I’ve had a lot of people ask me about the Hesacore so I will answer people’s questions here.
I got golfer’s elbow from playing Pickleball like 3 sessions in. Granted I was practicing hitting serves 100 times on day 1. I came from table tennis background where serves are a huge part of the game so naturally I wanted to get as much advantage as possible from serves early on.
But a big part of the reason I got golfer’s elbow was because my hands are big and regular default grip on the paddle was too small so I was gripping very tightly.
I learned that you are supposed to have a finger of space between your thumb and your other fingers when you are gripping the paddle. All my fingers were basically overlapping.
“Grip should be sized to fit your hand. I find the “finger test” to be easiest way to determine if grip is right. With a forehand grip, you should have a gap about an index finger wide.”
Hesacore helped me in shock absorption and also making the grip bigger.
After adding the Hesacore, I could play a lot longer without getting sore in the elbow tendon area. The vibration absorption really helps and is pretty noticeable.
My Hesacore (no overgrip) on my Vatic Prism Flash:
It’s recommended to put an overgrip over the Hesacore to protect it and make it last.
I put the Wilson Comfort Pro overgrip over it. Any overgrip will do, that’s just the one I bought:
I actually don’t mind playing with just the Hesacore without an overgrip over it, it’s a more frictiony, bumpy feel. If you want less of that hexagonal feel, get the smaller pink Hesacore and put two layers of overgrip.
If you want more of that feel, get the harder grey carbon Hesacore.
If you add Hesacore and a bunch of overgrips, it’ll weigh more at the bottom, so you might realize that you don’t need to add lead tape at the bottom of your paddle if you were thinking about doing that.
With just the Hesacore, it’s typically lighter than your paddle’s default grip.
One of the biggest advantage and least talked about advantages for hesacore is that you can use it over and over again. Once you are done with the paddle, you can take it off and put it on your next paddle.
Which makes the $24-$29 price not bad actually because it’s like a buy it for life situation.
Putting on Hesacore: Process
The old way of putting on with the plastic strips sucked. It would take anyone at least 30 mins to put on. That was my only hesitation when recommending Hesacore. Other comfort replacement grips for tennis elbow / gel grips simply were way easier to put on.
Good news is, Ed Ju found a super easy way to put on. It’s actually even easier to apply than a traditional replacement grip. You just need to put the Hesacore in warm water and then slide it on. Here is his video on it: https://youtu.be/hzImjWD78cg?t=213
Hesacore varieties
They all come in small or medium size. Except for pink which only comes in extra small.
White Hesacore – The original Hesacore. Comes in small and medium size.
Elongated Hesacore – This is the white hesacore with longer length for longer handle paddles.
Pink Hesacore – comes in extra small. For people who do not want thick grips. This is one of the more popular varieties I have seen on the court. For both men and women.
Carbon Hesacore aka Charcoal – Stiffer hesacore. Comes in small and medium.
Gel Hesacore aka Light Blue – made up of gel, designed to reduce vibrations even more. This is the softest version and best if you have tennis or golfer’s elbow. Comes in small and medium thickness sizes.
100% Made In Italy
If you are touching the handle all day and then touching your face to wipe off sweat, etc, you probably don’t want the material to be made in china by a sketchy manufacturer.
Some concerns people have on Hesacore:
They say it makes switching grips harder. Is this true?
I think it depends on the person, for me it didn’t affect me either way. For some people they say it made switching easier because they can feel and tell exactly where their fingers need to be.
You can try the Hesacore on other people’s paddles and see if it affects you one way or the other.