Padel Racket
WHAT IS A PADEL RACKET?
A padel racket is composed of four elements:
– The frame of the racket is robust and solid.
– The core – foam of the racket
– The hitting zone
– The covering of the racket
Regulations impose certain criteria on rackets. The rules of the Spanish and International Padel Federation are as follows:
– Length: 455 mm
– Width: 260 mm
– Thickness: 38 mm
– Hitting zone: 300 mm in length and 260 mm in width
– Perforated hitting zone with holes not limited, with a diameter between 9 and 13 millimeters
– Presence of a safety cord at the end of the handle with a maximum length of 350 mm.
To choose your padel racket, it’s important to consider the 5 main technical characteristics of a good racket, which are: shape, weight, balance, materials, and core.
WHAT ARE THE MAIN CHARACTERISTICS?
- SHAPE OF THE RACKET
There are three different racket shapes, each corresponding to a playing style.
– ROUND SHAPE is most recommended for beginner players. It provides good ball control and allows the player to feel comfortable.
– TEARDROP SHAPE is recommended for intermediate players. It offers the best balance between control and power and is currently the most sold shape for its great versatility and good power level.
– DIAMOND SHAPE is specialized for advanced players with a higher technical level who can achieve better strokes because the racket increases the power. These are technical rackets with an optimal hitting zone and a reduced size, also known as the “Sweet Spot.”
- WEIGHT
Weight directly influences your playing style and is strongly related to your playing style. In general, higher weight provides more hitting power, while as weight decreases, speed and accuracy of the hit increase but with a significant loss of power.
The weight of a padel racket varies between 300 g and 390 g. There are three types of padel rackets:
– Light padel rackets with a weight below 350 g.
– Classic padel rackets with a weight between 350 g and 370 g.
– Heavy padel rackets with a weight above 370 g.
- BALANCE
Balance is generally related to the shape of the racket.
– ROUND RACKETS: offer good balance thanks to their handle, better handling and control but present a loss of power in hitting.
– TEARDROP RACKETS: offer medium versatile balance and are the perfect combination of control and power.
– DIAMOND RACKETS: offer balance in the front that gives power to the racket with a loss of maneuverability.
- MANUFACTURING MATERIALS
Most padel racket manufacturers use the same main materials such as fiberglass, carbon fiber, and Kevlar. These different materials aim to provide robustness, control, and power.
– FIBERGLASS: flexible, resistant, and affordable. However, weight is important and it reacts slowly to deformation. Mostly used on the surface of the racket head.
– CARBON FIBER: lightweight material with quick deformation but more expensive and with low deformation capacity. Used for the frame of the racket and sometimes on the surface of the racket head.
– KEVLAR: resistant but not very flexible and expensive. Used to reinforce the racket at some important points.
A soft material will provide great power but less control, while a hard material will bring better hit control but less power.
Other “secondary” materials involved in making a racket include EVA foam, titanium, graphite, among others. Some padel players have special rackets with a particular balance between these different materials.
- THE CORE
The core is the rubber of the racket. The two most used materials for the core of the racket are EVA foam and FOAM.
EVA foam is hard, less flexible, but its durability is important. This foam allows rackets to provide power without sacrificing control. Most manufacturers use this material.
FOAM has properties completely opposite to EVA foam because it is soft, with medium control, medium power but a spectacular ball output. Rackets using FOAM are more fragile.
The third possibility is a combination of the two, meaning you can have a hybrid core composed of EVA foam and FOAM. It is a soft but resistant foam, and it consists of a foam tube with EVA foam on the corners or the exteriors.
WHICH FOAM TYPE TO CHOOSE?
RIGID FOAM?
Rigid foam ensures precision and power gain. As the foam is harder, its ability to absorb power is lower, allowing players to transmit more energy to the ball and thus hit harder.
Rigid foam is more suitable for players with a good technical level and who have a power-based playing style. The most used foams are simple EVA, medium EVA, or strong EVA.
SOFT FOAM?
Soft foam will ensure excellent comfort but also a good ball output and better vibration absorption.