Racquet It seems like only yesterday that Prince was introducing the Michael
Chang Long-body tennis racquet to the world. It was the first extra-length
racquet designed to be a "player's racquet" with less power and more
control. The previous extra-length racquets we have seen had huge heads and
funky designs. They generated an enormous amount of power and tremendous spin,
but they were ineffective with regard to control. The Michael Chang Long-body
changed all that. This is the racquet that brought extra length to the masses.
In reality, the Michael Chang Long-body racquet has been on the market for about
three years. In the computer industry it would be a dinosaur. Although tennis
racquets do not age quite as fast as computers, three years is still a long time
for a racquet to remain unchanged. What Prince has done is to introduce a new
Chang tennis racquet called the Michael Chang Titanium Long-body. The Michael
Chang Titanium Long-body is a better tennis racquet than the original. Not only
does the racquet combine the qualities of the original Michael Chang Long-body,
but it also incorporates Prince's latest technological advances. There are two
major technological differences between the old and new Chang racquets. The
first difference is the titanium in the shaft of the Michael Chang Titanium
racquet, which gives the new version its name. Titanium is braided with the
graphite in the shaft of the Chang Titanium which increases the stiffness of the
frame and makes the racquet more powerful and stable than the Original Chang
racquet.1 The extra stability should appeal to all players, while the extra
power will benefit those players who want or need more power. The second
difference is the Sweet Spot Suspension System, which the Chang Titanium racquet
has and the Original Chang does not. The Sweet Spot Suspension System decreases
the vibration by sixty percent and absorbs a lot more shock, especially outside
of the sweet spot.2 The Sweet Spot Suspension System is a major benefit for
anyone with arm problems or anyone who wants to avoid them. The head size,
length, and the width of the Chang Titanium and Chang Original are the same, but
the weight differs. Like the Original Chang, the Titanium Chang comes in two
head sizes: 95 and 107 square inches. Both the Titanium head sizes are 20 mm
wide and weigh 11.3 and 11.6 ounces unstrung. By comparison, the Original Chang
Midsize weighs 11.2 ounces and the Oversize weighs only 10.3 ounces. Both the
Original Chang and the Titanium Chang are 28 inches long and head-light.3 A
disadvantage of the Chang Titanium is the difficulty of maneuverability. Both
the Midsize and Oversize frame of the Chang Titanium are less maneuverable than
the Original Chang is. Compared to the Original Chang Oversize, the extra ounce
of weight and the larger hoop of the Chang Titanium make the Oversize frame very
difficult to handle. A player will need to have good strength, great timing, or
great preparation to play well with this racquet. A physically strong player
will be able to maneuver the frame into position and should enjoy the solid feel
of the racquet.4 Good timing and early preparation will be required for the rest
of us, because a person has to start the swing very early and, once he starts
it, there is no stopping and restarting. The smaller head on the Midsize helps
to make it much more maneuverable than the Oversize; however, according to the
weight specifications, the Midsize is still less maneuverable than the Original
Chang Midsize. The difference, however, is much less significant than with the
Oversize frames. Prince's Sweet Spot System decreases the vibration and absorbs
a lot more shock, which is a definite improvement over the Original Chang
racquets. With the titanium in the shaft, the Chang Titanium makes the racquet
more stiff, powerful, and stable than the Original Chang. Chang Titanium is
heavier than the Original Chang, but a person who can handle the racquet will
exploit Prince's latest technological advances which make it a better racquet
than the Original Chang.