Here are the basic locations to place the tape.
12 O'Clock
Get ready for a power surge. If you are having difficulty hitting the ball deep on the tennis court this could be your solution. Enough weight will turn your pea shooter into a bazooka but watch out, you'll be sacrificing maneuverability, which could spell disaster for your volleys. Also, the sweet spot will shift towards the top of the frame.
10 O'Clock and 2 O'Clock
If you're looking to make your tennis racquet more stable, especially on balls hit near the top of the frame, this adjustment should do the trick. By stretching the sweet spot towards the upper edges of the frame the weight will allow the racquet to stay firm in your hands even when you don't make contact in the center of the string bed. Expect a slight increase in power and a considerable drop off in maneuverability.
3 O'Clock and 9 O'Clock
Other than the increase in swing weight, it's all upside for this tennis racquet lead tape configuration. You'll have more power and a substantially wider sweet spot.
6 O'Clock
Expect greater stability with a just a smidgen more power and a slight sacrifice in racquet maneuverability. If you tend to make contact close to the throat of the racquet, this will pull the sweet spot down towards that area.
Handle
Net rushers rejoice! By adding a little weight at the tennis racquet handle you might just find the extra help you need to put that devastating touch on your volleys. Best of all, there will be no change in swing weight or maneuverability.
How to Add Lead Tape
Lead tape comes in 1/4-inch and 1/2-inch widths. 1/4-inch tape weighs 1/4 of a gram per inch of tape, while 1/2 -inch tape weighs, you guessed it, 1/2 of a gram per inch of tape. Isn't that convenient?
In general, you don't want to cut strips that are longer than six inches, but you can layer the strips for more weight. 1/4-inch tape fits will between grommets on the inside of the frame, while you have to punch holes in the 1/2-inch tape. Also, there are tapes designed to fit around grommets, such as our Unique Sports Power Strips. Each of these strips weighs three grams.