Babolat PD - Shoulder Problems

[bubs]

Hi,

Im a 4.5-5 and 6'2. My forearm and shoulder is quite well developed and Ive switched to the PD about 4 months back. Im having two problems with my serve.

a - I get good pop on my flat serve and I serve in excess of 110mph regularly. But after 2-3 serves my shoulder starts hurting a lot

b - I cant hit "heavy" serves... even when I put a lot rip on the serve

Has any one has similar problems with the PD? I know it could be serve action but I just thought I'd check.. Ive seen posts about elboq problems... but no shoulder ones.

 

[skittles]

ive had alot of elbow and shoulder pains and all ive been told was to ice my and heat. i dont know really... it feels good but then it comes back the next day i go to hit. im feeling you right now about the whole shoulder pain thing and how der isnt any threads about it.

 

[bubs]

lead tape?

Im more used to serving with a heavier racquet, so do you think adding any lead tape will correct the problem, specially with the pain following serves? Have you tried this?

 

[lildev0426]

bubs, i to have shoulder problems. i used a classic 6.1 all through college and my shoulder would ache. i recently switched to a lighter and more flexible pk 5g andmy shoulder problems have all but disappeared. i lost alot of power switching and so i leaded up my 5g, still no arm problems, so my feeling is the weight is not what is hurting your shoulder but perhaps the stiffness of the pd.

 

[pchoi04]

I've had problems with my serve before too in the shoulders... Then I changed my motion a little bit... well not really... same motion but what i did was i opened the face of the strings instead of closing them... so the strings are parallel with the back of my head... I dont know if thats the same thing with you... but im just putting my input out there..

 

[bubs]

thanks for your input guys. It seems that the pure drive it too stiff due to which there is more of a strain on the shoulder. I will also get my action checked out by a coach/pro to see if Im doing anything worng. Thanks again!

 

[Tenny]

Heavy serve?

b - I cant hit "heavy" serves... even when I put a lot rip on the serve

Hi bubs

I wish you find a good solution for your problem. BTW, what does 'heavy' serves? Not just fast, maybe with strong spin?

Ten.

 

[pchoi04]

Yeah... I noticed that when I had my racquet face closed it would put ALOT of strain on my shoulder without knowing it and I would muscle my serve and over the time of a couple weeks of playing tennis 5 days a week it was just killing me and it was REALLY painful... so yeah... But I wish you luck with that...

 

[AndrewD]

bubs,
Im not a coach or as expert as some of the guys but I have noticed a bit of arm pain as Ive been demoing various frames. Thats not unusual as some racquets do have a reputation for being a bit severe (the PD amongst them). What I found unusual was that some of the frames that caused me trouble were ones others loved and experienced no discomfit when using. It made me wonder if, at our levels (under 5.0) where the strokes tend to be less grooved due to mechanics or lack of play, whether the frame that is comfortable for one is painful for another due to the frame exacerbating the idiosyncrasies of our shots. Those 'kinks' that a top level player has ironed out years ago (or never had) cause us trouble when we encounter a racquet that demands a bit more of each shot.

I hit with a Wilson Hyper Hammer 6.2 and almost had to ice my arm and shouder afterwards but for others it is comfort personified. I used the POG and found it beautiful to play with, others complain of arm and shoulder pain (due to the weight I think). Could be that, plain and simple, the PD just doesnt suit your stroke production.

Probably wrong on this but it is something Ive wondered about and it is, at least, food for thought.

 

[TopSpinner]

I've had shoulder problems from serving and had to go to therapy. Still have some discomfort if I play too much.

From my experience it's racquet & string combination. Obviously there are racquets that are more arm friendly like (Kennex 5g) but you start having problems when you use these light stiff frames with stiff strings at higher tension. And with your big swings on servers it probablly puts alot of stress on your shoulder. I'm not sure what strings you are using but try a softer strings at lower tension.

 

[monologuist]

I think leading up the PD a little will help .....try at least 3g. @ 3 and 9 o clock each....then add enough to the handle to maintain the current balance; in fact it might help you get more spin and get a heavier serve if you add more than 6g. to the handle to make it more headlight....try getting it ot like 8 pts. headlight or so.

 

[bubs]

try at least 3g. @ 3 and 9 o clock each....then add enough to the handle to maintain the current balance;

monologuist, thanks for the suggestion. I have a question on how much tape to apply. Suppose I do apply the lead tape @ 3 and 6'oclock on the same side of the racquet face, so should I apply tape on the other side as well for balance?

I use a Gamma TNT pro 16 string at 58lbs and I have another PD std strung at 57 lbs using Gamma Livewire (something)