🎾 Ouch! Soft Tennis Rackets Can Hurt Your Arm | Head Gravity MP vs. Boom MP Comparison ⚔️ 

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I agree with your opinion as it makes more sense compared to my explanation. I will make another video on this topic to make it clear how this works. The vibration on softer rackets is actually not the main problem. I realized after my video that I explained it as you mentioned 50% wrong. It's the dwell time that can cause you arm problems. Because when playing with softer rackets, the ball stays longer on the strings and the force/weight of the ball is bigger and puts a bigger pressure to your arm. Essentially the ball is pressing your arm for a longer time. And people who have problems with shoulders, joints and so on will suffer more, especially when they hit late. Your points are correct as there are several other reasons that can cause arm problems. I was saying this almost every time when talking about this topic - the racket is not the main cause of problems usually. But people like to blaim a racket because it is easier to blaim a thing rather then blaim their bad technique or wrong string setup. In my tennis life I've had only once problems with my arm, when I was around 15 years old. But that was caused by too much tennis and very low rest. When you play tennis 5x times a week, 2-3 hours a day, it can really do some damage to your body especially when you are still a teenager learning the game. Thanks for your comment which is of great value.

​@@CzechTennisGuy tnks for ur arguments, i want to check something " Because when playing with softer rackets, the ball stays longer on the strings and the force/weight of the ball is bigger and puts a bigger pressure to your arm" this what u described i think is happening also when u muscling the ball because of incorect tehnique which is also a big cause of shock and overuse of the arm.

@@agradina Yes, that's correct. Your arm also works as a dampener so if you hit the ball with stiff, bend elbow, it can also hurt you. Not in all positions and situations, but when you want to hit hard, your arm should be relaxed and stretched upon the impact. Beginners tend to lock the elbow and shoulder, they are pushing the ball instead of hitting it, which puts strain on the arm and joints.

yes best racquet i love it

exactly，shifting from Prince tour 290 , phantom 290x and now sticking with iga tempo

@@sumyatsan5558 ,@HiredGunz98, but the RA 71, is it soft and still advisable for tendinitis problems than Wilson Clash or Blade?

I would say the lighter version of the Gravity are little bit stiffer so they can be pretty save in this sense.

Thank you! I'm glad we both discovered how this works. I blaim the racket companies that they don't explain this topic to the public. They have all the tools to do so, but they are just hiding the truth for better sales and marketing. Sometimes people get really lost in this topic and they are trying to fix the problem with other wrong solutions, changing strings, consulting with doctors, taking pills etc. and the main problem is hidden elsewhere. All this trouble costs time, money and effort, which can be devastating for some people. So please share this info among other players so they can benefit from it in the future. Stay safe and stay tuned for more info, reviews and discoveries.

So are you suggesting that > 8 HL, I preferred Blade 100 V8 for arm-friendly than Wilson Clash 100L V2, but was not clear as many suggest balanced raq not more HL or otherwise, but I couldn't find one like that, any suggestion?...

@@daviddav3427 For me, >8 pts headlight is better. A racquet with a high static weight will absorb more shock from the collision with the ball and vibrate at a lower frequency, which is likely to be better for your arm. But a racquet that is too heavy is difficult to swing and may cause arm strain. To get around this, if you add weight to the handle (thus making it more headlight), you will have a racquet that's still easy to swing, but has the shock absorption effects from a higher overall weight. Also the extra mass is located near where your hand is connected to the racquet. In short, I believe you should play with as heavy a racquet as you can comfortably swing. And a headlight racquet allows you to have a higher overall weight weight than an evenly balanced racquet because it's easier to swing.

@@goldencalf5144 Thanks, any suggestions on arm-friendly requests like clash 100 vs Balde 100 vs Prostaff97L or anything from Head?

@@daviddav3427 I don't really have experience with any of those racquets. I have heard that the clash is arm friendly, but I can't make a specific recommendation.

Well, I would not be afraid of Speed MP not working with your one handed backhend. I have a team mate who has been using Speed MP for a decade and he is a one hander. He plays great with this racket and never complained about it. I think this is purely about players imagination. You can play one handed backhand with every racket, some will give you more spin, more power, more stability, some will give you more comfort, feel and more precision. It depends what do you want. Radical MP has smaller head size, so be prepared that the rackets sweetspot is noticeably smaller and that's why I recommend Radical MP for very good intermediate and advanced players.

Thank you@@CzechTennisGuy

I agree. I tried several rackets with 18x20 pattern and I never got used to it's firmness. The racket always felt like a board to me. Maybe when you string it very low compared to your original setup, it will change for the better, but you will never get the same spin potential out of this pattern, which is a no go for me.

@@CzechTennisGuy I think 18x20 needs natural gut in there somewhere either mains or crosses to feel anywhere near as comfortable as 16x19.

@@transamination Yeah, that could work. But the lower spin potential is still something you would have to overcome with superior technique or just play flatter shots overall.

Hi David, this is a common problem these days. Soft doesn't mean more comfort as I explain in this video. You should look at rackets with medium stiffness around 65 RA and higher. For now, I recommend the latest technological marvel, which is the new Yonex Percept series. The Percept 100 is around 65-67 RA, but it feels super comfortable, yet powerful and stable. Lookd at this racket in my upcoming review that will be released in a few days along with quality control test for 100 and 97 version.

Add weight to the blade and youre set

@@paullorenzo2196 i ve added lead to V8 and tried all of them. Only 18x20 can hit a heavy ball. I prefer older blades which were more stiff.

No. The dwell time in this case is connected with the soft racket. No matter how hard you string the strings, the racket will be still soft. But you can compensate the softness of the racket by stringing it little bit higher. Instead of 23 kg you can go for 25 kg for example. But there is no perfect advice for this as everyone reacts to the setup differently.

Yes, I think if you play with a lighter racket or with a underpowered racket but your style and your technique requires a different racket, you can have some arm problems, too. Beginners don't have complete technique so they don't swing thru and they don't generate the energy they need when using a control oriented underpowered racket. And on the opposite someone with a complete techniqe and full swing will not benefit from a high powered racket with oversized head and head heavy balance. Good players = low powered control oriented softer frames. Bad players = high powered stiffer frames. But of course it's not something that works all the time because there are many other factors that can interfere with this recommendation.

So many variables it's difficult to be certain BUT the Auxetic Speed MP has been comfortable for me this past year & my tennis elbow has stayed away. Easiest to use? It's pretty good all round imo; can lack a bit of control but that's about it. As @agradina writes in his post, low tension strings help T.E. a lot (poly at 45 pounds / 20kg and under works for me), as does hitting early. From my experience, you'll only really know if a racquet & string set-up suits you when you use it out on the court, and that's the cold hard truth.

MP is a great middle class racket in terms of control, power and precision. It has everything from all of the worlds. It's not the easiest to hit with, but it's a safe option for every serious intermediate player.

If that's the case there's a high chance that you're arming the ball instead of timing it.

@@amsd1231 interesting. What do you mean by timing instead of arming? When I contact the ball I try to move my arm only as it gives precision, but the body rotates just before the contact and after it.

@@villiam7941 So in an ideal situation, your arm extension should be finished at the moment of contact. If you're late on the ball however, you make contact while you're still extending your arm leading you to exert force on the ball with your elbow. Just to clear things up, this doesn't mean your arm should always be straight at contact. It just means the arm should be locked and the elbow should be infront of the body.

That's a pretty good explanation.

Good point. In one of the Tennis Spin older videos they have original Federer's racket from about 10 or more years ago (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Dk1FU_zF72g.htmlsi=NljeRCkVQlFgb2fn&t=673). They have measured a strung stiffness of about 70 RA! Unstrung probably even higher. Pro Staff RF97! You would expect a more flex but no no no. That's how it should be, stiff. But now they serve us frames with 60-62 RA for that "buttery" feel. What a nonsense. Buttery feel can come from the string setup if you want to but you will never achieve a control oriented power frame with a 62 RA. It's too soft nowadays and I believe that's why also people change rackets too often, because after year or too, it can go below 60 RA pretty easily. And you don't want to play with a super soft "wooden racket" anymore.

@@CzechTennisGuy Actually found it! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Sny-3i8GgW4.htmlsi=D31p0pWjQ0GiiWII&t=518

@@CzechTennisGuy ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Sny-3i8GgW4.htmlsi=D31p0pWjQ0GiiWII&t=518

@@CzechTennisGuy Interestingly Federer refers to the racquet breaking down... I reckon stiffness is actually only half the story when it comes to the power! The fact that the racquet get broken means that the energy from the ball is lost in the broken structure of the racquet which is interesting. btw you can enable english subtitles in the video... I think there's a clear difference between dynamic stiffness and static stiffness, which is where that Wilson machine I think comes in! Thanks for the videos... Also about the people blaming their tennis elbow on the racquet is lazy! I think it comes down to the timing.... even best players in the world feel tennis elbow from when they change between different balls at different tournaments and altitudes

@@18yearsoldnot "Also about the people blaming their tennis elbow on the racquet is lazy!" Can't agree more on this one.

Pro Kennex rackets have a long tradition in the Czech Republic. I remember back in the days 20 years ago, they were super popular all around. Now I don't see them too much, but I have the opportunity to test them out. So I hope in 2024 I will get my hands on some of the models. The problem with stringing at a lower tension is that after few hours it gets unplayable, too much power, low control. My sweetspot is around 19-21 kg (41-46 lbs). But when I string it like this, it will drop to 17 kg / 37 lbs in 2-3 hours and that's too low. So I have to string the racket at 24/23 kg / 50.5 - 53 kg so I can play with the racket for at least 8 hours with confidence. But of course if I was a pro, I would change the racket probably after every session/match.

What racket for the win ?

This is so incorrect. There’s tons of control with the gravity mp and it is LOW powered. I’m an intermediate and wouldn’t recommend using it for beginners. It is unstable and too lightweight especially with mishits

@@bmanbusee3812 You're such a smart guy, but there's a nuance: you're contradicting yourself. tons of control, but unstable... :) you know exactly what you are doing 😄

@@villiam7941 Actually, I didn’t if you read the part on “mishits”. Also may add against more heavy balls it can take a beating. You’re confusing instability due to mishits, etc. with controlling where you want ball to go. I’ll end it there as you seem to be a novice. 🫤

It's not only the racket. It goes in connection with your body that has issues with some type of vibrations and sound frequencies. Other people can use stiff rackets without any issues so you can't say that the racket will give you tennis elbow because if it was true, no would buy Pure Drive/Pure Aero rackets which are pretty stiff.

Manooovrlbity 😉

That's because the classic knowledge doesn't count the human factor. It counts only with the material - the rackets, which is wrong. It's the same like with shoes - shoes with the most cushioning actually damage our feet in long term. That's why so many people are going barefoot shoes these days, because stiff doesn't mean bad and soft doesn't mean good. The body itself should work as a cushioning to stay strong and healthy. It's the same with rackets. That's why I personally recommend rackets with medium stiffness around 65 RA or higher. But that's just how my own body works - I don't mind vibrations, because they give me information I need when hitting the ball.

Which reality? It's not my reality and it's not reality for thousands of people who are playing with Pure Drive. You need to understand that racket is not in most cases cause of tennis elbow or wrist pain. It's mostly because of wrong technique. Stiff strings and high tension can also be a factor, but don't blame the rackets. If you use the rackets wrong, they will of course show you the darker side.

My reality.Horrible carpet bomber of a raquet.Ok poor technique contributes.What a coincedence that Technifibre are stiff frames!Good night god bless!@@CzechTennisGuy

Artengo makes great rackets for great price. It's sold at Decathlon store, which is nowadays the biggest sports goods retailer around the world. Artengo brand is endorsed by Gael Monfils, Daria Kasatkina and many others. Check them out. For the money you don't have any better product around and their top racket TR960 Control Tour is on the same level as Blades or Pro Staff rackets from Wilson.

@@CzechTennisGuy Really? And you are sure these players aren't just playing with a paint job? ;) I honestly haven't played with any Artengo racket so I can't judge them, but I just think of badminton and table tennis when I hear that name. Decathlon we have that here in the Netherlands but you definitely don't go there to get quality products. It's more for recreational level.

@@sergiosimbula Yes I'm sure. There are videos from these players talking about the switch. Decathlon was at the beginning 10 years ago more about recreational sports, but as they grew up they also focus on top products. I was also sceptical at the beginning but I found out that if you purchase their most expensive equipment (which is still a lot cheaper compared to the big brands) you get a top notch product that can compete with the best gear on the market. Nowadays they have probably the biggest budget to self test and develop sport equipment among all the brands around the world. And the best thing is you can try these products before you buy them in the store, which is becoming more and more rare these days.

​@@sergiosimbulaBy the way Decathlon store revenue in 2020 was €11.4 billion. With this amount of money they can afford in-house testing and development with top players around the world. We will hear more about Artengo in tennis in the near future for sure.

@@CzechTennisGuy cool thanks I really wasn't aware. And totally agree on that last point too!

The tester sucks but he enjoys the manooovrlbity! 😉

Yes, the Pro Kennex can be the last and best solution for most players suffering from a tennis elbow. I hope I will test one out. In the past, they were quite popular in the Czech Republic.