How to find the perfect Beach Tennis racket?
In this article we present an overview of the most important aspects of a Beach Tennis rackets.
How do I choose the best racket? To give you an answer right at the beginning:
THE BEST RACKET doesn’t exist – at least it is not the same for everyone❗
Different characteristics of a Beach Tennis racket
Finding the right Beach Tennis racket can be tricky, as there is a wide variety on the market nowadays to choose from. The rackets can be of different material, with varying thickness and balance, and with more or less holes. What’s more, so many new brands have come onto the market in recent years that it’s very easy to feel lost 🙈. And to be honest with you, finding the right racket is like starting anything new in life … it takes some time and experience! First of all, it is important that you find out for yourself what type of player you are and what racket characteristics will support your game 🤓.
At this point, let’s delve a little deeper into the matter: What different characteristics can a Beach Tennis racket have? 🤔Because I had also reached my technical limits on this topic, I sought advice from probably the best-known racket expert in the Beach Tennis world, Eugenio Cova (GLIPPER). He has already worked on more than 15.000 rackets in his career, he has more than 10 years of experience in that field, and many professional athletes entrust their beloved rackets to his expert treatment.
The Size
Beach Tennis rackets have an elongated shape, which distinguishes our rackets from the shape of Padel rackets. The measurements I am referring to here are the official standards of the ITF, which sets our rules worldwide.
The maximum length is 50 cm from the end of the handle to the tip of the racket head. The longer the racket, the greater the leverage. On the one hand, this means a higher force development on the ball and, on the other hand, a greater impact on the shoulder joint. Due to the higher force development, rackets with a maximum length of 50 cm are generally used. It is also important to note that the shorter the racket is, the easier it is to control. For this reason, many beginners hold the racket handle a little higher. The varying racket length is also one of the reasons why many people have less shoulder pain when playing Beach Tennis than when playing regular Tennis, as a Tennis racket is significantly longer (maximum 73.7 cm).
The racket head must not be wider than 26 cm. The profile distance between the two hitting surfaces (thickness) must be constant and must not exceed 38 mm, however, the average thickness is 20 to 26 mm. I have never seen a Beach Tennis racket with a thickness of 38 mm, and my guess is that this number was simply taken from the Padel rules. 😅🙈
Material & Rigidity
The Core
The core is extremely important for a good bounce and control of your shots, as well as for the acceleration of the ball right when you have hit the ball. EVA (ethyl vinyl acetate) is a polymer used to make the foam in the core of Beach Tennis rackets. It is a harder alternative to regular foam.
EVA of different densities are used to create rackets with different characteristics, from softer to harder touches. We can distinguish between EVA extra soft, soft and hard. Manufacturers are increasingly using different densities of EVA to give players the best of both worlds – the comfort and easy bounce of a soft core and the precision and power of a hard core. So, the extra soft rubber is used for maximum comfort and vibration absorption, and an easy bounce effect, and is therefore perfect for beginners and amateurs. More advanced and pro players usually prefer soft EVA or harder EVA. By the way, the color of the EVA has no influence on the characteristics of the racket, but are sometimes different for design reasons.
The Surface
The most commonly used materials for the impact surface are fiberglass, carbon fiber, and kevlar fiber. Fiberglass is a slightly softer material that provides a soft and gentle ball impact, while carbon fiber is a more durable and harder material that provides a stable and stiffer feel. It is common for the slightly cheaper rackets to be made of fiberglass and the more expensive, more elaborate rackets to be made of carbon fiber and kevlar fiber, some rackets even have a combination of these materials.
Important note: Carbon and Kevlar are never used alone in a racket, as they would either be too hard or too brittle. They are always combined with a fiberglass layer, which is located between the EVA and the surface of the racket.
Carbon fiber demands a little more from the player, as it is more difficult to get the stiff material to bend and increase speed. However, once you have managed this, the response of the racket will be stronger compared to a fiberglass racket. Nevertheless, I would recommend slightly more experienced players or players who want to challenge themselves to play with a slightly stiffer carbon or kevlar racket. You can think of it like driving a car. You wouldn’t recommend a beginner to sit in a Formula 1 car, even if the maximum performance of the car is better 🏎️😅.
There are also different types of carbon fiber densities, with 3k usually being the standard. But what does 3k, 12k or 18k actually mean? It describes the carbon fiber threads per square centimeter (for example 3k = 3000 carbon fiber threads per square centimeter). The higher the number of carbon fiber threads, the harder or stiffer the racket. With a stiff racket you can generate a lot of speed and it is suitable for aggressive players who like a stable and hard feel.
But not to make it too easy at this point 😆🙈… every racket is a bit different, and it’s important that the EVA density matches the fibers of the surface to get a great feel when playing. But one point of reference is generally known … the better your skills are, the harder your racket can be ☝️🤓.
The Surface Treatment
To add more rotation or spin to the ball, an additional treatment in the form of a grit can be applied to the surface of the racket. Of course, you can also get spin on the ball with any surface as it mainly comes down to technique and hole placement, but the surface treatment will help and can give that extra percent you need to successfully spin the ball.
I am often asked if this additional treatment affects the performance of the racket: My answer is YES, considering the various benefits (improved rotation effects, homogeneity of the plate, and better ball bounce). I am also asked if the plate becomes stiffer through the treatment: My answer is NO. If you want to have a stiffer plate of your racket, it is necessary to remove some elasticity of the plate. I discovered all this thanks to the well-known technique of Glipper, who explained perfectly to me how his treatment works! It is worth mentioning the extra weight of this type of treatment, which increases by 7 to 10 grams depending on the type of treatment Glipper uses.
If you are not able to play with a topspin effect, I would not recommend adding a surface treatment to your racket, as it mainly supports the spin-rotation shots (serve, smash and variations of topspin-volleys). However, if you want to use topspin effects more efficiently, you should consider adding a treatment. There are several different treatments that you can choose from. As mentioned in the beginning, an absolute specialist in the field of racket optimization and customization is the company GLIPPER, which is based in Italy. I am personally very satisfied with the treatments there.🔝If you are interested to learn more about it, please check the website of GLIPPER.
The Holes
The holes in the racket face minimize the air resistance, thus improving the aerodynamics of the racket head → the more holes, the less air resistance and consequently it is easier and faster to move the racket from one side to the other. Therefore, the amount of holes also have a big impact in windy conditions. Furthermore, the holes are reducing the weight of the racket, so the racket becomes lighter when you put some more holes in it. Additionally, they slightly support the topspin effects a bit by acting as a rough surface when hitting the ball. Does all that mean, the more holes the better the racket? No, because the more holes a racket has, the softer it gets (more elastic), which is great for an easy bounce, but not for a powerful and controlled game style of an advanced or pro player.
Are you asking yourself now, how many holes you can add to your racket? Good question! Glipper, the true expert in this field, explained to me that there are different positions on the racket where you can add holes. It mainly depends on the player’s characteristics and on how we want to improve maneuverability.
The Weight
Beach Tennis rackets usually weigh between 320 and 360 grams. It is important to find out what weight is good for you. A racket that is too heavy can easily cause shoulder or arm pain. That’s why many juniors, women and beginners prefer to play with lighter rackets. Men often prefer slightly heavier rackets. In my estimation, light to medium-heavy rackets weigh between 320 and 349 grams and heavier rackets weigh over 350 grams.
In general we can note, the heavier the racket, the more stable it is and the more power a player can generate with each shot. A lighter racket will give the player more hand speed flexibility, and an easier maneuverability of the racket, which can have a major impact when the game is getting faster, or in windy conditions.
The Balance
We can roughly distinguish between three different types of “balances”. As a reference we define the neutral balance of a 50 cm long racket first, which is at 25 cm, as it is exactly the center of the racket.
Low balance rackets have the weight that drops slightly towards the handle, which gives you better control over the racket. That’s why many beginners like this type of balance a lot. Medium balance rackets have the weight placed between the head and the handle. These types of rackets usually provide a perfect balance between power and control. High balance rackets have the weight slightly towards the head, which offers a greater degree of power but less control. These types of rackets are usually not ideal for beginners but more for advanced or professional players that use this type of characteristic to play a more aggressive game. Tip: You can easily test the balance of your racket yourself – even without professional equipment. Simply place the racket on a flat table towards the edge of the table. Let the handle and the heart of the racket float in the air and try to find the exact point where your racket does not fall yet – this is your balance point. Now you can measure the distance between the beginning of your grip and the edge of the table to determine your balance point in centimeters:
= neutral balance: 25 cm (exactly the center of a 50 cm racket)
→ low balance < 25 cm
→ medium balance > 25 to 26,4 cm
→ high balance > 26,5 cm
The increased net height for the professional men’s circuit (from 1.70 to 1.80 m) has also led to a change in racket balance. While many pro men players used to have a medium or high balance to get more speed on the ball, they now tend to use a medium or low balance to achieve higher and faster maneuverability and better ball control.
The Sweet Spot
The sweet spot of a Beach Tennis racket is the optimal impact area to hit the ball and thus achieve greater efficiency for your shot, both in terms of control and power. In Beach Tennis, the best hitting area is the one that resists the arriving balls the best and requires the least amount of force to hit the ball. This area is usually the one that is least close to the edges → in the center of the racket face. The sweet spot is not always exactly in the center of the racket face, but it is usually about the same. The sweet spot also depends on the material combination of the racket (EVA + surface) and is narrower with carbon rackets in particular, while it is wider with Kevlar and fiberglass rackets.
Personally, I love my racket (NOX MB10) very much, because in my opinion this model gives an extremely large sweet spot and a very balanced feel, which is especially important when you don’t have time to hit the ball optimally, for example when defending or returning. Therefore, I recommend to you to find out about the sweet spot of your racket … how much is your racket supporting your shots when you don’t hit the ball perfectly in the center of the racket face? 🤔
The Design
Uffff, this is a difficult section for me because I know HOW IMPORTANT the design of a racket is to most players … although in the end it does not make the game changing difference. 🫢 Of course, a beautiful racket or that of your idol can give you a special motivation and self-confidence, but I would never advise you to buy a racket just because it looks great … or at least not to expect the racket to match your own playing characteristics. 😆✌️
Conclusion
To sum it all up, it is not as easy as it seems to find the best matching racket for each player as so many different factors influence the quality and playing characteristics of a racket. If you can test rackets before you buy them, I can advise you to play all different shots (aggressive and defensive shots, touch game, and also serve and return) to test the racket regarding your individual preferences.
My overall advice to find a good racket for you:
- If you are a beginner or amateur:
- start with a lighter fiberglass or fiberglass-carbon racket with extra soft EVA
- If you are a more advanced player:
- check your own game style characteristics to match to the racket characteristics – a harder (carbon or kevlar) racket probably fits best
- Try out different rackets to get a feeling for what fits best to you – test them before buying!