Understanding Head’s Youtek racket technology
The latest Head squash and tennis rackets feature the Head YouTek™ technologies – designed to match an individual’s needs and adapt to different playing styles and levels, bringing out the best in every player.
“The YOUTEK™ will enhance every player’s performance and provides the right equipment for every player’s need,” said Johan Eliasch, CEO of the HEAD N.V. Group. “D3o and DuPont’s Teflon® Friction Reducing Polymer are among the premier innovations on the market today, and we’re extremely proud and excited to be teaming with these brands to improve tennis.”
YOUTEK™ Technology infuses d3o™, a “smart material” made from specially designed molecules, which dramatically change when in use. d3o™ is a soft material that “locks together” upon racket impact. Located in the shaft of the racquet, d3o™ reacts to the needs of a player in nano seconds, providing a softer touch and better feel to slow hits and increased stiffness necessary to create power behind fast strokes.
“The d3o™ technology allows the racket to sense the need of the player during different strokes and adapt to individual playing styles,” said Eliasch. “The material has been used in other applications such as ski suits and soccer balls, and proven to react as the individual uses the technology.”
Another feature of YOUTEK™ is the introduction of Teflon® Friction Reducing Polymer, which allows minimal string friction and creates a bigger “sweet spot” through the even distribution of tension across the entire string bed.
“With the Teflon® Friction Reducing Polymer technology, strings do not lose energy and can move freely around the grommets, offering the player more power and feel on the racket,” said Eliasch.
The Youtek series includes the following tennis rackets Radical Pro, Radical MP, Radical Lite, Speed Pro, Speed MP, Speed Lite, Extreme MP, Extreme Elite. The newly launched squash rackets incorporating the Youtek technology are the Cyano 115, Xenon 135, Neon 130, Anion 135 and Argon 155.
Our view by Paul Hargrave of PDH Sports “I’ve play tested all the Youtek rackets – the unique thing is that with this new technology you can genuinely feel the racket stiffening on impact yet on softer shots you can still get great feel and amazing precision. There is a racket within the range to suit every type of player and make a real difference to their game”