Hours of use, weather, materials, aggressiveness in the game... The conditions that influence the useful life of a racket can prolong or shorten its days. Therefore, it is difficult to date the expiration date of our shovel. Because the racket you bought two years ago may still be suitable for use or in less than a year your racket will be crying out for replacement.
Despite the factors, after the first year of use it is common for the first symptoms of deterioration to begin to appear, although the frequency of play and the materials will be very determining factors. However, the question is constant: How long does a paddle tennis racket last?
What influences the duration of the padel racket?
Blade material
The material of which the blade is composed is one of the factors that most influences the useful life of a blade. padel racket. Two of the most common materials are EVA rubber and FOAM. Likewise, both rubbers have different absorption capacities. For example, EVA rubber offers different densities, that is, greater or lesser shock absorption capacity. This significantly affects the life of the padel racket, because if you identify with a more aggressive player, opting for softer rubber will make the useful life of your racket shorter than expected.
Also, fiberglass or carbon are the cause of early deterioration of the padel racket. As you can imagine, carbon fiber offers greater quality and durability to the racket.
game time
If you are one of those who play more than three padel games a week, you have surely noticed how your racket has been progressively losing its properties. Additionally, if your style on the court is aggressive, your racket will wear out quickly.
On the contrary, if you identify yourself as a player who is just starting out in the world of paddle tennis and who visits the court once a week, the useful life of your racket can be extended to four years.
Climatological factors
As we saw previously, the blades are made of materials with a certain degree of flexibility. The exposure of the blade to drastic changes in temperature causes expansion and contraction in this type of materials, causing notable changes in the properties of the blade.
The exposure of the blades to the open air is another factor that affects their durability. High temperatures or playing in cold and rainy conditions produce drastic changes in the rubber of the racket. Two situations that force the racket to play in extreme conditions.
Another weather factor that affects our blades is humidity. Although this situation is more common in winter, it is advisable to wipe the paddle with a dry cloth after finishing the game. In short, humidity is not good for the rubber of the racket and if, in addition, the racket is stored with traces of moisture, the only thing that can be expected is that the useful life will be reduced more than expected.
What is the useful life of a paddle tennis racket?
The factors described above are good indications of how much we can extend the useful life of a shovel. Taking care of the material is the key factor for a shovel to last longer. However, the frequency of use is the key factor.
It is recommended that a beginner level player change their racket every three or four years. But, when we talk about regular players on the court more than three times a week, the useful life of their rackets is shortened to eight months. Furthermore, when the profile is much more aggressive, the blade change happens more frequently than for defensive players.
How do you know if the shovel is broken?
The most obvious symptom that a racket has broken is the loss of consistency and power in our hitting. The balls no longer come out with the same power, directly influencing the pace of the game.
Likewise, the chances of breakage increase when improper use of the racket is frequently repeated, exposure to high temperatures, a game with greater punch or hitting the ball from the ends of the racket.
Recommendations to extend the useful life of paddle tennis rackets
If what you want is to prevent wear and tear on your racket, there are a series of accessories that prolong their useful life.
- Cover the frame with a protector: Frame protectors provide greater safety during play. Bumps and scrapes against the wall and floor of the court can be alleviated with adhesive or brand-specific protectors.
- Overgrip: the overgrip It is a fundamental element if what you are looking for is comfort and grip, but it is also essential if you want to prevent your racket from slipping during the game.
- Temperatures: as we have been saying throughout this post, do not expose your racket to high temperatures. Try to store the rackets in a racket bag with thermo compartments.
As we have seen in Padel ProShop, the duration of a padel racket is subject to innumerable factors. Although continued use of the racket is a symptom of earlier wear, personal care of the racket will determine how long we can enjoy it on the court.
