Arm/shoulder/elbow pain with Babolat

[Finster]

I'm in the market for a new racquet and interested in the Babolat line, particularly the Pure Drive and Aeropro Drive racquets GT and GT plus.
I've been hearing that these racquets while getting positive reviews have been causing some arm pain/injury after extended use. Any comments on this? Also, comments on Pure Drive vs Aerodrive and GT vs. GT plus would be helpful. Thanks!

 

[flashfire276]

Buying a PD or an APD is just a one way ticket to tennis elbow! It's way too stiff, the cortex just makes it feel even worse, and the GT raises up the stiffness.

Look into buying an Aero Storm or a Pure Storm.

 

[ucr_tennis90]

Buying a PD or an APD is just a one way ticket to tennis elbow! It's way too stiff, the cortex just makes it feel even worse, and the GT raises up the stiffness.

Look into buying an Aero Storm or a Pure Storm.

i disagree with this. it's different for everyone. i personally have benefited from the stiffness of the GT. i had the APDC and i got elbow problems fairly often depending on the sting. but as of yet, i haven't experienced any problems with the GT.

the aerostorm has been nothing but arm problems. 30 mins of hitting with the aerostorm and my whole arm hurts.

 

[dgoran]

flashfire276 think forgot to add "...if you cannot hit the sweet spot..." since this racket is completely fine if you can hit the sweet spot on a consistent basis. Jarring only happens if you hit off center (top of the hoop i pretty dead in PD and APD) but you can remedy that with some lead at 12 if you tend to hit up in the hoop...

Many rackets are perfectly fine as long as you hit the sweet spot that's why IMHO stiffness is not an issue for ATP pros that have 6-7 hrs a day to practice hitting that sweet spot 100% ...

Also keep in mind that EVERY racket is different and simply picking up a different racket and trying to play identical as your old one can produce arm pain since your body (arm) is compensating for what are you missing (spin, power etc...) or what that new racket has EXTRA (spin, power etc...) trust me I have tested this over and over...

 

[pyrokid]

Yeah I thought it would cause elbow problems but I had none when I played with it with a leather grip and full poly and no vibe damp.

 

[BobFL]

flashfire276 think forgot to add "...if you cannot hit the sweet spot..." since this racket is completely fine if you can hit the sweet spot on a consistent basis. Jarring only happens if you hit off center (top of the hoop i pretty dead in PD and APD) but you can remedy that with some lead at 12 if you tend to hit up in the hoop...

Many rackets are perfectly fine as long as you hit the sweet spot that's why IMHO stiffness is not an issue for ATP pros that have 6-7 hrs a day to practice hitting that sweet spot 100% ...

Also keep in mind that EVERY racket is different and simply picking up a different racket and trying to play identical as your old one can produce arm pain since your body (arm) is compensating for what are you missing (spin, power etc...) or what that new racket has EXTRA (spin, power etc...) trust me I have tested this over and over...

I trust you 100% lol

@OP: Well, when I hear "my 12oz is very unstable" or "it vibrates a lot" my first response is "try to hit the sweet spot more often". Seriously, Babolats are perfectly OK as long as you do not install leather grip on PD or APD and/or play with poly at 60+ pounds There are many racquets that share the same stiffness as Babolats and it is a general trend that racquets are becoming more stiff. The best thing you can do (if possible) is to try them. It is pretty much a very polarizing brand (Babolat): you either love it or hate it...

 

[user92626]

I'm in the market for a new racquet and interested in the Babolat line, particularly the Pure Drive and Aeropro Drive racquets GT and GT plus.
I've been hearing that these racquets while getting positive reviews have been causing some arm pain/injury after extended use. Any comments on this? Also, comments on Pure Drive vs Aerodrive and GT vs. GT plus would be helpful. Thanks!

If that was true then Bab wouldn't be in business this long, let alone very successful. None of the Bab users would be found at the courts after x hours.

I've been using APDC+ from day 1 - the time when I was completely clueless about technique - and never have any problem. I constantly tune in to improve my techniques. And the APDC+ really delivers result once you understood the strokes. I like Bab quality so much that I recently picked up a Pure Storm limited.

 

[Bud]

If that was true then Bab wouldn't be in business this long, let alone very successful. None of the Bab users would be found at the courts after x hours.

I've been using APDC+ from day 1 - the time when I was completely clueless about technique - and never have any problem. I constantly tune in to improve my techniques. And the APDC+ really delivers result once you understood the strokes. I like Bab quality so much that I recently picked up a Pure Storm limited.

Same... suffered from TE for 2 years using a variety of racquets/strings (from classic graphite frames to modern players' racquets). The one thing all those racquets had in common was the fact I was experimenting around with both poly and Kevlar strings extensively. Then, after wising up (and not able to lift a coffee mug), I switched to a PK 5G with full gut until the TE was gone.

Been playing with a Babolat ever since (original APD, PD, PST)... currently using the APDGT+ since February and the only time the arm got a bit tight was when I strung it up with a poly or poly hybrid and played it for more than a week. I'm convinced that much of the time, it's the string (especially dead poly) that causes so many modern TE afflictions. I now use full gut or Ashaway Dynamite (which feels as comfortable as gut).

Many in this forum just repeat what others claim as the truth.