tennis elbow and correct technique

[lawrence]

can anyone lend some advice on tennis elbow and correct technique?
im a recreational player, i play on the weekends with some friends, although im trying to improve my game for future participation in a club/tournament maybe.
previously i had been using the ps85 with a poly, n6.1team with multi, and now im using the rqis 1 tour with babolat hurricane @ 55
i found it a bit weak on the groundstrokes so i leaded it up about 8 grams at 10/2

however i was playing last night and for the first time ever i experienced some elbow pain. hasn't happened before

i try to keep my arm straight on my strokes but i think i may have a bit of elbow bend occurring during my follow through, out of habit. i start my slices with a bit of elbow bend too and straighten it out as i come down on the ball

can anyone give some suggestions, id hate to end up with a bad case of tennis elbow and end up not being able to play

 

[Djokovicfan4life]

Full poly setups are very unforgiving on your arm. Maybe you should try a hybrid with a high grade natural gut, such as Babolat VS.

 

[5263]

Change sticks and/or strings pretty quick and don't fight thru it, or you may be very sorry.

Yes, technique helps, but some setups just seem to hurt some people. The wilson skunk hammer seemed to hurt a lot of players. I talk to players everyday who just had to change sticks or string due to arm trouble, and then everything is ok for them. I find it hard to understand how the racket can be such a direct cause, but I have seen it tooo many times to fight it with logic.

As for technique, catch to ball a little earlier and out front slightly. Late or deep contact points are tough on the arm. I also think those who regularly make a lot of adjustments and compensations during their stroke to make up for a bad contact point, tend to have more problems.

Vitalzym is a supplement that is amazing for knocking out inflammation, which is what most arm problems are. it all natural too.

 

[Bungalo Bill]

can anyone lend some advice on tennis elbow and correct technique?
im a recreational player, i play on the weekends with some friends, although im trying to improve my game for future participation in a club/tournament maybe.
previously i had been using the ps85 with a poly, n6.1team with multi, and now im using the rqis 1 tour with babolat hurricane @ 55
i found it a bit weak on the groundstrokes so i leaded it up about 8 grams at 10/2

however i was playing last night and for the first time ever i experienced some elbow pain. hasn't happened before

i try to keep my arm straight on my strokes but i think i may have a bit of elbow bend occurring during my follow through, out of habit. i start my slices with a bit of elbow bend too and straighten it out as i come down on the ball

can anyone give some suggestions, id hate to end up with a bad case of tennis elbow and end up not being able to play

Leading with the elbow is a big cause for tennis elbow with the onehanded backhand. Also, using a more extreme grip can be as well especially if you do not recruit the forearm muscles to turn the racquet square at contact.

Still and all, late hits and/or shearing can lead to tennis elbow because a lot of the shock travels to your elbow area. Shearing is when your racquet angle at impact is slight off, in other words this is what it would look like:

Incoming ball--------->/ racquet angle

First you need to take care of the tennis elbow. Stick your index finger or thumb deep into the sensitive area and work it out. You are giving yourself a deep tissue massage that will hurt like hell. What is happening is you are getting the toxins out and fresh blood in for healing. Do this at least 3 times a day and for each time rub it until the area is slightly numb. It hurts so be prepared. After a few days, you will notice a big improvement.

Second, you need to strengthen your shoulder and forearm area for better impact absorption.

Third, you need to revisit your technique and ensure you are meeting the ball out in front, swinging from the shoulder, getting good weight transfer, and improving your ability to make clean contact with a square racquet face.

Finally, analyze how you grip the racquet, is it too tight, etc..

 

[troytennisbum]

can anyone lend some advice on tennis elbow and correct technique?
im a recreational player, i play on the weekends with some friends, although im trying to improve my game for future participation in a club/tournament maybe.
previously i had been using the ps85 with a poly, n6.1team with multi, and now im using the rqis 1 tour with babolat hurricane @ 55
i found it a bit weak on the groundstrokes so i leaded it up about 8 grams at 10/2

however i was playing last night and for the first time ever i experienced some elbow pain. hasn't happened before

i try to keep my arm straight on my strokes but i think i may have a bit of elbow bend occurring during my follow through, out of habit. i start my slices with a bit of elbow bend too and straighten it out as i come down on the ball

can anyone give some suggestions, id hate to end up with a bad case of tennis elbow and end up not being able to play

Don't try to keep your arm "straight" during your strokes.
Keep your arm nice and relaxed and use it like a whip on your strokes. This might alleviate some of the stress on your arm.

 

[jmverdugo]

Do not try to hit hard, this usually lead to mishit or to hit late, which IMHO is the main cause for T.E. Just try to hit in front of you with a relaxed swing. Also do not over extend your arm neither in your slice nor in your serve. JMO.

 

[Bungalo Bill]

Don't try to keep your arm "straight" during your strokes.
Keep your arm nice and relaxed and use it like a whip on your strokes. This might alleviate some of the stress on your arm.

Very good point. The arm should not be stiffened like a rock.

 

[TNT16]

How big is the grip on the new racquet - is it bigger than on your previous racquet (can also be caused by overgrip)?

Try dropping string tension and stay away from full poly setup. You should be using full multi or at the most a poly/multi hybrid. Also gauge?

If this is the first time ever with TE it could well not be a technique issue and your recent equipment change seems to point in that direction.

Above all I would sit out until pain goes away. In the beginning you will only need a few days or couple of weeks to recover - "playing through it" does not work - I speak from experience on this.

 

[5263]

Bill,
As you said, the BH is usually the culprit. Don't you agree that for the 1 hand BH the arm should be straight?
( i agree not stiff)

do 2 hander BHs give TE often?

and on the FH the arm should bend on follow thru, whether you hit the double bend or the straight arm forearm, right.

 

[heycal]

Bill,
As you said, the BH is usually the culprit. Don't you agree that for the 1 hand BH the arm should be straight?
( i agree not stiff)

do 2 hander BHs give TE often?

If all else fails, you can switch to 2 hbh and I suspect it will help you a lot. It did for me. I HATED making the switch, but soon grew to love it.

 

[NamRanger]

If you are not turning your waist and shoulders, then that is probably one of the biggest culprits of tennis elbow (swinging from the elbow).



Relax your arm, just let it go along for the ride. Power should come from your shoulder turn and upper body. Just remember to keep it still throughout the stroke, but the muscles relaxed.

 

[BeHappy]

Leading with the elbow is a big cause for tennis elbow with the onehanded backhand. Also, using a more extreme grip can be as well especially if you do not recruit the forearm muscles to turn the racquet square at contact.

Not if you grip it correctly, if you leave your base index knuckle where it is and slide the heel of your hand imbetween bevel 8 and bevel 7, happy days.

Continental is the worst grip of all IMO

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Not if you grip it correctly, if you leave your base index knuckle where it is and slide the heel of your hand imbetween bevel 8 and bevel 7, happy days.

Continental is the worst grip of all IMO

The continental grip is actually great for hitting a slice BH. However, using it for topspin on a 1-handed BH might be a contributing factor for TE. For topspin BHs you can use the classic Eastern BH grip = base index knuckle and heel both on top bevel (bevel 1). You can also use a more extreme grip as suggested by BeHappy.

 

[Djokovicfan4life]

Not if you grip it correctly, if you leave your base index knuckle where it is and slide the heel of your hand in between bevel 8 and bevel 7, happy days.

Continental is the worst grip of all IMO

My poor wrist hurts just thinking about that grip! :shock:

I mean, I go a little past Eastern on high balls and my slices are almost eastern, but that grip's got injury written all over it!

 

[5263]

You just match your grip to your contact point or the other way around.

either way works as long as they match and the contact point is valid.
g-day

 

[desilvam]

Not if you grip it correctly, if you leave your base index knuckle where it is and slide the heel of your hand imbetween bevel 8 and bevel 7, happy days.

what sort of **** advice is this.. lol.. will likely screw up OP shoulders in addition to his elbow.

 

[Bungalo Bill]

Not if you grip it correctly, if you leave your base index knuckle where it is and slide the heel of your hand imbetween bevel 8 and bevel 7, happy days.

Continental is the worst grip of all IMO

Please, are you speaking to the Extreme grip thing again? Players using extreme grips need to incorporate the forearm a bit more to bring the racquet head around quickly to prevent shearing too much. It is an inherent risk in the Extreme Eastern.