Diary of a Racketaholic

Power Player said:
Wrist injury messed me up around 12 years ago. Documented in this thread back then. I think it was cycling falls that got me and then tennis exasperated it. I basically did what Gino suggested. Brace and rest because it never gets better until you rest it. You need to get ride of that inflammation.
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When you said 12 years ago, I was thinking "what a long time" then I realized I joined in 2009
 
And this arrived yesterday.

Kv8M1jql.jpg
 
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ClownCar96 said:
For the first time in my tennis journey I’m dealing with a wrist injury. A few months ago, in cold temps, my left wrist (im a right handed player) got bent backwards from a heavy ball that took a weird bounce on my two handed backhand… It hurt really bad at the time but it slowly dissipated over the next month and I played through it. Then a few days ago i got caught in an awkward defensive position on the backhand side and got bent back again, reagravating the injury. It’s tough to hold a cup of coffee or lift anything that puts lateral pressure on it.

Is there anything I can do besides rest, ice, ibuprofen? I bought a brace but I’m not sure if I can play with it. I suppose this is a great time to work on my slice which is terrible… but I miss my 2HBH which can be a weapon!

Let me know if you guys have any advice!
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Ah damn, another joins the club.
Probably good to do a scan if you can.
Doing some light wrist specific exercises once the pain goes down a bit should be good to get more blood flow towards the injured area.
Best to not hit 2 handers for 4-6 weeks though.
 
veelium said:
Ah damn, another joins the club.
Probably good to do a scan if you can.
Doing some light wrist specific exercises once the pain goes down a bit should be good to get more blood flow towards the injured area.
Best to not hit 2 handers for 4-6 weeks though.
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I’ve been rubbing voltaren on it today, and plan on playing tomorrow. Going to plan on hitting all slice and see how it goes!

Good idea to get some exercises going. I’ve been doing some wrist and forearm exercises with dumbbells here and there but I bet a physical therapist could better rehab me.
 
Trying to get a couple of my racquets perfectly matched up at new specs (340g, 32cm balance, 335SW), one of them was able to get there with some putty in the handle and lead at 12, but the other one was more headlight, and so needed some weight in the middle. I first put that weight at the top of the handle. That resulted in a perfect spec match, but it swung much heavier than the other one somehow. So, I removed the weight from the handle and moved some up to 6, and then the rest back in the handle. The end result (same specs) swings a lot easier somehow - not sluggish at all. Racquet matching is both an art and a science, I guess, but thank heavens for the Briffidi. Such a wonderful tool.
 
TwinCinema said:
No he said it was 288g unstrung and supposed to be 304g unstrung. Most Blade 98s are supposed to be 305g unstrung. That’s why I thought he had the 98L because then 288g unstrung would make sense. That stick is design to be 285g
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So, it seems it's L4 grip size and my friend had replaced the basegrip with a thinner Wilson one to make it L3. I don't know how much difference that makes anyway.
Now, it's definitely an L3. (The Yonex DR98 L3 seems larger.)

blade-288-gr-underspeced.jpg
 
konstantinos kalfountzos said:
So, it seems it's L4 grip size and my friend had replaced the basegrip with a thinner Wilson one to make it L3. I don't know how much difference that makes anyway.
Now, it's definitely an L3. (The Yonex DR98 L3 seems larger.)

blade-288-gr-underspeced.jpg
Click to expand...
There are thinner basegrips that also weigh much less than the stock base grip. I think W feather light (or something) weighs only 8g, compared to the standard 15-17g. Makes the Blade even more hammer than it already is though.
If you add putty in the butt to bring it back up to standard weight, it would make the balance more headlight again.
 
konstantinos kalfountzos said:
So, it seems it's L4 grip size and my friend had replaced the basegrip with a thinner Wilson one to make it L3. I don't know how much difference that makes anyway.
Now, it's definitely an L3. (The Yonex DR98 L3 seems larger.)

blade-288-gr-underspeced.jpg
Click to expand...
Yeah, I was going to ask if the base grip was changed to something thinner or lighter.
For an example, when I change out a babolat or Wilson base grip to a Wilson Featherthin, it reduced by about 10-12g…..
 
Richard Pioline said:
There are thinner basegrips that also weigh much less than the stock base grip. I think W feather light (or something) weighs only 8g, compared to the standard 15-17g. Makes the Blade even more hammer than it already is though.
If you add putty in the butt to bring it back up to standard weight, it would make the balance more headlight again.
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esm said:
Yeah, I was going to ask if the base grip was changed to something thinner or lighter.
For an example, when I change out a babolat or Wilson base grip to a Wilson Featherthin, it reduced by about 10-12g…..
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I added 4 grams of lead yesterday and played more than an hour with it. It's 315 grams now with everything on it. I don't want to go over 320 grams. I just felt I needed some extra stability on the bottom part of the racket (grip) because in comparison to the Elevate, the DR98 and the Youtek Speed, the Blade is wobbling a bit. Good thing about this Blade is that it's very informative on where I make contact on the stringbed and has plenty of power.

* By the way, the Head V2 string I've got on keeps playing very well.
 
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konstantinos kalfountzos said:
I added 4 grams of lead yesterday and played more than an hour with it. It's 315 grams now with everything on it. I don't want to go over 320 grams. I just felt I needed some extra stability on the bottom part of the racket (grip) because in comparison to the Elevate, the DR98 and the Youtek Speed, the Blade is wobbling a bit. Good thing about this Blade is that it's very informative on where I make contact on the stringbed and has plenty of power.

* By the way, the Head V2 string I've got on keeps playing very well.
Click to expand...
Maybe try adding some lead at 7” from the buttcap and see how that goes.
 
Kozzy said:
Trying to get a couple of my racquets perfectly matched up at new specs (340g, 32cm balance, 335SW), one of them was able to get there with some putty in the handle and lead at 12, but the other one was more headlight, and so needed some weight in the middle. I first put that weight at the top of the handle. That resulted in a perfect spec match, but it swung much heavier than the other one somehow. So, I removed the weight from the handle and moved some up to 6, and then the rest back in the handle. The end result (same specs) swings a lot easier somehow - not sluggish at all. Racquet matching is both an art and a science, I guess, but thank heavens for the Briffidi. Such a wonderful tool.
Click to expand...
Good one!
I have altered the racquets from the new Lite(R) specs (330-335g/32.5/331sw) to my previous “heavier” specs. So I have landed at 342/32.2/340sw… I felt the old feeling is back and I was able to swing more freely and able to deal with heavier and faster serves/groundstrokes. I also felt my balls has more pace and goes deeper in the court. I will stick with it for now and see if this is it. I have also lowered the cross tension by 2lb and I was able to feel more pocketing. lol. Probably all in my head….

Anyway, in the spirit of the thread, here are my orange/black oldies with holes - they were fun to hit with in the olden days.

I can not remember where those “P” dampeners are, must have lost them during various house moves, and I only have one boomerang thingy left. I still remembered it was a hassle to string with those ports.





 
esm said:
Good one!
I have altered the racquets from the new Lite(R) specs (330-335g/32.5/331sw) to my previous “heavier” specs. So I have landed at 342/32.2/340sw… I felt the old feeling is back and I was able to swing more freely and able to deal with heavier and faster serves/groundstrokes. I also felt my balls has more pace and goes deeper in the court. I will stick with it for now and see if this is it. I have also lowered the cross tension by 2lb and I was able to feel more pocketing. lol. Probably all in my head….

Anyway, in the spirit of the thread, here are my orange/black oldies with holes - they were fun to hit with in the olden days.

I can not remember where those “P” dampeners are, must have lost them during various house moves, and I only have one boomerang thingy left. I still remembered it was a hassle to string with those ports.





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This frame got the holic treatment here when it came out. At the time I was dealing with a sore wrist still so the flex was much appreciated. The frame was the epitome of the “massage the ball around the court” play style.
 
emhtennis said:
About to go play and try something I've never done before.

First time playing with 1.30 poly + first time playing at 40lbs tension. String is M8.

What will happen!? Haha
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You will say " should have tried the 1.25mm" or why haven't I tried this before
 
Kozzy said:
Trying to get a couple of my racquets perfectly matched up at new specs (340g, 32cm balance, 335SW), one of them was able to get there with some putty in the handle and lead at 12, but the other one was more headlight, and so needed some weight in the middle. I first put that weight at the top of the handle. That resulted in a perfect spec match, but it swung much heavier than the other one somehow. So, I removed the weight from the handle and moved some up to 6, and then the rest back in the handle. The end result (same specs) swings a lot easier somehow - not sluggish at all. Racquet matching is both an art and a science, I guess, but thank heavens for the Briffidi. Such a wonderful tool.
Click to expand...
My PSVSs are overspec, so the one I've actually strung (twice) and hit is 340g/32cm/~325sw stock with full HG 1.30 and an over grip. I've been rotating every session between it, the v8 Blade (335g/32.4cm/327sw), and EZ98 (332g/32.4cm./~320sw). I realize I'm being the TT antitype here, but I much prefer swinging the lighter Blade and EZ98 at this point in my life, but the PSVS is such an amazing frame, especially on my 1hbh, that I've decided to give it as long as necessary to adjust. I'm surprised 5g makes that much difference, but 335g/32cm/320-325sw fully loaded just feels effortless--essentially a 310g frame. In hindsight, on spec or underspec would have been the way to go. The demo you sent me at 310g/285sw (unstrung) is about perfect for me with a few grams at 12, and I miss that one. I'll adjust to the extra weight, but I've considered ordering a lighter PS97.

But the Blade and EZ98 are so incredibly good. I literally have 3 frames that I could main easily, and I can't unload any of them. Not really a holic but not monogamous either.
 
Power Player said:
@tim-ay im in Orlando for a quick visit but when i visit again later this summer maybe we can do a sanlando hit. Im not able to play this time around which is a bummer.
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Awesome, enjoy the hot day and we can try next time. I may be in Denver in early August and again in Sept also. Will let you know.

I just got back from a short trip today and I’m loving the heat. I bet it feels warm coming from Colorado!
 
Kozzy said:
Trying to get a couple of my racquets perfectly matched up at new specs (340g, 32cm balance, 335SW), one of them was able to get there with some putty in the handle and lead at 12, but the other one was more headlight, and so needed some weight in the middle. I first put that weight at the top of the handle. That resulted in a perfect spec match, but it swung much heavier than the other one somehow. So, I removed the weight from the handle and moved some up to 6, and then the rest back in the handle. The end result (same specs) swings a lot easier somehow - not sluggish at all. Racquet matching is both an art and a science, I guess, but thank heavens for the Briffidi. Such a wonderful tool.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure about specs anymore. Some frames I like a bit heavier. Others like the Percept 100D which is stock at 325g and 323 SW seem to work great at a lighter spec.

Speaking of the 100D, I don't want to say too much right now as I am definitely in a honeymoon period but I'm loving it so far. It is very close to being a pure control frame but in a 100" size. I didn't notice the low launch angle issue people complain about it. But that is comparing it to the UT or LMRMP. So for me it wasn't much of an adjustment. Compared the PA98 or BLX Steam . . . yes the trajectory is much lower. I strung my 100D with Toro Toro at 45#. I found the frame/string combo to be very soft and comfortable. No harshness at all despite the 66RA which has also received some criticism.
 
Vicious49 said:
I'm not sure about specs anymore. Some frames I like a bit heavier. Others like the Percept 100D which is stock at 325g and 323 SW seem to work great at a lighter spec.

Speaking of the 100D, I don't want to say too much right now as I am definitely in a honeymoon period but I'm loving it so far. It is very close to being a pure control frame but in a 100" size. I didn't notice the low launch angle issue people complain about it. But that is comparing it to the UT or LMRMP. So for me it wasn't much of an adjustment. Compared the PA98 or BLX Steam . . . yes the trajectory is much lower. I strung my 100D with Toro Toro at 45#. I found the frame/string combo to be very soft and comfortable. No harshness at all despite the 66RA which has also received some criticism.
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When I saw that pic you posted of the 100D, I thought, of yeah he’s going to love this. It seems like a great option given what you’ve liked in the past and how you describe your play.
 
tim-ay said:
Awesome, enjoy the hot day and we can try next time. I may be in Denver in early August and again in Sept also. Will let you know.

I just got back from a short trip today and I’m loving the heat. I bet it feels warm coming from Colorado!
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Oh man it’s steamy. Im sitting in a pool all day. But honestly i lived here for so long that I acclimated fast.
 
maksp said:
You will say " should have tried the 1.25mm" or why haven't I tried this before
Click to expand...
Oh man... I didn't want to put it down. Surreal experience. For me, had that great combo of pocketing and control. Felt like I couldn't hit long - or wide. It reigned in all my too-risky shots. When I switched to my other TGT351.1 strung with 1.18 black knight the same shots would go wide and long.

Biggest worry was lack of spin, but that was quickly put to rest. If anything, it gave more confidence to swing faster to create extra spin. Serves were fine, felt the extra SW from the strings a little, but very few double faults.

Ugh! The only downside is I have about 100+ strings to try in 1.30 now.... haha.
 
konstantinos kalfountzos said:
So, it seems it's L4 grip size and my friend had replaced the basegrip with a thinner Wilson one to make it L3. I don't know how much difference that makes anyway.
Now, it's definitely an L3. (The Yonex DR98 L3 seems larger.)

blade-288-gr-underspeced.jpg
Click to expand...
so for the sake of transparency. about two years ago i bought one of these reissues from europe. and i wasnt pleased. it came in waaaaaay under spec weight. i forgot the weight now. but in my head i was thinking. damn. this is not like the original at all. so much so that i dumped it very quickly. so . for my $.02 if your not sure that its not from that reissue batch. then stay away.
 
veelium said:
That Aero Storm tour was quite nice, gotta say. But the specs were too much, as it's an L2 I needed 2 overgrips and it came out 350g strung and not feeling easy enough to wield. The feel of the box beam with the aero throat is lovely though.
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used it back in the day. got the lighter model for nostalgia thinking it would better suit me. nope...still too clunky
 
danbrenner said:
so for the sake of transparency. about two years ago i bought one of these reissues from europe. and i wasnt pleased. it came in waaaaaay under spec weight. i forgot the weight now. but in my head i was thinking. damn. this is not like the original at all. so much so that i dumped it very quickly. so . for my $.02 if your not sure that its not from that reissue batch. then stay away.
Click to expand...
The Wilson QC, it is pot luck!!!
My (reissues) were not on spec but still within the QC range, from memory. Not sure about the measured stock SW as I didn’t have SW1 at the time. Annoying but not much I can do.
They were 4 x Blade 98 V4 and 2 x Blade 98 V5, all 18x20.
 
EggSalad said:
When I saw that pic you posted of the 100D, I thought, of yeah he’s going to love this. It seems like a great option given what you’ve liked in the past and how you describe your play.
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We may have a winner here. I played singles tonight against one of my regular partners. I started with the 100D. I switched to the LMRMP for the beginning of the 2nd set but went back to the 100D after about 6 games.

I realized that I've been trying to fit a square peg in to a round hole in trying to get myself used to these higher launch spin/power oriented frames. They do make the game easier at times but it's not my natural style. The 100D may be what I've been looking for this entire time. It doesn't quite have the control of the LMRMP but it's not bad at all. It has way more pop and was great when chasing down balls and having to stab at them or block them back. THAT is what I had been missing in my control frames. My serve returns were definitely deeper. The feel obviously isn't as good as the LMRMP but it's not harsh in any way. The only thing where I'm struggling a bit is on the serve. It doesn't come around quite as quickly as the LMRMP so on a flat serve for example instead of hitting down I'm late so my racquet face will be open a bit so the ball goes long. I may need to do a higher toss to give me that extra few milliseconds for the frame to come around.

The other thing I realized is that opponents have been picking on my BH side since it's my weaker wing. But I've also been trying to change my game to hit more topspin backhands whereas in the past I used to slice over half the time form that wing. Due to that I've been making a lot more errors from that side whereas with the slice I keep the points longer. That's another reason I like these tighter string patterns. I can place that BH slice so well with the 100D and the LMRMP.

I don't want to get ahead of myself as it's only been 2 sessions but if there is no arm/wrist pain and I can play with it through an entire match (since it's summertime) then this may be my new main.
 
JGads said:
Things got a little out of hand tonight.

String testing/comparison in the mains and more epic side times with the FP Rad. What a fun frame.

Tour Hex from Mayami is really good. Not TB good for me, I don’t think, but really good. And most importantly, blue.
Click to expand...

Enjoyed hitting the fxp rad I sent out in the traveling rad thread a lot. Weighted it up to 345g with a super polarized setup, I feel like that is a good way to optimize the old 95” head frames, providing a really snappy feeling through contact and plenty of plow. The FXP layups are super soft, but the radical is pretty powerful as well unlike the fxp prestige and instinct I’ve hit
 
Had to put uncle randy back in the closet where he belongs. There aren’t enough Nicolas Cage gifs in the metaverse to describe going from the 18x20 phantom to the big unit.
Going to just main the phantom for the next month and do my diligence on the playtest. I can already tell it’s a great stick. Makes me want to try all of them really, even some old Princes.
But I’m gonna get to know this scheibenwand over the next month. This is what I thought the Speed Pro was going to be. 18x20 but…forgiving. Heavy, yet light. Old school, yet brand new.
By the way, I’ve been a Barricade guy 3 pairs in a row now but I saw a guy playing in kswiss ultrashot 3 and they looked kind of…sick?
It’s not skechers level but I feel like I may be crossing a line. I am tagging @gino to see if this is acceptable.
 
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