How to Match Your Tennis Racquets (Weight, Balance and Swingweight)

Beckett explains how to match your tennis racquets when you are stuck with a few racquets that come off-spec. This is extremely common for all retail racquets because most racquet manufacturers do not have very tight quality control. Follow this easy guide to customize your racquets so they play the same.
Briffidi SW1: www.briffidi.com/product/sw1/
How to calculate swingweight manually (no machine): twu.tennis-warehouse.com/lear...
Links that support the channel financially:
Grapplesnake USA* (10% off): invi.tt/KZSV
Katana Sports Copper Tape (10% off ) or use code TENNCOM1 at checkout: katana-sportz.com?sca_ref=2720353.KFI02iH4X2
Courtside Sports: www.courtsidesports.com/
Get 10% off NEW Tennis Racquet** with code TENNCOM10 at checkout
What Racquet Do I Use: • My Customized Extreme ...
Advanced Guide to Customization: • Get More POWER, SPIN a...
00:00 Why Stock Racquets Aren't Enough
02:28 Alejandra Gutierrez
03:31 Why You Need to Match You Racquets
04:03 Everything You Need to Get Started
06:44 Prepping the Racquets
08:19 Measuring Static Weight
09:10 Measuring Balance Point
10:11 Measuring Swingweight
11:23 Setting Up the Briffidi SW1
12:26 Calculating/Solving for Matched Racquets
16:53 Adding the Weight (Copper Tape)
17:31 Next Steps
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*Grapplesnake USA only ships to the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico. Cannot ship to Europe or Asia unforunately.
**Regular priced racquet must be valued at $175 CAD or higher.

[@JW-bw8nj]

As a relatively new Briffidi SW1 owner, I can attest to the awesomeness of it.

[@K4R3N]

Yeah I got one also, it rocks.

[@ACTennis]

Probably video of the year for racquet related vids, A++ production, editing, humour, detail, would of took a hell of a time to make, awesome job

[@TennCom]

Thanks ACT! We had fun making it

[@mxxo4239]

Awesome content! Love the deep dive into the intricacies of this.

[@icemandl6]

Simply the best tennis racquet customization video yet! Learned a lot from it!

[@DAZeddy]

Awesome content! Keep it up guys!

[@briffidi]

Nicely done! Informative and entertaining. It's great to see people using the SW1.

[@TennCom]

Thanks so much! Couldn't have done it without you!

[@sergiocoser87]

Keep up the good work! For me the most valuable tennis gear content these days!

[@TennCom]

Thanks go much for the kind words! Hoping to get back on schedule for more regular content

[@overdrive_tennis]

Great video. Can't wait to see the next one.

[@robertobeltraninfante576]

Been missing you guys, top tier tennis content always

[@TennCom]

Thanks Roberto! Going to try to post a little more regularly again

[@Javi_C]

Appreciate the process! Will be looking at the Sw1 in the future.

[@TennCom]

100% worth it for us nerds. Since i got it, the app has even been updated a few times.

[@maciej2455]

Great video, huge thumbs up

[@machinist_15]

Outstanding content. Thank you for the detailed breakdown of your process.

[@gnerd07]

Brilliant content. Looking forward to seeing this journey

[@TennCom]

thanks so much!

[@evanbechtel5902]

Hey man-great content as always. I also love the look of the Copper on the blade!

[@TennCom]

Love the look of the copper in general. Has a much more special feel than lead!

[@JohnS-rv6rd]

pumped for this series!

[@TennCom]

We’ll do you next

[@goldencalf5144]

That swingweight gadget is genius.

[@christiancherry1377]

Great job on this complex subject. My head Extreme Tours took a lot of matching. I used silicone in the handles! Hard to reverse. The for great content.

[@TennCom]

stay tuned, in the near future I'm going to do some experimenting with foam filling on my Extreme Tours!

[@Oliffin]

Interesting, thank you. I really enjoy your English. Cheers from France

[@TennCom]

Thanks!

[@viktornorgren4697]

Nice work guys! 👏 I only use two ways of measuring my rackets: weight and balance. For balance I use a screwdriver that I put through the throat of the rackets and check the angle 🤷🏼‍♂️🙂

[@TennCom]

Screw driver method 100% accurate if you have the same frames hahahaha

[@viktornorgren4697]

@@TennCom 🍻👍

[@youngsuit]

wow this is so thorough. i had a racquet that was filled with silicone that i got off ebay so the weight is super high. i ended up resolving that i probably couldn't get the weight AND balance point to be ideal for me so i just resolved that balance point was number one for me. i don't think i'm good enough to necessitate needing a swing weight machine

[@TennCom]

Thanks for all of your great comments. I’ve always found that swingweight is number 1 for me. I have an easier time feeling swingweight than balance point for sure. I’m not sure why, but just never got that sensitive to it.

[@youngsuit]

@@TennCom that makes sense. i just don't see a way to calculate SW for the average person? obviously the machine you have is the best option out there but for the average joe?

[@TennCom]

@@youngsuit twu.tennis-warehouse.com/learning_center/swingweight_calc.php

[@TennCom]

@@youngsuit twu.tennis-warehouse.com/learning_center/swingweight_calc.php

[@mijngena]

congrats with your informative and enjoyable channel! i'd like to get your opinion/ advice if you would: im hitting with the first RF97A (red black ed), and i love the mass, stability, control, potential energy/power. What i miss is a bit more whippy feel, like i had with the Volkl PB10mid (less swingweight). What would be a racket that provides same mass behind the ball (the Volkl doesnt imo) , but is also a bit faster to swing. I have been looking at high twistweight rackets with a bit more spin potential than RF97A, maybe like a head auxetic extreme (but too light), a vcore 97D or H (too sluggish?), or one of the confusing head prestiges. I've also played a pure drive tour in the past, but i tend to fly the balls too much. What would you recommend? Bonus question (specs are the same as latest RF v13 right?)

[@TennCom]

Each gen of the RF has been tweaked very slightly. I think the new one is still pretty clubby though. I havent tried the VCP97H, but the 97D is decently quick and has that "big mass" feel. Power is definitely lower than the RF though. I honestly think that the Gravity Pro is one of your best options. It feels super solid and plows through balls with the best of them. The Pure Strike Tour is another racquet that really reminded me of an easier to use RF97. I have video on that racquet on the old Courtside channel.

[@benjaminjensen111]

the gyroscope in the phone is used to count each swing and the time it takes from one side to the other. the holder is plastic holder, a spring and a ball bearing. The money is in the app. you can go to the house improvement market and make one. you can record the movement and get the swingtime. and you need to do you own math formular.

[@MrMojoyt]

Bravo on the content and the videos. You've inspired me to start the customization journey :) Do you know of any coupon codes for the BRIFFIDI products?

[@TennCom]

I don't. Brian sells these things for the lowest price he can. Just from talking with him, it really feels like he runs this company for the passion more than for the money.

[@johnnyguitar6697]

...or you can buy an Angell Custom at the same price or less than any major brand, and get frames that are within 1g static weight / 1mm balance / 3pts SW. Or pay a matching service from whichever online retailer you're buying from. It's 10-20 bucks well invested.

[@lucillecuell2073]

Thanks!

[@TennCom]

THanks Lu!!!!

[@sebastianarruti8859]

Great video!! I have a question. When you add 1g at 12 to match sw on blade #2 and 1g at the balance point to blade #3 to match static Weight didn't you change the balance to 32.1 to one of them? Do you think 0.1cm Is ok not to worry about?

[@TennCom]

Yeah it fucked up my results which is why I had to add 1g to the all the racquets at the end of the video. I think 0.1cm is ok not to worry about for most people though.

[@benjaminjensen111]

balancepoint. You use the tables edge and a ruler. make sure the table is plane and level.

[@nominal]

I've had 8 Yonex matched in the past 2 years, in 4 groups of 2, only 1 gram difference in each group of 6 I was allowed to choose 2 from each time. They were Vcore 95, Ezone 98, D, and H.

[@jorgeandrescoppiano.5715]

Great bag. Hopefully this changes in the mid term future. And manufacturers start selling matched sticks to the designed specs

[@anthonymichels1800]

I play d3 tennis, around an 8 utr. Have been using the blade v8 16x19, but I hit with the ezone 100 and it felt incredible. Felt like I could swing the racket faster and get away with bigger cuts. I watched your 98 vs 100 video, and I wonder which one is right for me. I too have a whippy fh and flat bh, play a ton of dubs in college tennis. The 100 fits the flat bh, but the 98 fits the whippy fh. I generally have good control but lack a bit of power. Any recommendations or suggestions on what else to consider? Thanks!

[@TennCom]

I highly recommend you track down a new 2023 Pure Aero. It's got a similar plush feel to the EZONE 100, though its a little less stable. The trade of is you get way more maneuverability and it really suits the whippy forehand well. The 2023 is significantly more precise than the 2019 Banana Aero. First impressions should be out soon except its now started raining like crazy in Vancouver.

[@benjaminjensen111]

How do you know where to place the ruler? to the middle of the markers diameter ? and what about the angle created lifting the racket? Maybe the use of the edge of a table, level and plane, is more accurate.

[@tenniswithandy]

We did similar videos on the same day, LOL. Mine was the cheap way, no swingweight machine available. 🙂

[@TennCom]

damn you been grinding on producing content! Well done!

[@tenniswithandy]

@@TennCom much respect to you as well. I know how much time goes into editing a video like yours.

[@nathanmiller6051]

@@tenniswithandy Your video was great!! 👍👊💯🎾🥇

[@Mraba956]

Is there a point at which racket specs are too far apart to be matched well? I have two Yonex VCP 97Ds. Racket 1 measures 320g, 309mm, and 290 swingweight unstrung. The swingweight seems well below spec. Racket 2 is 323.5g, 310mm, and 300 swingweight unstrung. I added about 3.25 g total between 10-11 and 1-2, and 0.25 g under the buttcap to Racket 1. They are now within roughly 0.1 g mass, 1mm balance, and 0.5 points swingweight, but I wonder if all that weight in the hoop will change the way Racket 1 plays compared to the stock Racket 2 (eg will sweet spot be different). Would it be better to buy Racket 3 (last one at my local shop, which they measured on their machine at 324g, 308mm, and 303 swingweight, unstrung, but with plastic wrap (2-3g) on the handle? I could try to sell Racket 1 online, if it’s worth the trouble to go this route.

[@TennCom]

If you can match weight, balance and SW, then inertia of the racquets will be the same (they will swing the same through the air), but you are right, that doesn't necessarily mean that they will play the same. Two racquets can leave the factory with different flexes, which would mean that the more subjective aspect, hitting feel, could be different. Sadly there's not much we can do about this so I just try not to think about it.

[@jerome_morrow]

Spec variance can have benefits. Just as the off-the-shelf racquet can fall on the wrong side of your preferences, it can also fall to the correct side. There are admittedly issues such as one needs to know how to measure specs (weights, BP, swingweight) and to purchase several racquets with the inconvenience of returning the ones that are too far off what one wants. Knowledge of how to customise one’s own racquets is obviously key. You don’t need all of them to be the same specs, just close enough to be able to make the required customisations to get them to match. Even the pros do not get pro-stock hairpins that are identical off the factory line. This is not realistically possible given the way racquets are manufactured. For one thing, there is no way to control how the resin in the prepreg will flow during curing.

[@TennCom]

which makes Yonex's accuracy all the more impressive imo

[@tomlee2651]

I use a nail clipper to cut out the strings.

[@TennCom]

despite the use of dull scissors in the video, i would prefer to use garden sheers

[@JonathanMWong]

Is there a next part coming? Great video!

[@TennCom]

Yeah there is. Just these vids take weeks to make and we’ve been waiting for a few things before we could get started

[@JonathanMWong]

@@TennCom can't wait. Keep up the good work. If you ever want to hit a 28.5" racket let me know. Also in Van!

[@TennCom]

Yes I do ! That sounds crazy! can you message us on instagram ? We can set something up!

[@JonathanMWong]

@@TennCom sent you a message

[@smartyc30]

Using this method, would the twistweights of all the racquets matched end up matched as well?

[@TennCom]

No this method does not account for twistweight (this came out before it was possible to accurately measure TW). For most players, it think matching TW is a bit beyond the scope. So far as I can tell, pro's do NOT match for TW.

[@benjaminjensen111]

In my opinion all you needed to do was to put on overgrip on them all. that will shift BP down aprox 0.5 cm Then make them all close to equal in swingweight with very little lead/copper at 12. You need not to exceed static weight 314 including overgrip. Iga plays with 295 static and with overgrip 301. Equal playbility can be optained by close approximation. If you want the numbers all be the same you many times end up with too much static weight. I would have done nothing to #1....# 4 ->2 grams in handle to yoke end and 1 gram at 12.....#2 and # 3 1 gram at 12. This would make the racket quite close- feel and playability the same.

[@wackojumey]

I never tested my swingweights after I adjusted my Radical Mp's(2021), but matched only the weight and balance. One was +5g and the other pretty much on point I think it was. I balanced them out just adding some tungsten tape on the hoop at 12 and some putty in the handle, to match weight and balance. Kept the beefier one other one as is. Later I micro managed with some tungsten tape at 8 and 4 in the ex-lighter one and some putty in the handle of the beefier one to get it a slightly more head light feel (5HL). With strings (Head lynx Tour 1.25) and a tourna overgrip they both are now 337grams. And I don't feel any difference in swingweight actually. I am curious how close they are but we don't have a specialised tennis store in the city here sadly.

[@TennCom]

i put a link in the description on a manually way to measure swingweight. It takes some diligence, but if you are really curious, you should try it out!

[@wackojumey]

@@TennCom I did do that since I had some time today. I am somewhere around the 330 to 337sw (stock would be around 325sw) depending on how accurate my stopwatch timing is. But most importantly they feel as close as the same =)

[@TennCom]

@@wackojumey Damn a 337SW Radical MP would be an absolute weapon hahaha. I bet its awesome!

[@wackojumey]

@@TennCom I love it! Especially in doubles! Now for my skills though...maybe that could use some "Tungsten tape" as well haha. Keep up your good stuff man!

[@tenniswithandy]

@@wackojumey instead of 10 cycles, you may want to do 30 cycles and divide the result by 3. That helps mitigate some of the errors due to stopwatch timing. You should also be as precise as possible with your balance. Great job doing the manual method!

[@villiam7941]

I’ve heard that copper tape doesn’t stick good enough and tends to peel of more than usual lead tape. How was that?

[@TennCom]

Haven’t had any problems. I had the copper on my Extreme for months without problems. I flatten the tape on to the frame with a pen to promote adhesion. I have to do this with lead to though.

[@youngsuit]

even with lead tape, my tape ends up break and falls off. i heard tungsten tape from tennis warehouse is pretty nice

[@Sandysand701]

Well you can get the weight/swing weight/balance all the same, but stiffness/flex will always be different on every racket! I was using a yonex V-core 98 for a few years, I broke it and bought another one, the new one's weight was 3 grams lighter, but it had a much stiffer feel, I didn't like it, so it was sold on.

[@TennCom]

This is true for sure, but I think there's a lot less variability in stiffness's as long as you are dealing with racquets that are the same age. Every time you use or string you racquet, it stresses the frame and the graphite "wears out." After a few years go by, that racquet will be a lot soft compared to new just because its been used a lot, which probably explains a good portion of your experience with the 2 VCORE 98's.

[@Sandysand701]

@@TennCom Yes very true. Should also think the more a racquet is used the more (because of fatigue) flexible it will get! I was thinking there could be some variation in the resin mix from day to day, temperature/humidity, and the different people making the racquet will also play a part in variations.

[@TennCom]

@@Sandysand701 yeah some other guy in the comments just told me that’s he’s seen variable of up to 5pts RA in brand new retail frames

[@youngsuit]

8:35 - as a member of said country that starts many wars.... can confirm

[@michaelhamilton8693]

Oh man i got a 14g diff rf97. So much tungsten in the handle to match

[@TennCom]

thats pretty rough, literally as bad as QC should allow for.

[@mikesalinas2793]

I've matched rackets in the past before using all three specs and the rackets still feel different as far as feel. Has this happened to you?

[@TennCom]

sometimes racquets have different flexes as well. I havent seen this a lot, but a bunch of commenters in this video have reported flex variances. also different twistweights are going to make a pretty different feel and thats not something most people are able to test for

[@dnugros412]

So choose yonex japan for accuracy

[@heraldokawakami9965]

Great video! Just one comment, for balance, I use 2 scales, one to measure the weight at the top and the bottom (the sum must be the total weight of course), and the just calculate the center of the mass and check de distance from the middle of the racquet (make sure you set all the racquets at the same position, and the same side up). For Swing weight, I would consider the racquet as a non uniform rod (of course not the most precise way but it works) and calculate the moment of inertia at 10cm above the bottom of the handle. You might want to try that!

[@TennCom]

thanks for sharing! I have seen this method before but its too confusing for my dumb brain

[@johnnyrocca85]

Is it worth matching 2 rackets if they are only out by 3 grams?

[@TennCom]

I probably wouldnt bother but I find matching the swingweight to me more important

[@johnnyrocca85]

@@TennCom Excellent. Thank you 🙏🏼

[@curttheboywonder]

I’m shocked with how well those racquets were already matched from the start. Knowing Wilson’s QC, I have a hard time believing this was coincidental. Did she buy them all at the same time? Maybe bought them used? Very curious. Wilson is usually all over the place. 4 sticks is shocking.

[@TennCom]

I worked at Courtside when she ordered these so I know that they were all purchased at once and were specifically shipped from the distributor just for her (since Courtside doesn't stock that many Blades in G2 usually). They are consecutive serial numbers which probably has something to do with it.

[@msalvs]

From my experience (I have a lot of blades) she got a bit lucky with the SW which is very close. In regards to the rest of the specs, this is usually the variances that you observe. All my blade v7s were within 2 grams from 305 and within less than 0.5cm of 32. SW was a bit more all over the place but I managed to match them all at 299kg.cm2.

[@jaxen9139]

Hans neimann insert, nice lol

[@TennCom]

He just served up a nice lawsuit today hahahaha

[@bobfridge]

Love the timestamps. Question: As a beginner who is strong enough, which of these racquets do you recommend? I'm looking at the Head Graphene 360+ MP, Pure Drive Team (2018), Proknnex Q+5, and Head Gravity S. I'm looking for one that would grow with me. Sourcing racquets where I am is quite expensive. Also, I won't be able to demo them.

[@TennCom]

What’s the first Head you are talking about? I think you missed the model name

[@amruthkumar646]

@@TennCom should be prestige

[@sportguy-live26]

If you're strong enough I'd buy a 300 g racket as you will be able to grow into it as a beginner without customization..

[@bobfridge]

@@TennCom head extreme I went with the Ezone 100 2022 tho

[@bobfridge]

@@sportguy-live26 Ok thanks. I'm going with the Ezone 100 2022

[@allim7015]

Han's Neiman insert lol

[@matthiasneuwersch398]

Instead of Taping and Numbering the racquets, you can look at the serial-number of each racquet ;)

[@TennCom]

True. I prefer the practicality of the big numbers than having to remember the last digits of a tiny serial number. I will mention this in the next video though because I know many people value aesthetics.

[@Waceman]

Which Fuji? :)

[@TennCom]

Xt3

[@Waceman]

@@TennCom your colours do look great though 😄👌

[@TennCom]

Yeah I spend way too long colour grading some times hahaha. Thanks for noticing!

[@bkatbamna]

Great video. I will only say that the world is divided into two types of countries: the ones that use the metric system and the ones that have landed on the moon.

[@TennCom]

one small step for man, one giant leap for visual effects!

[@hybrid11theory75]

It bugs the sht out of me that there's no affordable Swingweight machine available from any of the big brands.. cheapest option for us in europe is a dunlop SW machine that costs around 1000 EUR.. -.-

[@TennCom]

I agree, but have to think it’s purposeful. It’s not in their interest for you to be able to measure their racquets.

[@hybrid11theory75]

@@TennCom Sad truth, but do they actually want us feeling off on their racquets? If you have bad luck you have two of the same racquets with complete different playing characteristics...

[@TennCom]

I think part of it historically has been masking spec changes as technological advancements.

[@jorgeandrescoppiano.5715]

@@TennCom one of the main I bet too

[@hybrid11theory75]

Conclusion: Never buy new racquets unmeasured. The quality control these days can be all over the place from basically ALL brands. And with this I don't mean just static weight and swingweight. Even the stiffness of the frame has huge tolerances. I was recently at a pro shop that has measured 6 of the same racquets and the results were kinda shocking. The frame stiffness had a tolerance from 62-67, SW also was about 10 points difference. I knew that SW could be all over the place but the stiffness measuring kinda surprised me.. a 67 RA racquet is def. not comfortable anymore and feels way different than a 62...

[@TennCom]

wtf 5pts in variation on RA is unacceptable! thats outrageous!

[@hybrid11theory75]

@@TennCom Yes, this is absolute insane. Explains why so many ppl have one racquet they really love and have a hard time matching bc they feel different due to the difference in flex. This is also very problematic for testing/reviewers, imagine demoing a racquet that you really like, then buy one that feels way different... WTF

[@TennCom]

Probably explains why Mark Sansait had such a negative experience with harsh vibrations on the new EZone 98

[@hybrid11theory75]

​@@TennCom Could be. It's kinda ridiculous to think about, but it shows the importance of measuring what your paying for... it's scary!!

[@billwall9886]

There seems to be a lot of overlap between chess players and tennis players. Robin Williams said tennis was chess at 90 mph.

[@TennCom]

I’ve noticed that GothamChess, Hikaru and Hans all play tennis. There’s video footage of Hikaru wielding a Pure Drive and he looks quite decent imo!

[@billwall9886]

@@TennCom Eric Rosen has played live on twitch and there is another guy, whose name escape me, has a stream where he parts both. I've seen Medvedev post pictures of him playing chess. If this trickles down to your fans, your viewers the joke just have been a smash.

[@TennCom]

@@billwall9886 Chess-tennis is the new chess-boxing hahaha

[@youngsuit]

bro how you gonna call out allie's hygiene like that

[@rogerfloyd852]

Canadian bigotry

[@neilmcnairjr]

9:26 *Troll comment insisting that isn’t accurate enough*

[@thomaskuhn6541]

I love the grocery list, are the laxatives required after the Hungry Man dinners and does that lead to a stinky fat butt?

[@TennCom]

yes, although Dominoes has a special right now $12.99 for a 4-topping large which is currently turning me into a stinky fat butt hahaha

[@tijgertjekonijnwordopgegeten]

You spelled Hans Niemann wrong.

[@TennCom]

That’s pretty in-character for me

[@noeldacosta7621]

One punch man plays tennis. Who knew?

[@mikiyahobbs2432]

Adding lead to taste lmao

[@TennCom]

lawyer says i shouldnt have said that

[@paulsteezo1772]

Yonex is the best at QC

[@MrTchupam]

That swingweight can’t be right. That’s too low for that racket

[@TennCom]

Without strings it’s on target

[@SUPERFitDaddy]

I wonder, is there a sleeping baby in the next room? Good Info though.

[@Doty6String]

I’m an average player lol

[@TennCom]

probably best you ignore this video and stick to off the shelf frames then ;p

[@Doty6String]

@@TennCom I used to do the lead thing, now that I'm playing yonex, I just buy 2 and call it a day. oh and throw on a leather grip. now I just try and worry about my game.