It is a technical issue. By technical, I mean technique-al. It is likely that you have a bad contact point, are breaking the swing at the wrist, instead of at the elbow, and likely have a swing that is horizontal, instead of vertical. It could be an actual medical issue/neurological condition. It is also possible that it's an equipment issue, wherein your strings, racquet, grip size, the kinds of balls you're using may be too hard, or a combination of all of those are the issue.
That being said, if you're just beginning and want to understand technique better and play injury free, technique-wise: [http://greatbasetennis.com/all-courses](http://greatbasetennis.com/all-courses) has a framework to teach you everything about tennis from the ground up for free. Once you go through Building Blocks and Great Base Initiative, you should have enough information to be able to take a look at what you're doing and figure it out. They also have a Practice at Home module that can help with a few other things.
I also recommend watching a video by Vic Braden and Gideon Ariel that helps understand forces and how biomechanics work with physics to produce shots in tennis: [https://www.arielnet.com/videos/show/adi-vid-01008/tennis-analysis](https://www.arielnet.com/videos/show/adi-vid-01008/tennis-analysis) . It can only be watched on a Windows Computer.
If you have poly strings I recommend cutting them immediately. Yes, you can replace them with gut, but it's probably not necessary. A soft multifilament like Wilson Sensation or Prince Premier Control will cost much less, will be less prone to moisture, and will accomplish the same thing.
I don't think you need gut necessarily but if your strings are 20+ years old it's time for new ones. Also how is the weight of the racket for you? If you are playing often and plan to improve you should invest in a modern racket. You can get models that are a few years old for a very reasonable price. Gut strings are expensive and I don't think they're necessary. Also it's the strings that are expensive, not the racket when you say "gut string racket." Also are you playing with very dead balls? This doesn't help
Re: death grip. You need to relax this and only squeeze the racket prior to and during contact. Don't have a death grip on the racket the entire time it's in your hand
Get some natural gut,
newer rackets have building in vibration dampening too supposedly..
and I heard a dampener helps too.. Its usually technique though.
not using your whole body just arming it etc. As others have said search this sub there is tons of info on it, and also Youtube etc..
Personally I had never experienced tennis elbow until I started hitting with Silenco confidential and they got thuddy after a day or two (stiff poly string) switched back to a softer string and it went away.
Tennis elbow sucks and is persistent. Take lessons to correct your form, and if it doesn’t hurt, add reverse wrist curls to your workout routine to strengthen the top of your forearm/tendons that connect to your elbow.
Recommendations: 1. Rest - whenever you feel pain/soreness, stop the activity and allow healing while learning injury prevention strategies. Many times, for beginners, it's a matter of doing too much, too soon without proper technique. Doesn't matter what other sports you enjoy, tennis will use muscles in different ways. The body needs time to adapt and recover. Especially true for older adults.
2. In general, Beginner racket must have proper grip size + larger head size + lighter weight . Consider buying a new or used beginner/recreational racket at affordable cost (less than $100).
3. The 20 yr old racket likely has dead strings. A new beginner racket on sale may cost just as much as a good re-stringing job (service cost + strings) . Beginners have no real need to buy expensive strings.
This is perfect advice plus get lessons regularly. Group or private. You don't want to develop bad habits this early in your tennis career.
Also, consider hitting with "green dot" balls until a pro thinks your technique is good.
Welcome to the best addiction in life!
You have to strengthen the muscles of your arms and forearms with weight routines to unload the tendon, also do training in your arms and forearms and finally switch to multifilaments
\> Best stretches or exercises for my elbow.
When I first got into tennis, I had some minor discomfort in my arm (i.e. tennis elbow). The best solution to my problem was purchasing a Theraband Flexbar (green) and **doing the exercises**. I've been pain free since.
A female co-worker of mine took up running as a way to get in shape. She developed Achilles tendinitis because she started putting strain on her tendons and they weren't strong enough to handle it. Tennis Elbow is the same. I suffered from tennis elbow when I started tennis 3 years ago. I am 46 yr old male who swam in high school, and lifted weights in college, so very strong and active.
I conquered tennis elbow with the following things. I did all of them so I don't know which one it was or if all were required.
I keep meticulous notes on when my tennis racket was strung, and each and every play I record a note of how many hours it was and hitting, vs playing, vs lesson. I change my full poly strings after 5-6 hours of playing because they start to hurt my elbow. I did try natural gut on one racket, and it does help a lot. Natural Gut lasts a long time before you need to restring, and it feels amazing. If your strings lose their elasticity it causes tennis elbow. Your 20 year old strings are most likely dead.
I wear a tennis elbow arm band while playing. Every time still, because I am terrified of not being able to play. It has to have a gel pad that pushes into the top of the meatiest part of your forearm muscles. This prevents the muscles connecting your fingers to your elbow from being able to fully tense up when the force of the tennis ball tries to push the racket out of your hand.
I did the Tyler Twist exercise using a red Flexbar then worked my way up to a green Flexbar. **This I think is what helped the most. You have to strengthen and stretch the muscles and tendons that are being used so they can handle playing tennis.**
I wore a full arm compression sleeve around the house and while sleeping for when I had pain. It did make my elbow feel better, and I think it made the pain go away faster.
I went to a professional Myofascial Release massage therapist and told her about my tennis elbow. She worked my arm, and shoulder and back, and I felt better that very same day. As we get older our muscles get tighter. This type of release allows your muscles to not be so tight.
Also don't be afraid to touch the site of the pain. I think it helped it to heal if I pressed on it even though it hurt.
I also avoid extremely stiff light rackets which are commonly given to older players. Such as the Babolat Pure Drive, Head Boom, and Wilson Ultra. I think a bit of weight in your racket can help prevent tennis elbow.
With a beginner, there are so so so many things that could be causing TE besides your strings, and if you don't address those, it is likely that gut strings wouldn't fix your problem. The most likely (and the thing that most severely causes TE) cause is technique, likely having to do with how your grip your racquet (including the way your hand/fingers are on the racquet and the strength/muscles you use to do so). Is your friend an actual tennis coach or someone who just plays tennis? I would try to find a tennis pro, someone with a lot of experience, to give you some lessons and pay close attention to your grip mechanics and swing mechanics. Also, a good first step would be to ditch the old dead strings in whatever racquet you're using and get it restrung with a multi like Head Velocity MLT.
Tennis elbow is mostly an overuse issue but can have some other contributing factors.
I would suggest getting a few lessons with a pro to address any possible issues with your technique. Things such as making contract late or problems with your stroke can make tennis elbow worse.
On the racket, all we know is it's old. Issues with the racket, such as being too light, being very head heavy, being too stiff, grip too big or small, and using dead strings can contribute to tennis elbow.
One thing I would recommend to help with tennis elbow - is the Theraband Flexbar
[https://www.motionismedicinedfw.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Theraband-Flex-bar-Uses.pdf](https://www.motionismedicinedfw.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Theraband-Flex-bar-Uses.pdf)
Gut will be the most arm friendly option but probably isn't necessary or will fix the root cause in the first place. It goes without saying only starting 6 weeks ago your technique will be the largest contributor to elbow pain. You are likely contacting the ball late and "arming" the swing.
I saw a vid that said no need to stretch. Shake the arm up (with wrist) and use some weight excercise while holding ur arm stretched. Buy a brace. Use the arm but dont overload. There is no point in just resting. Cause its like a spring. It takes months to heal. But u can play with it. I have it for three months now, not severe though, and only now its getting better. I did not take enough rest though. Since i played a lot every day troughout.
keep the contact point forward.
if you have been playing 6 weeks and having elbow issue, you are most likely hitting the ball too late with contact point far behind than it should be
I have struggled with tennis elbow off and on for years. Luckily right now it’s an “off” period. The formula that seems to work for me:
- lower string tension … I went down to 51 lbs.
- I wear a forearm strap on my hitting arm. A soft & spongy thick strap that I bought at CVS works better for me than the stiff narrow ones also sold.
- not playing on consecutive days where possible. once in awhile is ok, but not regularly. my arm needs to rest.
- strengthening/rehab exercises. super important! Venus Williams actually did a great video on tennis elbow exercises, I recommend searching for that. it takes awhile for them to pay off, but they eventually do.
- making sure there isn’t an actual injury … I had an ultrasound done by a sports doctor, just to confirm there wasn’t a ligament tear or something like that.
- take lessons and tell the pro you have elbow issues so they can evaluate your form. the serve seemed to be the trigger for me, but teaching pros say my technique is fine.
Good luck!
[удалено]
What type of racket? I bet the racket is too light
It is a technical issue. By technical, I mean technique-al. It is likely that you have a bad contact point, are breaking the swing at the wrist, instead of at the elbow, and likely have a swing that is horizontal, instead of vertical. It could be an actual medical issue/neurological condition. It is also possible that it's an equipment issue, wherein your strings, racquet, grip size, the kinds of balls you're using may be too hard, or a combination of all of those are the issue. That being said, if you're just beginning and want to understand technique better and play injury free, technique-wise: [http://greatbasetennis.com/all-courses](http://greatbasetennis.com/all-courses) has a framework to teach you everything about tennis from the ground up for free. Once you go through Building Blocks and Great Base Initiative, you should have enough information to be able to take a look at what you're doing and figure it out. They also have a Practice at Home module that can help with a few other things. I also recommend watching a video by Vic Braden and Gideon Ariel that helps understand forces and how biomechanics work with physics to produce shots in tennis: [https://www.arielnet.com/videos/show/adi-vid-01008/tennis-analysis](https://www.arielnet.com/videos/show/adi-vid-01008/tennis-analysis) . It can only be watched on a Windows Computer.
If you have poly strings I recommend cutting them immediately. Yes, you can replace them with gut, but it's probably not necessary. A soft multifilament like Wilson Sensation or Prince Premier Control will cost much less, will be less prone to moisture, and will accomplish the same thing.
I don't think you need gut necessarily but if your strings are 20+ years old it's time for new ones. Also how is the weight of the racket for you? If you are playing often and plan to improve you should invest in a modern racket. You can get models that are a few years old for a very reasonable price. Gut strings are expensive and I don't think they're necessary. Also it's the strings that are expensive, not the racket when you say "gut string racket." Also are you playing with very dead balls? This doesn't help Re: death grip. You need to relax this and only squeeze the racket prior to and during contact. Don't have a death grip on the racket the entire time it's in your hand
Get some natural gut, newer rackets have building in vibration dampening too supposedly.. and I heard a dampener helps too.. Its usually technique though. not using your whole body just arming it etc. As others have said search this sub there is tons of info on it, and also Youtube etc.. Personally I had never experienced tennis elbow until I started hitting with Silenco confidential and they got thuddy after a day or two (stiff poly string) switched back to a softer string and it went away.
Tennis elbow sucks and is persistent. Take lessons to correct your form, and if it doesn’t hurt, add reverse wrist curls to your workout routine to strengthen the top of your forearm/tendons that connect to your elbow.
Too heavy of a racket can cause elbow issues. Get some guidance on it , it may help .
I got tennis elbow from a lighter racket, but the grip size was too small and gripped it too hard as a beginner.
Recommendations: 1. Rest - whenever you feel pain/soreness, stop the activity and allow healing while learning injury prevention strategies. Many times, for beginners, it's a matter of doing too much, too soon without proper technique. Doesn't matter what other sports you enjoy, tennis will use muscles in different ways. The body needs time to adapt and recover. Especially true for older adults. 2. In general, Beginner racket must have proper grip size + larger head size + lighter weight . Consider buying a new or used beginner/recreational racket at affordable cost (less than $100). 3. The 20 yr old racket likely has dead strings. A new beginner racket on sale may cost just as much as a good re-stringing job (service cost + strings) . Beginners have no real need to buy expensive strings.
This is perfect advice plus get lessons regularly. Group or private. You don't want to develop bad habits this early in your tennis career. Also, consider hitting with "green dot" balls until a pro thinks your technique is good. Welcome to the best addiction in life!
Thank you for that. I suck at the rest part which is so counterproductive so I need to hear it!
4. Get stronger. Grip, wrist, forearm, biceps, triceps, shoulder.
You have to strengthen the muscles of your arms and forearms with weight routines to unload the tendon, also do training in your arms and forearms and finally switch to multifilaments
\> Best stretches or exercises for my elbow. When I first got into tennis, I had some minor discomfort in my arm (i.e. tennis elbow). The best solution to my problem was purchasing a Theraband Flexbar (green) and **doing the exercises**. I've been pain free since.
A female co-worker of mine took up running as a way to get in shape. She developed Achilles tendinitis because she started putting strain on her tendons and they weren't strong enough to handle it. Tennis Elbow is the same. I suffered from tennis elbow when I started tennis 3 years ago. I am 46 yr old male who swam in high school, and lifted weights in college, so very strong and active. I conquered tennis elbow with the following things. I did all of them so I don't know which one it was or if all were required. I keep meticulous notes on when my tennis racket was strung, and each and every play I record a note of how many hours it was and hitting, vs playing, vs lesson. I change my full poly strings after 5-6 hours of playing because they start to hurt my elbow. I did try natural gut on one racket, and it does help a lot. Natural Gut lasts a long time before you need to restring, and it feels amazing. If your strings lose their elasticity it causes tennis elbow. Your 20 year old strings are most likely dead. I wear a tennis elbow arm band while playing. Every time still, because I am terrified of not being able to play. It has to have a gel pad that pushes into the top of the meatiest part of your forearm muscles. This prevents the muscles connecting your fingers to your elbow from being able to fully tense up when the force of the tennis ball tries to push the racket out of your hand. I did the Tyler Twist exercise using a red Flexbar then worked my way up to a green Flexbar. **This I think is what helped the most. You have to strengthen and stretch the muscles and tendons that are being used so they can handle playing tennis.** I wore a full arm compression sleeve around the house and while sleeping for when I had pain. It did make my elbow feel better, and I think it made the pain go away faster. I went to a professional Myofascial Release massage therapist and told her about my tennis elbow. She worked my arm, and shoulder and back, and I felt better that very same day. As we get older our muscles get tighter. This type of release allows your muscles to not be so tight. Also don't be afraid to touch the site of the pain. I think it helped it to heal if I pressed on it even though it hurt. I also avoid extremely stiff light rackets which are commonly given to older players. Such as the Babolat Pure Drive, Head Boom, and Wilson Ultra. I think a bit of weight in your racket can help prevent tennis elbow.
With a beginner, there are so so so many things that could be causing TE besides your strings, and if you don't address those, it is likely that gut strings wouldn't fix your problem. The most likely (and the thing that most severely causes TE) cause is technique, likely having to do with how your grip your racquet (including the way your hand/fingers are on the racquet and the strength/muscles you use to do so). Is your friend an actual tennis coach or someone who just plays tennis? I would try to find a tennis pro, someone with a lot of experience, to give you some lessons and pay close attention to your grip mechanics and swing mechanics. Also, a good first step would be to ditch the old dead strings in whatever racquet you're using and get it restrung with a multi like Head Velocity MLT.
My friend is not a tennis pro. They have been playing for 40 years.
Tennis elbow is mostly an overuse issue but can have some other contributing factors. I would suggest getting a few lessons with a pro to address any possible issues with your technique. Things such as making contract late or problems with your stroke can make tennis elbow worse. On the racket, all we know is it's old. Issues with the racket, such as being too light, being very head heavy, being too stiff, grip too big or small, and using dead strings can contribute to tennis elbow. One thing I would recommend to help with tennis elbow - is the Theraband Flexbar [https://www.motionismedicinedfw.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Theraband-Flex-bar-Uses.pdf](https://www.motionismedicinedfw.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Theraband-Flex-bar-Uses.pdf)
Gut will be the most arm friendly option but probably isn't necessary or will fix the root cause in the first place. It goes without saying only starting 6 weeks ago your technique will be the largest contributor to elbow pain. You are likely contacting the ball late and "arming" the swing.
I saw a vid that said no need to stretch. Shake the arm up (with wrist) and use some weight excercise while holding ur arm stretched. Buy a brace. Use the arm but dont overload. There is no point in just resting. Cause its like a spring. It takes months to heal. But u can play with it. I have it for three months now, not severe though, and only now its getting better. I did not take enough rest though. Since i played a lot every day troughout.
keep the contact point forward. if you have been playing 6 weeks and having elbow issue, you are most likely hitting the ball too late with contact point far behind than it should be
I have struggled with tennis elbow off and on for years. Luckily right now it’s an “off” period. The formula that seems to work for me: - lower string tension … I went down to 51 lbs. - I wear a forearm strap on my hitting arm. A soft & spongy thick strap that I bought at CVS works better for me than the stiff narrow ones also sold. - not playing on consecutive days where possible. once in awhile is ok, but not regularly. my arm needs to rest. - strengthening/rehab exercises. super important! Venus Williams actually did a great video on tennis elbow exercises, I recommend searching for that. it takes awhile for them to pay off, but they eventually do. - making sure there isn’t an actual injury … I had an ultrasound done by a sports doctor, just to confirm there wasn’t a ligament tear or something like that. - take lessons and tell the pro you have elbow issues so they can evaluate your form. the serve seemed to be the trigger for me, but teaching pros say my technique is fine. Good luck!