My racquet Is double fault friendly for sure

Being that I have had some elbow and shoulder issues for a number of years, I have been keying in on the vibration level to be below 140 not to aggravate my arm. Your advice is very sound and makes alot of sense!

As someone who is dealing with tennis elbow issues, this is great information. Looking forward to your upcoming ProKennex racquet review. It would also be great to hear your thoughts on which strings are arm friendly.

I agree that no one frame stat tells the whole story of arm comfort and looking into the stats is a great way to make an informed decision on our equipment. It would be nice to see the data used in the marketing directly from the big brands. I enjoy collecting, but its not always the best for new players to be lost in the jungle of racquets. Thank you for the video. I refrence the book you mentioned often. It is a great book.

I think strings are more important in terms of arm friendliness. I can play with any racquet as long as is natural gut or multifilament. Even on all the babolats. But once I play with any poly strings, it doesn’t matter, it will hurt my elbow..

Well that book actually says that soft racquets vibrate MORE than stiff racquets, due to the extra bending and warping back and forth on impact. It also says that the most arm friendly setup is a stiff racquet strung at low tension. Nick from Intuitive Tennis also said something similar in his videos. This is quite the opposite of the prevailing theory, I'm more confused than ever...

My strokes are not arm friendly :)

One point that I think it is worth mentioning is using smooth multis as crosses, it really helps lowering down the stiffness and also eliminates a lot of the vibration. The only downside is that the mains have to be ronded to avoid the mains eating into the multi, but it is a very minor downside. Head FXP or even the Velocity MLT are very good cheap options for this, just use the thicker 1.30mm ones.

Very informative and helpful as usual, thanks. I came back to tennis last year after a decade away. In my 40s, I was excited to try a lighter racket (from teens on I played with Donnay rackets at 350g strung). Bought Babolat Pure Aero Team. Loved how easy it was to swing and generate power with, but it wrecked my arm. Researched arm friendly rackets. Tried Gravity Pro and Gravity Tour. Great feel, but always feels a struggle for me to generate power with them and that makes me inconsistent. Could hit the Pure Aero consistently every time with far less effort, more fun. Shame Babolat rackets are not more arm friendly. Checked the vibration and flex on the comparison tool after watching your video and yes, a big difference in those values. Thanks again for your great content.

I have been using prokennex for 20 years, from 5g to ki 315. For sure it works for tennis elbow, and that's the only reason I have not switched until recently. I am trying out a few newer and lighter frames to help out my declining game, but if I should be bothered by elbow issue, I would switch back to PK without hesitation.

Thank you so much for discussing . I thought I was the only person in pain

I demo'd a bunch of rackets before settling on the Head 360+ Extreme MP. I loved the soft feel and control of Gravity MP but struggled against pace and needed more power help. I play best with my racket choice but do feel more arm soreness after playing. Going to keep working on stretching and physio to try and overcome for now.

Very informative video, Jonas! Personally, I found that adding weight at 3 and 9 helps with the arm friendliness of a frame, as it enlarges the sweetspot.

Prince Graphite oversize is actually very well balanced for the shoulder

If you still want to use a poly and have a sensitive arm try TierOne Ghostwire in 18 or 19g (It is softer than synthetic gut and most multis). They might not ship everywhere since they are in California.

I've found the Phantom 100x to be the best low flex racquet I've used (especially with a little weight at 3" & 9")

Completely agree, wish Clash has a tighter string pattern

I use a PK Q + Tour Pro 315 (yes, such a long name) and a Volkl Super G 10 Mid interchangeably depending on how I’m playing. Completely different stiffness ratings but different technologies that work well.

Currently playing with donnay x dual siver 99 and donnay gold penta 99, both weighted up to 330 grams unstrung. Even with a crisp poly like the Msv focus hex ultra( great string at least for me), they are very comfortable and stable, with a large sweet spot

I feel like Jonas is going to save the whole ProKennex company with his endorsements. Seriously though, I would be interested to see you try out the heavier PK Ki Q+ Tour Pro 315 & 325 in the vivid green colour. Might be better balanced than the lighter one you reviewed earlier. Love this arm friendly rabbit hole you're in lately because that's where I am now too as I get arm issues in Winter.

I recommend trying your Prestige MP with Ytex Quadro Twist at a low tension (e.g., 48-49). It's arm friendly and the extra spin helps tame the power.

Never had elbow problems. Using Graphene speed pro so it's a matter of time. However with the poly strings there strung at 51lb rather than years ago it'd be PS strung with synth gut at 65lbs.

Good video. I had wrist and arm issues after a stunt went slightly wrong and fell awkwardly filming on a Bond movie. Decided to ditch my prince ozone pro tour/luxilon savage 65lb set up. Stiff setup and apparently o ports not great for injuries according to a Spanish coach I had who played at ferrers club in Spain where the racket used to be popular. I bought a lot of rackets but mainly stick to prince phantom pro 100 18*20,100x 18*20, pro kennex...18*20 325. Solinco hyper g around 59lbs. No arm issues, however strangely started getting pain in my elbow with solinco confidential in the Prince phantom pro. Funnily enough I had no arm pain in some stiffer RA rackets with solinco hyper g in them such as feds racket, agassi bumblebee, pure strike 18*20 etc... Would be good to know the frequencies and correlation with injury...

Yes, the clash feels nice but it is definitely low on control. Watch out for the Vokl C10. Feels even better than clash with better control.

One of the most comfy rackets i played with was the Wilson blade 98 2015 model, problem was Wilsons crap QC higher sw than it should have been so i sold it, played with teh cv version took bumper off because that was worse than the 2015! QC was terrible, comfort was good! But didn't have the feel as the 2015! Played with prince 100p this was comfortable. Some time ago i played with exo 100 really flexible racket RA 58! the vibration was shocking! couldn't believe how bad it was! The new blades are comfortable! I have had surgery on my elbow, & shoulder! So 2 weeks ago i bought a brand new 2015 blade exclusive to Tennis point! for £100! & unbelievable it was in spec! wow played with it the other night beautiful comfort power, & control! String i use is Weiss Dual reality cheap good comfortable hybrid! I did demo the previous Prokennex Q5 290g (unstrung version) it was ok but lacked a little power & thought it wasn't as comfortable as i thought it would! it felt tiny. Also have Angell 18x20 300g which is also comfortable! again using weiss dual reality!

I use flex and twistweight to determine arm comfort. My understanding is that many manufacturers increased twistweight around 2014-2017 to make more comfortable racquets. I was out six months with TE in 2010 and went to the IG Prestige MP after using the YT Prestige MP which had a very low twistweight. Does adding lead tape change the vibration frequency? I would imagine that adding silicone in the handle would help a lot.

Great! Thank you!

Need Suggestion: I used to be a SemiPro but now I am a recreational player, I did have Tennis Elbow but now its better. I use to play with Head Youtek Extreme Pro 2.0 but now I am playing with Head Touch Extreme S. Planning to buy new comfortable more forgiving Racket, any suggestion on below: Head Gravity S 2021 Wilson Blade 104 v7

I thought that high frequency vibrations tend to finish quicker than lower frequencies, so should be less painful? And stiffer rackets produce higher frequencies. So a heavy swing weight, stiffer racket should be more arm friendly?

Also is very important to exercise and warm up your forearm to prevent tennis elbow.

Thanks for this video! I am a 5.0 player that was playing with my Yonex vcore 98 2021 which at that time I had been playing with it on and off for 2 years (I also play with my vcore 95 2023 from time to time). I have never had any elbow problems until I decided to try a cheaper poly string bc my regular string was on backorder. Long story-short I hit for approximately 35-45 minutes and decided I hated the string. Soon after that session I developed discomfort/pain in my elbow...do you feel that the string was the issue as opposed to either one of the vcore's?

Had a 2021 Pure Drive, loved the free power but my wrist, elbow and shoulder did not. Use a Clash Pro with Triax strings and although I do miss the power of the Pure Drive, I love the Clash for comfort and control!

Try a Tecnifibre T40 305! Very good all rounder, a great compromise, if I can use that word! Pretty arm friendly too.

I had the liquidmetal instinct...low vibration, low ra, and still killed my arm...same with radical mp...arm issues I would say is more a string thing than racquet...the only racket i felt confortable was the microgel radical, but very low power...

Thanks!

Guys tell me please does grip size nas impact on tennis elbow? I heard opinion that larger grip helps.

Can you make a video on the Wilson blade v6 without countervail, I’ve been using it and I like it more than the v7

i used to play with Microgel Radical MP, then i switch to G360 radical MP. BAM. Tennis elbow. I wish i know about stiffness rating before buying racket. Now i'm playing with Gravity MP with velocity mlt.

Great content! Much of what you say really strikes a positive and familiar chord as it relates to my tennis. Now try to use the link to buy thru TW. I have played with Vcore 98 for 3 years and really enjoying the newest version. However, I tend to tinker and tried out the new Ezone 98 & Head Extreme Tour recently. BOTH those rackets have same static weight, similar balance points and similar flex. However, they also both seem more maneuverable and as a result really helped me get more balls in play. I do feel like I have to swing out a bit more to get similar power. I am now experiencing some shoulder pain. On spec the rackets seem just as arm friendly? Is it b/c the demo grips were a tad small and I was holding too tightly? It it b/c I am swinging too hard and straining arm as a result? Best analogy is if I throw a heavy baseball/football/soccer ball I have no discomfort, but sometimes have thrown a lighter weight ball such as Nerf, waffle-ball, foam ball and arm is sore afterwards? This is odd because the swing weights, static weight, flex and balance are not that different, but perhaps the polarity of the rackets makes then swing faster? I want to keep playing with the Extreme Tour but certainly don't want to be sidelined IF that is the root of arm strain. I know you have dealt with some similar issues and appreciate your thoughts! Thanks again and keep the awesome content coming!! Gabe, North Carolina, US

The 2019 Yonex Vcore Pro 330 has an RA of 65, but according to TennisWarehouse, it has 136 Hz in frequency/vibrations. Can it be considered a somewhat arm-friendly racquet?

What are the advantages of playing with a stiffer setup. I have gravitated towards “soft” racquets because I love the plush dampened feel and sound (why I play with dampener). Not that I want to jinx it but I’ve rarely had arm pain issues.

@tennisnerd Does higher number on vib (hz) also means higher pinging noise? thanks

Do rackets become more flexible (arm friendly?) through time and use?

Thanks for the tennis elbow videos. Being a tennisnerd have you ever encountered issues of excessive palm sweat/body sweat interfering with the tennis game. It gets very humid here in india i must add. Maybe you can do a video on grips and other techniques you use to make the grip less slippery , if you have encountered this issue

Jonas, you should do a video with the five most arm-friendly racquets and one with the five least arm-friendly racquets!

What’s the impact of the beam width? If its a function of flex, how can the clash have a huge beam with a low RA

Can you please help check the frequency for the 2021 pro kennex q+ your pro 315? Thanks!

Hello I have a 2021 Radical Pro and I feel it gets pushed around a little bit. Where would I put lead and not make it to much heavier?

Hi . I have a wilson blade 18x20 v8. I am a 4.0 player . I am getting elbow issues since the last year. I use head hawk power@ 47-48 lbs. Do you have any racket and string combination suggestions for me? Thanks

Started playing 5 years ago and this year at the age of 38 Ive begun suffering from tennis elbow. I'd appreciate your opinion of 5 to 10 racket and string combinations that you think may assist with reducing tennis elbow injury. I currently use a 2020 gravity tour pro with tecnifiber multifilament at a 52 tension. Even after 2-3 weeks of rest it comes right back. I attribute it to the racket and strings because it is the only thing that has changed from past years. After taking ibuprofen , hot and cold treatments and forearm strengthening exercises (pull ups and grip strengthener) the pain lingers and is felt with every strike. I enjoy playing so Ive just played through the pain knowing I'm not doing myself any favors. I am currently in search for a new racket and string combo. I'm a recreational player and I'm perfectly ok with a dampened muted feel as long as it can help reduce the damage being done. Thanks for this timely video.

Recoil weight. Swing weight. Balance. And Gosen Poly Professional 1.29 @50 😁 And don’t keep poly strings older than 2 months, even if not in use

Wilson burn killed my elbow by just demoing it!

Hello am a newbie in tennis - my coach lend me ezone 100l naomi osaka and i feel comfortable with it - wondering if TR298 iga is more comfortable to use - could you kindly give recommendation? Thanks in advance

Hi, great video. I remember in the review of the Dunlop Fx 500 you mentioned that it was one of the most comfortable Tweeners you had ever tried (not to mention the Head instinct). But on this page, the vibration frequency of the Fx 500 is even higher than that of a babolat pure drive or a yonex ezone 100. Do you agree with that? Or were your feelings different? It interests me because I am considering buying a racquet within the spectrum of "tweeners". Another option I have in mind is a used Head Graphene xt Instinct mp (which seems to have a much lower vibration frequency than other tweeners). Sorry for my english.

One sentense was really big true. Its not worth playing with stiffer frames even when your game is better. thumbs up. I have same opinion. Im playing awesome tennis with pure aero,but after one hour my shoulder is dead :D Im playing customized gravity tour to almost pro specs :) and its absolutly fine. I still surprise from spin potentional after one year :D

Hi, i do have arm issues but i have been eyeing on the head extreme pro 360+, on paper its a bit stiff but how about the frequency, is it okay with someone with arm issues? Thank you

I use a Head Graphene Prestige Pro... Old model, around 6 years old... This was the last time I could get hold of a very good arm friendly racket... this has 22 inch beam, RA 62, 16/19 pattern, weight 320 gms, and 98 head... But no new racket has such combination... I need a new one and the shape of the head is very important... Can you suggest please ?

Kinda unrelated but I notice NOBODY covers sunscreen and skin protection. What the heck do pros use not to get sunburned?? They're always in the sun and sure they look tanned but they should be burnt to a crisp. Big Thanks if you cover this issue!!

What about wood rackets strung with gut? When I played I used only wood rackets for decades and never an issue. As soon as I got a Wilson Profile racket strung with 15 gauge poly strings I destroyed the tendon in my arm in one year and ended my tennis career. To this day, though I have not played tennis in over 25 years, my arm tendon still hurts. Any vibration will activate it.

How about using dampener? Will it help reduce tennis elbow problem?

Hi on the Prince rackets with Oports are more elbow friendly? And does it reduce vibrations?

Ezone Tour destroyed my arm after 15 hours, it was the best racquet i had in my hands, sadly I had to give it up...now I'm looking for something similar but more arm friendly...it's a pity to play with my racquet now knowing I could play a bit more deep and precise with another one...

Is the extreme tour arm friendly?

So, would you consider the Head Radical pro an arm-friendly racket?

Prokennex Q+5 pro has 67 RA and is so comfy, better than VcoreHD , i highly endorse

Jag är en 13 årig tennis nörd🤓 Jag spelar med babolat pure strike team, använder babolat rpm blast strängar men skulle vilja ha något som ger mig mer spin. Vad rekommenderar du?

Jonas, i was playing with Pure Strikes 18x20 and 16x19… started developing tennis elbow so i retired the PS and decided to go back to Prince, which I used years ago. I’ve been playing with the twist power 100 for the past two weeks. It is light , i am old, so maybe it is time for a lighter racquet. All of my racquets are strung with VS natural gut in mains 55, and rpm blast 52. My elbow seems to be better, but time will tell. Please review both Twistpower racquets. Also, i do a lot of business with tennis warehouse. How do i get you some kickback, do i just mention your name? Ciao, John

I'm a 5.0 player. I've been off for 1.5 years with muscle tear/tennis elbow. Just getting back to training. I injured my are with the babolat pure drive. I'm back to using the wilson blade counterveil with all natural gut at 50lbs. Do you have any other suggestions for something similar to the blade, but I'm finding the blade is a tad heavy (or the balance for the serving seems heavy).

I am so confused by the difference between synthetic gut and multifilamento in terms of playability. I am looking to settle on an arm friendly set up with the highest tension possible. What should I DO? COPOLY LOW TENSION did not work for me. I feel like I have wasted a full bed solinco hyperg and confidential. Any suggestions?

Most Volkl racquets are very arm friendly

I ask You question what is more important RA or Vibration Frequency Hz (from TW University) regarding Yonex Vcore vs Gravity MP? Did I inspire You to this film? :))

Pro Tour 2.0 65RA??? Doesn't deserve that name at all....

I think if you are going to look at vibration you can't just look at the frequency. That does not tell you anything about the amplitude of the vibration, which I would think is the key factor for the player. For example, a racket with a vibration frequency at 120 Hz would feel worse to the player than a racket with a vibration frequency of 150 Hz that has a lower vibration amplitude. Really enjoy your videos, keep up the good work!

hopefully lol

my wrist is Killing me

Short answer. No. My racquet is a heavily weighted prestige mid. Not friendly at all.

Is getting a high RA give you something? I wonder if you combine low vibration with high RA you get best of both worlds…

Only problem with stringing poly low is that you loose a lot of the playability of the string. Hybrid setup would be better than stringing low.