Pressureless bad for the Arm?
- Thread starter StevieC
- Start date
I've been using them for months and have had no problems whatsoever with using them. Although they are a LITTLE bit different than air pressure balls, it's not like you are hitting rocks either. Tell you what though, using the Tretorn MX sure beats constantly buying new balls and/or practicing with old ones.
Is the cost of new balls really that significant for someone who plays in America?
I buy 6 cans(3 balls) of Dunlop balls for 9.99 at Sports Authority. That is $1.67/can and I use them once, but they are easily good enough to play twice(4 hours).
The cost balls is worth what... like 10 minutes of minimum wage? Surely the value of the two hours of your time far outweighs that? People spend more on the fluids they drink during the Tennis.
Anyway you like at it, the better quality of Tennis that you get is easily worth the cost of new balls.
I buy 6 cans(3 balls) of Dunlop balls for 9.99 at Sports Authority. That is $1.67/can and I use them once, but they are easily good enough to play twice(4 hours).
The cost balls is worth what... like 10 minutes of minimum wage? Surely the value of the two hours of your time far outweighs that? People spend more on the fluids they drink during the Tennis.
Anyway you like at it, the better quality of Tennis that you get is easily worth the cost of new balls.
I don't know much about pressureless balls being hard on your arm/elbow. But I do recall practicing with them and not liking it. The feeling was very different from hitting a regular tennis ball but I don't recall it being shocking to my arm/elbow, rather mushy feeling. But investigate that for yourself. My main problem with them was that I felt they didn't stimulate the response of a real tennis ball very well. This might vary from brand to brand so my best suggestion would be to try them for yourself from someone who has them before buying them.
I agree with marverick1 that I would much rather buy new balls but that's just an opinion. Dunlop balls last longer than any ball I've used so far. But you might notice they feel a little heavier.
I agree with marverick1 that I would much rather buy new balls but that's just an opinion. Dunlop balls last longer than any ball I've used so far. But you might notice they feel a little heavier.
It is when you put 125 balls in your ball machine and then within a couple of weaks they are dead and have to buy another 125. I tried pressureless balls a long time ago and it gave me arm problems but it was way back when I started to learn tennis. So I don't know how much of it was due to bad form rather than the balls. I've been using regular pressurized balls since then but I'm considering trying pressureless again because they lose their bounce quite quickly. Now that I have better form and I know a little more about racquets I may get different results.
travlerajm
Talk Tennis Guru
Pressureless balls have thicker rubber than pressurized balls, but they weigh about the same. This means that the pressureless balls have lower moment of inertia.
The lower moment of inertia causes the spin rate to slow down more as the ball travels through the air. So the spin you put on the ball will have less effect. To some people, this gives them the sensation of hitting rocks because rocks don't curve much in the air either.
The bottom line is that pressureless balls will feel good if you are someone who uses little or no topspin, and you almost always hit flat or with slice. If you like to put an appreciable amount of topspin on your shots, you will probably hate pressureless balls, since they won't bend in the air much, and your topspin shots will bounce much lower.
The lower moment of inertia causes the spin rate to slow down more as the ball travels through the air. So the spin you put on the ball will have less effect. To some people, this gives them the sensation of hitting rocks because rocks don't curve much in the air either.
The bottom line is that pressureless balls will feel good if you are someone who uses little or no topspin, and you almost always hit flat or with slice. If you like to put an appreciable amount of topspin on your shots, you will probably hate pressureless balls, since they won't bend in the air much, and your topspin shots will bounce much lower.
Redflea
Hall of Fame
I remember them from years ago, and I remember them feeling not incredibly heavier, but noticeably differentj from pressurized balls. I tried them once or twice, and decided they weren't for me.
What I'd be concerned about it switching between them and pressurized balls if you're playing tournaments or league play...might mess w/your timing or leave you hitting a bit long. I don't think they'd cause arm problems.
What I'd be concerned about it switching between them and pressurized balls if you're playing tournaments or league play...might mess w/your timing or leave you hitting a bit long. I don't think they'd cause arm problems.
That is interesting.
The only thing that confuses me is - don't you mean pressureless balls have higher moment of inertia?
That would make more sense. M.I. should be higher because more of the mass is farther from the center. Higher M.I. should also make the ball harder to spin.
travlerajm
Talk Tennis Guru
If two balls have the same mass and same outer diameter but different wall thickness, then the one with thicker wall (the pressureless) has a lower MOI because the average radius is smaller.
Since the pressureless ball has lower MOI, it starts out with slightly higher rpm, but slightly lower ball trajectory (if you hit a topspin shot). In other words, more of the tangential momentum of your stringbed goes into spin, and less goes into changing the rebound angle. This gives you a sensation of less bite. But this is a secondary effect.
The biggest effect of the lower MOI is that the spin rate is slowed down more in the air, so the ball doesn't bend as much in the air due to the spin.
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