Pressureless Balls: Stroke Development & Arm Health

[mbm0912]

I've recently been in the habit of buying 12-packs of Tourna Pressureless Balls, and practicing/playing with them to avoid dead balls after a couple of sessions. I feel like these balls are hard at first, but once broken in a bit I like them (feel & sound). These balls feel lighter to me than a ProPenn, and I really like serving with them as well. Are these balls in fact, easier on the arm than a regular, pressurized ball? Any other pros/cons of using pressureless balls? I hit at least 4 times a week.

 

[GuyClinch]

I don't know anything from a physics standpoint but they don't bother me either. Honestly I am surprised they aren't more popular as they are not used in ball machines and in classes.

 

[thebluereverend]

Haven't tried those but I do have a basket of the Tretorn Micro X pressureless balls and I can't say I enjoy them that much. The feel quite a bit more rock like to me than pressurized balls and I dont' find the response of my racquet to be very similar.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

They produce more shock on impact and are notoriously harsh on the arm. Those who already have TE or shoulder pain or a wrist issue tend to experience more pain with these. For others, the added harshness of pressureless balls may take their toll after several years of use. Just posted in another thread about this and related stuff:

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?p=8568999#post8568999

 

[BMC9670]

From another post in another thread today:

Balls are only one factor in arm health. Racket stiffness (or "design" per Systemic Anolmaly), string choice, string tension, technique, how much you play, arm strength/flexibility, and more are all factors and should be considered, not just one of them.

Most commonly sold balls, including pressureless like Tretorn Micro X fall within ITF approved specifications, which has little variance.

http://www.itftennis.com/technical/balls/overview.aspx

Will they "feel" different? Sure. But they are not going to have wildly different specs. IMO, balls are the least concern in arm health because of their relative consistency from ball to ball, brand to brand, as per the ITF specs. Not so in racquets, strings, technique, etc.

 

[BMC9670]

They produce more shock on impact and are notoriously harsh on the arm.

Any evidence of this? Any studies? Any material, spec, or other info that points to this? Many people use Micro X and love them with no problems. Also, if they are approved per ITF certification, how can they be radically different? They aren't. They just "feel" different, that's all. They are not "harsher on the arm". I use these balls in hopper and ball machine. They play great and true, albeit "feel" a little different. No arm issues.

 

[BMC9670]

Addendum to my post above - I'm speaking of Tretorn Micro X. Tourna Pressureless are NOT ITF approved.

 

[mbm0912]

Any evidence of this? Any studies? Any material, spec, or other info that points to this? Many people use Micro X and love them with no problems. Also, if they are approved per ITF certification, how can they be radically different? They aren't. They just "feel" different, that's all. They are not "harsher on the arm". I use these balls in hopper and ball machine. They play great and true, albeit "feel" a little different. No arm issues.

I don't think I would attribute it solely to ball selection, but I am experiencing less soreness since I switched from ProPenns to the pressureless Tournas. After hitting with them for about an hour, they really start to feel good. I play with them until the felt gets frizzed enough that the bounce becomes too irregular, which is much longer than it takes for a Penn to go dead..

 

[BMC9670]

I don't think I would attribute it solely to ball selection, but I am experiencing less soreness since I switched from ProPenns to the pressureless Tournas. After hitting with them for about an hour, they really start to feel good. I play with them until the felt gets frizzed enough that the bounce becomes too irregular, which is much longer than it takes for a Penn to go dead..

Good. Glad they work for you. And is opposite SA's statement that pressureless balls are harsh on the arm. I had shoulder surgery a few years ago (unrelated to tennis) and use Micro X balls on a regular basis in my ball machine with no problems. They do feel different than a pressurized ball, but for machine or hopper use, they play far better for far longer, saving a ton in ball replacement.

 

[Jim Lefty]

IMO, pressureless balls play too radically different from regular balls, and hence, should really be avoided. They will only reenforce bad habits, in addition to whatever added physical stress.

 

[BuggyDub]

I have a basket of the Tretorns to practice with, and don't find them nearly as uncomfortable and painful as the basket of dead balls that some coaches and hitting friends bring to the courts. They are also more consistent than a basket of various stages of dead balls.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Any evidence of this? Any studies?

Don't need any studies. 1st hand experience with Tretorn and other pressureless balls since the early 1970s. Pretty obvious to those who've used them. Is is well known, even back in the day, that these balls feel considerably harder and induce more pain to those with TE and other arm issues.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Good. Glad they work for you. And is opposite SA's statement that pressureless balls are harsh on the arm... They do feel different than a pressurized ball, but for machine or hopper use, they play far better for far longer, saving a ton in ball replacement.

The ITF web site talks talks about pressureless balls and advises those with TE to avoid using them. Provided this link previously in another thread:

http://www.itftennis.com/scienceandmedicine/injury-clinic/tennis-injuries/tennis-elbow.aspx

Numerous other sites refer to the stiffness/harshness of pressureless balls:

"... seldom used in competitive match play because they are stiff, hard and have a dead or "woody" feel. Hitting a pressureless ball is more jarring than hitting a standard ball, which can be harder on your arm."

http://www.livestrong.com/article/402536-pressureless-tennis-balls-hit-same-regular-balls/
http://livehealthy.chron.com/pressurized-vs-nonpressurized-tennis-balls-6747.html

Some sample posts from TW posters (should be able to find many more):

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=347519
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=397832
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?p=4525716#post4525716

My advice is to switch from pressureless balls to Prince Tour balls if longevity is your primary concern. Very high marks for playability and feel for Prince Tour as well. Their initial high cost pays for itself in the long run with their outstanding longevity.

 

[sjoerdklarenbeek]

As a scientist, I feel I should stress the lack of evidence for a link between a specific type of tennis ball and injury in tennis. If anyone finds any, I'd love to learn about it.

For those interested in a more scientific approach to tennis: there are numerous papers. I found one about rackets, balls and surfaces:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2577483/

 

[GBplayer]

I have used Tretorn micro x balls for coaching sessions and club night. I started doing so for two reasons. Playing with dead balls in winter was giving me TE, had to strap heavily. Do not need to with micro x. No arm issues at all.

Reason two was that I found the bounce from dead pressurized balls was completely different to new match balls, so an adjustment was necessary. I do not notice such a big difference now.

So micro x are expensive which is a downside, but there are many more benefits to me. They do not give me tennis elbow, but play for two or three hours with dead balls and my arm is in agony for the next few days.

 

[Gary D]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2577483/

Thanks for that.....very interesting.

 

[BMC9670]

Don't need any studies. 1st hand experience with Tretorn and other pressureless balls since the early 1970s. Pretty obvious to those who've used them. Is is well known, even back in the day, that these balls feel considerably harder and induce more pain to those with TE and other arm issues.

Right... well, first, the OP does not have TE, so no reason to think the balls will give him TE. Second, your personal bias does not a study make. It's well known that they bounce true and play longer than pressurized balls, and they are ITF approved spec, not that they cause injury. Look up reviews on them and you'll find just as many that love them as those that hate them.

 

[BMC9670]

As a scientist, I feel I should stress the lack of evidence for a link between a specific type of tennis ball and injury in tennis. If anyone finds any, I'd love to learn about it.

For those interested in a more scientific approach to tennis: there are numerous papers. I found one about rackets, balls and surfaces:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2577483/

I have used Tretorn micro x balls for coaching sessions and club night. I started doing so for two reasons. Playing with dead balls in winter was giving me TE, had to strap heavily. Do not need to with micro x. No arm issues at all.

Reason two was that I found the bounce from dead pressurized balls was completely different to new match balls, so an adjustment was necessary. I do not notice such a big difference now.

So micro x are expensive which is a downside, but there are many more benefits to me. They do not give me tennis elbow, but play for two or three hours with dead balls and my arm is in agony for the next few days.

Thank you.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Right... well, first, the OP does not have TE, so no reason to think the balls will give him TE. Second, your personal bias does not a study make. It's well known that they bounce true and play longer than pressurized balls, and they are ITF approved spec, not that they cause injury. Look up reviews on them and you'll find just as many that love them as those that hate them.

You call it bias, I call it experience --> 40+ years of experience. I've come across too many players to count that have objected to the harsh feel of pressureless balls. Some of these players have had TE or some other arm pain while others have not. The harshness of the impact is undoubtedly due to added shock generated by the thicker, stiffer rubber of these balls.

One does not need to have TE to experience the added shock generated by pressureless balls. Excessive shock, over time, is one of the primary contributing factors for developing TE and other arm pain.

http://www.racquetresearch.com/sevencri.htm

The OP has asked about pressureless balls, in general, and Tourna Pressureless, specifically. Most pressureless balls that I've used have a very stiff/harsh feel to them -- some more than others. New pressureless balls seem to be worse that those that have been broken-in. I have not played specifically with the Tourna Pressureless balls so I do not know if these are less stiff or harsh than others. Some posters have indicated the the Tretorn (Micro) X Comfort is much better than most pressureless balls in this respect. I've not use this specific ball so I can't say if this is true or not.

I noticed that the OP uses a Volkl racket with a Volkl multi syn string. This combination undoubtedly transmits less shock to the arm than most others. Players with rackets that are less arm-friendly, especially those strung with a poly string, should probably minimize their use of most pressureless balls.

 

[sjoerdklarenbeek]

Regarding experience as a basis for drawing conclusions: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anecdotal_evidence

Not that this will likely convince anyone who currently likes to rely on experience rather than careful studies which are corrected for bias.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

^ You are more than welcome to dig up any "careful studies which are corrected for bias" on this subject. Doubt that you will have much luck in this endeavor. In the absence of such studies, we've only got the anecdotal evidence. There are just far too many players and sources (such as the ITF) that pointed out the issues with pressureless balls to ignore.

 

[mightyrick]

Presureless balls behave too differently from regular balls. In a game of thin margins, that level of difference in behavior can win or lose a match for you.

I can put incredible spin/compression on a pressureless ball, but those balls simply aren't "heavy" when they reach the guy on the other side.

Other than ball machine work, I'm not sure why anybody would rally with them.