[Doggie Dude]

I have been injured for more years that I care to remember.

Basically my shoulder has gone and I can't serve properly any more. I can do a slow serve but no serve = no game so I quit.

My problem is that my local club still keep ringing me to play in matches, I turned out for them a couple of times this year and despite a large gut and no serve I won all my matches comfortably.

My forearm now hurts like hell and I have had to let them down for playing out the rest of the season. My shoulder doesn't hurt but I don't have the full range of movement.

I've tried pretty much everything to fix my shoulder and have come to terms with the fact that it will never be right again.

I would however like to play a bit longer as tennis gets me off the sofa and running about.

My question is this, I have been using a 340g Wilson prostaff now for about 15 years and was wondering if a lighter racket might help me. I mean That racket was good for me when I was young and fit but now I feel it may do more harm that good.

Anybody got an opinion as to if a lighter racket may help and if so any recommendations? My play leve was reasonably good and whilst I couldn't beat the lower echelons of the pro ranks my game certainly didn't look out of place in that company.

[yellowboy906]

sorry i couldn't help you because i'm trying to come back from a back injury myself. will somebody help both of us out if you can? ok, i hurt my back a year and a half ago. i ran full speed trying to track down a ball. while i was running full speed, my head began to drop forward and i lost balance. i fell down with my back crashing to a pole fence kind of thing but my back hit the pole straight on while i was down. the impact was pretty big cause i'm pretty fast and reckless kind of player. actually, i consider myself the fastest in my park. i have been swimming for the last seven months almost everyday, at least 5 days a week cause people told me swimming is good for my back. did some stationary bike the last month but just 3 days a week cause i don't wanna lose too much weight cause i'm trying to gain weight. but when i play tennis, i still feel uncomfortable when i play an intense rally. ok, my question is can you swim before playing tennis? cause i tried it before and my back feels great. but someone i know who is a trainer told me that if i keep doing that, it's like a drug. i'll always have to rely on swimming when i play tennis and that's not good. please tell me if that is true and what can i do to get back my lightning speed. people rarely hit winners against me before the injury, now i lost my explosiveness. somebody please help me and the OP. thanks.

[yellowboy906]

i guess nobody care about us. might as well jump off the window.

[HKz]

Originally Posted by Doggie Dude

I have been injured for more years that I care to remember.

Basically my shoulder has gone and I can't serve properly any more. I can do a slow serve but no serve = no game so I quit.

My problem is that my local club still keep ringing me to play in matches, I turned out for them a couple of times this year and despite a large gut and no serve I won all my matches comfortably.

My forearm now hurts like hell and I have had to let them down for playing out the rest of the season. My shoulder doesn't hurt but I don't have the full range of movement.

I've tried pretty much everything to fix my shoulder and have come to terms with the fact that it will never be right again.

I would however like to play a bit longer as tennis gets me off the sofa and running about.

My question is this, I have been using a 340g Wilson prostaff now for about 15 years and was wondering if a lighter racket might help me. I mean That racket was good for me when I was young and fit but now I feel it may do more harm that good.

Anybody got an opinion as to if a lighter racket may help and if so any recommendations? My play leve was reasonably good and whilst I couldn't beat the lower echelons of the pro ranks my game certainly didn't look out of place in that company.

You can't see a chiropractor or doctor for this? I have hurt my back a few times from over practicing and pinched a couple nerves to the point where it feels like a needle puncturing my lungs. Each time I had a problem, I went to my chiropractor and every time I was able to get fixed in no time. Using a lighter racket will not necessarily help you with your problem. I really recommend seeing a very good and highly rated chiropractor, they work wonders and if you have good insurance, it is very cheap. My copay is only 15 dollars per visit.

[garfunkel3008]

you can try a lighter racket and see if it suits you.

[Fed Fan]

I can get quite bad elbow problems and changed to the Wilson Six One Team because of this. The frame is lighter and less stiff, though the tighter string pattern means you don't really feel how flexible the frame actually is. Its lighter mass means it's an agile racquet around the net, but it still possesses a hell of a lot of control. The racquet does lack a bit of plough through from the back of the court though. That said, you could add a bit of lead tape to improve things, while still enjoying the flexibility of the frame. If you hit the ball flat, the 18/20 string pattern is nice, although it still produces a little more topspin than you'd expect. So, yeah, the Six One Team is worth a try.

Beware of the trap I fell into when switching racquets. I got it into my head that the racquet was causing all sorts of problems with my game. I completely lost confidence to play my aggressive, all-court game, especially with the forehand. Anyway, I went back home to Northern Ireland, played on my favourite surface and my forehand was instantly better. I rebuilt my confidence over a few weeks and my forehand is a pretty good shot again (although it's not quite got the same sting as it used to with the older racquet), so the racquet was not as big an issue as I thought. It was mainly in my mind.