In our imperfect world, a large amount of this Energy ends up with nowhere to go other than to
the racquet's structure, via the strings, where a certain percentage is transmitted through to your
grip, where it can travel up your arm towards the elbow. How do we stop that from happening?

The real question should be "can we stop it from happening"? Remember, we previously stated
that Tennis Elbow is not always caused by playing tennis in the first place, but once you have it,
regardless of how you got it, all you care about is "how do I make the pain go away"? We can't
stop all the energy traveling up your arm, but we certainly can reduce it. How? By starting at the
beginning. Remember, our goal is energy reduction, so every reduction we accomplish, leaves
that much less to reduce through subsequent methods we utilize. The beginning, as we put it, is
thus obviously the ball. Different balls transfer varying amounts of energy upon impact with a
racquets strings. Without bringing a lawsuit down upon ourselves, we will quote industry spec's
showing that Wilson U.S. Open Balls generate 7% more energy upon impact, than do Pro Penn's
while even the Pro Penn's generate 8% more impact energy then Dunlop Absorbers Balls. These
were developed specifically to help reduce the incidence of Tennis Elbow and they do make a
big difference. That's a reduction of either 15% or 8%. See all our balls on the Accessories page.

Next stop along the chain as the damaging energy travels towards your elbow are your strings.
While all the string makers claim to have the panacea for tennis elbow, many fall short in the
real world. In simple terms,the more elastic a string, the more energy it can store & release
back into the ball, Period! Which strings are those? We are not playing favorites here, so we
will not name any one string, rather a number of strings that are all suitable to the task at hand
Realize, that we are not taking any other factors such as cost, durability, or longevity into
account, just the ability to absorb more of the energy of the racquet / ball impact. Obviously,
those other factors must be taken into account, based upon your own individual needs.

Natural Gut is at the top of the heap in regards to elasticity. It is also the best playing string
as far as performance goes. Not all gut strings are created equal however. Differences in gauge,
twist rate and the raw material, (the intestines of cows or sheep) cause gut strings to have minor
variances between brands as well as models.

If we are asked, we will be happy to provide recommendations for your specific situational needs.

Without your input, these are our choices, of the strings that will offer the most elbow protection.
Preceeded by their elasticity rating. The lower the #, the better their ability to protect your elbow.
The range of string elasticities is 84 (The softest string available) to 981 (the stiffest string made.
We only include strings up to a rating of 204. Any higher, and you are entering Dangerous Territory!

The best string for you may not be the most elastic, if resistance to wear is part of the equation.
Players using heavy topspin can often wear out a set of strings in just a matter of hours or days.
While thinner gauge's of most strings play better, they normally break faster than thicker gauge's.
The thinner or more textured a string, the more spin it is capable of. Higher gauge #'s = thinner string.
The best string for you may also change, if the ability maintain consistant tension over time is an issue.
There are many strings not included below, that will do the job. We only created this list as a guide.

We can't rate durability due to player differences. We do list each strings tension loss in pounds, to the
right, in brackets. This is not a % tension loss, but pounds, after just a few hours of play. Realize that
the rate of this tension loss does slows down after these initial losses. Obviously, the lower the #
the better the strings ability to play consistantly over a period of time. For a more detailed, personal
recommendation on what sting may be best for you, contact us by phone or e-mail. Available strings
are listed with their prices on our String Page. Add $9.95 to price with a racquet purchase, $14.95 is
added when you send a racquet for stringing.

84. ) Unique Tourna Gut 17ga (8.75)
97. ) Pacific Nat Gut 16ga (6.86)
102) Wilson Nat Gut 16ga (by Babolat) (8.43)
102) Babolat VS Team Gut 17ga (8.45)
103) Wilson Nat Gut 17ga (by Babolat)(8.13)
105) Klip Armor Pro Gut 16ga (7.43)
105) Klip Armor Pro Gut 17ga (7.70)
105) Pacific Nat Gut 17ga (8.45)
107) Babolat VS Touch Gut 16ga (8.31
114) Prince Natural Gut 16ga (8.49)
114) Babolat Tonic+ BallFeel Gut 15L (8.94)
119) Unique Tourna Gut 16ga (9.06)
119) Babolat Tonic+ Longevity Gut 15ga (9.26)
120) BDE Performance Gut 16ga, 17ga (8.75)
122) BDE Rally Nat Gut 16ga) (8.90)
THE STRINGS ABOVE ARE ALL NATURAL GUTS

THE STRINGS BELOW ARE ALL SYNTHETICS
135) Vollmer Boris Becker Super String 16ga (9.9)
136) Head Rip Feel 17ga (15.14)
138) Iso-Speed Platinum 16L (14.54)
140) Head Rip Comfort 16ga (15.77)
143) Head Rip Feel 16ga (14.77)
144) Gamma Live Wire Professional 18ga (15.15)
145) Gamma Zyex II 16ga (12.9)
146) Prince Premier Zyex 16ga (13.25)
146) Bow Brand Zyex Super Pro 16ga (13.50)
147) Ashaway Dynamite 17ga (13.72)
152) Iso-Speed Professional 17ga (15.06)
154) Iso-Speed Control 16ga (15.43)
163) Head Rip Protect 16ga (11.57)
165) Iso-Speed Platinum 16ga (12.46)
165) Ashaway Dynamite 16ga (13.21)
168) Gamma Live Wire Professional 17ga (12.37)
171) Gamma Asterisk 17ga (14.35)
171) Gamma Asterisk Spin 16ga (12.73)
174) Gamma Live Wire Professional 16ga (13.28)
175) Gamma Prodigy 17ga (11.16)
175) Prince DNA Helix Soft Pro 16ga (11.90)
175) Prince Premier w/ Softlex 17ga (11.97)
175) Wilson Reaction 17ga (12.00)
176) Head Syngut PPS 18ga (11.93)
176) Prince Premier w/ Softlex 16ga (11.97)
177) Head Rip Tour 17ga (10.87)
178) Head Rip Control 17ga (10.25)
178) Head Rip Power 16ga (10.91)
178) Gamma Live Wire Professional Spin 16ga (11.47)
178) Prince Syngut Multifilament 17ga (16.08)
179) Gamma Asterisk 16ga (12.15)
180) Iso-Speed Energetic+ 16ga (10.41)
180) Head Perfect Power 16ga (11.84)
180) Head FiberGel Power 17ga (12.28)
181) Tecnifiber X-One Biphase 18ga (8.96)
181) Tecnifiber NRG2 18ga (9.86)
181) Wilson Reaction 16ga (11.00)
181) Head Rip Tour 16ga (11.51)
181) Gamma Prodigy 16ga( 11.67)
181) Head FXP Power 17ga (13.37)
182) Babolat Xcel Premium 17ga (10.01)
182) Wilson K-Gut Pro 16ga (10.62)
182) Gamma ESP 17ga (12.68)
182) Prince Sweet Perfection 17ga (14.0)
182) Tecnifibre 515 17ga (13.05)
183) Babolat Xcel Power 16ga (9.64)
183) Wilson K-Gut 17ga (10.94)
184) Head Rip Control 16ga (11.02)
185) Head Perfect Control 16ga (10.7)
186) Babolat Attraction Power 17ga (9.84)
186) Babolat Syntronic Brio 17ga (10.41)
186) Gamma ESP 16ga (12.64)
186) Gamma Revelation 17ga (13.08)
187) Babolat Pro Hurricane 18ga (22.29)
187) Babolat Xcel Premium 16ga (10.12)
187) Alpha Gut 2000 16ga (11.23)
187) Gamma Gut II 16ga (12.0)
187) Iso-Speed Energetic 17ga (14.64)
187) Prince Sweet Perfection 16ga (13.05)
188) Yonex Tour Super 880 Ti Soft 16L (9.77)
188) Prince Lightning XX w/Powerfoil 16ga (10.96)
188) Gamma Live Wire 17ga (13.74)
189) Tecnifibre Multifeel 16ga (9.81)
189) Babolat Attraction 16ga (10.03)
189) Head FibreGel Power 16ga (11.62)
190) Tecnifiber NRG2 17ga (9.55)
190) Yonex Tour Super 850 16ga (Gosen) (10.89)
190) Kirschbaum Touch Multifibre 17ga (11.20)
190) Head Syngut PPS 17ga (11.38)
190) Unique Tournafiber Irradiated 17ga (11.62)
190) Gamma Live Wire XP 16ga (12.04)
190) Gamma Live Wire 16ga (12.87)
190) Ashaway Syngut 17ga (14.93)
191) Gamma TNT2 RX 17ga (10.96)
191) Wilson K-Gut 16ga (11.98)
191) Gamma Live Wire XP 17ga (12.35)
191) Gamma TNT Fat Core 17ga (13.96)
192) Tecnifiber X-One Biphase 17ga (10.12)
192) Tecnifiber X-One Biphase 16ga (10.08)
192) Prince Lightning XX w/ Powerfoil 17ga (10.94)
192) Gamma TNT Pro+ 17L (12.74)
192) Kirschbaum Touch Multifibre 16ga (14.07)
193) Tecnifibre Multifeel 17ga (9.92)
193) Technifibre TRC 17ga (11.2)
193) Wilson NXT 17ga (12.99)
194) Babolat FiberTour 16ga (10.45)
194) Head FXP 17ga (10.59)
194) Prince Lightning XX 16ga (10.76)
194) Volkl Power Fiber 16ga (11.20)
194) Gamma TNT Fat Core 16ga (12.77)
194) Ashaway Liberty 16ga (12.9)
194) Tecnifibre Synthetic Gut 17ga (13.96)
195) Gamma TNT2 Ruff 16ga (11.95)
196) Yonex Tour Super 850 Pro 16ga (11.13)
196) Gamma TNT2 Pro+ 16ga (11.16)
196) Head Syngut PPS 16ga (11.69)
196) Prince Perfection 17ga (12.42)
197) Tecnifibre NRG2 16ga (8.05)
197) Babolat Syntronic Brio 16ga (10.52)
197) Forten Spin Gear 17L/15L (Variable Guage) (11.22)
197) Gamma Revelation 16ga (11.88)
197) Wilson Sensation 17ga (11.91)
198) Wilson NXT 16ga (10.69)
198) Head FibreGel 16ga (11.97)
198) Ashaway Synthetic Gut 16ga (12.12)
198) Blue Star Original 15L (13.92)
199) Wilson NXT OS 16L (10.43)
199) Tecnifibre 515 16ga (10.58)
199) Tecnifibre Promix 17ga (Polyester/Multi) (13.72)
199) Head Sonic Pro 17ga (Polyester/Multi) (23.09)
199) Dunlop Max Comfort 17ga (11.78)
200) Dunlop Max Comfort 16ga (11.07)
202) RAB/Alpha - Sensor Fibre 16ga (11.02)
202) Gamma Gut III 17ga (10.09)
203) Gamma TNT2 Rx 16ga (9.81)
203) Wilson NXT Tour 17ga (12.46)
204) Unique Tournafiber Irradiated 16ga (11.44)
204) Tecnifibre Promix 16ga (Polyester/Multi) (14.99)

The worst string for your elbow, KEVLAR (Technora) String, The stiffest is PRINCE PRO BLEND
@ (981). That means that it is over 10 times stiffer than the most elastic string, Tournagut 17ga @ (84)
There are Kevlar strings that are easier on your arm than PRO BLEND, as low as (444) still quite bad.
The next worse variety of strings are the POLYESTERS. Even the worst Polyesters are far better for
your elbow than the best of the KEVLARS, but that's not saying much! We suggest staying away!

There is an overlap, between the stiffest NYLON strings & the most elastic of the Polyester Strings.
If you must use a Polyester string, we suggest Technifiber Promix 17ga or 16ga. Avoid the rest.
While there is another Poly with good elasticity, Babolat Pro Hurricane 18ga, it's high tension loss,
almost 23 pounds, makes it a poor choice unless you are stringing your racquets on a daily basis.
The 2 gauges of the Tecnifibre Promix, both have low tension loss and are quite elastic strings too!
No matter what's printed on the package, or you have read, there are few really Soft Polyesters.
This includes all the Luxilon strings so many players think are "God's Gift to the World". The only
gift you may end up getting from such strings is a lovely case of extremely painful Tennis Elbow.
The Tecnifibre Promix & Babolat Hurricane 18ga are softer than the other Poly strings because they
are Multifilament strings, not solid Monofilament like the others. Thus they do not behave like
the others. Yes! many Pro's do use Monofilament Polyester's, to guard against breakage during a
match, but they restring their racquets each & every day!!! We doubt you want to do the same!

Do not be fooled by the claims made on string packages by manufactures, as to their providing
Tennis Elbow relief. They can say whatever they want, true or not. There is no Gov. agency that
oversees false claims in such situations. Sure, you can sue for false advertising, but only if you
demonstrate you have "damages" in a court of law, so beware of false claims on string packages.

Now that we have soft & elastic string, we need racquets less efficient at transmitting shock.
There are many racquets, incorporating mechanical (or active) systems, reducing shock levels.
Dunlop's "ISIS Grip", Head's "Suspension Grip System, or their CHIP SYSTEM RACQUETS",
Volkl's "Dual Absorber or Sensor Handle", Prince's "Cushion Grip System, Air+ Comfort Handle,
or Air Handle", and Wilson's innovative "Triad Technology". Gosen's "Sorbothane Grip System".
can be installed on any racquet. Adding it to a racquet with one of the above systems, will or course
provide an even greater amount of protection to your elbow.

There are also racquets made with absorbent Thermo-Plastic materials, not the Epoxy Resins usually
used by racquets to hold their graphite fibers together. Thermo Plastic's are poor shock transmitters.
In other words, they do not transmit shock energy as well as most racquets, made with Epoxy, do.
These include all of the Prince Vortex Series, & the Dunlop Max 200G & 300i, 400i, 500i, 800i.
The above Dunlop racquets are not the current models, but the older (Made in England) racquets,
which like the Prince Vortex's were discontinued quite a few years ago. We simply still have them.
Two of the models in the Prince Vortex racquet line employ Prince's Cushion Grip System as well!
These, the Prince Vortex Original & the Prince Vortex S.B. are simply the best at elbow protection.
The Vortex Lite & the Vortex Extender delete the Cushion Grip System, only to save on weight.
Add the Gosen Sorbothane Grip System to a Vortex or any racquet only improves the protection.

It should be clearly understood, that any specific racquet, becomes a better energy absorber as
it's weight is increased. This is not to say that any heavier racquet is better than any lighter one.
You can only compare a given racquet to itself, in regards to it's weight, with any real statistical
accuracy, but in general a heavier racquet should be considered a better energy absorber overall.

Pro Kennex Kinetic racquets, which are by the way fine tennis racquets, have been touted as being
great for Tennis Elbow. We will agree that the Kinetic (Moving Mass) System, in these racquets
may actually reduce the amount of pain felt at impact, if one already has a tennis elbow. We must
dissagree with the claims that the Kinetic System does much when it comes to reducing the initial
impact energy level, and that is where Tennis Elbow is directly generated. The Kinetic System
does a great job reducing vibration, the oscillation that a racquet head exhibits after impact. In
our opinion however, such oscillation, also known as vibration "does not cause" Tennis Elbow.
You may be sensitive to such vibrations when you have a Tennis Elbow, but remember Rule #1.
Treat the injury and it's causes. Treating the symptoms of the injury is a mistake. Your using a
Pro Kennex Kinetic Racquet, may solve your problem, if you already have a case of Tennis Elbow,
and are in need of immediate pain relief. We simply can't recommend their technology alone, as
being any real help, on your path to a cure, just as a possible pain reliever. However, realize that
using one, strung with an Elastic String, a Gosen Sorbothane Grip, along with Dunlop Absorber
Balls & possibly a Strap elbow brace, my be just the ticket, for you.

DUNLOP'S "ISIS HANDLE SYSTEM"
ISOLATES GRIP & RACQUET HEAD,WITH IT'S UNIQUE COUPLER.
Effectively reducing shock without increasing racquet weight.

HEAD' "SUSPENSION GRIP SYSTEM"
REDUCES SHOCK TRANSFER, WITH SOFT RUBBER ISOLATOR CUSHIONS.
Found in Head's Discovery/Trisys 150, Prestige Tour, Competition SG.

While not pictured, HEADS CHIP SYSTEM
utilizes an ELECTRONIC COMPUTER CHIP to cancel shock & vibration.
Found in Head's iS18, iS16 & the newest PROTECTOR models

PRINCE'S "CUSHION GRIP HANDLE SYSTEM"
REDUCES SHOCK TRANSFER, WITH A SOFT RUBBER PALLET UNDER GRIP.
Prince's 1st anti-shock handle system used in their standard weight racquets.

PRINCE MORE'S "AIR+ COMFORT HANDLE"
PROVIDES EFFECTIVE CUSHIONING, DUE TO 4 FLEXIBLE SECTIONS.
Resulting in minimal shock getting through to your hand through the grip.

PRINCE'S ADVANCED "AIR HANDLE SYSTEM"
PROVIDES EFFECTIVE CUSHIONING, DUE TO 2 FLEXIBLE SECTIONS.
Resulting in reduced shock getting through to your hand through the grip.

VOLKL'S "DUAL DAMPENING GRIP"
REDUCES SHOCK TRANSFER,WITH A SOFT RUBBER SUB-PALLET.
Volkl's first anti-shock handle system, used in the V-1 CLASSIC.

VOLKL'S "SENSOR HANDLE SYSTEM"
REDUCES SHOCK TRANSFER,WITH GEL CUSHION & EVA PALLET.
Volkl's newest active anti-shock system, used in numerous models.

WILSON'S "TRIAD RACQUET TECHNOLOGY"
SEPERATES GRIP & RACQUET HEAD,WITH ISO-ZORB CUSHIONING.
Maintains racquet Power & Control along with incredible comfort levels.
The racquet HEAD is a totally seperate structure from the racquet GRIP.

GOSEN'S "SORBOTHANE GRIP SYSTEM GRIP"
REDUCES SHOCK TRANSFER,VIA AN ADD ON TO ANY RACQUET.
The most effective (add on) energy absorbing racquet grip system we know of.
This Viscoelestic Rubber Undergrip, is an extremely effective energy absorber.
Besides absorbing energy traveling through it, this product adds additional mass,
which as we previously explained, makes any racquet more energy absorbent.
You will find the Gosen Sorbothane Grip listed on our Grip page.

An often overlooked factor contributing to the causes of Tennis Elbow is grip size & surface condition.
Normally, the larger the grip, the better, unless it becomes uncomfortable for the player to hold onto it.
It is also important that the grip's surface provides adequate adhesion properties with the player's hand.
A player with a basically dry palm, will benefit from a tacky grip surface, while someone with a sweaty
hand will benefit from a grip that provides greater water absorption and possibly a more rough surface.
While there are a multitude of tacky grip products, those requiring a more sweat resistant grip will find
only a few products that will adequately eliminate slippage problems associated with excess moisture.
Of greatest importance is that the player does not have to use excessive force, trying to hold on to their
grip. Doing so pre-tenses the arm muscles, which will contribute to shock energy traveling up the arm.
What you want, is a relaxed, comfortable grip on the racquet, not a so called "death grip"

Contrary to popular belief, so called Vibration or Shock Absorbers, have little influence pertaining
to the development of Tennis Elbow. That does not mean, that an Absorber equipped racquet can't
be more comfortable to play with & may give some pain relief to someone with Tendonitis. They
simply do not prevent elbow damage from ocuring in the first place. They will have some effect
due to the increase in the total racquet mass, so the heavier they are, the more effective.

Now for a discussion on Braces, worn on the arm during play, as they pertain to Tennis Elbow.
Braces that utilize pressure, to relieve the pain of Tennis Elbow, may be somewhat effective.
It must however be understood, that they are doing only that, relieving the pain while worn.
They do nothing to prevent the elbow damage, nor do they contribute to any healing going on.
We have found only one arm worn device directly contributing to the reduction of shock energy
reaching the elbow. It does not provide pressure generated pain relief, as do the other devices
previously mentioned. Instead, the "Strap" works by interupting the shock waves as they
are traveling up the arm towards the elbow. This is accomplished by using a Viscous Gel System.
The key to relief from Tennis Elbow pain, is allowing the tendon to heal, without re-injuring it.
All the methods and devices we have mentioned have one end result in mind, to reduce the shock
energy that is able to reach the elbow and thus causing continuing damage to the tendon tissue.
You will find the "Strap" on our Accessories page