Chitika

Monday, June 27, 2011

The History And Changing Technology Of Tennis Rackets

By Tom Doerr


The game of tennis has been with us for centuries, and the changes that tennis rackets have undergone throughout those years have been many. Below is the history and the technology of this ever important piece of equipment, to provide a better understanding for each consumer, prior to purchasing one.

Historians believe that the game began in the 12th century, but it was only in the 16th century that they made their way into it. Before hand, the ball was struck against the wall, indoors, simply with the palm of the hand.

However, when they were first introduced, there were basically made with laminated wood and not much had changed until the Wilson Corporation, in the 1960s introduced steel into the equation. That's when all the changes really began to take effect, with new manufacturers creating and introducing other materials, such as aluminum in the 70s. With the aluminum version also came the larger sizes.

Graphite was later introduced in the 80s, which opened doors to other materials as well, like titanium, ceramics, boron, and glass-fiber that were added to the composite. From there, other changes occurred in the lengths of the handles, which gave shorter players a better advantage with a longer reach.

A modern tennis racket, through all its changes and improvements, now provides the player with many more opportunities and personal preferences to improve individual's game. For instance, lightweight technology combined with larger faces and better strings enables the player to swing faster and have a bigger sweet spot for optimum play.

There are many considerations that need to be carefully thought out besides the ones mentioned above. For example, the grip size certainly provides comfort, but also avoids any injury to the player. The balance, the brand and head size also play a big role in what separates a good model from other competing models.




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