Teardrop frames generally don’t have any cross frame support, are generally a little lighter, have slightly larger sweetspots (elongated), have longer main (vertical) strings and produce more power due to those longer main strings and bigger sweetspot.
I mentioned above that tear drop frames don’t have any cross-frame support, but some do. Specifically the Prince Power Ring frames. However, unlike other cross-frame pieces, the Power Ring actually hold the strings and are supposed to make the frame stronger.
So tear drop rackets have a lot of power. In fact, for some players, depending on the racket, there might be too much power! how is that possible you ask. Well, having power is no use if you can’t control the ball. If the ball hits the strings and shoots off at slightly the wrong angle, even by a few millimetres, if could change a straight drive into a shot that hits the side wall first and comes back towards the player or even the middle of the court.
A traditional frame has some sort of frame piece that goes across the frame to make the head, which has the strings inside, smaller. This means that a traditional frame as a smaller strung area. This in turn means a smaller sweetspot. However, the size of a rackets sweetspot is less important that its quality and consistency.
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In general, traditional racket have more control than Tear drop shaped rackets. I haven’t performed an analysis, but feel confident saying that most professional players, even if it is 60/40, play with traditional-shaped squash rackets. So does that mean you should? Heck, NO!
What you need to do is play with as many different brands and models of rackets as possible, even if it is for just a few minutes. Over time, you will begin to understand what sort of racket feels most comfortable for you.
Squash rackets are tools and like all tools, the work they produce is only as good as the person using it. Have you ever said “WOW, you make great paintings! What brush do you use?”. No, because we know that the brush didn’t produce the painting, the PAINTER did. Worry less about the “best” brands and models and focus on finding a racket that compliments YOUR game.
To summarise: Teardrop-shaped squash rackets generally have a lot of power and traditional-shaped squash rackets generally have a lot of control. But that doesn’t really matter. What matters is finding the racket that feels comfortable to YOU!
Final Thoughts
Teardrop-shaped squash rackets generally have a lot of power and traditional-shaped squash rackets generally have a lot of control. But that doesn’t really matter. What matters is finding the racket that feels comfortable to YOU!