So I decided to try arm bracers after my tennis buddy kept raving about ’em. Grabbed a cheap pair from the sports store – looked like fancy sweatbands with plastic bits. Tossed ’em on before warmups. Felt awkward at first, like wearing oven mitts to play piano.
First 20 minutes of practice was all adjustment:
- Tightened the velcro until my forearms felt squeezed
- Kept fussing with the positioning during serves
- Overcompensated my swings like a robot
But halfway through drills, magic happened. When returning fast volleys, my wrists stopped wobbling. Hit five backhands in a row dead-center of the racket. That NEVER happens. Even my coach yelled “Since when you got cannon arms?”
Post-session discovery: Zero elbow ache. Normally I’d be popping ibuprofen like candy. Also noticed when I took ’em off, my arms felt floaty and light. Like after taking heavy ski boots off – sudden freedom but weirdly weaker.
Downsides? Sweat puddles inside the bracers made ’em slippery. And when I missed shots, the plastic clips dug into my wrist bones. Still won’t wear ’em for casual games – feels like cheating at mini-golf.
Final takeaway: Good for injury-prone folks like me whose joints crackle like popcorn. Wouldn’t expect superhero gains, but for smashing through plateaus? Heck yeah. Next test: Weightlifting with these babies.