arm-crunching overheads

[heycal]

I suffer from TE, and in addition to that old culprit, the one handed backhand, causing problems, I sometimes feel pain on other shots as well. Overhead smashes in particular can really hurt sometimes. I'm sure the fact that I'm probably missing the sweetspot on many of them contributes to the pain, but is there anything I can do to help lessen the problem? Grip, stance, technique, etc?

[paulfreda]

Lower tension [45-50] is what put to bed my 2 year battle with TE.
Also, >12 oz frame and not too stiff.
Babolots [many, not all] are arm killers for example.

It can be a nasty problem if you let it get out of control. Fix it now while you can.

[Sagittar]

Lower tension [45-50] is what put to bed my 2 year battle with TE.
Also, >12 oz frame and not too stiff.
Babolots [many, not all] are are killers for example.

It can be a nasty problem if you let it get out of control. Fix it now while you can.

nice word ..

[Spindarella]

i would suggest that you try to use more weight transfer as power instead of arm speed. keep your shoulders turned perpendicular to the net and use your whole body to hit it. not just your arm. on your 1hbh, do you keep your wrist still? if not, thats where the te is coming from

[heycal]

Lower tension [45-50] is what put to bed my 2 year battle with TE.


I'm at 52 lbs natural gut on a Pro Kennex 5g right now, and am thinking of going a tiny bit lower, 1 or 2 lbs, next time I restring. I like the playability of 52 lbs, so am kind of fearful of jumping down to 47 or 48 lbs or so and having it become unplayable/uncontrollable.

Aside from equipment, I was wondering if there are technique issues I could address to help the problem with overheads.

[AngeloDS]

Overhead a few times [on key points]; personally, I'd experiment with this. Instead of taking an overhead just let the ball drop [let it hit the ground or don't let it hit the ground] and take it about stomach/chest level with a one handed backhand slice. You have larger muscle support and slicing takes away stress from the elbow. Since your arm is fixed and it's all in the shoulder.

You can still hit some very nicely placed shots that will win you points or set you up for a very nice volley.

More importantly get that tennis elbow checked out. It's important to not make it any worse; my advice would be to go and get some physical therapy & rehabilitation done to your arm. Obviously, get it checked by a doctor. Make it a bit stronger than it was and take a few months off of tennis and come back stronger.

Cure your tennis cravings by talking about it or watching it or playing a video game about it or something.

[arnz]

Why persist with the one handed backhand if you think it contributes to pain? why not switch to 2 hands? You may like one hand better, but wouldnt you rather be able to play tennis pain free?

Also I would stop playing for a few months at least if I had TE and let the body have a chance to heal itself. What would I do without tennis? Running, calisthenics, weighlifting, etc. so when I returned to tennis I would be in the best shape possible for it.

My humble opinion

[heycal]

I actually have switched to a 2 hbh, and it helps some, but I find there are many situations where I still end up hitting one handers. Backhand volleys, serves, and the overheads can all cause pain.

As for other TE related issues, I have been down all the various roads of equipment and doctor's visits and rest and so on. I was just wondering if there was a way to modify or alter my overhead smashes to make it less bone jarring. Avoiding hitting them altogether is not an acceptable solution to me over the long term. Once I start avoiding a bunch of shots on the court, I might as well stop playing all together...

Also, I find slice backhands can often be pretty painful, so I have to disagree with the poster who suggested those as a substitute.

Heck, tons of shots hurt.... Forehand feels okay though!

[The Gorilla]

if you can't get it healed,learn to play left handed,if you play through the pain you could end up disabled.

[heycal]

if you can't get it healed,learn to play left handed,if you play through the pain you could end up disabled.

One step ahead of ya: Already play with my other arm on many occassions. Now I have TE in both arms.

I'm hoping and assuming the worst case scenario is surgery, not being disabled. Hope I'm right about that...

[The Gorilla]

One step ahead of ya: Already play with my other arm on many occassions. Now I have TE in both arms.

I'm hoping and assuming the worst case scenario is surgery, not being disabled. Hope I'm right about that...

wow,sry for your troubles m8,I hope you get it sorted out,I'd still advise you to play left handed for a few months and give your dominant arm a chance to heal,and if you do have to get surgery on your left arm,at least you'll be able to get around and work in the meantime,anyway,gl.

[heycal]

wow,sry for your troubles m8,I hope you get it sorted out,I'd still advise you to play left handed for a few months and give your dominant arm a chance to heal,and if you do have to get surgery on your left arm,at least you'll be able to get around and work in the meantime,anyway,gl.

Already did this. I'm a lefty, and I stopped playing for five months lefty and only played righty. The rest helped the left arm, but didn't cure it, and of course, the right started to hurt. Now I alternate arms depending on how much each one is hurting and/or my opponents skill level.