Babolat Pure Drive Roddick RT feeling very powerless and shaky

[D-money]

I found the Roddick to provide a great balance of ball speed off of the string bed and plow through from weight, in stock form. You have it strung pretty high with an awful string. I would try it with almost anything else at a lower tension and that might help right out of the gate. Something like Babolat E.N vy or even wilson stamina would be better than solid nylon in a 15g. The grip size being too small has always led to a lack of torsional stability in rackets for me regardless of their weight or stiffness. Miss hitting all the time will definitely lead to some arm pain if it isn't from the stiffness as well. If the Roddick still lacks power with a good string on it I would recommend an AR 15 or equivalent assault rifle.

[ayaz]

Originally Posted by makinao

ayaz: I have the same experience, and perception of the PD as you. I got a pair of PD+'s 3 years ago. It felt light, hollow, powerless, and painful to the arm. The first day I played with it, it was like having a cold needle stuck up my arm with every hit, all my groundstrokes were short, and my volleys were like bunts. I tried every setup on that thing, tensions from 45 to 60, polys to synthetics strings, and various lead tape setups. I was in denial for a year, telling myself I liked it, but my arm, and my game were falling apart. I stayed with it exclusively for 2 years, which I would think is more than enough time to "get used to" a racquet. Finally sold it after those 2 frustrating years of arm pains. If increasing the grip size on your PDR GT doesn't change things by the new year, then get rid of it. It's not for you. Get something comfortable but potent, like your Speed, or maybe a vintage Radical, or a PS, or a POG, or maybe ......

Having said that, one of the varsity kids in our university has a PD GT and has no problem with it. But I tried his and got the exact same feel as my PD+. To each his own.

Hey makinao,

Thank you for sharing your experience with the PDs.

Taking several suggestions from this thread, I tried a number of things with the PDR. I changed strings to Dunlop Explosive at 55lbs. That made a slight difference, but it felt mostly the same as before. Then I went down to around 48/49lbs. The power of the racquet increased. But again, after playing with it, my arm really aches. In fact, it starts aching while playing. Increasing the grip size makes a slight difference but the arm continues to ache.

I understand now that the hollow feel is mostly due to the mis-hits, and that the racquet generates quite a bit of power when making contact with the ball with the sweet spot. Faster swings help too. But the end result is that, I end up with a throbbing arm that causes my game to fall apart, including my serves.

I am not sure what else to try really. I've half a mind to just go back to playing with my Speed MP 18/20.

[ayaz]

Originally Posted by cluckcluck

If it's still feeling unstable, have you considered putting a bit of lead tape at 3 and 9? Maybe it will give it some extra stability upon impact?

Hey cluckcluck,

Thanks for your suggestion. I've been thinking about it. I've been looking for the lead tape. The sports shop I deal with regularly didn't have it. I may have to look around for it. But, with the lower tension, I can feel the racquet to be much more stable than before. However, I cannot do away with the arm ache it is causing me.