What is swing weight, and why should you care?
May 14, 2020 by Rob Ellis
If you’re looking at buying a new squash racket, there’s a big chance there’s two things you’re going to be looking for – a racket’s weight and its balance. Did you know there’s a third measure though that’s rarely mentioned but arguably the most important? Let me introduce you to ‘swing weight‘.
First of all, what actually is ‘racket weight’? Most modern squash racket frames weigh somewhere between 110-140 grams – there are lighter and there are heavier ones, but they’re few and far between. Racket weight is exactly what it says on the tin. If you put your racket on the scales, what you see is what you get.
However – you might be in for a surprise. Your trusty 125 gram racket probably weighs a little more than you’d expect. That’s because racket manufacturers only weigh the frame, opting to leave out grips, bumpers and strings. This usually adds around 25-30 grams extra to the weight.
This is because most squash players modify their racket in some way, shape or form after buying it, whether it’s changing strings or the grip. By measuring the frame weight alone, this gives a fair and impartial measure across every squash racket.
You might also be surprised to find out that racket weight actually tells you very little about the feel of a racket. In fact, of the three measures we’re looking at in this article (frame weight, balance and swing weight), it’s the least important.
Racket balance. A racket’s balance tells you where most of the weight is situated in the frame. You can find it yourself by measuring the ‘balance point’ – how high up the frame you have to go for the racket to balance either side.
Generally speaking, rackets that have a balance point of 37cm are considered evenly balanced, 38cm and above are head heavy, and 36cm and below are head light.
Balance can, in theory, make a 125 gram racket ‘feel’ heavier to swing than a 150 gram racket. This is thanks to the additional force required to generate racket head speed, due to its centre of mass being further away from its centre of rotation.
So, you’re probably wondering whether there’s a way of actually measuring how heavy a racket ‘feels’ in practise. Well…
Let’s talk about swing weight. Swing weight is a measurement of a racket’s resistance to being rotated about an axis. It’s measured by a machine that looks something like this. Swing weight is measured in ‘points‘, and is a true to life measure of how heavy a racket’s actually going to feel in practise, rather than just on the scales.
It’s the most important measure of a squash racket. Unfortunately, a quick Google search will tell you that it’s almost impossible to find.
There’s simply too many factors that impact swing weight for manufacturers to advertise it. A difference of just 3 grams in the head of a racket will completely change its measurement. Manufacturers have a ‘tolerance’ for weight and balance variances, therefore most squash rackets have a different swing weight when they leave the factory.
As well as this, things such as wear and tear on the bumper, the type of string you use, heck, even the colour grip you use all have an impact on swing weight.
There are occasions when squash players do measure swing weight. Professional squash players who have 5 or 6 of the same racket will have their rackets ‘balanced’ by professional technicians. This ensures all their rackets have the exact same swing weight.
First of all, what actually is ‘racket weight’? Most modern squash racket frames weigh somewhere between 110-140 grams – there are lighter and there are heavier ones, but they’re few and far between. Racket weight is exactly what it says on the tin. If you put your racket on the scales, what you see is what you get.
However – you might be in for a surprise. Your trusty 125 gram racket probably weighs a little more than you’d expect. That’s because racket manufacturers only weigh the frame, opting to leave out grips, bumpers and strings. This usually adds around 25-30 grams extra to the weight.
This is because most squash players modify their racket in some way, shape or form after buying it, whether it’s changing strings or the grip. By measuring the frame weight alone, this gives a fair and impartial measure across every squash racket.
You might also be surprised to find out that racket weight actually tells you very little about the feel of a racket. In fact, of the three measures we’re looking at in this article (frame weight, balance and swing weight), it’s the least important.
Racket balance. A racket’s balance tells you where most of the weight is situated in the frame. You can find it yourself by measuring the ‘balance point’ – how high up the frame you have to go for the racket to balance either side.
Generally speaking, rackets that have a balance point of 37cm are considered evenly balanced, 38cm and above are head heavy, and 36cm and below are head light.
Balance can, in theory, make a 125 gram racket ‘feel’ heavier to swing than a 150 gram racket. This is thanks to the additional force required to generate racket head speed, due to its centre of mass being further away from its centre of rotation.
So, you’re probably wondering whether there’s a way of actually measuring how heavy a racket ‘feels’ in practise. Well…
Let’s talk about swing weight. Swing weight is a measurement of a racket’s resistance to being rotated about an axis. It’s measured by a machine that looks something like this. Swing weight is measured in ‘points‘, and is a true to life measure of how heavy a racket’s actually going to feel in practise, rather than just on the scales.
It’s the most important measure of a squash racket. Unfortunately, a quick Google search will tell you that it’s almost impossible to find.
There’s simply too many factors that impact swing weight for manufacturers to advertise it. A difference of just 3 grams in the head of a racket will completely change its measurement. Manufacturers have a ‘tolerance’ for weight and balance variances, therefore most squash rackets have a different swing weight when they leave the factory.
As well as this, things such as wear and tear on the bumper, the type of string you use, heck, even the colour grip you use all have an impact on swing weight.
There are occasions when squash players do measure swing weight. Professional squash players who have 5 or 6 of the same racket will have their rackets ‘balanced’ by professional technicians. This ensures all their rackets have the exact same swing weight.
How does swing weight impact the way a racket plays?
Rackets with a lighter swing weight are able to move faster through the air, which in turn means they’re more manoeuvrable. However, this does mean power is sacrificed. This is because when these rackets come into contact with a ball, the ball is able to ‘push’ the racket back further.
Rackets with a heavier swing weight are generally less manoeuvrable, thanks to it being harder to generate racket head speed. However they are able to deliver more power, even with a slower swing. Though this is only up to a certain point – a racket can be ‘too heavy’ to be useable.
If you’re feeling especially nerdy, an in depth experiment by Tennis Warehouse shows exactly how changing the swing weight of a racket impacted how a tennis racket performed. The full experiment goes into detail about how weight, balance and swing weight individually affect racket head speed, ball velocity and more. While this experiment was carried out with tennis rackets, it’s a fairly safe assumption that you would see similar results with a squash racket.
In real world terms, what does this mean?Our good friends at QSS Squash offered their help with a little experiment using their swing weight machine. Here, we took three rackets, all with very similar frame weights, and found out exactly what their swing weights were.
What if I told you a 195 gram squash racket could feel almost the same as a 128 gram racket? You’d probably think I was crazy.Meet the Dunlop Hyper Ti – it costs just £12.95 and weighs one hundred and ninety five grams. It has a swing weight of 205 points. That’s only 10 points heavier than the 128 gram Revelation Pro.
Even though it weighs 50% more than Dunlop’s top racket, thanks to its head light balance, the difference in swing weight is a lot closer than you’d have ever guessed. Think about that the next time you dismiss a racket because it weighs 135 grams!
Think about swing weight when buying your next racket know players that wouldn’t consider using a racket weighing over 135 grams, yet still use a head heavy racket. This is probably the biggest misconception around racket weights.
My advice – the next time you’re choosing a racket, don’t immediately discard some of the heavier rackets. These rackets often have head light balances, and if you try them out, you might find they actually feel lighter than your current racket.
You should still give the 195 gram racket a miss though, probably for the best.
Rackets with a heavier swing weight are generally less manoeuvrable, thanks to it being harder to generate racket head speed. However they are able to deliver more power, even with a slower swing. Though this is only up to a certain point – a racket can be ‘too heavy’ to be useable.
If you’re feeling especially nerdy, an in depth experiment by Tennis Warehouse shows exactly how changing the swing weight of a racket impacted how a tennis racket performed. The full experiment goes into detail about how weight, balance and swing weight individually affect racket head speed, ball velocity and more. While this experiment was carried out with tennis rackets, it’s a fairly safe assumption that you would see similar results with a squash racket.
In real world terms, what does this mean?Our good friends at QSS Squash offered their help with a little experiment using their swing weight machine. Here, we took three rackets, all with very similar frame weights, and found out exactly what their swing weights were.
Dunlop Hyperfibre XT Revelation 125 – 125 grams and a head light balance. Swing weight – 175 points
Tecnifibre Carboflex Airshaft 125 – 125 grams and an even balance. Swing weight – 180 points
Dunlop Hyperfibre XT Revelation Pro – 128 grams and a head heavy balance. Swing weight – 195 points
What if I told you a 195 gram squash racket could feel almost the same as a 128 gram racket? You’d probably think I was crazy.Meet the Dunlop Hyper Ti – it costs just £12.95 and weighs one hundred and ninety five grams. It has a swing weight of 205 points. That’s only 10 points heavier than the 128 gram Revelation Pro.
Even though it weighs 50% more than Dunlop’s top racket, thanks to its head light balance, the difference in swing weight is a lot closer than you’d have ever guessed. Think about that the next time you dismiss a racket because it weighs 135 grams!
Think about swing weight when buying your next racket know players that wouldn’t consider using a racket weighing over 135 grams, yet still use a head heavy racket. This is probably the biggest misconception around racket weights.
My advice – the next time you’re choosing a racket, don’t immediately discard some of the heavier rackets. These rackets often have head light balances, and if you try them out, you might find they actually feel lighter than your current racket.
You should still give the 195 gram racket a miss though, probably for the best.
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