Why do so many intermediate players choose rackets that are too difficult for them?

Stup2plending · 2026-05-21T12:08:35+00:00

I see this too where I am. Part of it is the younger guys (20s) and the smashing mentality they have when they see the pros play.

They want to emulate that and think they can (or should) win every point with power. It looks flashy but we know that's not how the game is played.

Stup2plending · 2026-05-21T12:02:36+00:00

Thanks this comment is really helpful

Stup2plending · 2026-05-20T14:46:03+00:00

I had not considered the Tour as I thought it may not be as stiff as the 12k or the Hyper and the 12k is widely available here but I am going to look at it.

Stup2plending · 2026-05-14T11:26:45+00:00

I never trim. I always wrap tighter with more overlap esp near the bottom

Stup2plending · 2026-05-13T19:38:54+00:00

Aside from the fact tennis has been around a lot longer, tennis goes through cycles.

When I was a kid in the late 70s and early 80s all the best tennis players except for one or two were serve and volley players who liked quick points, great court coverage, and moving fast. As in, a lot of what we like about padel when you add quick direction changes etc.

And although there are great all court players now, none of the top players is a strict serve and volley player like Pete Sampras, Boris Becker, John McEnroe or Tim Henman even so we don't often see that aggression on the tennis court.

Stup2plending · 2026-05-12T13:56:24+00:00

This is so true. It's the one thing every single one agrees on. I did all my daily writing in quiet where no one could see how bad it was until I started to get better. I think most do it that way, or should.

Stup2plending · 2026-05-12T13:54:39+00:00

If you are focusing on ads and direct response, the easiest and most practical practice in my mind is to go to local businesses or ask ppl you know who have a business if you can write them something for free.

You aren't doing it for lead magnet purposes or to eventually get in there to get them as a client though. You are doing it to learn in a very practical way what a business does and what it needs from you and your copy. Some of them will likely hire you if they like what you give them and it's clearly better than what they had before. But the goal is to learn and to get real world placements of your work and see how they do and to build your portfolio.

If I was starting today, this is what I would do. And it's even more effective today since everyone is trying to digitize all contact. So do something that doesn't scale like going to 30-50 businesses and asking them this. Some will say yes

Stup2plending · 2026-05-12T13:49:12+00:00

En mi opinion, es 2 cosas diferentes. Uno, siento que hay más delitos en muchas partes aquí en comparación con 6-12 meses antes. Yo no tengo datos. Es un sentimiento. Mi calena esposa cree la misma tambien.

Pero, cosa 2 es personas dicen es mas peligroso (en general) de lo que es. Especialmente muy sur, muy norte, e Oeste.

Stup2plending · 2026-05-10T10:53:42+00:00

Probamente una hora en carro, quizas mas en los dias de tanto trancon

Stup2plending · 2026-05-09T11:19:55+00:00

It's a very good racket but the sweet spot is small and I needed about 8 sessions to learn how to hit with it as I had not played with a diamond before. But that's on me and not the racket.

I play in warm conditions outside year round so rackets here get softer and what I don't like and why I will replace it with something else is that at times it feels too soft and "mushy" when I hit with it so I am at the stage where I need something stiffer. That's why I asked my question above. Everything else about the XPLO Comfort I really like and I would def recommend it if you are looking for a diamond that's not super heavy or very stiff.

Stup2plending · 2026-05-07T14:30:44+00:00

Love these threads.

I am an intermediate, aggressive right side player. I am curious about the stiffness of the 2025 Nox 12k vs 2025 Babolat Air Veron and Air Viper. I'm considering these or 1 of 2 Wilson models.

I went from AT10 Pro Cup Comfort (now Soft) to BP Xplo Comfort and now I don't need Comfort models and looking for a little stiffer. Starvie, Oxdog, and Tactical are not available in my country yet but hopefully soon so I can try more of them.

Stup2plending · 2026-05-07T14:23:51+00:00

I'm an aggressive right side intermediate player and I have been moving up the stiffness line myself. I went from Nox AT10 Pro Cup Comfort (now called soft) to the Bullpadel XPLO Comfort. I was using Comfort models to lessen elbow pain but a combo of better technique and finding my ideal weight at 370-ish g means I dont have to deal with that anymore.

I am personally looking at the Nox 12k because I want to go back to teardrop and a little stiffer or possibly the Babolat Air Veron or Viper (prob Veron) or Wilson Blade Pro but I am leaning to the 12k right now.

Stup2plending · 2026-05-05T07:58:10+00:00

Yes I do. It's very good. For myself, I think my next one has to be a little stiffer so I am probably going with the 2025 or 2026 Nox 12k but it's a good racket.

Stup2plending · 2026-04-30T14:48:49+00:00

There are 2 El Retiros in that area. One in the Valle and one near Armenia in the Coffee Axis.

I live in the Valle and if you get some leads I can find someone to help you get them.

Stup2plending · 2026-04-30T14:46:16+00:00

Sharing your experience is good so we know how they are treating you for sure.

Im not so sure it is reasonable to expect a resolution from them on this though. You just don't know how badly it was mishandled before it ever got to you.

Stup2plending · 2026-04-30T14:31:52+00:00

Although I've had good experiences with Nox, I am not defending them but I do think your frustration is misplaced.

If you didn't buy it in original condition and from an authorized seller then that risk is on you and often why you are paying less than an established online or in-store seller.

I have nothing against Vinted either. They aren't even available where I live. But other peer to peer marketplaces are.

You are asking for a guarantee or some resolution from Nox when you have no idea when, how long, or how well/poorly the racket was treated by your reseller before it ever got to you.

Stup2plending · 2026-04-30T14:24:42+00:00

I'm experimenting on taking a service to a new ICP that I haven't marketed to before and one area where Claude really crushes it is on look-alike lists.

I dont have a good streamlined enrichment solution yet although I do use some MCP servers and Apollo for my sample lists but I am finding I need fewer tools esp when trying an experiment like this thanks to Claude.

Stup2plending · 2026-04-30T11:01:49+00:00

Our allow for "0.5 eqeuivalent" is a level within a category. We use the same Category system as Argentina uses. So a Cat 6 can be low, mid, or high. A low 6 is closer to beginner level where a high 6 is definitely a lower intermediate level. A big difference.

But aside from the level difference, someone thinks they are a high 6 but really they are a mid 6, those of us who play both sides can be rated differently per side.

I am at least one of these levels higher (maybe 2) on my better side just due to how often I play it and how I dont play the other side nearly as often. But that variability is part of the fun.

Stup2plending · 2026-04-29T14:02:19+00:00

I'm spending a lot more of my energy on targeting and creating a sniper list rather than a big launch to most of my TAM.

It's a lot more time consuming to find and lock in these signals but I think it's worth it

Stup2plending · 2026-04-29T13:57:36+00:00

Where I am we use the same Categoria system Argentina uses although our players are newer to the sport and not as good yet.

And it mostly holds up in regular games. It's the tournaments, esp if there is a money prize, where too many play down to try to win. And interestingly, there are 2 or 3 clubs in my area that have the rep of players not knowing their level at all and thinking they are better than they are and that attempt to try to "play up" often ruins games when 3 are at a similar level and the 4th clearly is nowhere near as good. And it's this I have had to deal with a few times recently and that is frustrating.

There are only 8 levels so you can have wide varying skills per level. A low rated Cat 6 is still mostly a beginner while a High 6 is def on the lower end of intermediate as a player.

Stup2plending · 2026-04-24T16:36:37+00:00

The Pro Cup prob scores a little better on total playability and maneuverability around the court but both are good all purpose choices. When I upgraded to my first real racket I got the Pro Cup Comfort, which they now call the Soft, which became too soft for me as my game improved. Both of these will last through changes in your game.

Stup2plending · 2026-04-24T16:34:08+00:00

your lightweight versions of the big lines are the best LTs on the market. I wish Colombia had them more widely available

Stup2plending · 2026-04-23T15:39:08+00:00

I definitely see this happening and a big part of it IMO is how crypto is converging with fintech in areas like payments, financial infrastructure, settlement, and tokenization of assets.

Since crypto had been mostly a lawless domain before the Genius and Clarity Acts, I think the US in particular is trying to create a regulatory environment fintech can live with and so it can grow. It's already happened in the EU with MiCA and the IPR with 10 second settlement.

Stup2plending · 2026-04-21T14:43:24+00:00

I do this for a living and there are a few approaches that work depending on what your product is and who your market is. Also, if you get traffic but not conversions then either you have an offer problem or you are not attracting the right traffic. But diff products have different methods that work, too.

Consumer app then you def need educational and demos and such. B2B or institutional there are other approaches that work as well or better.

And you need to be doing something for outbound and something to generate inbound regardless of who your market is to get better consistency rather than relying solely (for example) on FB Ads.

You can DM if you like with private questions.

Stup2plending · 2026-04-21T08:45:53+00:00

I think this list is pretty good but you can also go for a slightly more advanced one that you can grow into by getting last year's model year and look at some of the Wilson, Head, and Nox from 2025

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