Hey there!
I'm a 34-year-old, skinny dude weighing in at 132lbs. I live in Europe, and I've been hitting the courts for about 20 months now, mostly on clay. I'm officially 3.0. My routine involves training once or twice a week with a couple of pro coaches at my club, who happen to be ex-ATP players. The rest of the time, I'm out there on the court for some fun, usually twice a week, with the occasional tournament thrown in for good measure. I clock in about 4-5 hours of play per week, and I've seen some solid improvement since the start of the year. Oh, and in case you're wondering, I never have to deal with broken strings. Like never. So I play with multi and change them every three months or so just to be safe (even if they haven't frayed that much).
So, here's the scoop: I recently switched over to a Yonex Ezone 100 2022 with multifilament strings (either full-bed Triax or PPC @ 52 lbs) about two months back, but it's not exactly love at first hit. I'm experiencing some discomfort in my arm (pain in the forearm, next to the ulnar bone after playing), and I find the racquet to be a bit too powerful, even when strung with control oriented multi at 55-56 lbs. My coaches ruled out any issues with my technique (as in, it isn't the cause of the discomfort, not as in "it's perfect, you are the next Roger Federer"), pointing the finger at the racquet itself (which, to be honest, feels pretty stiff and unforgiving -the feel in the arm- when I miss hitting the sweet spot). I'm steering clear of poly strings because I don't think they'd do me any favors, and the hassle of restringing every 15 hours isn't my idea of a good time. I'm not gunning for the people who use them and loved them here; I just want to enjoy the game and keep my arm intact.
After consulting with my coaches and doctor (who excluded the beggining stages of tennis/golfer's elbow or tendonitis), the consensus is that I should explore a more arm-friendly racquet if I want to continue with the current pace. Otherwise, "I sohuld mayble play a bit less". After some serious reading, I've got my sights set on the ProKennex lineup. I've narrowed it down to two contenders (okay, maybe three, but let's not get ahead of ourselves; I can't demo three racquets at once via TW Europe):
1. The Black Ace 105: The larger head size seems like it could be forgiving, but the RA is similar to the Ezone, so I'm on the fence. I'm also a bit wary of it potentially packing more power than the Ezone. It also has the highest swing weight of the bunch.
2. The Black Ace 300: Looks comfortable and not overly powerful. Unsure if it's more suited for advanced players. I can generate my own power just fine, but dont want to swing big and hit very hard every single time or I better say goodbye to my arm/shoulder.
Bonus Round: Considering the Black Ace 285 since it's lighter, but the swing weight is higher than both the Ezone 100 and the BA300. I thought maybe a slightly lighter racquet could ease up on my arm, but I've heard that it might mess with my technique since it allows for sloppy form. I also know that adding an overgrip, dampener and strings will increase the weight of course.
So, that's where I'm at. If anyone has experience with these frames, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks a bunch in advance!
P.S: Just to clarify, I'm not keen on switching to poly strings, and I'm pretty confident that my arm discomfort isn't due to my technique (which obviously is far from perfect and it can only improve). My coaches have had a good look and reckon it's not the culprit. And honestly, the Ezone 100 just isn't doing it for me.
P.S 2 : I also do resitance band exercices etc in order to be more fit for the sport and streghten the tendons and muscles.
I'm a 34-year-old, skinny dude weighing in at 132lbs. I live in Europe, and I've been hitting the courts for about 20 months now, mostly on clay. I'm officially 3.0. My routine involves training once or twice a week with a couple of pro coaches at my club, who happen to be ex-ATP players. The rest of the time, I'm out there on the court for some fun, usually twice a week, with the occasional tournament thrown in for good measure. I clock in about 4-5 hours of play per week, and I've seen some solid improvement since the start of the year. Oh, and in case you're wondering, I never have to deal with broken strings. Like never. So I play with multi and change them every three months or so just to be safe (even if they haven't frayed that much).
So, here's the scoop: I recently switched over to a Yonex Ezone 100 2022 with multifilament strings (either full-bed Triax or PPC @ 52 lbs) about two months back, but it's not exactly love at first hit. I'm experiencing some discomfort in my arm (pain in the forearm, next to the ulnar bone after playing), and I find the racquet to be a bit too powerful, even when strung with control oriented multi at 55-56 lbs. My coaches ruled out any issues with my technique (as in, it isn't the cause of the discomfort, not as in "it's perfect, you are the next Roger Federer"), pointing the finger at the racquet itself (which, to be honest, feels pretty stiff and unforgiving -the feel in the arm- when I miss hitting the sweet spot). I'm steering clear of poly strings because I don't think they'd do me any favors, and the hassle of restringing every 15 hours isn't my idea of a good time. I'm not gunning for the people who use them and loved them here; I just want to enjoy the game and keep my arm intact.
After consulting with my coaches and doctor (who excluded the beggining stages of tennis/golfer's elbow or tendonitis), the consensus is that I should explore a more arm-friendly racquet if I want to continue with the current pace. Otherwise, "I sohuld mayble play a bit less". After some serious reading, I've got my sights set on the ProKennex lineup. I've narrowed it down to two contenders (okay, maybe three, but let's not get ahead of ourselves; I can't demo three racquets at once via TW Europe):
1. The Black Ace 105: The larger head size seems like it could be forgiving, but the RA is similar to the Ezone, so I'm on the fence. I'm also a bit wary of it potentially packing more power than the Ezone. It also has the highest swing weight of the bunch.
2. The Black Ace 300: Looks comfortable and not overly powerful. Unsure if it's more suited for advanced players. I can generate my own power just fine, but dont want to swing big and hit very hard every single time or I better say goodbye to my arm/shoulder.
Bonus Round: Considering the Black Ace 285 since it's lighter, but the swing weight is higher than both the Ezone 100 and the BA300. I thought maybe a slightly lighter racquet could ease up on my arm, but I've heard that it might mess with my technique since it allows for sloppy form. I also know that adding an overgrip, dampener and strings will increase the weight of course.
So, that's where I'm at. If anyone has experience with these frames, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks a bunch in advance!
P.S: Just to clarify, I'm not keen on switching to poly strings, and I'm pretty confident that my arm discomfort isn't due to my technique (which obviously is far from perfect and it can only improve). My coaches have had a good look and reckon it's not the culprit. And honestly, the Ezone 100 just isn't doing it for me.
P.S 2 : I also do resitance band exercices etc in order to be more fit for the sport and streghten the tendons and muscles.
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