme mp L

I haven't played with it yet but it may be just a bit too heav.

I would go for a nice multifilament like Wilson Sensation or Head Velocity, or maybe a hybrid with one of those strings and a smooth polyester like Yonex Poly Tour Pro or Head Hawk Touch.

@@RacketsRunnersVancouver thank you

If you ask me, YES ! If the weight of 295g is not a problem for you, then you can also take the Boom without hesitation.

A bit like the Gravity MP, yes! But the Boom does have a slightly wild side that could become frustrating with improper technique.

Unstrung

Also great!

@@RacketsRunnersVancouver awesome, I just ordered one, and had it strung with NRG2.....I hope the combo plays well

That’s a very stiff racket and not good for the arm

@@bournejason66 with the right strings it’s not an issue. I never had a problem with it. A beginner won’t be bashing the ball anyway so it’s unlikely to be a problem and it’s maneuverable as you are learning proper technique and muscle memory.

@@crsantinoversized and mid plus racquet, wouldn’t recommend unless you already have it in the garage or something. It’s wild power will encourage bad habits. Also, no “experienced” players would use this in doubles unless they’re very old

@@urgarb9718 lol 🤦‍♂️

@@urgarb9718 I am agree, base my own experience. TiS6 115 had hurt my wrist. I am enjoy ezone dr100.

That would be awesome! Whole lot of VAMOS going around.

that’s because oversized frames are not worth it unless ur looking to just mess around with friends or ur like 70 years old. they bring in too much wild power and often overcompensate comfort for feel, encouraging bad habits

@@urgarb9718 I’ve only come back to it in the last couple of years and I’ve played with a pair of Australian UTR 6 players at my club that use a YONEX Ezone 105 and a HEAD Ti6 of all things. For whatever reason they have adapted their game to the racquets. Also not all OS frames are created equally, Sarenna Williams signature Wilson frame is a 102 so technology has come a long way from the days of ‘oversized is for old people’. That said even Agassi I believe played with an OS frame in his career at one stage

Yep, I got someone a game improvement stick so she could find the game enjoying. She had a cheap Wilson frame before, and struggled. Now she is thinking of going to a tweener stick as her game has improved.

I agree to a certain extent but I also think those will only work for a specific type of beginner. Oversized rackets are, of course, great for their forgiving/user-friendly side but they also tend to teach poor form and bad habits to those who shouldn't be using them. Don't get me wrong these rackets have a very important role in tennis but they have more specific playability characteristics that are geared toward a player who has already developed certain preferences whereas a beginner should be given the most "standard" rackets so as not to be forced into any one style of play. Hopefully that makes sense.

As an old beginner/ 52 ..... i start with Head Ti S6 115./ head-heavy.....and get wrist injured. Try PK Q5 100/ even balanced ... not comfort to my arm after play games. Finally enjoy playing & improve my game with Ezone DR100/ head-light. I am surprise, heavier raquet with small sweetspot, head-light balance is friendly to my arm/wrist. No doubt about ezone. Fyi i am a thin male, not muscle man. I hope next i will try PureDrive Team

Agreed! I think there is a disconnect between beginners and like low-3.0ish players. If someone just started and is enjoying tennis, to work on form and be most forgiving, I'd strictly suggest very light and more than 100 sq in head size. Might be a trap suggestion with the Head Gravity MP, many players who just start tennis think that they "need more control" when they're just bunting the balls out the court like baseball. Usually love reviews and videos on this channel, but I think there is a massive disconnect in the interpretation of the word beginner in this video, but I wouldn't recommend any of these rackets for someone who has only recently tried tennis (obviously all personal opinion based)

I would always be careful going too big in head size as it can sometimes allow players to develop poor form/technique. There are a couple of rackets in that 101-105 square inch size that are good for beginners but the ones on this list are plenty forgiving already and won't have that control/technique issue.

You're right about the bunting baseball take, but I also think naturally slowing down your stroke can be beneficial to stronger/athletic people but it may be too niche of a player to have included it on this list.

@@RacketsRunnersVancouverwhat would you suggest for athletic/stronger players. I think I’m starting to “out grow” my oversized racquets.

He explains this in the beginning of the video that it's not for complete beginners

It'll be similar to the comparison we made between the 98s just with more power and user-friendliness for both: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Ny7f_WIEz-c.html