How To Add More Power To Your Tennis Racket? (Full Guide)

As a beginner, the power of a tennis racket isn’t the main concern. Heck, you might not even know that different rackets can have different powers and how to add more of them. However, when you become more skilled, you start to wonder how to add more power to a tennis racket?

You can increase the power of your tennis racket by adding more using lead tape. Also, using elastic strings such as the natural gut or multifilament strings and choosing the lower gauge option will increase the trampoline effect equaling more power. Lowering the string tension increases power as well.

That being said, there are many options on how to add more power to your racket. You can try only one of these methods or implement them all to maximize the power.

Related: What Is Swing Style Rating In Tennis?

How to increase the power of a tennis racket?

To fully understand how these methods really add weight to the racket, stick with me while I explain it in a more in-depth way.

1. Select the right strings

The biggest factor in the racket’s power is that you select the right strings. Essentially, there are 4 main types of tennis strings: Natural and synthetic gut, nylon (multifilament), and polyester (monofilament) strings. For power, natural gut and multifilament strings are the best choices because they are the most elastic ones.

Also, all strings come in different gauges. What this means is how thick the individual string is. Gauges often are between 15 and 18. The lower the gauge, the thicker the string, so 15 is the thickest and 18 is the thinnest.

When selecting the gauges, you need to go for the higher gauge (thinner string) to get more power. The way thinner strings can generate more power is because the trampoline effect will be bigger when they are thinner. After all, the strings will go deeper, which makes the ball strike faster.

Keep in mind that strings with higher gauges (thinner strings) are less durable than ones with lower gauges. So if your strikes become so powerful that the strings break often, you should move down a gauge and see if they have better durability.

I would advise trying 17 gauge strings for power at first. They are often between 1.24-1.26mm thick, so they are great for power without sacrificing -much control. However, if they seem to lack durability or control, you should get 16 gauge strings because they are one step thicker.

Recommended 17 gauge strings for power: Babloat ouch VS 17G Tennis Strings

Recommended 16 gauge strings for power: Babloat VS Touch BT7 Tennis Strings

2. Lower the string tension

Another big thing you can do to increase the power in your racket is by lowering your string tension. Essentially, when the tension is lower, the ball can go deeper within the strings, creating a trampoline effect. This way, the ball has more distance to travel, which results in faster speed for the tennis ball.

One thing to be aware of when lowering the string tension is that when you do so, control also decreases, so experiment with different tensions and find a great balance between power and control. Don’t let the control go off too much because then your accuracy will suffer.

3. Increase the racket’s weight

Last but not least, by increasing the racket’s weight, you will get more power to your racket. Think about it, when your racket has more mass, it will generate more force on the tennis ball, which makes it go at a faster speed.

Now, a great way to increase the weight of a racket is to use lead tape. I like to use lead tape bars, and this package comes with 10x 2gram bars, so you can get 20g more weight to your racket, which is noticeable on the tennis court.

The location where you apply the lead tape or bars is crucial in terms of how much power you can get from them.

As a rule of thumb, you should add most of the tape on the top of the racket’s head, which gives the most power to your swing. You should also add a lesser amount to the 3 and 9 O’clock positions to get more stability and increased weight. If you want even move weight, you can add some to the 6 O’clock position of the racket’s head.

Should I put lead tape on my racket?

Placing lead tape on your tennis racket is a great way to add weight to the racket, which will increase the power. Generally, placing the lead tape at 12 o’clock will add the most power, whereas adding tape to 3 and 9 o’clock will even up the stability and add more weight.

Is a lighter or heavier tennis racket better?

Depending on the athlete’s skill set, a lighter or heavier racket can be the best choice. If you prefer more power, stability, and fewer shock vibrations, then a heavy racket is better for you. In contrast, if you prefer an agile racket and don’t have great power, then a lighter racket is the right choice.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are many options to make your tennis racket more powerful than it currently is. However, there is another way that doesn’t directly add power to your racket but your swing. By increasing your muscle mass, you will get more power to your swings regardless of what racket you are using.

Anyways, I hope that you enjoyed this article and got some great knowledge about increasing power in tennis rackets. Keep playing, and your strength will improve!