In today's article, we are going to break down a paddle tennis racket based on the elements that make it up.
Frame of a paddle tennis racket
We define the frame of a padel racket as the outline of a racket, where we put the racket protector, which will prevent scratches and minor bumps.
The frame of a padel racket is made up of a tube made of the following materials:
- Fiberglass: It is the material that offers the least resistance to shocks.
- Carbon fiber: This material offers much higher shock resistance than fiberglass and a higher degree of rigidity.
- Kevlar + fiberglass: The combination of these materials offers a frame that is lighter and more resistant to shocks than carbon fiber.
- Carbon fiber+kevlar: The combination of these materials offers similar features to kevlar+glass, giving us one more point of stiffness and a slightly higher weight.
Plane or face of a paddle tennis racket
Also known as the face of the racket, the plane of the racket is the hitting area. The plane of a racket is formed, in most cases, by different layers of fiberglass and carbon fiber.
Paddle racket rubber
The rubber, mainly made up of two variations of foam: eva rubber (normally harder) and polyethylene rubber (normally softer), gives the racket an elastic character, helping us to amplify the force we exert on the ball.Holes of a paddle tennis racket
The holes in a paddle tennis racket, which have a maximum diameter of 13mm and a minimum distance of 1cm between them, have multiple functions:- Minimize air resistance, thus improving the aerodynamics of the blade.
- Reduce the weight of the racket, going from weights close to 400 grams to more optimal weights for the game (around 360 grams).
- Promote spin by acting as a rough surface when hitting the ball.
- Reduce the hardness on the face and achieve greater flexibility, which allows to expand the sweet spot and achieve more comfortable touches.
Head of a paddle tennis racket
The racket head refers to the frame, flats and rubber assembly.Bridge of a padel racket
The bridge of the blade is the area that goes from the plane to the fist. There are different types of bridges:- Open bridges: These are the most commonly used bridges today, as they offer the least resistance to air.
- Closed bridges: This bridge moves the weight towards the handle of the racket. At an aerodynamic level, the closed bridge offers more resistance to the air, and makes the blade more complicated to move, than the open bridge.
- Bridges with vertical reinforcement: These bridges have the advantage of achieving greater firmness and compactness in the central vertical strip of the blade (approximately the central 8 cm), where it is estimated that 80% of hits occur.
- Bridges with horizontal reinforcement: They are mainly used to prevent twisting of the racket in off-center hits.
The fist of a shovel
The fist of the shovel is the area where we grab the shovel. As a general rule, with round blades a more elongated fist is achieved than with diamond blades and with teardrop blades, which will give us a larger gripping surface.The grip of a paddle tennis racket
The grip of a racket is the padded tape that surrounds the fist and that transmits greater comfort when gripping the racket. The vast majority of players place tapes (known as overgrips) above this grip, to achieve a more appropriate grip for the size of their hand.The rope of a paddle tennis racket
The rope is the element of the shovel that we use to grab onto our arm and prevent the shovel from flying off if we don't grab it properly. There are different types of rope: cord type (round or flat), sliding rope (allows the rope to be adjusted to the size of the wrist), and bracelet type rope (similar to the sliding one, but with thicker padding in the wrist area). wrist).Measurements of a paddle tennis racket
The regulation establishes that the maximum measurements of a paddle tennis racket are 45.5 centimeters long, 26 centimeters wide, and 38 millimeters thick in profile.
