Well, my old Head Ti6s racquet has taken quite a beating over the past four years, so over the past few months I've demo'd every racquet I could get my hands on. A few weeks ago I finally bought a Volkl Quantum 4. It felt OK, it was lightweight, it seemed to be the best combination of power and control, and the writeups on it were very good. Well, after about six sessions with it I really just want to buy a new Head Ti6s (my old one is so beat up I'm ashamed to be seen with it). I actually hate the Volkl now! My serve is off, if I try to hit with extra pace the ball flies way long, my elbow hurts, and it just feels completely uncomfortable to me. So, my questions are: what racquet does everyone else use? Do you like it? Have you ever changed racquets? Have you ever switched back to your prior racquet after switching? I feel like a jerk for being so tied to my old racquet, but I really just haven't enjoyed hitting without my Head.....

I haven't switched in over 6 years because I've fallen in love with my Prince CTS Synergy 32 (Mid size). It has given me the perfect balance of power and control, and I would feel lost if I play with a racket head that is different in shape and size.

I change my grip every now and then, and this spruces up its appearance, and the last time I had the racket restrung, the sports shop added a tape to the top of the racket head, which also helps. However, my black racket cover has not aged well at all! It's really ratty, and looks as if it's been dragged through a war! (This is what I find embarrassing, but am willing to suffer through it, since I'm not willing to start dating another racket!

I don't know if I'll give you the answer that you need, but I'll give you a little bit of personal insight.

I'm currently a 3.0-3.5 player and I've used three racquets, two from Wilson (Hyper Hammer 2.8 in HS, Hypersledge Hammer 2.0 when I started playing again after a long layoff) and one from Prince (Triple Threat Warrior) in my tennis "career". After HS, I didn't touch a racquet for a few years, but I decided to pick the game up again, I wanted a racquet that would give me some power while I became comfortable with my strokes again. When I started to feel comfortable with my groundies, serve, and generating my own power, I decided to change racquets. After demoing a few racquets and I decided to change to a Prince. When I first switched from my 2nd Wilson to a Prince, I had a horrible time getting used to the racquet. When I would try to crank on the ball, I would have horrible elbow pain and I would constantly switch back to my old racquet.

In my case, I knew that if I was going to become a better player, I had to get used to the new racquet, so I decided to change my game. For this to happen, I had to change my groundstrokes (hitting with a Western grip instead of my previous Continental grip to put more topspin on the ball), step into the ball more, etc. For myself, it took a few months (and many hours hitting off of the ball machine) before I started to become comfortable with my game again. Now, my groundstrokes are more consistant, I'm able to put more spin on the ball, and I'm a much better player than before.

Anyways, my advice to you is to put your old racquet away and force yourself to play with your new racquet for a few weeks. It's always tough to change any element your game, but if you think that the racquet will improve your game, give yourself more time to get used to it. Maybe you can go to your local tennis club and hit with the new racquet off of the ball machine to see if things feel more comfortable.

Nick

as of last year, I was rated 4.0-4.5 in the USTA. although due to my non-playing I'm more like a 0.5 player right now.

anyway, I played with and (due to manufacturers constantly discontinuing racquets to force us to buy news ones every few years) have changed sticks several times.

first of all, go to your local racquet dealer and try their demo program. Most decent places and/or proshops at clubs have these in place. As Smokey The Bear would say, "Only YOU will know which racquet works for you."

I always use tournagrip. So I'm always changing grips. I can't stand any grip that's been played and sweated on more than a week.

from what you're telling me, I would suggest trying the Gamma line of racquets.

and if your elbow hurts, that's not the racquet. That's bad technique. Invest in a few private lessons to get rid of the problem.

I couldn't find our thread from last summer, but I had just changed racquets and I think someone, maybe Nick, was asking about trying out new rackets. Anyway, there was some discussion about shock absorbers in the form of worms, triangles, rubber bands, and in my case the racket itself.

Your elbow pain could be from technique, but it could also be your body adjusting to the new racket, strings and/or tension. Different racquets handle vibration differently. Simply popping in a vibrosorb might help alleviate the elbow pain. Or the pain could be from you swinging harder to generate power, over-compensating for a racquet designed for more control.

I don't like the idea of changing your game to suit your new racquet. That seems a little backwards. Someone at your local proshop should be able to recommend a racquet that suits your game or that suits where you would like to take your game. Talk to someone who strings a lot of racquets or someone you trust about how your new racquet has fallen from your favor. They might be able to point you to a more appropriate racquet.

When I bought my racquets, I was looking for more control. I accepted that a control racket was going to mean less "pop" on my serve. And I definitely felt the difference. I really felt like I would have to muscle the swing to get the power back. If I had continued to do this, i might have run into some similar elbow pain. Instead I focussed on placement with some tangible success. Honestly, I think doing that has improved my service motion and now I serve at least as fast as I used to with (well, on good days) a lot more control.

In any event, don't give up on your racquet yet. There was something you liked about it at first. Tinker with the string tension first. The demo racquet you liked might have had looser strings or even a different grip size. But if the racquet just doesn't work for your game and the pain continues, talk to your friendly local proshop representative. They will likely have some great insight and can guide you to making a better choice for your next racquet.

Incidentally, I'm 4.5ish player and use the Yonnex V-Con 17. It's shock absorbtion is pretty remarkable and has really seemed to put a leash on some of my wayward groundstrokes.

[ July 21, 2003, 02:51 PM: Message edited by: curtj ]

I found the old thread \"Vibration Dampeners\" and while it wasn't last summer, it starts off oddly similar to this thread.

It sounds like our young Nick was demoing new rackets and encountered some.... elbow pain. Nick, you never did tell us if the elbow pain just went away or if you did something to alleviate it.

curtj, here's the link to the old thread.

http://66.241.240.127/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.c...t=000310#000000

Very good point. You shouldn't really change your game to suit your racquet. My case is a bit of an exception because I was starting to play again after a long layoff and at first, I wanted a power racquet. After I felt like I could generate my own power, I wanted to hit the ball with more spin. So, I changed racquets. After changing the racquet, I still didn't feel like I was putting enough spin on the ball, so I took a few lessons and re-worked my forehand. Now, I've regained the pace that I had with my previous racquet and I hit with much more topspin.

Since I'm assuming your at a higher skill level than myself, you probably feel more comfortable with your game than I was when I made my racquet change. However, since you've already made an investment in the racquet, you might as well continue playing with the new racquet and see if things may become more comfortable.

Nick

Edited to add:

curt, the elbow pain is long gone now, but I had to change a few things to make it happen. I started using a vibration dampener and I went to the tennis pro to get some advice about my forehand and my serve. He said that I was using way too much arm on both shots ... I saw my forehand on tape and I would swing with a completely straight stiff arm ... so I took a few lessons to get both parts of my game back in shape. Now, my game looks much better ... I can actually watch myself on tape without leaving the room in horror ... and I don't have any elbow pain when I play.

[ July 21, 2003, 03:22 PM: Message edited by: The_Hammerman ]

Glad to hear you were able to clear up that elbow pain, Nick. There's got to be some take away message in there for our Munson Man.

Sounds like seeking out a lesson and getting video taped was a great idea.

Keep us posted, Munson. I'm curious to hear how this will play out for you. I have to imagine that your new racquet is better technology than your old one, but I can't say if it's the right one for your game or not.

When I play regularly (as opposed to like 4 times a year), I am a 4.5 player, and I am still holding on to my beat up Prince CTS Synergy. Every time I demo a new racquet, I can play with it, but I have not found a racquet that was as light, yet firm without being a super-wide body. To each his own I guess. Best of luck with the elbow pain, but I have heard of folks with elbow pain using too much of a stiff arm, so that their joint is absorbing ALL of the impact every time that they strike a ball. Elbow pain from TENNIS is one injury that i have not suffered from, and I would imagine that is due to the fact that my elbow is bent on both forehand and backhands. (Think: Serena on a bad day, and there is my game)
Good luck. My two cents...