Is it a good idea to switch to a lighter racket

[DeepTopspinToBackhand]

right now my son uses a Babolot pure drive play which weighs 10.6 oz but he has been having shoulder pain and elbow pain, He corrected his technique with his two coaches.

He is sixteen and very skinny and does not have much strength in his arms yet, however is talent is there and he hits a very fluid straight arm forehand.

Would it be a good idea to switch from a heavy racket to a lighter racket and would that be easier on the body

 

[Dedans Penthouse]

First take a look at the strings he's using. Full poly set up (with a poly on the stiff side)?

As for his elbow, where's the pain, lateral or medial side? (that will give indication of what might be triggering it).

My suggestion would be to go to a heavier, more headlight frame (with a more arm/wrist-friendly string set up, e.g. hybrids, synthetics, etc.).

Him being "skinny" is not the issue. There are guys who are reed-thin who can hit the cover off the ball (no 'muscle', fluid timing).

 

[DeepTopspinToBackhand]

First take a look at the strings he's using. Full poly set up (with a poly on the stiff side)?

As for his elbow, where's the pain, lateral or medial side? (that will give indication of what might be triggering it).

My suggestion would be to go to a heavier, more headlight frame (with a more arm/wrist-friendly string set up, e.g. hybrids, synthetics, etc.).

Him being "skinny" is not the issue. There are guys who are reed-thin who can hit the cover off the ball (no 'muscle', fluid timing).

The strings are pro hurricane and the pain is in the inside.

 

[Dedans Penthouse]

Hurricane's a fairly stiff string. Pain on the "inside" (usually called 'golfer's elbow) can be caused by a late contact point on the forehand.

Also, in looking to hit a 'stright-armed' forehand he may be making contact with a "locked" (rigid) elbow that ends up as the central point for absorbing the shock.

Take a look:

straight-arm at contact but at the same time not 'locked' (stiff). Lastly, is his grip pressure possibly too-tight at contact?

 

[DeepTopspinToBackhand]

Also he hit today with the head tis5 racket which is 8.5 oz and synthetic gut strings and they were great and he was getting much more racket head speed

Would it be a good idea to switch to that

 

[Traffic]

The strings are pro hurricane and the pain is in the inside.

How long has the strings been in his racquet?
Pure drive plus old hurricane = pain

 

[Dedans Penthouse]

Also he hit today with the head tis5 racket which is 8.5 oz and synthetic gut strings and they were great and he was getting much more racket head speed

Would it be a good idea to switch to that

8.5 oz?!!! Yes, he'll get racquet head speed alright, but such a lightweig.ht frame would lack "plow" (as in plow through the ball) and prone to getting pushed around by heavy paced shots. More to the point, lightweight frames are more prone to twisting on off-center shots which contribute to arm pain (the 'torque' factor). Have a pro with a really good 'eye' take a look at the lad : ) ....best of luck.

 

[Traffic]

right now my son uses a Babolot pure drive play which weighs 10.6 oz but he has been having shoulder pain and elbow pain, He corrected his technique with his two coaches.

He is sixteen and very skinny and does not have much strength in his arms yet, however is talent is there and he hits a very fluid straight arm forehand.

Would it be a good idea to switch from a heavy racket to a lighter racket and would that be easier on the body

Btw, my 14 y/o (5'-5") son switched from a 10.3oz APD lite to a Pro Staff 97 LS (10.8oz) last year. Sometime during the summer, I weighted his racquet up to 11oz. Now he is moving to a Pure Strike 98 (11.3oz). It's actually 11.5oz strung, over gripped and vibe damped.

I think 10.8-11.5 strung weight is probably pretty good range for teenagers.

 

[mnttlrg]

right now my son uses a Babolot pure drive play which weighs 10.6 oz but he has been having shoulder pain and elbow pain, He corrected his technique with his two coaches.

I find lighter rackets to be worse on the arm than heavier ones. If he doesn't generate a lot of his own power, it's probably easier to use a heavier racket with better plow for less shock / impact on the arm. I also think the same way about overly head light rackets, though that depends a lot on technique. I find it easier to plow through a shot at 3pts strung versus 8pts, etc etc, which in turn usually helps the arm.

If he really likes his current racket, I would highly suggest the Pure Aero line. Something about the throat in those Aeros feels a lot more comfortable on the arm than the Drive series. I have a friend with arm problems who swears by his Aero Tour with a passion. I also like the VS variations if he needs more control in his game.

The other thing to consider is using a medium stiffness racket instead of a higher stiffness. I like the Speed series as an arm friendly modern racket that is not too far distant from a Pure Drive.

 

[Devil_dog]

Honestly, I'm not sure if it's the weight of the frame that's really affecting him. The Pure Drive is a stiff frame and there's some who report that the stiffness can lead to arm pain. I might suggest finding a frame that has a bit more flex and that should help. Also, a hybrid or even natural gut string setup should also help his with arm issues. Best of luck!

 

[mnttlrg]

Oh right, I almost forgot.... try some multi in the cross instead of all poly. It hits very similar, but a little easier on the joints, etc.

 

[Traffic]

right now my son uses a Babolot pure drive play which weighs 10.6 oz but he has been having shoulder pain and elbow pain, He corrected his technique with his two coaches.

He is sixteen and very skinny and does not have much strength in his arms yet, however is talent is there and he hits a very fluid straight arm forehand.

Would it be a good idea to switch from a heavy racket to a lighter racket and would that be easier on the body

What level of play is your son? Does he play USTA Jr Tournaments? Is he on the HS Varsity team?

If he is a beginner, then he should NOT be playing with poly. He should be playing with a good multi string. Wilson NXT, NXT Power are good choices.
If he is a Challenger level player, then a good multi is still probably the right answer until he starts breaking strings every other week.
If he is a Champs level player, then he needs to see a physical therapist and have that re-hab'd properly along with a more flexible racquet selection and play with a gut/poly hybrid or full bed multi during this time.

Once he's established good stroke technique, and he likes to play with poly, then he can try hitting with a poly/sgut hybrid. It provides a lot of the poly performance with a bit more give. The other option is to select a less stiff poly at lower tension and string more frequently (every 15hrs of play).

Also, has he increased his frequency of play suddenly? That could also contribute to pains; minor over-use.

 

[Notirouswithag]

try switching the strings out for a softer poly at a lower tension, or if he still finds pain even switching to a hybrid setup with a poly/co poly/multi hybrid.

the racquet weight for his age seems right, but now would also be a good time to get him into the gym to start slowly strength training using his own bodyweight mechanics first

 

[GBplayer]

The racquet is already light weight?

 

[Anton]

right now my son uses a Babolot pure drive play which weighs 10.6 oz but he has been having shoulder pain and elbow pain, He corrected his technique with his two coaches.

He is sixteen and very skinny and does not have much strength in his arms yet, however is talent is there and he hits a very fluid straight arm forehand.

Would it be a good idea to switch from a heavy racket to a lighter racket and would that be easier on the body

NO is the easy answer here. He is already playing with a light, powerful racket.

If anything he needs a softer, but HEAVIER racket to make up power difference.

My recommendation is to try out Yonex DR98 Light - its more comfortable and he can add weight as needed from there.

 

[tmc5005]

Not a good idea to switch to a lighter racquet but a great idea to switch away from Babolot pure drive to a more flexible frame. Look at a few from my top 10 list of arm / elbow friendly frames that include:

Yonex EZone DR 98
HEAD XT Graphene MP
PACIFIC BXT X Tour Pro 97
Wilson Ultra Tour
Volkl Vsense 10 325g
Pro Kennex Kinetic KI Q Tour
Pro Kennex QI K5 315
Head Graphene Touch Speed Pro
Wilson Countervale Blade 98 18×20
WILSON Pro Staff 97S

 

[brownbearfalling]

I think racquet weight should be considered after string material/tension and racquet construction. Volk is the go to racquet brand for arm troubles. They are flexible and have the sensor grip vibration dampening system.

To me racquet weight has more to do with the opponents the player plays against. More specifically, how fast, hard or heavy the opponents deliver the ball. For fast, and heavy shots, the player wants a heavier racquet to have more racquet stability, plow and force against the hard shots. For slowering hitting opponents, the player wants a lighter racquet because the player has to generate their own power. lighter racquets won't tire the user out. less work on the body.

 

[bageldog]

I second the yonex dr lite. Fantastic frame and comfy too. Can add weight and then take it off again if it doesnt help

 

[Fanman]

I have arm problems when I play w/ a full bed of poly as well. When I switched to natural gut it really helped & the pain went away. I now use a hybrid setup w/ gut in the mains & polys in the cross & it works like a charm. You may want to look at the Babolat VS Touch strings or if that is too expensive then look at the Babolat XCel Multifilament string. I've played w/ that string & it is also very soft on the arm.

 

[smalahove]

Hurricane's a fairly stiff string.

^this^

Other major factors to consider, that contribute to TE:

• string tension: stiff poly + tension above 50 = asking for trouble
• grip size: a thinner grip gives you more control and ability to move the wrist freely, but aggravates TE
• string gauge: be aware that some strings do not have a linear correlation between stiffness and tension, meaning a 17 gauge could be stiffer than the 16 one.
• too many repetitions during training, too often. If you train you OHBH for an hour, a healthy arm with a healthy tendon needs rest. If you feel soreness, it needs about 3 days to recover. Many seem to forget all the other activities than put an equal strain on the tendon, such as PC use (many do get TE from just PC use).

 

[AMGF]

Babolat Pure Drive claims more tennis elbow problems than all other tennis racquets combined. Ok maybe I'm exagerrating... but not really.

I agree with Anton, Yonex Dr98 is a great racquet.

Go heavier and softer, not lighter and stiffer.

 

[Dartagnan64]

Head Ti racket is a granny stick for playing with old arms and weak moonballs and slices. Yes you can swing it very fast but it's lack of plowthrough will kill the arm on anything but an old ladies shot.

There are plenty of more comfortable sticks out there than a PD (which is a light frame already at sub 11 oz). Yonex DR line, Bab Pure strike VS, Wilson Ultra Tour, Head Prestige line, Prince Textreme Tour line.

A sixteen year old should be able to handle a 12 oz frame easily. Just soften it up with multi strings and more flexible frame.
At his age I had a 13 oz wood frame and syn gut strings and never had a bit of arm pain playing tennis. Interestingly it was in my 50's with a new Babolat PD with poly strings that started my journey into elbow and wrist issues.

 

[SavvyStringer]

• Less poly or softer poly- 4G, 4G rough, Tourbite Diamond rough, Yonex polytour air, or a really thin 17 or higher of a stiffer string.
• most likely less tension- poly isn't made to be pulled higher than 52lbs. Anything after that and you've taken all of the little elasticity it had.
• less stiff racket- DR98 or 100 are both great as are Volkl. Even the stiff pure drive esq volkl 8 which still has a high RDC is more plush than a pure drive.
• Heavier racket- the racket will take the shock not the ball. It may take time to get the racket moving but it will do the work instead of the player.

Think about it this way in terms of racket weight; would you rather get in a wreck in a hummer or a miata? The hummer (more mass) will deliver the blow, the miata (lesser mass) will take the blow. If a gut or expensive multi like NRG, X1, or NXT are too high priced for you, try dunlop syn gut. It has a really low stiffness rating and when compared side by side on TW string comparison is almost identical to NRG and only like $3.50 a pack. Don't worry about how quickly your kid is going through string unless he is popping every two hours. If a string lasts more than 6 or 8 hours playing high level juniors, it's dead anyway (unless its gut).

 

[n8dawg6]

agree with savvy re: how long strang lasts. not sure where the 52 lbs came from for poly, but thats usually what i strang at

 

[Player/Stringer]

• Less poly or softer poly- 4G, 4G rough, Tourbite Diamond rough, Yonex polytour air, or a really thin 17 or higher of a stiffer string.
• most likely less tension- poly isn't made to be pulled higher than 52lbs. Anything after that and you've taken all of the little elasticity it had.
• less stiff racket- DR98 or 100 are both great as are Volkl. Even the stiff pure drive esq volkl 8 which still has a high RDC is more plush than a pure drive.
• Heavier racket- the racket will take the shock not the ball. It may take time to get the racket moving but it will do the work instead of the player.

Think about it this way in terms of racket weight; would you rather get in a wreck in a hummer or a miata? The hummer (more mass) will deliver the blow, the miata (lesser mass) will take the blow. If a gut or expensive multi like NRG, X1, or NXT are too high priced for you, try dunlop syn gut. It has a really low stiffness rating and when compared side by side on TW string comparison is almost identical to NRG and only like $3.50 a pack. Don't worry about how quickly your kid is going through string unless he is popping every two hours. If a string lasts more than 6 or 8 hours playing high level juniors, it's dead anyway (unless its gut).

Are you really going to call 4G a soft string? Last time I had that was in a hybrid with NG and it hurt my elbow more than what I play with now (copoly). If you wanted to find an alternative to full poly you could try a copoly. Something like Kirschbaum pro line or Babolat RPM rough might work...

 

[SavvyStringer]

agree with savvy re: how long strang lasts. not sure where the 52 lbs came from for poly, but thats usually what i strang at

I guess you could call it from the horse’s mouth. My contact at solinco, the two full time tecnifibre tour stringers (one is at the ATP finals the other is at the next gen finals), and a friend that has done the last two US opens with Wilson. Guys that know their stuff and their string technologies. Guys vastly smarter with regards to strings and stringing than I.

As for the 4G. Personally I’m not a fan but many people’s consensus is that it is a softer polyester. If you don’t think so, that’s personal. Statistically according to TW hyperG measures softer than Tourbite but hyperG bothers my wrist while tourbite doesn’t. Overall I would say getting out of a babolat polyester is probably a good idea. Especially for younger players and club players that don’t generate the racket speed to take advantage of a low powered poly.

 

[SteveI]

BTW... just to be correct. The Pure Drive Play is 10.6 oz unstrung. You add poly (full bed).. over grip and vibration dampener.. you are now about 11.5 oz. Not a light frame for a young player with little muscle mass. Head Ti.5s is an arm killer as is the Pure Drive Play. Go softer frame... softer string and the weight is about right IMHO.

 

[anhboa2]

right now my son uses a Babolot pure drive play which weighs 10.6 oz but he has been having shoulder pain and elbow pain, He corrected his technique with his two coaches.

He is sixteen and very skinny and does not have much strength in his arms yet, however is talent is there and he hits a very fluid straight arm forehand.

Would it be a good idea to switch from a heavy racket to a lighter racket and would that be easier on the body

If he can swing a 10.6 oz racquet and is only 16, he can try changing to another racket in the same weight range but is more comfortable.
Problem is that he could have too used to PD then the replacement should be similar, i suggest Yonex Ezone 100, or the new GpT Head Radical

 

[Faris]

I agree with those who say he should infact get a heavier racquet instead of a lighter one....

 

[TheRasha]

+1

 

[Shroud]

Big fan of using a heavier stick. HOWEVER if he has shoulder pain that may just mean the racquet is too heavy.

Have him try the lighter stick for a bit to see if the shoulder pain subsides.

 

[Traffic]

Big fan of using a heavier stick. HOWEVER if he has shoulder pain that may just mean the racquet is too heavy.

Have him try the lighter stick for a bit to see if the shoulder pain subsides.

OPs son has elbow pain. If he can't swing a heavy stick, then he shouldn't be using poly. I'd get him a less stiff racquet and softer strings until elbow pain subsides. PT and private coaching sessions before things get worse.

 

[Shroud]

OPs son has elbow pain. If he can't swing a heavy stick, then he shouldn't be using poly. I'd get him a less stiff racquet and softer strings until elbow pain subsides. PT and private coaching sessions before things get worse.

From the op:

right now my son uses a Babolot pure drive play which weighs 10.6 oz but he has been having shoulder pain and elbow pain, He corrected his technique with his two coaches.

He is sixteen and very skinny and does not have much strength in his arms yet, however is talent is there and he hits a very fluid straight arm forehand.

Would it be a good idea to switch from a heavy racket to a lighter racket and would that be easier on the body

 

[Traffic]

From the op:

My bad. Shoulder pain and elbow pain.

BTW... just to be correct. The Pure Drive Play is 10.6 oz unstrung. You add poly (full bed).. over grip and vibration dampener.. you are now about 11.5 oz. Not a light frame for a young player with little muscle mass. Head Ti.5s is an arm killer as is the Pure Drive Play. Go softer frame... softer string and the weight is about right IMHO.

So I looked up the specs on the Pure Drive Play. It's the same spec as the Pure Drive but with telemetry. So roughly 11.3oz strung. So with OG and vib damp, probably somewhere in the 11.5-11.6oz play weight. So a typical flagship racquet. Add a full bed poly string. And I'm betting it's been in his racquet longer than 20hrs.

So basically all the alarm bells are ringing:
Stiff racquet,
stiff strings,
dead strings (only my guess)

I would look at a less stiff racquet. Something in the 10.8oz strung weight. Look into a less stiff stringbed. Poly/Sgut hybrid, Natgut/Poly hybrid, softer poly strings.

 

[SteveI]

My bad. Shoulder pain and elbow pain.


So I looked up the specs on the Pure Drive Play. It's the same spec as the Pure Drive but with telemetry. So roughly 11.3oz strung. So with OG and vib damp, probably somewhere in the 11.5-11.6oz play weight. So a typical flagship racquet. Add a full bed poly string. And I'm betting it's been in his racquet longer than 20hrs.

So basically all the alarm bells are ringing:
Stiff racquet,
stiff strings,
dead strings (only my guess)

I would look at a less stiff racquet. Something in the 10.8oz strung weight. Look into a less stiff stringbed. Poly/Sgut hybrid, Natgut/Poly hybrid, softer poly strings.

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Babolat_Boost_Strike/descpageRCBAB-BBSTS.html

Full Graphite Babolat frame.. With overgrip and vibration dampener. Looking at about 10.8 appox with 16 x 19 pattern. I have a few of my HS players using this. It is 102 head size and great platform for adding lead. Plays pretty soft since it has Woffer Technology also. $99.00

 

[fuzz nation]

The strings are pro hurricane and the pain is in the inside.

One of the strong high school boys I coached a couple years ago ran into that same elbow pain when using a standard Pure Drive strung with full beds of RPM Blast tensioned in the mid 50's (I think). Once it seemed as though that pain was steadily progressing (getting worse) and not just the result of one bad day at the courts, I cut out the poly and strung his rig with a full bed of Prince Premiere Control - probably tensioned in the mid 50's so that it wouldn't play super soft.

Before this happened, this guy had been doing some preseason workouts to get his game up to speed before the spring season. One thing he was doing with another coach was working on a harder serve. Before this point, this coach had been focusing on a spin serve that this young gun could land at a decent percentage. My suspicion was that his sessions of harder serving in the colder spring conditions - which turn poly string beds rock hard - really wailed on his arm and golfer's elbow showed up rather quickly as a result.

It literally took only a few days of playing with the full multi for my guy's elbow to start feeling better. Since he was a "farmer strong" high school junior who could really rip on the ball, we used 15L gauge Prince multi just to get some decent service life out of those strings. Even though that thicker multi only lasted about a week and a half for him, he played out that season with a healthy elbow.

This is only one of several episodes I've seen locally where a player using RPM Blast has run into arm trouble. I've seen enough to be convinced that this stuff is garbage.

Even if you don't get a different racquet immediately, get rid of the poly for now and at least try synthetic gut at a reasonable tension to see if you can get any relief for your son. Those racquets can be substantially easier on the arm with a less rigid string.

If you do go racquet shopping, I agree with the recommendations for a heavier alternative. This kid I mentioned got rid of his Pure Drives after that season and took up with the Wilson Six.One 95 (16x18). Shortly after the switch, he couldn't believe how much better off he was with a heavier, more stable racquet. He's been completely comfortable with these racquets, even after eventually switching into a poly hybrid tensioned in the high 40's, and that worked great for him through his senior year.

 

[AgassiFan88]

I've tried Hurricane and it's pretty stiff compared to other polys I've played with. Head Sonic Pro Edge is a much more comfortable poly and generates about as much spin in my experience. You'll definitely get more comfort and some added control. Not much lost in the spin department. I have since gone to Tecnifibre Black Code in a full bed. At the right tension (52-54 lbs) it's almost as arm friendly as a poly can get, although it is still a poly and you could get a better feel going with something like a multi. I found exceptional feel and control with Wilson Sensation. Go with a 17g and the spin is still there (if your son has a topspin swing on his strokes.) It's inexpensive and it might really surprise you for a multi. The trade here is durability. If he's not a big hitting baseline basher then ge should get at least 2 weeks of playable life from them, maybe more if you bump up to 16g. I'm an improving 3.5 with pretty big groundstrokes for my level and I've spent quite a bit of time and money with some knowledgeable folks in the past few months trying to settle on the right string for me so I've learned quite abit. Look forward to learning much more!

 

[nvr2old]

My short answer to your original post is all things being equal no don’t switch. I have recently come to the conclusion that I play better with a 12 plus oz racquet especially on backhands. No substitute for plow through for me. I have everything from 9 -12.6 oz racquets and heavier is better.

 

[n8dawg6]

I've tried Hurricane and it's pretty stiff compared to other polys I've played with. Head Sonic Pro Edge is a much more comfortable poly and generates about as much spin in my experience. You'll definitely get more comfort and some added control. Not much lost in the spin department. I have since gone to Tecnifibre Black Code in a full bed. At the right tension (52-54 lbs) it's almost as arm friendly as a poly can get, although it is still a poly and you could get a better feel going with something like a multi. I found exceptional feel and control with Wilson Sensation. Go with a 17g and the spin is still there (if your son has a topspin swing on his strokes.) It's inexpensive and it might really surprise you for a multi. The trade here is durability. If he's not a big hitting baseline basher then ge should get at least 2 weeks of playable life from them, maybe more if you bump up to 16g. I'm an improving 3.5 with pretty big groundstrokes for my level and I've spent quite a bit of time and money with some knowledgeable folks in the past few months trying to settle on the right string for me so I've learned quite abit. Look forward to learning much more!

SPE is good strang.

 

[FoldingChair]

My TLDR response is that the pure drive already is a pretty stiff racquet. Pro Hurricane is a stiff string. Stiff on stiff equals pain. I'd say try a new string first

 

[smalahove]

A few other factors that have been important for me:

• there is a huge stiffness gap between a really soft poly and a stiff one. To me, Cyber Flash f.inst. plays softer than multis and synt guts.
• a stiff poly often has good tension maintenance, meaning a soft poly (that loses tension quickly) will be even plusher after a few hours of play.
• thin gauged stiff polys can still be super-stiff, even though their ratings sometimes say otherwise. Ime, Cyclone 19/20 plays much, much stiffer than V-Star 16