[MartinOcando]

Hello everyone. Is my first post here. I'm from Venezuela (Margarita Island) and received tennis training many years ago. Personal and familiar issues kept me away from courts and I'm back at full throttle for fun and health reasons. I just LOVE tennis, and I can't find a better way to get fit. I'm 45 years old and still overweight, but on the way to change my conditions as fast as I can (no overtraining, of course). I think part of the reason is that my older kids reached the age to play with me and be fun (not just picking balls from the floor all the time)

I feel I know the basics (footwork, toss, swing, follow thru, etc) and I'm getting used to my new grips which I decided where better for my style (mostly baseliner). Right now I'm using a semi western forehand and eastern backhand, with a continental grip for serves and mostly everything else. I'm really enjoying the amount of top spin I'm getting. As I get fitter I can move faster through the court and my overall game will improve, I'm sure about that.

As for the advice, I'm using right now a Wilson BLX Six One Lite and it feels great. A bit underpowered on my serves, but overall a very fun racquet. I just strung it with Wilson Sensation Duo 16 / Enduro Pro 17 (mains) and I'm very happy with the top spin and overall feel I get.

I've read and watched many reviews of the 61 lite and the usual opinion is that the Lite is more suited for younger players stepping up to adult racquets. On the other hand, the Six One Team and Tour are heavier and more precise racquets which I wonder if they might feel better or fit my game better. Apart from Wilson there is only Babolat and Head available where I live, and sadly they don't demo racquets, so I must make my decision on advice and study. I'm due to purchase a racquet to my son (which shares the same grip size) and that is why I must decide in getting another 61 lite or maybe a Team or Tour for me and he gets the lite. Being a newcomer, the Lite is more suited for him. He already played with it and liked it a lot.

Please forgive the long story, and thanks for reading this far. Looking forward for your advice.

Many thanks

[jazar]

The 61 Team and 61 Tour are both more demanding rackets, requiring a faster swing and more accurate timing. If you're looking for a progression you should maybe consider some other rackets. Wilson have the BLX Pro Team, which is more similar in headsize to your current racket and a bit heavier as well. If you were to look at Babolat and Head as well, you could consider the Pure Drive Lite, Aero Pro Team and Speed IG Elite.

[MartinOcando]

Thanks Jazar. Great advice. I went to the shop today and they only have the Tour in my grip size. Since online shopping is not an option, I guess I'll be going with the Tour. Maybe that will help me develop a faster swing and improve my timing. Back in the days when I started, racquets were like this. You needed a fast well timed swing to win. So maybe the Lite is making me lazy. I'll let you know how it goes once I get it and give it a few hours.

Cheers

[MartinOcando]

Updating the thread. Shortly after my original question I started playing very often, roughly 3 or 4 days a week and no shorter than a 2 hour session each. Then a problem developed. I started feeling a sore elbow and pain. I was very worried that I wouldn't be fit to start playing again, then I started researching and asking my doctor.
Making a long story short, I decided and purchased the six one Tour. I found a great article in racquetresearch.com and they say that a heavy, head light and flexible racquet is better than a light head heavy and stiff racquet to avoid elbow pain. Is really a lot more than that, I strongly recommend the whole article on racquet science. Is a bit old (2002) but applies to today racquets perfectly.
So it turned out the Tour actually alleviated my elbow pain. Every time I played with it I felt less and less pain. Right now I can be playing for three straight hours with no pain whatsoever. My game have improved greatly, actually is the best I've ever played. My one hand backhand is a killer and I can send many forehand winners with lots of reliability. Of course I have improved my footwork and body motion, but I feel the racquet really helped me improve, have better timing and fits my game perfectly.

Right now I'm working on my serve.