Bullpadel Custom Weight 4 x 3 Grams

Weight near the tip matters far more than weight near the handle. A few grams up there raise the balance point and make the head swing through with more mass, which is why tour players fiddle with lead tape and why a 3g plate feels like more than 3g. Expect a heavier smash and a steadier volley against hard hitters. Expect, too, a racket that's slightly slower to bring round at the net, and a little more work for your shoulder over a long session.

Tennis Nuts, which lists this pack, describes it as frame protection and balance tuning in one, with the plates guarding the top of the frame against knocks. Neither the retailer nor the snippets we could read from Bullpadel's own listing say exactly how the plates attach, so we won't guess. Fitting needs no specialist tools.

Start with one plate at the very top, play two sessions, then decide. If the smash feels better and your arm doesn't complain, add a second. Going straight to 12g is the quickest way to end up peeling plates back off. The racket rules allow this sort of thing: the FIP lets players stick objects on a frame to limit wear, vibration or to distribute weight, as long as they're a reasonable size and position.

This is most useful on a racket that's a touch light for you. Our women's padel racket guide explains why buying the lighter version and adding weight later is the safer order, and the intermediate racket page covers the same trick with lead tape.

If you're already on a head-heavy diamond, more weight at the top just makes a demanding racket harder to play. The same goes for anyone nursing an elbow or a shoulder: more swing weight means more load on every shot, and the softer, lower-balance options on our control padel racket page are a better fix than tuning a heavy frame.

Most players who tune a racket also refresh the grip, since a new overgrip changes the feel in the hand as much as a plate changes it at the head; the padel grip page compares them. The rest of the small kit, from covers to pressurisers, is on our padel accessories page, and the Bullpadel rackets page explains which frames already sit high in balance before you add anything.