The biggest problem stems from the fact that tennis racquets have gotten so unbelieveable light. This reduces the swing weight of the racquet, unfortunately this also dramatically increases the amount of force that the elbow has to resist to send the ball back over the net.
What are the characteristics of the ideal tennis racquet?
What you want is a racquet that will give you the most ball speed for the least effort, and which will not stress your elbow or shoulder (Elbow Safety and Shoulder Safety). What you don't want is to put in a lot of effort on a wild shot that wrecks your arm.The ideal racquet is:
- Heavy ( 11.4 oz or more )
- Head light
The worst racquet is:
- light ( less than 10 oz or 281 grams )
- stiff
- head heavy
Determining the weight of a racquet straightforward, most manufacturers list them. Racquet balance is also easy to determine. Most modern racquets have a open space between the head and the grip. Use a finger to attempt to balance the racquet. If the racquet is head heavy, the head will pitch forward. A head light racquet will have the handle be heavier.
Light racquet lovers argue that a light racquet allows you to swing faster. This is true, right up the the point where you hit the ball. A lighter racquet slows down dramatically when it impacts the ball. This slow down happens because there is less stored kinetic energy in the racquet. As the racquet slows down, the elbow adsorbs a massive amount of stress because it's the weakest link between the racquet and the powerful muscles of the hips and torso.
If you look at the racquets favored by the pros, you'll notice that most of them are using much heavier racquets than the more popular racquets selected by the general public. Andre Agassi uses a 13.2 oz. racquet that is 5/8 inch (5 points) head-light. Pete Sampras uses a 14 oz. racquet used a racquet with an even balance, Mark Philippoussis uses a 13.5 oz. racquet that is 3/4 inch (6 points) head-light. These tennis professionals use racquets no heavier than the old wood racquets, and even children can swing them.
To make things more complicated, many racquet manufacturers don't sell to the public the same racquet that they see their favorite player using. The pro tennis players are often using a racquet customized to their preference that is painted to look like the racquet they are paid to endorse. This is unfortunate, but something the consumer should be aware of.
If you are stillinclined to buy a light racquet, consider this: in a car accident, which would you rather be driving a compact Ford Festiva or a tractor trailer truck? The answer of course is a no brainer, the light car would get crushed like a can. While the collision of a racquet and a ball is less dramatic, the principles are the same. A heavy racquet will keep going after impact, giving the ball better pace and spin AND creating less force in the elbow.