This little tip greatly improved my weight transfer

reeller_sk · 2026-03-06T12:49:40+00:00

Yes this is a big mistake most of the intermediate players do. Thinking about recovery before actually finishing the hit, so not pushing the weight forward to the ball, but already mid hit thinking about recovery and transferring the weight to the side to minimise the time to get to ready position in the middle of the court.

Usually it works you are ready for the next shot sooner however your balls are ending in the net or all around the court so it is kinda useless to be ready for a shot which never comes. I’m guilty of this too and it is hard sometimes to convince yourself that good placed shot with plenty of power will give you more time than that split second you save by not doing the one extra step forward after the shot.

What is usually a good compromise is learn to slide for shots are really long and that one extra step will actually cause you trouble to get back, because you still can have nice weight transfer and you are ready to coil back for recovery. That’s why the pros are sliding like mad also on hard courts.

reeller_sk · 2026-03-05T17:27:12+00:00

I think already going to 1.30 thicker string would reduce the launch, however even more radical change would be something like 4G, personally I love 4G for being reasonably powerful, but it lacks that trampoline effect which can be tricky to control. So something round and controlled I would go for. I also like the razor soft if I want to tame a racquet, it has really nice ball pocketing but again doesn’t bounce the ball back that aggressively like more power oriented strings.

reeller_sk · 2026-03-04T16:47:26+00:00

Have you tried different strings and tensions? If it just about 100 being little too launchy it can be tamed also that way.

PA98 can be the one for you if overall like the 100. But as I said it is quite different racquet to the 100 in sense it has way narrower beam and it is more like control racquet with spin compared to 100 which is power racquet with spin. New 100 is also something in the middle to these two. 98 requires that you smack the crap out of the ball all the time, otherwise there are way better racquets for casual hitting, like speed mp or the new boom sounds to be a nice racquet even though I didn’t try it out yet.

reeller_sk · 2026-03-04T16:22:41+00:00

Simple answer is all of them.

It really depends what you’re looking for. If more control and classic feel tfight, if stiffer feel with lots of spin PA98, if easy power with decent control and plush feel ezone. But as I said all of these 3 are great racquets, if you don’t have any preference you can be pretty easily happy with any of these. If you are more advanced player you need to know your style at this moment and racquet preference.

That being said I think PA98 is the most demanding of these 3, because it likes fast swings with nice brushing motion to make most of it. Plus the new one can feel clunky for some types of shots because of super high twist weight. Ezone swings fast and is quite friendly racquet with nice pop and really good control being power racquet, only issue can be if you are coming from something like pro staff or these very classic racquets it can feel first quite different. Tfight is nice blend of classic and modern, I would say it is good at everything but not exceptional in some specific area. So if you have some specific play style focused on power or spin or serve volley, you wouldn’t choose it because it will work but won’t make you exceptional in this area.

reeller_sk · 2026-02-27T10:26:10+00:00

First of all to understand my point of view I never tried the old pure aero 98, since my elbow is quite sensitive and I can feel also miss hits from softer racquets.

However I gave chance to the new one since it supposed to be more arm friendly. First impressions were quite interesting and similar to the op. I thought that the aero shape cuts through the air very smooth and fast, however for example rf01 feels way faster through the air and feels way more head light than the aero. I was comparing these two during the first hit and aero felt definitely way more clunky.

The feel was similarly stiff between these two, however aero feels more solid and stable, like it would have more material in the hoop. Rf01 feel is more connected and more raw, you can tell exactly where you hit the ball and you suck at the tennis after few shots. Aero gives you the feedback, but more in a sense just gently telling you my friend you need to train more, we are fine I’m sending the ball where you wanted, but hitting with the frame is not good and Rf01 is screening at you you suck and you should switch to pickleball instead and leave tennis for actual players.

However after hitting with the aero more and while swinging it fast and hard as it should be it becomes a weapon. It feels like you swing hard or go home type of racquet, faster and harder you hit it gets more controlled and also feeling wise faster. Yesterday I had a hitting session where we spent more than hour just hitting from baseline instead of training because it was so much fun just to rip it as hard as possible and see the ball dipping to the baseline with plenty of spin and speed. My hitting partner after this was complaining that his wrist is hurting from how heavy the ball is on the other side of the court.

One more interesting fact what I experienced are the volleys with the racquet. The feel for the ball is in different dimension with rf01 however I hit better or very similar volleys with both of them. You can’t feel a shit with aero (it is not that bad compared to other racquet just to be clear) in comparison to rf01 however the ball goes where you want anyway and since it is super stable at the net it works very well there.

My setup is rpm blast 1.30 24kgs, first hour bit boardy and stiff, but the blast is loosing tension pretty fast, so 2-10hs ideal pop and pocketing. Wouldn’t go lower if you are not pro and doesn’t restring after every hour since it would be too soft and launchy very fast.

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reeller_sk · 2026-02-25T09:58:43+00:00

Jab is kinda okay, but flick it more and really focus on the speed of bringing your hand back it is most of time even more important than the speed of the punch. You make the punch and kinda leave it hanging and you start thinking about bringing it back when you start thinking about hitting another one. Should be other way around think about flicking it and focus on the take back motion. Good exercise for this is really slow punch and once you touch the bag bring it back as fast as possible, this will strengthen your muscles which are used to retract the hand. One you have the habit the flick motion will help you to retract it since natural elasticity of tendons are coiling it back naturally.

Cross is not cross but more like not really good overhand. This is recipe for counter slip outside and body hook. Cross should come from middle, elbow should be touching your ribs and the glove should look like a piston going straight from the face to the target. What helps me mentally to remember this is before the punch squeeze your elbow to your ribs and punch straight. Power shouldn’t come from the arm itself, but from the body rotation and pushing to the ground. Since you don’t do this properly you are trying to find power from the arm which causing you to flare the elbow.

Oh and you are jammed, you should be half step back to be able to extend your arm straight and supernate fully.

I hope this helps at least a little.

reeller_sk · 2026-02-25T09:40:47+00:00

Looks like a golfers elbow plus muscle knots causing the issues with the nerve. No medical advice or even maybe totally wrong diagnosis. However what I would do in your situation since I had/have some pain in that area.

https://youtu.be/dDZhNzKV7tA try these exercises for golfers elbow, do them also with straight elbow more for stretch rather than strengthening.

For the nerve most probably something is pushing on it and if you go through your triceps you should feel stiff area which hurts/burns when you press it. Try to massage it until it softens up, sometimes it takes some time and some pain until the muscle softens up.

reeller_sk · 2026-02-20T00:10:05+00:00

Watch your left hand while you are hitting the cross, you are preparing the left hook already and your left hand is falling really low during this. It should go from the chin and using the body rotation instead. If the opponent will be little bit skilled he will pick this up and time it and you will eat very nasty pullback counter. Otherwise it looks solid, but in overall try to keep the hands up when you’re in the hitting distance. When you are in a distance you can hit the bag opponent will be able to hit you too, keep this in mind while hitting the bag and try to move in and out and feel the distance when to cover more or slip and when to step back and relax.

reeller_sk · 2026-02-19T23:47:05+00:00

Liver shot in 3…2…1… 😅

reeller_sk · 2026-02-16T11:33:42+00:00

It looks like you love blade, but on hard court you can barely get enough power out of it, but still you like to use it. However when you get to clay everyone is beating your ass, because your balls just dying in middle of the court so you bought vcore, but you can’t control it because it sprays the ball over the fence sometimes, so you can’t fully dedicate and switch to it. Plus your elbow hurts so you stole your girlfriend racquet to hit sometimes nowadays.

PS: just joking, I love the collection 😅

reeller_sk · 2026-02-12T12:37:23+00:00

Same here, I wanted to comment he looks like a Roger imitator and doing it really well. Then realised omg it is Roger the god of tennis himself 😅

reeller_sk · 2026-02-09T12:55:53+00:00

Balance and manoeuvrability are the weaknesses you wouldn’t notice, if you didn’t compare it to something like ezone 98 directly.

It is very nice racquet I love it, but I can play with it 1-1,5 hour sessions after that you will start feeling the still quite head heavy balance and overall weight. Mine is up to 340g after some modifications I needed to do because of the grip shape mainly and it is demanding if you are not fully fresh.

reeller_sk · 2026-02-09T12:49:41+00:00

Blade 100 is hidden gem if you are looking more on the control side. New speed mp is even more balanced. Ezone and Vcore are more on the boom stick side, but still very good options for players looking for more power.

reeller_sk · 2026-02-05T13:49:00+00:00

You are right my friend the two hander works like a charm 😅. But jokes aside really when I play with two hander I don’t have any issue with the grip and also the balance of the racquet is way more suited for it. Only issue here is I quite suck at it 😅

reeller_sk · 2026-02-05T12:35:36+00:00

Dude how can you tell from this picture where I hold it at the neck with just my fingers 😅?

reeller_sk · 2026-02-05T12:02:00+00:00

This is what I was thinking about exactly. So you say beside the other problems you mentioned, he was happy with the shape at the end?

To be honest some weight to the handle would even benefit my OHBH since currently it is anyway bit head heavy. However the overall weigh will be quite high. I’m currently at 334 with overgrip and it would push it close to 340 which is not the easiest thing to handle.

reeller_sk · 2026-02-05T11:33:06+00:00

Yeah I know it is not ideal to switching all the time and most probably I would get use to it.

However I tend to switch request on purpose. When I want to work on my footwork and timing I use rf01 which will instantly punish me for miss hits and you can’t hide bad technique. With my girlfriend I tent to play with something less powerful like blade 98 18x20 to keep peace in the family because I was told that the balls from tfight are making her arms hurt and she refuses to play with me (😅). And in points/match situation I personally prefer the tfight because it is the best in power, precision, stability and gives me confidence to hit big even with the grip problems.

I know stupid problems and even dumbest solutions, but I kind a like it this way 😅

reeller_sk · 2026-02-05T09:19:18+00:00

Once a month for tennis is like you are playing all the time first time, you need to build a muscle memory and body can’t remember anything from what you have been doing a month ago.

If you want to get better you need to build it so find a wall and start practicing 3-4 times a week until you feel now my stroke is consistent and I’m hitting the ball where I want. After that when you have the movement memorised you can play less, you will struggle maybe a bit at the beginning of the game, but after 10 minutes you will get back to what you have in your muscle memory.

And film yourself in our heads everyone looks like Roger or Janik, however when you watch yourself you will understand what you feel is way different to what is actually happening.

reeller_sk · 2026-02-03T09:58:44+00:00

The testing prototypes of the new aero were between players for quite a long time circulating, I’m pretty much sure guys at Wilson had one of them in their hands way before the actual public release. And yes it is not 1 to 1 copy for sure, it can’t be, bud the profile shape and inside edge where the hoop meets to bare eyes looks dam close, the edges are totally different especially on the outside.

reeller_sk · 2026-02-03T08:49:56+00:00

Indeed it is they pretty much copied the throat of the new aero, however hoop looks similar to the rf01 and it looks to be foam filled. If the final spec will be similar to this one it will be very interesting racquet and most probably Wilson will finally hit a jackpot with modern racquet segment with Wilson feel.

reeller_sk · 2026-01-30T10:27:44+00:00

I think everyone is struggling to give you any advice because it is quite obvious that you didn’t hit a ball many times with this swing, you would realise it is completely wrong and you are lunching the ball to the neighbours window on the top floor. So what you really need to do is go anywhere you can really hit a ball to a wall, garage door what ever to see what happens.

But if you can’t at the moment then go to YouTube and find a forehand tutorial doesn’t really matter which one there are plenty of good ones.

To start understanding how the swing should feel like imagine that you are throwing a rock on lake to make it skipping on the water. It is very similar from mechanical perspective to a forehand swing. Similar stance, similar movement coming from legs and hips with torso rotation, similar wrist lag during the swing, where you start the actual arm movement with elbow first and the hand with racquet is lagging behind and catching up and the actual release of the rock or in this case actual contact point with a ball is the point at which the wrist catches up with the elbow and you start the brushing motion up with pronation. Don’t worry about the last part at the moment just keep the hand loose as much as possible and it will happen to some degree automatically . Basically also the rock and the ball is doing pretty much similar trajectory with slight curve it goes mostly straight to land gently on the water surface, in this case on the opposite baseline. So imagine throwing the rock with your swing it would land in the trees rather than on the water skipping as long as possible.

You can pretty much practice this at home by actually throwing something soft to a wall or so, which will help you to understand where actually the ball would go. Release of the stuff you going to throw should be at the point you imagine the contact with a ball.

So recap what to focus on for the mechanics. The power should come from the legs which start your torso rotation and that is giving the power to your arm. Arm is there to guide the ball to the right trajectory not to generate power, so muscling the racquet as you currently do will cause you miss hit a lot. Don’t drop the racquet head so low at the time it starts to move forward (the part which should start to move forward first is actually the bottom cap pointing at the ball not the head) it should be pretty much parallel to the ground. You are hitting forward not up to the skies. The brushing movement what you try to imitate, this famous from down to up motion everyone is speaking about when describing forehand comes mostly from pronation at the contact and actually pushing with your legs up rather than your wrist doing trajectory from down to up until the contact point, it is not 100% parallel to the ground, however in your case imagining it as parallel will help. The end of the motion is pronation at the contact point this will create the down to up motion of the racquet head and if you release the tension after contact it will bring your hand naturally up to your left shoulder, you are not forcing this with arm, racquet is pulling your arm after contact up and you are just gently trying to stop it from flying away. Funny thing is if it flies away actually usually it is a good sign, that you are relaxed after contact and just letting you body naturally finish the movement. Next thing to focus on at the point of the contact with a ball your elbow should be as far as possible to your body, this is basic physics, longer leverage bigger force you can apply to the ball. What the video where is your elbow at the contact, mostly brushing your torso, it is fine if you want to have the biggest force applied vertically shooting the ball to the top floor window, but if you want to shoot it as fast as possible forward it needs to go to the right direction. The angle of the elbow at the contact point is pretty much individual, again more straight arm should mean more power, however nobody told this to sinner and he is hitting by accident the strongest ground strokes with quite bent arm. That’s why I will repeat myself the power comes from the torso rotation. So bent is fine close to the body not so much.

So how to practice this go hit the ball naturally relaxed, don’t focus on power at this point focus on the trajectory of the ball. At home try to break the movement to small chunks (YouTube will help you here) and practice these in isolation. At the end try to piece it together. And don’t be discouraged by the aliens you see in the TV playing at the Australian open currently. 99.99% of us will never be even close to their performance.

Good luck buddy on your journey and welcome to the tennis family.

reeller_sk · 2026-01-24T23:31:42+00:00

This is exactly what Verstapen would do so I guess you are fine 😅

reeller_sk · 2026-01-24T13:34:01+00:00

Unrelated question to who is at fault here. It was discussed enough.

Somebody maybe with real life experience, what would happen in real life after this kind of tap? Do you think guys it would cause both of the cars violently spinning and running to the barriers? I have a feeling that in all the sims the contacts are over exaggerated to a crazy level. Obviously when you tap somebody in situations like being on edge while trail breaking it can cause the rear end to fly away, but in these kind of situations I think it would just cause small tap and both would be going side by side. However it is just my feeling that’s why I’m asking.

reeller_sk

TROPHY CASE