Looking for an arm friendly racquet

Chatruc

New User
Hi guys.

I've been playing with a Head Youtek Speed Pro for the past 3 or 4 years and I'm currently experiencing some pain in my arm, specifically while working out at the gym, not on court.

Since I have the pain only in my right arm I guess it must be a tennis related injury of some sort.

The racquets I've been checking out are the Dunlop Biomimetic 200 and the ProKennex Kinetic Pro 5G Classic. I'd appreciate some advice on which one I should pick. The ideal scenario would be with a racquet that performs similar to the one I'm currently using (if it had a bit of extra power wouldn't hurt lol) and is relatively arm friendly.

Thanks in advance for your help!
 

fuzz nation

G.O.A.T.
Before giving up on the racquet, I'm curious to know what strings you have in your Speed Pro. Also, has your string type/tension been rather consistent over the time you've spent with this frame - you've had it for a few years, not just a few months.

As far as I can tell, it seems as though any racquet can become much less arm-friendly when its pilot switches into a poly or poly hybrid from a softer alternative. I've also seen a couple of players get borderline miraculous results in the arm-friendly department after switching from harsh stuff into a cozy option like natural gut. Blah-blah-blah... the string choice matters a lot.

A frame with some nice flex and a little more beef than your Head ought to deliver both some power and some arm-friendly potential. I'm a big fan of the Volkl C10, but that's a racquet that's not for everyone under the sun. In general, I'm less cautious with recommending Volkl's Organix 10 325g. I'm experimenting with one and it's responding nicely to a bit of lead tuning.

Pro Kennex? No argument with their technology. They're responsible for lots of happy arms out there. One of the Prestige models that's a little more hefty than your racquet might be worth a try and the extra upside there is the familiar Head grip shape.
 

spinovic

Hall of Fame
I suppose any of the lower flex racquets would work -

Prince has a few - EXO3 Tour 100, Rebel
HEAD Youtek IG Radicals
Tecnifibre TFight 315
Volkl C10Pro
Donnay X-Dual Silver, Gold, Platinum

A few that come immediately to mind.
 

Chatruc

New User
Hi, thanks for your comments guys.

@rafafan20: the Rebel 98 seems to be a bit lighter than what i'm looking for.

@fuzz nation: the racquet came with Head Synthetic gut strings, I used them till they broke. After that I've been using monofilament of different brands, but the tension has always been between 58 and 60. I don't really pay too much attention to strings because I don't break them very often and I change them every 4 months or so (I have 2 frames) and there's not very much variety (my coach strings my racquets and he uses whatever he's using atm)
 

fortun8son

Hall of Fame
If by monofilament, you mean polyester, then that could be the problem.
They need to be strung lower (54 max) and changed often (within 20hr hitting time).
Go back to synthetic gut and see if it 'fixes' the problem.
Changing your frame won't help if you continue to use 'dead' poly that has been strung too high in the first place.

You'd be surprised at how good your car handles with the right tires at the right pressure.
You might also be surprised at how many coaches are not string savvy, either.
 
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fuzz nation

G.O.A.T.
What he ^^^ said, +1. (our pal fortun8son)

Some syn. guts are crazy cheap, but plenty playable. Even though they're bound to physically snap a bit sooner than a poly, they ought to give you a softer setup that could potentially save your arm a lot of ailing. Rumor has it that an old, dead set of poly is even harder on the arm than a fresh set, but it still takes a lot more wear before it breaks.

I'm 47, I hit a one-handed backhand, and play with half-decent technique, etc. I recently sampled a poly hybrid in one of my supremely arm-friendly Volkl C10's. I installed it at a rather low, hopefully cozy tension, and started feeling not-so-good things after my second outing with that racquet. Safe to say it's not for me, but on the other hand, I can run 16 ga. syn. gut at rather high tension in the same frames with no penalties in my arm.

Again, just encouraging you to try some string with less inherent harshness. It could save you from the headache of a racquet search... and even MORE pain pills!!! :shock:
 

A_Instead

Legend
EXO Tour for sure. Its soft, comfy and very fun to hit with.
it is a different approach.. but works fine once you get used to it..
 

Chotobaka

Hall of Fame
Hi guys.

I've been playing with a Head Youtek Speed Pro for the past 3 or 4 years and I'm currently experiencing some pain in my arm, specifically while working out at the gym, not on court.

Since I have the pain only in my right arm I guess it must be a tennis related injury of some sort.

The racquets I've been checking out are the Dunlop Biomimetic 200 and the ProKennex Kinetic Pro 5G Classic. I'd appreciate some advice on which one I should pick. The ideal scenario would be with a racquet that performs similar to the one I'm currently using (if it had a bit of extra power wouldn't hurt lol) and is relatively arm friendly.

Thanks in advance for your help!

If you continue with your new racquet search, do not discount the newer Head Youtek Graphene Speed MP. In my experience, it is more comfortable and also does everything else better than the previous version. Worth a demo.
 
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tmc5005

Rookie
My list of top 10 arm friendly racquets include:

Babolat New Pure Storm-LTD GT (95)
DUNLOP Biomimetic Max 200G
Dunlop Biomimetic 200 (95)
HEAD-Youtek-IG-Prestige-MP
Prince EXO3 Rebel (95)
Prince EXO3 Tour (100) 16 x 18
PRO KENNEX Black Ace 98 MP
Volkl Power Bridge-10 Mid (93)
Volkl Organix 10 325G
Wilson Prostaff Six.One BLX (95)
 

badkitty

Rookie
I currently use a Pacific X Force with a leather grip, some lead in the handle, and a small amount of lead at 3 and 9 for a 12 oz stick. I've been very happy with this racket for comfort. If I did not use this racket, I would probably use a Head Radical Pro (62 stiffness). I like both of these rackets since they are a bit on the flexy side, 98 square inches, and have a relatively open string pattern.
 
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