Tennis Racquets
My top 10 list of arm-friendly racquets:
| Racquet | RDC Flex | Strung Weight | Balance |
| Babolat New Pure Storm-LTD GT (95) (click for more info) | 58 | 11.9 | -10HL |
| DUNLOP Biomimetic Max 200G (click for more info) | 62 | 11.8 | -4HL |
| Dunlop Biomimetic 200 (95) (click for more info) | 55 | 11.9 | -7HL |
| HEAD-Youtek-IG-Prestige-MP (click for more info) | 63 | 11.9 | -6HL |
| Prince EXO3 Rebel (95) (click for more info) | 58 | 12.1 | -10HL |
| Prince EXO3 Tour (100) 16 x 18 (click for more info) | 54 | 11.4 | -6HL |
| PRO KENNEX Black Ace 98 MP (click for more info) | 59 | 11.7 | -4HL |
| Volkl Power Bridge-10 Mid (93) (click for more info) | 61 | 12.1 | -8HL |
| Volkl Organix 10 325G (click for more info) | 63 | 12.1 | -7HL |
| Wilson Prostaff Six.One BLX (95) (click for more info) | 63 | 11.6 | -7HL |
*Finding a racquet that meets all of the criteria established above can be quite a daunting task, since they represent such a small percentage of the market and there are no companies that I know of that are geared toward “arm-friendly” tennis equipment.
The main characteristics that affect how “arm-friendly” your racquet is include: balance, weight, beam profile, flex/stiffness and head size. How these characteristics affect your arm are outlined below.
Balance: The more head light the better. The balance rating typically ranges from -15HL to +15HH with zero being perfectly balanced. Head Light racquets cause more of the vibration to be absorbed by the handle and less by your arm, while being much easier to control and maneuver at the net.
Weight: A heavier racquet is better. Heavier racquets absorb more of the vibration upon contact. They are more difficult to swing quickly but you can compensate for this with a head light balance, particularly for volleying at the net.
Beam Profile: A thinner beam profile is better. Thicker wide body racquet’s are usually very light and are stiffer.
Flex/Stiffness: A more flexible frame is better. A more flexible frame absorbs more of the shock on contact. Flexible racquets tend to have less power but more control, although they can be more powerful when heavier. Flex is a measurement on the Babolat RDC scale of 0-100, with a lower number meaning less stiffness, you should be looking for a racquet with a stiffness measurement at 64 or less which includes less than 10% of the modern racquets on the market.
Head Size: A smaller head size is better. The sweet spot does not get larger with an over-sized head, and an over-sized head tends to cause more off-center hits which causes more shock to your arm.
Racquet Length: A standard 27″ length is best. Longer racquets are more difficult to maneuver and are made lighter to compensate, thereby causing more shock to your arm.
In an attempt to make it easier for you I have listed my favorite racquets that are “arm-friendly” and play well. An “arm-friendly” racquet may or may not be the best racquet for you in terms of playability but you will need to balance that with the long term health of your arm if you do not want to have to limit your play due to pain. Also you can greatly change the playability of your racquet with your selection of tennis string as you can read about in our next section.
While the more flexible “arm-friendly” racquets have less power the more elastic “arm-friendly” tennis strings give you more power. A flexible racquet combined with an elastic string can give you a great balance of power, control and feel while protecting your arm.
Another concern that I have is that every racquet gets a rating for the level of player it is geared toward. Yet all of the best “arm-friendly” racquets are supposedly geared towards advanced players and all of the racquets geared towards beginners are bad for your elbow. My best advice for a beginner or intermediate is to get used to the advanced player racquets which will give you more control and save you from tennis elbow. If you need more power use a more “arm-friendly” elastic string and string it at a lower tension.
I use the Dunlop Aerogel 200 and may eventually switch to the Dunlop Biomimetic 200. I had tennis elbow for about 13 years. A flexible racquet, heavier and softer strings are all very important. When I had serious elbow problems, I had to string my racquets very loose (45 lbs), but actually string them in the high 50′s now. If I wasn’t living in S. Florida, where it is warm, and back in the Northeast, I would be using a looser tension, as the cold weather can affect my arm.
I am thinking about buying a Babo storm ltd gt for my tennis elbow and am trying to string it with elbow friendly strings. Which brand, tension or gauge strings do you recommend please? Thanks
The Babolat Pure Storm LTD is an excellent choice. It is a flexible frame, with a headlight balance and a nice weight. It meets all my criteria on this page which is why it is one of my recommended racquets. I would recommend one of the strings on this page http://tenniselbowracquet.com/tennis-string/ if you want to stick with Babolat go with either the Babolat Xcel or the Babolat Addiction or even the Babolat VS Natural if you can afford natural gut. I would string it a few pounds below the middle of the recommended range and try to gradually string it looser as you get used to it.
I think you have the RDC Flex rating for the Dunlop Biomimetic 200 wrong. The link states 60, other sites 63
You must be refering to the Dunlop Biomimetic 200 Tour which I have listed at 60 Tennisexpress also has 60 while tennis-warehouse has 61 either way it quite flexible and arm friendly.
Thanks for the helpful information.
Am thinking of getting a Prince EXO3 Team Tour 100 and would like to know what’s your take on this racquet. It’s a bit stiffer than the regular EXO3 tour (RDC 60 vs 52) but at 44, I would appreciate some free power.
Thanks
The Prince EXO3 Team Tour 100 is flexible enough. My concern would be the light weight at only 10.7 oz strung I could not consider it a true arm friendly racquet. If you where to use it I would at least want to add some lead tape.
Yeah, the Team Tour’s weight could be a concern unless some lead is placed (am a 3.5 player coming from a Babolat Pure Drive which just gave me some elbow issues).
Anyway, will take a hard look again at the regular EXO3 Tour 16×18 and some PK sticks which are also on my radar screen. Unfortunately, there is no demo program in my country so I have to rely on reviews and inputs on the net. Thanks again!
I am kinda surprised that the Wilson BLX Blade Team (2011 version) is not on the list. I am a big fan of the racket and I find it very arm friendly.
I agree that the Wilson BLX Blade Team is arm friendly due to its high flexibility but it is a bit too lightweight to be considered one of the top arm friendly racquets. If you like it and have not been having any arm problems you should stick with it for a while.
I like the Yonex RD TI 80. It is a good racket for people who suffer from tennis elbow. Let us also not forget the fact that strings play a big role in having tennis elbow. Can you please post a list of tennis elbow friendly strings? Thanks.
I agree the Yonex RD TI 80 has very arm friendly specs but it is out of production so a new model that is also very arm friendly the Yonex Vcore 95D has made my top 10 list. Also as far as arm friendly strings you can see the top 10 list at http://tenniselbowracquet.com/tennis-string/
Hi Thomas,
Thank you very much for this website – I am so glad I found it.
I am wondering why you didn’t include in your top 10 list the Yonex Ezone Xi 98.
I am under the impression that the Ezone Xi 98 is arm friendlier than the Vcore 95D.
I am very curious to know your thoughts on this.
Thank you very much again.
Thanks for your comment. I am not sure why you would say the Yonex Ezone Xi 98 is arm friendlier than the Vcore 95D. The Vcore 95D is more flexible with a flex rating of 62, a heavier frame with a strung weight of 11.8 oz and has a more head light balance of -7HL The Ezone Xi 98 has a flex rating of 67, a strung weight of 11.7oz and a head balance of -6HL. If you are currently using the Ezone Xi 98 I would consider trying the Vcore 905D, the most important factor is the stiffness of the Ezone Xi 98
Thanks for your answer – I see what you mean.
I was under the impression that a slightly lighter racquet was better for your arm – less stress.
But I am learning – thank you very much again Thomas.
I really hope you keep up your great work.
Please continue updating this Top 10 list as new racquets & strings keep coming into the market.
I am a 40 year old 3.0 player. I am struggling with tennis elbow and have been playing with the the Babolat Aeropro. Now I realize that it is not an arm-friendly racquet.
My pro shop recommended the Volgl DNX 4 and the Volgl Organix 6. Any idea which of these might be better for a 3.0 players who wants to prevent tennis elbow. I will string with natural gut and wear a brace.
Many thanks.
Between the two I would say the Volkl Organix 6 is more arm friendly because it is more flexible, also the Volkl DNX is not in production so if you can even find it, the racquet would be either used or sitting someplace for a long time. Also if you want a racquet that is very arm-friendly try and compare the others to the VOLKL Organix 10 325G Tennis Racquet, even though its recommended for the more advanced player you can string it at a low tension and use an elastic string to get some extra power.
Many, many thanks! Love this board. Everyone in our tennis club looks at it now!
Hi again Thomas,
I am wondering if you would be so kind in answering me one question:
I have studied the characteristics of all your top 10 racquets on your list here above – and my four finalists are the Babolat Pure Storm Ltd GT, the Prince EX03 Tour 100, the Dunlop Biomimetic 200 (95), and the Head Youtek IG Prestige MP.
My question is – according to your own opinion, how would you rank these four racquets in terms of arm-friendlier?
Thank you VERY much for your attention Thomas – I really appreciate it.
All 4 are such excellent choices you should probably choose based on which feels best for you. If I had to rank in order of arm-friendliest from best down my top would be the Prince EX03 Tour 100, then the Dunlop Biomimetic 200 (95), then the Babolat Pure Storm Ltd GT and finally the Head Youtek IG Prestige MP
Thank you VERY much Thomas –
Based on reviews about the Prince EX03 Tour 100 elsewhere on the web – I had also chosen it first.
Unfortunately – there are no Prince racquets for demo in Mexico City.
So I am going to go for it anyway.
Thank you very much again – and thank you for the strings’ links too
I broke my radius and ulna bones at the wrist joint a year ago. The bones were surgically repaired and have healed, but I still have significant discomfort when playing with my Head Extreme. What do think would be the best racket or two to limit pain at the wrist joint that I should demo? Before the injury I was a 4.5 player. I sincerely appreciate any advice you may have. Thank you!
Try a racquet that is very flexible like the Babolat New Pure Storm-LTD GT (95), the Prince EXO3 Rebel (95) or the Prince EXO3 Tour (100) 16 x 18 . Good luck!
Thank you! Would the Donnay XP Dual be another one I should consider?. Thanks again for advice.
Based on the specs that I see for the Donnay XP Dual I would consider it to be an arm friendly racquet due to its good flexibility. However it is not as good as the top 10 I have listed due to its lighter weight.
How about the Babolat Pure Storm Team GT. I have been playing for a year and a couple weeks after getting the Babolat Pure Drive I started developing elbow problems. I notice the Pure Storm Team has a low stiffness.
The Babolat Pure Storm Team GT is a very good racquet for your arm and much better than the Babolat Pure Drive. You should also try the BABOLAT New Pure Storm GT which has a little more weight to help absorb some more of the shock.
Hi, im 30 years old, level 5.0. I use a pure drive, and had elbow pain recently (muscle contracture, not TE).
Las week, after see this page and others, I tested the prince exo3 tour 16×18, very arm friendly but i cant get used to it. I found it hard to handle, compared to pure drive.
Yesterday I test a head speed mp, and really like it, waht do you think about this racquet about arm friendlyness??
Thanls
The pure drive is notorious for arm problems. The head speed mp is much more arm friendly though not as arm friendly as my top 10 listed. If you like the head spped mp maybe you should try the HEAD-Youtek-IG-Prestige-MP first.
Thank you! I’ll test the prestige. Another question: is there a difference between the speed ig mp (2012), vs the new one with graphene (obviously asking about my elbow). Thank you
If you are talking about the HEAD Youtek IG Speed MP 300 Tennis Racquet it is a very flexible racquet and arm friendly though a bit on the light side I would consider adding lead tape if you are going to use it
Hi Thomas,I found your explanations very interesting – I am trying to decide which of your recommended racquets to purchase. Could I ask you which of these would be your top pick, in terms of being arm friendly, if you had to put them in order?
All of my top 10 are excellent compared to the hundreds or maybe thousands of models out there. Personally I use the Prince EX03 tour.
Hello
I am playing with the Head Intelligence itour with Wilson NXT tour strings at 52lbs. I tried lower tension but started to lose control completely. I have adapted to the lower string tension quite well I have had an elbow operation for golfer’s elbow and get on okay but have to aplly ice every time I play and cannot git flat serves.
I think the Head Intelligence I tour reduced vibration quite well and think flex is about 64.
Would I notice much difference with the Prince ex03 tour 100 do you think? I am thinking the lower string tension makes more difference than the extra flex but perhaps I am mistaken.
The Head Intelligence itour actually has a 67 flex rating. The NXT string is very elastic and a very arm friendly choice by using NXT with a low tension you are really helping reduce vibration but a lower flex racquet like the Prince EX03 tour would still make a huge difference.
Hi,
I have had a horrible pain in my elbow for about 2 months. Do you have any idea how long tennis elbow takes to heal. I am down to playing once a week because I committed to a league, and I am using an arm band, however, serving and overhead shots are extremely painful. Any suggestions?
If you have a lot of pain you need to rest for a month. When you start playing again if you use one of the racquets recoomended here http://tenniselbowracquet.com/tennis-racquets/ along with one of the strings recommended here http://tenniselbowracquet.com/tennis-string/ you will be able to get back to playing pain free a lot sooner and the pain will be a lot less likely to return.
First of all congratulations and thank you for the terrific service you provide. I understand your point that a smaller headsize is better for the arm and this is probably why 6 out of your top 10 racquets are in the 93-95 square inches range. But there are many of us who won’t (or can’t) play with such small and demanding headsize racquets. Could you give us a top 10 list for mid-plus racquets (98-102 square inches) only? Between Donnay, Dunlop, ProKennex, Yonnex, Wilson, Head, Prince, Technifibre, Pacific, among others, we should be able to find at least 10 very good flexible racquets in the mid-plus category. Many thanks in advance.
For right now there is the Prince EXO3 Tour (100) 16 x 18 which is 100si the HEAD-Youtek-IG-Prestige-MP at 98si and the Volkl Organix 10 325G at 98si That is quite a good choice have you tried all of these yet?
Hello,
I started playing tennis using the Pure Drive Lite and after a couple of years, I developed severe golfers elbow. Time off, PT and home Ultrasound and stim units helped until I picked up the racquet again. I decided to switch to Avery M5 and my pain was substantially reduced. In fact, I am able to play daily. I’m finding that as much as I still enjoy the racquet, I am not getting the maneuverability or hit accuracy (as I’m getting better). Could it be the weight of the racquet, 12 3/8oz? This racquet is slightly heavier than your top 10 racquets. Will an ounce make a difference? I definitely want to pick-up my game, Should I demo the top 4 racquets you mentioned in your April 9th reply? Oh, I’m 3.0ish player and moving up. Thanks in advance.
Hi, this article is informative and really helpful in choosing “arm-friendly” racquets. I would like to ask if how arm-friendly is Wilson Prostaff SixOne BLX to beginners/intermediate players? Thanks.
The Wilson Prostaff SixOne BLX is a very arm-friendly racquet and is one of my top 10 arm friendly racquets
Hi!
I suffer from a serious tennis elbow problem (caused I suppose by Babolat Pure Drive racquet), and a local coatc recomended me to get a Head youtek IG Radical MP racquet, which I am now looking itno.
Can you please comment on this racquet, it’s playability and how good would it be for tennis elbow issue!?
Thanks a bunch!
Cheers.
I agree that the Head youtek IG Radical MP racquet would be a huge improvement over the Babolat Pure Drive. You should also consider the HEAD-Youtek-IG-Prestige-MP
I am 70 yrs old and just developed bad case of TE. I suspect it is in part due to the racquet I am using (Wilson BLX Tempest Four) which is almost on the opposite extreme of your recs. The only issue I see with changing equip is the swing speed. All of the recs suggest “fast” and I may be fast for my age but likely not so in the literal sense. Any thoughts?
I demoed the new Wilson 99 Steam (spin) which has some of the characteristics you recommend but not all. What are your feelings on this racquet?
The WILSON Tempest Four BLX definetly can cause problems for you because it is extremely lightweight. The WILSON Steam 99 Tennis Racquet would be a slight improvement but is a very stiff frame. You are right that all my recommended racquets are listed as having a fast swingspeed, however the speed that you are able to get is most influenced by a raquets swingweight so I would go through my recommended racquets and look for some of the ones with the lowest swingweights for instance I noticed that the PRINCE New EXO3 Rebel 95 has a 300 swingweight which is the same swingweight as the WILSON Tempest Four BLX
which is more important to avoid tennis elbow, a heavier racquet or a flexible racquet?
id like to choose between head microgel radical MP (11.0oz, 57 flex) and the microgel prestige MP (11.8oz, 63 flex)
my current racquet is the microgel extreme (11.2oz, 68 flex) which gave me tennis elbow after playing with it only twice.
previous racquet was prince TT scream (10.2oz, 72 flex), used this for years and never developed tennis elbow, now im using this again.
Both the head microgel radical MP (11.0oz, 57 flex) and the microgel prestige MP (11.8oz, 63 flex)
would be a huge improvement. I would have to say the flexibile frame is the most important factor for avoiding tennis elbow