My experience with flexy vs stiff racquets

Maybe I'm the odd duck here, but any time I use a thin-beamed/flexy racquet, I have elbow pain. Ultra Tour, Vcore Pro 97, any Prince Phantom, K7 Lime, Clash, etc. However, I don't experience any arm pain when I play with thick-beamed/stiff racquets. Pure Strike, Pure Aero, Pure Drive, Graphene Radical Pro, etc. My current setup is a Pure Strike Team w/ 2g at 12, 4g total at 3&9, dampener, and then 24g in the handle + an OG (around 340g strung if I remember correctly). Strung with Head Hawk Touch 17 @ 54 lbs. Doesn't cause me any pain whatsoever, and I had read all over the forums and in the reviews that anything with Babolat written on it was a one-way ticket to arm pain. The "plushest" racquet I've hit with is the Ultra Tour weighted up to about 345g, but I'm 100% serious when I say that even with a hybrid of NXT and Alu, I had arm pain. Anyone else experience this backwards-ness?
 

Bartelby

Bionic Poster
It's easier to hit the sweet spot with a bigger racquet and there is no vibration there regardless of the stiffness rating.
 
It's easier to hit the sweet spot with a bigger racquet and there is no vibration there regardless of the stiffness rating.
Yes, but it's not like I'm hitting the sweetspot 95% of the time with the 100 sq head and only hitting it 45% of the time with the 97 sq head. The amount of mis-hits is probably equal with both frames. I can frame one out of the tip of the racquet with the Ultra Tour and there is significantly more shock than framing one with my PS.
 

Keoni068

Rookie
I thought I was alone! I have been using a Pure Aero Lite with silicone in it and full Hyper G for a couple years with no problems. I did an extended demo with a Yonex VCore Pro 97 and Phantom 100P with the same string setup, and right now I am dealing with my first tennis elbow issue ever. I don’t understand it, and it’s very frustrating. Is it possible that the more flexible racquets are actually worse on my arm? That makes no logical sense!
 
I thought I was alone! I have been using a Pure Aero Lite with silicone in it and full Hyper G for a couple years with no problems. I did an extended demo with a Yonex VCore Pro 97 and Phantom 100P with the same string setup, and right now I am dealing with my first tennis elbow issue ever. I don’t understand it, and it’s very frustrating. Is it possible that the more flexible racquets are actually worse on my arm? That makes no logical sense!
I'm not sure if this is accurate in terms of physics, so I concede that I could be very wrong, but in my head, it would make sense that even though a flexible racquet absorbs more of the energy from the incoming ball, that energy still has to go somewhere. With flexible racquets generally being much less powerful and sending much less energy back to the ball, I'm assuming that leftover energy is sent to the arm. Whereas a stiff frame sends a lot more of the energy back to the ball, and less to the arm. Again, I could be wrong about the physics there, but it makes sense in my head.
 

phanker

Semi-Pro
Thicker beams tend to be more dampen with less residual vibrations at impact. Their hallow tubes basically, sometimes filled with foam.
 

Keoni068

Rookie
I'm not sure if this is accurate in terms of physics, so I concede that I could be very wrong, but in my head, it would make sense that even though a flexible racquet absorbs more of the energy from the incoming ball, that energy still has to go somewhere. With flexible racquets generally being much less powerful and sending much less energy back to the ball, I'm assuming that leftover energy is sent to the arm. Whereas a stiff frame sends a lot more of the energy back to the ball, and less to the arm. Again, I could be wrong about the physics there, but it makes sense in my head.

So now that my elbow is in pain, does that mean I should return to my Pure Aero Lite after some rest? Or should I give the Phantom Pro 100 a chance? The control and feel on these thinner beamed racquets are addicting. It shouldn’t be this confusing!
 

TennisHound

Legend
Worst tennis elbow I got was from playing pickleball. But I was doing hard overheads with a large ping pong paddle.

A racquet can be stiff and still not cause arm problems. Whereas a racquet can be supposedly flexier (Head Graphene) and cause TE.

Got TE pretty bad using a Youtek PMP strung tight with Lux ALU.
 
Thicker beams tend to be more dampen with less residual vibrations at impact. Their hallow tubes basically, sometimes filled with foam.
Definitely agree. Although, none of the Babolat racquets are foam-filled to my knowledge, yet are more comfortable to me than the foam-filled UT.
So now that my elbow is in pain, does that mean I should return to my Pure Aero Lite after some rest? Or should I give the Phantom Pro 100 a chance? The control and feel on these thinner beamed racquets are addicting. It shouldn’t be this confusing!
I definitely understand the struggle! I've been wanting to transition to a more control-oriented frame like the CX 200 Tour or the Vcore Pro 97, but for whatever reason, my arm just doesn't like them lol. I would go back to the Pure Aero Lite after a little rest if that has never given you issues! Also, icing definitely helps, along with lots of stretching and foam rolling the bicep and the forearm (just take a tennis ball and use that instead of an actual foam roller; much easier)
 

Keoni068

Rookie
Definitely agree

I definitely understand the struggle! I've been wanting to transition to a more control-oriented frame like the CX 200 Tour or the Vcore Pro 97, but for whatever reason, my arm just doesn't like them lol. I would go back to the Pure Aero Lite after a little rest if that has never given you issues! Also, icing definitely helps, along with lots of stretching and foam rolling the bicep and the forearm (just take a tennis ball and use that instead of an actual foam roller; much easier)


Thanks! I actually really enjoyed the VCore Pro 97 and was so sad it caused this pain. I’ve been icing, got a bar for exercises and am committed to get better. Just trying to figure out the source of my problem because it makes no logical sense. I do have a Wilson Shock Shield grip on my PALite. I wonder if that’d help on these other racquets?

Does anyone know if the problem could be the vibrations, which are mitigated in my PALite due to the silicone and Shock Shield grip?
 

Username_

Hall of Fame
You're a lucky one.

Serious question.

Are you able to use Lux 4G in a full bed and feel minimal arm pain?
 
Thanks! I actually really enjoyed the VCore Pro 97 and was so sad it caused this pain. I’ve been icing, got a bar for exercises and am committed to get better. Just trying to figure out the source of my problem because it makes no logical sense.
No problem! I'm one of those weird people that doesn't have a problem with things in life not making logical sense in my head yet nonetheless being true, but I definitely understand the frustration!
You're a lucky one.

Serious question.

Are you able to use Lux 4G in a full bed and feel minimal arm pain?
I haven't tried to use Lux 4G before unfortunately. However, I have used 4G soft in the Clash and the strings felt amazing, but the overly-flexy frame didn't. I also strung the Clash with Head Hawk Touch 17 (same string as my PS Team), and experienced lots of arm pain, but no pain with that string in my PS Team. So I don't think the 4G soft was the culprit of my arm pain in that case.

Edit: I also typically don't like the super-stiff polys. I don't have any arm issues playing with something like RPM Blast, but generally I like the more medium-stiff to softer polys. Hawk Touch, Black Widow, etc.
 

Dartagnan64

G.O.A.T.
The Clash is the anomaly here since it’s thick beamed so beam width can’t be the issue. So if you are trying to say flex hurts your arm than maybe you are the type that would have developed TE from a wood frame. TE did exist in those days too.

But I have no idea how a ported Prince Phantom could hurt an arm. It’s like a pillow.
 
The Clash is the anomaly here since it’s thick beamed so beam width can’t be the issue. So if you are trying to say flex hurts your arm than maybe you are the type that would have developed TE from a wood frame. TE did exist in those days too.

But I have no idea how a ported Prince Phantom could hurt an arm. It’s like a pillow.
I wish I had an answer for you lol. When I was in high school I developed very severe TE that put me out of tennis for a few years while using a Babolat APD, but that was much more of a technique issue than a racquet issue. Hit with the same frame a few months back and didn't have any issues.
 

BlueB

Legend
It's an interesting one...
In general, softer frames feel more comfy to me. However, the legendary Dunlop Max 200g, one of the softest frames ever, was hurting my elbow. It felt like noodly low frequency, high amplitude vibrating club.
Also I got TE, long ago, mostly from an old school POG OS, that was too heavy for my technigue at the time. A lighter and stiffer TT Turbo Shark felt better at the time.
The ported frames always felt extremely comfy for me, weather a stiff Hybrid Shark, medium O3 White, or soft O3 Tour... I only stopped playing with those because I developed a taste for lower launch angle.

Sent from my SM-G965W using Tapatalk
 

Mr_Zorg

New User
From my personal experience, it's not the racket itself causing you elbow pain. It's the fact you're required to swing harder/faster in order to get the same depth of the ball. The same thing happened to me after switching from a Pure Drive to a Phantom. My elbow was hurting because my swing has changed. The racket was forcing me to swing harder than I was used to.

I ended up going back to the Pure Drive and am sticking with high-powered rackets. Player's rackets do feel nice, but they aren't for everybody.
 

Zoolander

Hall of Fame
I had some arm pain years ago with stiff thin beam racquets like the K90 and others. Yet often use stiff racquets with poly no problems. Who knows why.
 

mxmx

Hall of Fame
More flex means more effort. Could also mean injuries. Flex rackets are often heavier and very demanding.
 

GBplayer

Hall of Fame
You are arming the strike, you need a relaxed strike. Let the racquet do the work whilst you enjoy the tennis.
 
You are arming the strike, you need a relaxed strike. Let the racquet do the work whilst you enjoy the tennis.
I’ve been told by coaches and more experienced players that my technique is solid. However, the lower powered/flexible frames do require me to swing a lot harder to get depth, especially because I hit with lots of spin, so I might be using more arm than necessary when I hit with those frames.
 

Dartagnan64

G.O.A.T.
So your string tensions are wrong maybe. Lower the tension and you probably can swing easier with a flexible frame.

I used to run gut/poly at 60/55 in my Pure Drive. In my Phantom 93p it’s 50/45. And that’s at thinner gauges as well.

Sometimes it’s the frame. Sometimes it’s the string. Sometimes it’s the technique. Sometimes it’s age and poor conditioning. And sometimes it’s all of the above.
 
So your string tensions are wrong maybe. Lower the tension and you probably can swing easier with a flexible frame.

I used to run gut/poly at 60/55 in my Pure Drive. In my Phantom 93p it’s 50/45. And that’s at thinner gauges as well.

Sometimes it’s the frame. Sometimes it’s the string. Sometimes it’s the technique. Sometimes it’s age and poor conditioning. And sometimes it’s all of the above.
This could be the case, but I strung my Ultra Tours at 47lbs with Black Widow and it still felt pretty low powered. One thing that came to mind is backhand volleys. When I hit backhand volleys with my PS, I feel like it doesn't take as much arm strength to keep the racquet firm and punch through my shot, whereas the flexy racquets I tend to squeeze the grip harder because they don't feel as stable. So it could be a grip pressure thing as well.
 

AA7

Hall of Fame
Thanks! I actually really enjoyed the VCore Pro 97 and was so sad it caused this pain. I’ve been icing, got a bar for exercises and am committed to get better. Just trying to figure out the source of my problem because it makes no logical sense. I do have a Wilson Shock Shield grip on my PALite. I wonder if that’d help on these other racquets?

Does anyone know if the problem could be the vibrations, which are mitigated in my PALite due to the silicone and Shock Shield grip?

this is what I am going to try next on my Vcore pro97... wilson shock shield grip.... I love the Vcore pro97. I truly do. I have been looking for a racquet for a long time and finally i found it BUT it's giving me arm pain... actually I should say i have my doubts that it could be the reason why i got an arm pain b/c i agree wtih @Dartagnan64 that there are so many variables and hard to pinpoint the reason.

I played with Phantom PP100 and that racquet is buttery... PP100P has similar traits to vcore pro97 where box beam passes through all the vibrations... but are the vibrations the reason? i doubt it b/c in that case vibration dampener and shock shield grip would help a lot...
@Keoni068 - let us know please if you get a chance to try shockshield grip on vcore pro97. i would be very curious to hear how it feels. I really like this racquet and want to try and make it work... Haha that last sentence definitely resembled a love "relationship"...
 

Dartagnan64

G.O.A.T.
This could be the case, but I strung my Ultra Tours at 47lbs with Black Widow and it still felt pretty low powered. One thing that came to mind is backhand volleys. When I hit backhand volleys with my PS, I feel like it doesn't take as much arm strength to keep the racquet firm and punch through my shot, whereas the flexy racquets I tend to squeeze the grip harder because they don't feel as stable. So it could be a grip pressure thing as well.

May also be a twist weight thing to then. Might be the rackets you find comfortable have a higher twist weight.
 

Moonarse

Semi-Pro
Maybe denser stringbeds? My cousin plays since she was 7 and went to the college playing tennis last year. she plays AeroProDrive since JR all the way to team, lite and now the 300g (Still uses the 2012). She knows absolutely nothing about racquet specs and never ever read any thread on this forum.

Funny thing is I took a pt280 (poly on 45lbs) to her for testing and after our hitting session I asked her opinion and she said "how do you play with something this stiff? it is as stiff as steel! Thats why I prefer my babolat, its so soft.

I thought WTF this girl knows nothing, but after I moved from the denser traditional flexy frames to the tweener zone I realized how much the string pattern density plays on confort and "flexy" feeling. I had more disconfort playing with a pt630 due to its SW and Static then I have with my APD2012 (I moved to her frame, too).

In the end, the knowledge of real players always surpasses the theory.
 

fuzz nation

G.O.A.T.
Maybe I'm the odd duck here, but any time I use a thin-beamed/flexy racquet, I have elbow pain. Ultra Tour, Vcore Pro 97, any Prince Phantom, K7 Lime, Clash, etc. However, I don't experience any arm pain when I play with thick-beamed/stiff racquets. Pure Strike, Pure Aero, Pure Drive, Graphene Radical Pro, etc. My current setup is a Pure Strike Team w/ 2g at 12, 4g total at 3&9, dampener, and then 24g in the handle + an OG (around 340g strung if I remember correctly). Strung with Head Hawk Touch 17 @ 54 lbs. Doesn't cause me any pain whatsoever, and I had read all over the forums and in the reviews that anything with Babolat written on it was a one-way ticket to arm pain. The "plushest" racquet I've hit with is the Ultra Tour weighted up to about 345g, but I'm 100% serious when I say that even with a hybrid of NXT and Alu, I had arm pain. Anyone else experience this backwards-ness?

Lots of times when folks here are shopping for more arm-friendly racquets and asking for demo suggestions, I'll point out that the process of trying different demos can be irritating even if those demos are racquets with arm-friendly reputations.

The racquet that each of us is used to playing has a certain weight, balance, etc. that we're used to - we can unconsciously put the ball on the strings using that one most of the time. But the vast majority of demos are at least slightly different, so they'll offer a different swing behavior than our regular players and they'll also feel and perform in their own way at contact.

So even if your regular players are what would be considered to be relatively tough on the arm, they're probably also the best fit for your swings right now. They "work" with your stroke timing and swing style. I think that this fit can be hard to appreciate until we try different equipment that tricks us into compromising our natural movements too much when we hit the ball. Arm irritation isn't just about impact shock - it can also come from bad technique.

I've always been used to a rather heavy and head-light racquet, but I've experimented with different rigs, too. Apparently my personal "normal" gets out of whack when I try to play with a significantly lighter frame. While it might be quicker handling and "easier" to swing around compared with my regular players, I tend to compensate for what feels like the diminished power with a lighter racquet by swinging a lot harder to hit my strokes and serves. More than once I've either irritated my arm/shoulder or sustained a mild injury with these experiments.

If you have a decent fit with a certain layout, there's no need to fix what isn't broken.
 

Keoni068

Rookie
this is what I am going to try next on my Vcore pro97... wilson shock shield grip.... I love the Vcore pro97. I truly do. I have been looking for a racquet for a long time and finally i found it BUT it's giving me arm pain... actually I should say i have my doubts that it could be the reason why i got an arm pain b/c i agree wtih @Dartagnan64 that there are so many variables and hard to pinpoint the reason.

I played with Phantom PP100 and that racquet is buttery... PP100P has similar traits to vcore pro97 where box beam passes through all the vibrations... but are the vibrations the reason? i doubt it b/c in that case vibration dampener and shock shield grip would help a lot...
@Keoni068 - let us know please if you get a chance to try shockshield grip on vcore pro97. i would be very curious to hear how it feels. I really like this racquet and want to try and make it work... Haha that last sentence definitely resembled a love "relationship"...

I’m glad to hear I’m not alone! I really liked the VCore Pro 97, but unfortunately I sent it back and am unable to do any further testing right now. I’m wondering if some bluetac would have helped if the vibrations really are the culprit!
 

Garro

Rookie
Maybe I'm the odd duck here, but any time I use a thin-beamed/flexy racquet, I have elbow pain. Ultra Tour, Vcore Pro 97, any Prince Phantom, K7 Lime, Clash, etc. However, I don't experience any arm pain when I play with thick-beamed/stiff racquets. Pure Strike, Pure Aero, Pure Drive, Graphene Radical Pro, etc. My current setup is a Pure Strike Team w/ 2g at 12, 4g total at 3&9, dampener, and then 24g in the handle + an OG (around 340g strung if I remember correctly). Strung with Head Hawk Touch 17 @ 54 lbs. Doesn't cause me any pain whatsoever, and I had read all over the forums and in the reviews that anything with Babolat written on it was a one-way ticket to arm pain. The "plushest" racquet I've hit with is the Ultra Tour weighted up to about 345g, but I'm 100% serious when I say that even with a hybrid of NXT and Alu, I had arm pain. Anyone else experience this backwards-ness?

For me personally racquets that have higher swing weight (322+) can cause me arm pain, even if they are more flexible. The Prince Classic Longbody and even the Phantom Pro 100P hurt my arm a little bit even though they have low RA ratings.

From the racquets you listed that might be a possibility. The Clash 100 is the outlier here, though for some reason that racquet hurt my wrist too.

Did you hit with the lighter or heavier version of the Vcore Pro 97? Also have you hit with the Prince Phantom Pro 100 racquet.
 
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AA7

Hall of Fame
For me personally racquets that have higher swing weight (322+) can cause me arm pain, even if they are more flexible. The Prince Classic Longbody and even the Phantom Pro 100P hurt my arm a little bit even though they have low RA ratings.

From the racquets you listed that might be a possibility. The Clash 100 is the outlier here, though for some reason that racquet hurt my wrist too.

Did you hit with the lighter or heavier version of the Vcore Pro 97? Also have you hit with the Prince Phantom Pro 100 racquet.

Not sure if you were asking me but I have the 310gr version of VCP97. I also hit with Prince Phantom Pro 100 and 100p. Also hit with Prince TT100 (310) 2019 version and TT100p 2015 and 2019 version. I also hit with Pure Strike.
Pure Strike no good. Meaning... good racquet but my elbow flares up. Princes never a problem. The only Prince I may have had a small problem is Phantom Pro 100p. The box beam passes 100% of the vibrations to your arm, which is not a big problem but few times i missed an overhead i thought my elbow imploded.

All Prince TTs are rock solid, comfortable and fantastic racquets. I would recommend them to everyone. In my mind best all-rounder racquets out there... You have everything done really well in those racquets and comfort is never an issue (for me). Super stable, just light enough to swing, heavy enough to plow, good power.... If VCP97 does not work out, I am going back to TT100 (310) or TT100p... VCP97 is something else though... Super control, super connected to ball, super maneuverable..
 
For me personally racquets that have higher swing weight (322+) can cause me arm pain, even if they are more flexible. The Prince Classic Longbody and even the Phantom Pro 100P hurt my arm a little bit even though they have low RA ratings.

From the racquets you listed that might be a possibility. The Clash 100 is the outlier here, though for some reason that racquet hurt my wrist too.

Did you hit with the lighter or heavier version of the Vcore Pro 97? Also have you hit with the Prince Phantom Pro 100 racquet.
I have hit with the VCore Pro 97 310, and I also owned two Phantom Pro 100s. The Phantoms were definitely more comfortable than the Yonex, but still wasn’t pain free; even with the Fed setup of VS/ALU rough
 
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Kevo

Legend
Swing weight can be a big factor with pain. I also don't consider something in the upper 50s flexy. I would say it's more forgiving than a frame in the mid 60s, but it's not a huge difference. The string and tension will make a much bigger difference than 10 pts of RA. It's been a while since I played with a K90, but that racquet as stiff as it's rated had a bit of flex to it because it was thin and square. So a really thin beam helps too.

Now if you get an old school frame with an RA in the mid 40s or less and a thin beam, then you can really experience the sweet feel of a flexible frame. Those are wood like and super comfortable. And I've yet to find one I couldn't hit winners with. If you're technique is good, you shouldn't have too much trouble with a truly flexible frame. You might drop a few mph, but the feel and control you get are totally worth a few mph. Just be careful on the swing weight. Some of those older frames are pretty hefty.
 

Bartelby

Bionic Poster
You can't be sure that mishits are equal. When dealing with an outcome that is the product of numerous inputs you'd have to be very precise about isolating dimensions. I've only suggested one possible dimension.

If you consider the dimension stiff versus flexible in total isolation, which the title of the thread leads one to consider, then it's clear that flexible is less harsh on the arm. In the real world, of course, this dimension is part of a product.

And the product includes strings. And the total product is a technological device attached to a human with all the attendant issues that go along with that.

Yes, but it's not like I'm hitting the sweetspot 95% of the time with the 100 sq head and only hitting it 45% of the time with the 97 sq head. The amount of mis-hits is probably equal with both frames. I can frame one out of the tip of the racquet with the Ultra Tour and there is significantly more shock than framing one with my PS.
 
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AA7

Hall of Fame
Worst tennis elbow I got was from playing pickleball. But I was doing hard overheads with a large ping pong paddle.

A racquet can be stiff and still not cause arm problems. Whereas a racquet can be supposedly flexier (Head Graphene) and cause TE.

Got TE pretty bad using a Youtek PMP strung tight with Lux ALU.
What do you play with now?
 

1HBHfanatic

Legend
lots of good info above,
one other factor to consider is the "grip size"
your used to a certain one,, changing this could cause forearm pain
if you go lower or higher on that grip size, your going to grip different,, and thus aply pressure more or less
on a smaller grip, youll apply more grip pressure and force your forearm muscles to flex more
 

Cashman

Hall of Fame
Yeah, all else being equal a flexy frame should be better than stiff for TE. So I would suggest that all else is not equal, and there is some other change going on when you switch racquets which is the real issue.
 
You can't be sure that mishits are equal. When dealing with an outcome that is the product of numerous inputs you'd have to be very precise about isolating dimensions. I've only suggested one possible dimension.

If you consider the dimension stiff versus flexible in total isolation, which the title of the thread leads one to consider, then it's clear that flexible is less harsh on the arm. In the real world, of course, this dimension is part of a product.

And the product includes strings. And the total product is a technological device attached to a human with all the attendant issues that go along with that.
I would agree in saying that the flexibility of the racquet probably isn’t the issue. I paid closer attention today to a few things:

I demoed the Clash 98 with a full bed of NXT at 54 pounds and it felt wonderful on groundstrokes. No arm trouble. As soon as I started serving, elbow pain. Pulled out my Pure Strike, no more elbow pain. Same L3 + 1 OG. The Clash 98 is definitely lower powered than my Pure Strike, so it could very well be a little “extra arm” in an attempt to keep the pace up. Otherwise I’m just not 100% what the issue is. I’m fairly certain I’ve narrowed it down to serving, but if it was a technique issue, I figure it would bother my arm no matter what racquet I use. That leads me to conclude it could be the weight or even the weight distribution.
 

hurworld

Hall of Fame
I have hit with the VCore Pro 97 310, and I also owned two Phantom Pro 100s. The Phantoms were definitely more comfortable than the Yonex, but still wasn’t pain free; even with the Fed setup of VS/ALU rough
ALU Rough isn't soft at all. If that Champion's Choice still gives you arm pain I'd recommend replacing ALU rough with either softer poly like Isospeed Cream or Tier One Ghost Wire, or non-poly options.
 
ALU Rough isn't soft at all. If that Champion's Choice still gives you arm pain I'd recommend replacing ALU rough with either softer poly like Isospeed Cream or Tier One Ghost Wire, or non-poly options.
I can play a full bed of RPM blast in a Pure Drive without a problem, so I don’t think it was the ALU rough.
 

anarosevoli

Semi-Pro
I never feel my arm with a Pure Drive but often when trying something different (which almost always means flexier and less powerful). To get approximately the same shot I have to work harder which I believe causes the slight pain. It seems to be not about vibration but low power for me.
I started playing tennis late because I always got horrible arm pain from softball tennis as a child. I thought I could never be able to play real tennis, but it's the opposite!
 

AA7

Hall of Fame
I can play a full bed of RPM blast in a Pure Drive without a problem, so I don’t think it was the ALU rough.
that is crazy... it is quite mysterious... very interesting. Goes to show you how one has to conduct a "control" experiment which requires changing one variable at a time and keeping all the other variables constant and test it out, which probably would be a 6 month experiment b/c each setup will probably require about a good week or two test...
 

esgee48

G.O.A.T.
I assume the issue is not due to technique. If it is, go see an instructor. Flexible frames may have different SW/TW than your current frame. You want them to be within ±3 units of each other, otw your body will work harder with the one you are not use to using. If you can't match SW/TW, then use a lower tension on the frame with the lower SW/TW. If the issue is vibration, try a large string dampener and/or 1-2" strips of lead tape on the yoke of the frame above the handle.
 

CosmosMpower

Hall of Fame
From my personal experience, it's not the racket itself causing you elbow pain. It's the fact you're required to swing harder/faster in order to get the same depth of the ball. The same thing happened to me after switching from a Pure Drive to a Phantom. My elbow was hurting because my swing has changed. The racket was forcing me to swing harder than I was used to.

I ended up going back to the Pure Drive and am sticking with high-powered rackets. Player's rackets do feel nice, but they aren't for everybody.

I think this is the problem. All these thin beam flexy racquets are also low powered control racquets. To get the same amount of power and depth you need to swing out much more which is probably causing your problem. Go back to what worked before.
 
I assume the issue is not due to technique. If it is, go see an instructor. Flexible frames may have different SW/TW than your current frame. You want them to be within ±3 units of each other, otw your body will work harder with the one you are not use to using. If you can't match SW/TW, then use a lower tension on the frame with the lower SW/TW. If the issue is vibration, try a large string dampener and/or 1-2" strips of lead tape on the yoke of the frame above the handle.
With a more flexible frame with less SW/TW, what tension would you recommend? The lowest I've gone in the Ultra Tours is 47 w/ Signum Pro Yellow Jacket. If I used a frame like the Dunlop CX 200 Tour, should I be able to string a full poly in the low 40s without an issue?
 

esgee48

G.O.A.T.
I have installed ALU 16 Ga in Prestige Mids as low as 44#. Client asked for this tension. In a Prestige MP, have installed ALU 16 Ga as low as 47#. Keep in mind this is ref tension. Playing tensions are at least 10-15% lower. To answer your question, the answer is you can go as low as you want to go subject to control issue. Polyester strings and co-polymer strings are stiff. That means you can/should explore using lower ref tensions. There is an entire thread by TW Staff on this.
 

hoodjem

G.O.A.T.
Maybe I'm the odd duck here, but any time I use a thin-beamed/flexy racquet, I have elbow pain. Ultra Tour, Vcore Pro 97, any Prince Phantom, K7 Lime, Clash, etc. However, I don't experience any arm pain when I play with thick-beamed/stiff racquets. Pure Strike, Pure Aero, Pure Drive, Graphene Radical Pro, etc. My current setup is a Pure Strike Team w/ 2g at 12, 4g total at 3&9, dampener, and then 24g in the handle + an OG (around 340g strung if I remember correctly). Strung with Head Hawk Touch 17 @ 54 lbs. Doesn't cause me any pain whatsoever, and I had read all over the forums and in the reviews that anything with Babolat written on it was a one-way ticket to arm pain. The "plushest" racquet I've hit with is the Ultra Tour weighted up to about 345g, but I'm 100% serious when I say that even with a hybrid of NXT and Alu, I had arm pain. Anyone else experience this backwards-ness?
Yes, you are the odd duck.

Are you from Opposite-World?
 

Keoni068

Rookie
So can anyone recommend a control/feel oriented frame, like the Phantom Pro 100P or VCore Pro 97 that is closer to my weighted up Pure Aero Lite which is at about 11.5. My PALite doesn’t cause me arm problems but I do have a tough time with accuracy and depth control in comparison to the other 2.
 
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