Functional Tennis Saber Review – peRFect Tennis

The Saber is a model new tennis coaching software from the blokes over at Purposeful Tennis designed to assist gamers hit the ball on the candy space, enhance their focus and enhance their contact level.

There are just a few candy spot coaching instruments in the marketplace, however this one is designed and weighted like a correct tennis racket, solely with a mini head in comparison with your typical 100-square-inch racket.

I preordered mine for €149.95, acquired certainly one of their first batches to ship, and shortly took it to the courts to check it out.

How does it play? Is it any good? Discover out on this full Purposeful Tennis Saber assessment.

What’s the Saber?

ORDER THE FUNCTIONAL TENNIS SABER

For cricket followers, there’s a well-told story that the nice Sir Donald Bradman used to observe batting with a stump as a substitute of a cricket bat.

These days, there are specialist coaching bats made the place the blade of the bat has the sides trimmed down, so it’s round two-thirds the width of a normal cricket bat.

The Purposeful Tennis Saber applies that very same idea to tennis by decreasing the racket head dimension out of your typical 98-100 sq. inch racket to 37 sq. inches.

This helps enhance your hand-eye coordination, and the smaller floor space is designed to encourage cleaner hitting, that means that by the point you come to make use of your full-size racket, discovering the candy zone might be simple.

Saber Specification

First Impressions

The Saber arrives packed in an extended slimline field that just about seems to be prefer it may match by means of a letter field.

It comes with a mushy, draw-string racket sack which is a pleasant contact.

After unwrapping it and doing just a few shadow swings, I used to be excited to attempt it. The Saber felt good high quality; when you shut your eyes, it looks like swinging every other racket.

The cosmetics additionally look good, and the paint job is top of the range. I did not discover at first, however the placard additionally serves as a stencil must you wish to preserve the branding after a restring (sure, you’ll be able to restring it!)

Purposeful Tennis Saber Playtest

Most individuals’s reactions after they first see the Saber is that it have to be close to inconceivable to play with. “So many air pictures”, “No manner you’ll be able to hit the ball”

Nevertheless, having used a tennis pointer earlier than, I knew that possible wasn’t the case. Sure, it could be tougher (that is the entire level) however if in case you have an eye fixed for hitting a ball, then making contact with it is not one thing to fret about.

As a substitute, the questions I had earlier than taking part in had been, may you hit along with your typical method, would it not be spin-friendly, and would it’s important to swap to a extra continental grip for a horizontal sort swing path for consistency.

After my first few hits, the solutions to these three questions had been: sure, sure and no.

The Saber performs identical to an everyday racket; you’ll be able to hit along with your commonplace method, you’ll be able to hit with spin, and you do not have to change your grip.

My grip is japanese, so pretty conservative anyway, however even these with extra excessive grips will not have any issues.

From the primary playtest, my greatest shock was how a lot prime spin you’ll be able to generate with the Saber. 

Regardless of the top dimension being not a lot greater than a tennis ball, you’ll be able to nonetheless generate loads of RPMs on the ball, and I nearly felt just like the ball had extra spin on it than the ball I might been hitting final week when reviewing Toalson Rencon Devil Spin in my VCORE 98. Doable? Undecided, nevertheless it felt prefer it.

You’ll be able to see Stan Wawrinka utilizing the Saber under, hitting commonplace groundstrokes.

Apart from the spin and it taking part in like every other racket, probably the most vital plus level of the Saber, in my view, is that it lets you hit the ball intuitively.

I’m an enormous fan of letting gamers hit the ball naturally. Study the basics, however let your pure genetic predispositions come to the fore for putting the ball.

I feel the Saber facilitates that as it’s important to focus closely on the ball slightly than fascinated with teaching buzzwords like racket lag, pronation and so on.

Issues went awry for me once I began overthinking my pictures and fascinated with type. Should you watch the ball as carefully as attainable, most different issues slot into place. 

You’ll be able to see my first few hits with the Saber on the ball machine within the video under, the place I hit some forehands and backhands, then switched to the picket racket-type forehand to see what it felt like.

Apart from the apparent coaching facet and bettering hand-eye coordination, the Saber can be an excellent ‘reset’ software to get you again to fundamentals.

Should you performed a nasty match or had a hitting session the place you felt like nothing labored, then choosing up the Saber resets your thoughts and makes you deal with the one actual factor that issues – hitting the ball cleanly and getting it over the online. 

At 37 sq. inches, which is not a lot greater than a tennis ball, you do not have sufficient margin for error to let your thoughts wander or take your eye off the ball. 

Who’s the Saber For?

The Tennis Saber has a number of makes use of. The obvious one is for the person participant.

Should you’re a eager tennis participant trying to enhance your ball putting capacity, having this in your bag to heat up with and prepare with is good. 

Once I first examined it, I deliberate to hit 100 balls with it from the ball machine after which swap to my common racket, however I ended up hitting 300 balls as a result of it was tremendous enjoyable.

Is that simply the novelty facet? Perhaps and will probably be attention-grabbing to see how typically I am utilizing it a 12 months down the road. (Should you’re studying this from the longer term, go away a remark under and ask me.)

Nevertheless, primarily based on my first two classes with it and the way it feels to hit the ball along with your common racket afterwards, I can see myself utilizing it fairly typically because it makes the sport really feel extra easy.

You probably have an everyday hitting accomplice who additionally will get one, you would even play a match with it. It will undoubtedly be error-strewn when hitting on the run, however extremely entertaining, and as a mini warm-up or forfeit sort recreation a la Djokovic, I may see professional gamers utilizing them.

It is also a useful coaching software for coaches to drag out of their baggage and provides to their college students. Even for gamers new to the sport, the Saber will make them watch the ball extra carefully and pressure them to work more durable, which might solely be good for improvement.

The Saber additionally works properly as a tennis-themed gift; shopping for a racket for somebody is difficult as you do not all the time know their specs, preferences and so on., however as a result of the Saber is a one dimension suits all, it really works for all gamers of all ages. 

Frequent Questions

Are you able to restring the Saber?

Sure, you’ll be able to. The Saber comes prestrung with an artificial string that ought to final a very long time, and also you need not fear about stress. But when it broke, otherwise you needed a distinct string, then you’ll be able to restring it utilizing the badminton attachment for a stringing machine. Or utilizing the improvised methodology under:

The really useful stress is between 25 and 30 lbs (11 kg – 13.5kg).

Are you able to hit the ball usually with a Saber?

Sure, you’ll be able to hit the ball identical to a normal racket. The extra tempo on the incoming ball and the more durable you attempt, the extra likelihood for a mistake, however the Saber is extra able to withstanding heavy balls.

I’ve arm points. Will the Saber be okay for me?

I’m not a participant with any elbow issues, however the Saber felt tremendous comfy to me. I should not have the RA ranking for stiffness, however my guess is low 60s.

It’s a soft-feeling body, and with some fibreglass within the development + artificial nylon strings, there isn’t any harshness to it in any respect.

The racket I play with is way lighter than the Saber; ought to I exploit it?

The Saber is available in at 312g strung, roundabout the racket weight that the majority grownup males ought to be taking part in with.

Nevertheless, even when you play with a a lot lighter body, the load of the Saber ought to be manageable, and heavier frames assist promote higher stroke mechanics. 

With such a small head dimension, the load naturally needs to be within the deal with, leading to a ~270 kg/cm² swing weight So even when your racket is lighter in static weight, that is possible simpler to swing.

Purposeful Tennis additionally has some plans to launch a lighter model in round a 12 months.

Ultimate Ideas

ORDER THE FUNCTIONAL TENNIS SABER

The Purposeful Tennis Saber takes the traditional picket tennis pointer, invented by Czech coach Jiri Bartos in 2011, to a different degree.

It’s a high-quality coaching assist that’s enjoyable to play with and can enhance your capacity to hit the ball cleanly.

You will watch the ball extra carefully and get into place earlier in order that in relation to hitting with a extra forgiving racket, you’ll ‘center’ the ball extra continuously, leading to extra energy and fewer vibration again into the arm for a higher-quality shot.

Professionals

Cons

What do you consider the Purposeful Tennis Saber? Have you ever tried any related coaching instruments? Any positives or drawbacks I missed? Let me know within the feedback.