Need new racquet

[Janne]

Hi, I´ve played tennis for a month now and everytime I´ve practised the serve my wrist has been hurting for atleast 2 days after each training sesson, and I´ve asked around here a bit and it seems that the racquet is the cause of this.
I´ve heard that "arm friendly" racquets should weight more than 300g, which the
Prince TT Bandit does not, and that it should be head light, and the Bandit is head heavy!

So I need a new racquet, and because our club is sponsored by Babolat we get 20-30% off on their racquets and other stuff, and the coach really wants me to get the Pure Drive Team+. But I dont have the option to be able to "demo" the racquet, or any other for that matter here, so I was thinking if anyone has anything good to say about the Babolat Pure Drive Team+?

Thanks in advance -


Janne!

 

[Gugafan_Redux]

I believe this is not the racquet's fault. You've been playing only one month; you need to build up strength. Until you do, you'll be sore in your weak areas.

 

[sureshs]

Babolats are stiff, so be careful.

I tried them out, but had arm problems immediately.

Also check if grip size is correct. Technique is the biggest factor of course. Make sure the racquet is not twisting in your hand and if you have a 1 H BH, elbow lead is a big problem.

 

[Janne]

Thanks for both answers!

How do I check if the grip size is right for me?

 

[sureshs]

Do the 2 tests in the TW learning center - the measurement test and the wraparound test. Go one size smaller if you are in between. With overgrip, it should be perfect then.

Also use the correct grips - not the racquet grips but the position of the palm on the handle. Some people hit backhand and forehand with the same grip as a beginner - that is not good. Enough info on that on TW also.

If serve is the one causing the problem, it can be for a couple of reasons. Grip is one. Off center hits are another. Twisting is yet one more reason. Grip needs to be "loose" not very tight. Hitting hard off center is very common for beginners. This causes a jarring pain. The toss and the serve have to be nicely coordinated to avoid this. Throwing too high or too low and attempting to compensate by arm motion can cause pain.

Off court training is also beneficial, like exercises to strenthen wrist and arm muscles. Stretch before a session to keep muscles loose. Icing helps before and after playing, but if you have to ice, then that means you already have a problem.

 

[Court_Jester]

Hi, I´ve played tennis for a month now and everytime I´ve practised the serve my wrist has been hurting for atleast 2 days after each training sesson, and I´ve asked around here a bit and it seems that the racquet is the cause of this.

If the pain is on the same side as your pinky, then it sounds like TFCC to me. You're probably going too "wristy" on your groundstrokes so changing racquet is not necessarily going to help. I had the same condition on my first match after several years away from tennis. Then I made a conscious effort to keep my wrist steady while hitting. The only time I moved my wrist was when kick serving. After that, I never got any wrist pain again.

It also helps to do some strengthening and conditioning work, as someone already pointed out.

I´ve heard that "arm friendly" racquets should weight more than 300g, which the
Prince TT Bandit does not, and that it should be head light, and the Bandit is head heavy!

IIRC, the weight should be around 320-340 grams at least, 4 point headlight and stiffness no more than 65.

So I need a new racquet, and because our club is sponsored by Babolat we get 20-30% off on their racquets and other stuff, and the coach really wants me to get the Pure Drive Team+. But I dont have the option to be able to "demo" the racquet, or any other for that matter here, so I was thinking if anyone has anything good to say about the Babolat Pure Drive Team+?

I haven't tried any Bab before so I'm going by specs alone. Personally, I find it too stiff plus its swingweight is a bit high, which could lead to shoulder pain. The closest Bab racquet to being arm-friendly is the Pure Storm Team.

Why don't you just borrow someone else's PDT+, maybe your coach's, and try hitting with it? That's as close to demo-ing as I can think of. Just be careful not to scrape it. :mrgreen:

 

[dewey2110]

Try to aero pro drive, pretty arm-friendly too.
The pure drive will kill your arm.

 

[Janne]

What kind of exercises can I do to strenghten my wrist?

And I can't really use their racquets anymore, since last Sunday was the last practice session until after summer break

And I´m not really sure how to tell the difference in a flexible racquet and a stiff one, since the only racquet I´ve ever used (in tennis) is the Prince TT Bandit, which has the same stiffness level as the PDT+ (That is 70). Is there any way to reduce the stiffness if you dont like it, like maybe stringing it differently or something? ( atleast the feeling of it being stiff )

 

[Court_Jester]

What kind of exercises can I do to strenghten my wrist?

Check out this website for forearm exercises.

And I can't really use their racquets anymore, since last Sunday was the last practice session until after summer break

Oh, darn. How about using TW's demo program?

And I´m not really sure how to tell the difference in a flexible racquet and a stiff one, since the only racquet I´ve ever used (in tennis) is the Prince TT Bandit, which has the same stiffness level as the PDT+ (That is 70).

You won't notice it if you consistently hit the sweetspot but you'll notice it during mishits or off-center hits. Stiffer racquets tend to transmit a huge amount of vibrations down to the handle and to your arm. Those vibrations are not as jarring with flexible racquets.

Is there any way to reduce the stiffness if you dont like it, like maybe stringing it differently or something? ( atleast the feeling of it being stiff )

You can use multifilament strings strung at lower tensions.

 

[sureshs]

You need to get the tensions right no matter the racquet. Start with manufacturer mid -2 lbs and work your way down for more comfort, more power and less control and up for less comfort, less power and more control.

 

[Janne]

I live in Sweden, so it would cost me quite a bit to demo a racquet from TW seeing as the shipping would probably be over 40$ :neutral:

I´ll just try to find another webstore where they have a demo program, that is located in Europe

And thanks for the tips on what strings to use, how to strung them and so on, really appreciated!

 

[okdude1992]

Try to aero pro drive, pretty arm-friendly too.
The pure drive will kill your arm.

huh???
the apd is not arm friendly... and waaaaaaay to advanced a racket for a player of 1 month...and probably too expensive for a casual/beginnign player...get a medium light racket that is easy to swing and won't hurt you're wallet...

 

[sureshs]

Try to aero pro drive, pretty arm-friendly too.
The pure drive will kill your arm.

Quite a bit of difference between the APD and the PD, then.

 

[dewey2110]

huh???
the apd is not arm friendly... and waaaaaaay to advanced a racket for a player of 1 month...and probably too expensive for a casual/beginnign player...get a medium light racket that is easy to swing and won't hurt you're wallet...

Might be too advanced for him., but it is arm-friendly. APD and PD are not similar at all. I don't know why some people assume that.(they do have quite similar specs tho)