There are many approaches to racket customization that aim to have an impact on racket performance and player-racket interaction. To be honest, the whole process can be a mess and leave most players even more confused than before about what their needs are. In those cases it’s almost certain that the players are better off just using stock rackets.

Nevertheless, there is no denying that there are significant performance enhancements that can be achieved with the right approach to racket customization. 

At Impacting Tennis, we have developed a method to all this madness, to achieve consistent results by following the Impacting Tennis Principles. These include: 

1. Working with the right parameters,
2. Prioritizing the right parameters to optimize specific racket-player characteristics,
3. Gathering detailed information about the racket and player,
4. Attention to detail, while assembling the “big picture” of racket-player development.

The racket parameters, that we prioritize for racket-player development are):

– Average Impact Mass – AIM
– MGR/I
– Mass
– Strings (and tension)
– Grip Shape

Let me briefly illustrate how the IT customization process is like:

1. Discovery phase – gathering information about racket, racket specs, history of the player development, technique, physique, game style, future expectations and goals, areas that need improvement through customization, and so on.
2. Analytical phase – Analysing gathered information needed for the customization process, performing calculations, following IT principles to select the best possible racket specs based on results. 
3. Implementation phase – Presenting the proposed solutions, changes, and racket specs. Working closely with the player on the court, when possible, to gather feedback.
4. Iteration phase – Re-evaluating solutions when necessary and selecting the best strategy and setup based on gathered feedback from the implementation phase and real life testing.

The whole process serves as a learning experience for the player as well. It teaches the players, what certain setups make possible on court and what to expect from their racket and what gamestlye it promotes. The end result is a player, whose abilities,  mindset and on court tendencies are in line with the racket set-up. This ensures that the players get as much help as possible, from the racket during any situation.

I suggest anyone, who is following the IT principles also follows the same process to get the best results.