Head Speed Pro 2022 Review #tennis

Hey everyone. So the new HeadSpeed 2022 is due to come out very soon and Head have kindly sent me one to test and to show you guys. So in this video, I'm gonna give you a sneak peek of the new frame. I'm gonna take it out for a test drive and give you my first impressions. And if you hang around to the end of the video, I'm actually gonna be giving this racket away to one of my lucky subscribers. So stay tuned and I'll let you know how to get involved in the giveaway. Let's go. Welcome back. So those that follow me on the channel will know that I've been using the HeadSpeed for around eight or nine years now. It's my racket of choice for matches and for coaching. However, recently I've been trying out the new HeadBoom and the new HeadRadical and I've actually enjoyed using both of them. So at the moment, I'm in the process of deciding which one I should use as my racket of choice for 2022. Although the HeadSpeed has been my racket of choice, there have been some iterations of the HeadSpeed that I've enjoyed more than others. My favorite HeadSpeed so far is actually the current one, the Graphene 360 Plus. So this next model has a lot to live up to. Let's take it out of the box. So here is your first sneak peek of the new Speed Pro. If you're familiar with the HeadSpeed ranges, you'll recognize the colorway of this model. So it's very similar to the 2018 Graphene 360 model. It was a popular version with mainly black and a little dash of white at the bottom. So this is very similar to that popular colorway. You'll see that HeadSpeed is written in a different font with this slight copper detailing. And you'll be able to see that carried through in the butt cap of the racket with this flashy looking copper detail, which I actually like. As far as the paint job goes, this white is a matte finish. And then the black detailing is a gloss effect. And this goes all the way around the top of the racket. So there's the racket. Let me know in the comments below what you think of this colorway, if you prefer it to the previous one. As you know, I'm a big fan of blackout rackets, so my current HeadSpeed is the perfect colorway for me. But I can get away with this as it's still black and white. As far as specs go, this racket is pretty similar to the previous model, the one that I currently have. There are two main differences which we'll talk about in a second. The weight of the racket is 310 grams with a balance of 315 millimeters. It has a head size of 100 square inches with an 18 by 20 string pattern, and its beam is 23 millimeters. The two main differences are the colorway, which we've looked at already, but the second difference is most interesting to me. And if you take a look in here at the neck of the racket, you'll see that the racket has this new auxetic technology. This is really interesting. It's in the new HeadBoom range as well. And I'm sure Head are gonna be rolling it out in most of the Head range. What this new auxetic technology supposedly does is it adapts to your game. So if you go for a big shot, the racket will feel a high impact and it will stiffen up, giving you a little bit more control for those big shots. And if you go for a softer touch, like a slice or a volley or a drop shot, the racket will feel less of an impact and it will be a slightly softer, more flexible feel. So I'm really excited to see how this feels different to my previous model. So I'm gonna take this to the tennis club now, give it to the main man, Paul Skip, to string it up, and I'm gonna take it on court for a spin. Let's go. So since Paul strung this racket up, I've had a few hits with the HeadSpeed Pro already. I've used it in coaching sessions, in hitting sessions, as well as what you can see here, me using it with my slinger bag. In this session in particular, I started off with a nice gentle hit from the back of the court, hitting forehands and backhands before adding slightly more intensity to hitting with a bit more power. I hit a few volleys, a few serves, I had a really good workout. Although I've not used it yet in a match, I've given it a pretty good run for its money so I can give you some feedback on my initial thoughts. As expected, it feels pretty similar to my current HeadSpeed, which is the Graphene 360 plus version. The way that it swings through the air is identical with the same specs, with balance and weight. So for me, I was able to pick it up and play pretty well with it straight away. The characteristics of the racket really suit my game. I love having the 100 square inch head. I have tried playing with 98s and 97s, but to be honest, I like that extra forgiveness and having a slightly bigger sweet spot. The fact that it has an 18 by 20 string pattern gives me that control that I need. However, unlike most 18 by 20 string patterns, it's slightly more open, giving me that extra flexibility to hit with spin when I want it. In my first few hits with it, I did feel like I hit with a little bit more power than normal, hitting a few balls long, however, I put that down to the fact that I've been actually playing with my HeadSpeed MP during my coaching sessions. So going back to the Pro, which I normally use in matches, it gave me that little bit more power. Although the swing felt very similar to the previous version of the HeadSpeed Pro, there was a definite difference in the way that it felt when I struck the ball. And I've got to put that down to the auxetic technology that they've recently put into the new frames. It's hard to put the sensation into words, but the way I would describe it is when I hit the ball clean, it felt much better than the previous model, but if I hit it slightly off center, you definitely noticed it. So I felt that it gave a little bit more feedback on those hits. I did feel a different sensation between when I was hitting the ball big and flat, and when I was hitting with spin or hitting with touch. And on both occasions, it felt really nice when I hit the center of the strings. The sound of my shots was actually different as well compared to my previous model. However, I could put that down to the strings because I've not used these strings before either. When you compare the HeadSpeed to the other frames in the head range, you'll see that it gets a CPI score of 300. Now the CPI score stands for Control Power Index, and it ranges from 100 up to 1,000. 100 being more control-based, 1,000 being more power-based. The HeadSpeed Pro sits at 300, so more towards the control range. However, I do feel like it gives you a very good amount of power. This racket's gonna be suitable for advanced match players. I tend to use the HeadSpeed Pro for my match play. However, when coaching, I tend to use the MP version. It's slightly more forgiving, and with it being lighter, it's slightly more efficient for when I'm feeding and spending lots of hours on the court. The MP sits at 500 on the CPI chart, and I would say it's great for players who want a little bit more forgiveness with a similar feel to the HeadSpeed Pro. Although I haven't tried the new version of the MP, I will be testing it out when it's launched next month. But I can only imagine by looking at the specs, it's gonna feel pretty similar to the previous iteration with the addition of the Auxetic technology. As I mentioned before, I'm in the process of deciding between choosing the HeadSpeed Pro or the HeadBoom Pro. And since playing with the HeadSpeed, I'm pretty certain I'm gonna be sticking with this one. However, over the next few weeks, I'm gonna be testing out the HeadBoom Pro to see how that performs. My initial feelings from hitting with it a couple of times is it does give me a little bit more power. However, I'm gonna test it out a few more times before filming my review. So they were my initial impressions of the new HeadSpeed Pro. Let me know in the comments below if you have any further questions, and I'll get back to all of you. But as promised, I mentioned that I'm actually gonna be giving this racket away as soon as I reach 10,000 subscribers as a big thank you to all of you for your ongoing support on this channel. All you need to do is follow the link in the description below, and there are a few ways that you can enter. Things like following me on Instagram or Facebook or joining my mailing list. All of this is free. It supports me and my video creation, but also enters you in for a chance to win this HeadSpeed Pro. So a massive thank you again for all of your support. So hit that link below to be in with a chance of winning this racket, and I can't wait to see you in next week's video. Take care.