Tennis Technology Essay, Research Paper

Racquet It seems like only yesterday that Prince was introducing the Michael

Chang Long-body tennis racquet to the world. It was the first extra-length

racquet designed to be a "player’s racquet" with less power and more

control. The previous extra-length racquets we have seen had huge heads and

funky designs. They generated an enormous amount of power and tremendous spin,

but they were ineffective with regard to control. The Michael Chang Long-body

changed all that. This is the racquet that brought extra length to the masses.

In reality, the Michael Chang Long-body racquet has been on the market for about

three years. In the computer industry it would be a dinosaur. Although tennis

racquets do not age quite as fast as computers, three years is still a long time

for a racquet to remain unchanged. What Prince has done is to introduce a new

Chang tennis racquet called the Michael Chang Titanium Long-body. The Michael

Chang Titanium Long-body is a better tennis racquet than the original. Not only

does the racquet combine the qualities of the original Michael Chang Long-body,

but it also incorporates Prince’s latest technological advances. There are two

major technological differences between the old and new Chang racquets. The

first difference is the titanium in the shaft of the Michael Chang Titanium

racquet, which gives the new version its name. Titanium is braided with the

graphite in the shaft of the Chang Titanium which increases the stiffness of the

frame and makes the racquet more powerful and stable than the Original Chang

racquet.1 The extra stability should appeal to all players, while the extra

power will benefit those players who want or need more power. The second

difference is the Sweet Spot Suspension System, which the Chang Titanium racquet

has and the Original Chang does not. The Sweet Spot Suspension System decreases

the vibration by sixty percent and absorbs a lot more shock, especially outside

of the sweet spot.2 The Sweet Spot Suspension System is a major benefit for

anyone with arm problems or anyone who wants to avoid them. The head size,

length, and the width of the Chang Titanium and Chang Original are the same, but

the weight differs. Like the Original Chang, the Titanium Chang comes in two

head sizes: 95 and 107 square inches. Both the Titanium head sizes are 20 mm

wide and weigh 11.3 and 11.6 ounces unstrung. By comparison, the Original Chang

Midsize weighs 11.2 ounces and the Oversize weighs only 10.3 ounces. Both the

Original Chang and the Titanium Chang are 28 inches long and head-light.3 A

disadvantage of the Chang Titanium is the difficulty of maneuverability. Both

the Midsize and Oversize frame of the Chang Titanium are less maneuverable than

the Original Chang is. Compared to the Original Chang Oversize, the extra ounce

of weight and the larger hoop of the Chang Titanium make the Oversize frame very

difficult to handle. A player will need to have good strength, great timing, or

great preparation to play well with this racquet. A physically strong player

will be able to maneuver the frame into position and should enjoy the solid feel

of the racquet.4 Good timing and early preparation will be required for the rest

of us, because a person has to start the swing very early and, once he starts

it, there is no stopping and restarting. The smaller head on the Midsize helps

to make it much more maneuverable than the Oversize; however, according to the

weight specifications, the Midsize is still less maneuverable than the Original

Chang Midsize. The difference, however, is much less significant than with the

Oversize frames. Prince’s Sweet Spot System decreases the vibration and absorbs

a lot more shock, which is a definite improvement over the Original Chang

racquets. With the titanium in the shaft, the Chang Titanium makes the racquet

more stiff, powerful, and stable than the Original Chang. Chang Titanium is

heavier than the Original Chang, but a person who can handle the racquet will

exploit Prince’s latest technological advances which make it a better racquet

than the Original Chang.