ProKennex advice for 50 year old newbie...

[majordude]

A few years ago I tried to pick up tennis as a hobby and as a way to loose weight. I had a few 100-105 racquets (Wilson, Babolat and Yonex).

I couldn't find any partners so I'd hit against a wall on a handball court.

Anyway, I developed tennis elbow and soon gave up and sold everything.

I just lost 75 pounds and feel like trying it again. I just discovered ProKennex and read how they are easy on the elbows and wrists.

I want to demo some models. And I'm confused.

I thought larger heads are better for older people who need more power and yet I see some models saying that they are for 4.0+ players. How can that be?

I'm thinking of something around 105-110 but what do I know.

I think I swing fairly fast but my accuracy SUCKS! And I tend to hit slightly off center sometimes so I figured a larger head would be better.

Any advice on where to start?

Not really answering your question.
but congrats on losing 75 lbs! Thats half of what I weigh -_- bet it took some work! Kudos!

[majordude]

Originally Posted by Babolatbarry

Not really answering your question.
but congrats on losing 75 lbs! Thats half of what I weigh -_- bet it took some work! Kudos!

Thanks! I still have a good 30-40 more to go but I feel better already.

[esgee48]

In one word, DEMO. The racquet recommendations are only recommendations. They are not set in stone. The only manner you can determine if you like the racquet is to demo it. Just check how it feels weight and swing wise. Don't worry too much about feel as the demos' strings will probably not be what you end up with. That ,in itself, is another journey.

[Cavaleer]

Contrary to popular myths I've noticed that the bigger more powerful sticks encourage poor technique which is the real culprit behind tennis elbow and such problems. I would advise you to pick a 93'', 95'' or 98'' player's frame that forces you to use proper technique, meaning, shoulders, legs, and hips, to generate pace.

Kennex makes a few solid frames, as do Dunlop, Head and Wilson. Volkl as well and don't hesitate to try smaller brands like Donnay or Pacific.

More important than the stick, however, is technique. The Internets makes it infinitely easier to learn proper/modern technique than it was way back when. Watch and study some of those videos and also study the pros in practice sessions. You'll learn how to use your entire body to generate pace and spin, along with the racquet.

Good luck!

[prjacobs]

Originally Posted by esgee48

In one word, DEMO. The racquet recommendations are only recommendations. They are not set in stone. The only manner you can determine if you like the racquet is to demo it. Just check how it feels weight and swing wise. Don't worry too much about feel as the demos' strings will probably not be what you end up with. That ,in itself, is another journey.

Not only should you demo but I'd highly recommend that you get some instruction from a certified pro. It's money well spent. A pro with a good eye will help you so much. Good luck and congratulations about the weight!

[my76]

Try the Ki 15 or the new Ki Q5 295. It's hard to go wrong if you buy something light you can add weight if desired. You don't need anything bigger than 105. I used Prokennex rackets for a long time and thought they were great, very easy on the arm, but now I use the Volkl V1 classic, which is possibly even more arm friendly and for me feels more solid and is just a great all around racket and is well suited to any skill level.

[yemenmocha]

There aren't really popular "myths" about tennis elbow. It's a repetitive stress injury and not all of us are able to hit the sweet spot on an 90 inch midsize frame that not even (most) pros avoid using today. Forget it.

Demo the Pro Kennex line. You can't go wrong with any that have the Kinetic technology in them. make sure you go with an arm friendly string like a multifilament or natural gut.

[majordude]

Thanks. I'll demo some of the smaller frames. And you think the lighter ones would be better than the PSE models?

[KenC]

Originally Posted by prjacobs

Not only should you demo but I'd highly recommend that you get some instruction from a certified pro. It's money well spent. A pro with a good eye will help you so much. Good luck and congratulations about the weight!

Absolutely. And, as said before, TE is a repetitive stress injury. But, when you hit the ball right repetitively you have much less chance of developing TE than when you hit the ball wrong repetitively.

I recently got the beginning stages of TE from playing way too much tennis in a short time span, even though I used a very arm friendly racquet. Out of curiosity I demo'ed the Pro Kennex Ki5 just to see if all the stuff about helping TE is really true. Evidently it is. Against common sense I continued to play using the Ki5 and my TE has pretty much disappeared instead of worsened.

Funny thing is, the other day I pulled out one of my much beloved PSLGTs and had a hit just to see if it bothered my elbow. It didn't, but I think I actually prefer the Pro Kennex now that I am dialed in with it. It's just a great racquet, TE or no TE.