18x20 make OHBH difficult?

[Hawbolt]

Hey TT, new to the forums.

I just got a simple question, do dense 18x20 patterns typically make OHBHs harder to hit? I'm thinking about investing in a few 93's with an 18x20, but after demoing them, I found I was botching my OHBH, and my BH slice more than usual.

Is this common for 18x20s?

Thanks for your input

 

[ClintimusPrime]

Why would you want to invest in them if you hit worse when playing with them?

 

[Hawbolt]

Sorry... should have mentioned my forehand was very lethal, and made me into a much more aggressive player. (Which I want)

 

[eman resu]

maybe its the larger headsize comparing to your 85. For most players a 93 18x20 should be perfect for a 1hbh, unless, IMO, it's too stiff or overtensioned.

 

[themitchmann]

You also might a few more hits to get used to the difference in the way the racquet moves through the swing.

 

[floydcouncil]

Hey TT, new to the forums.

I just got a simple question, do dense 18x20 patterns typically make OHBHs harder to hit? I'm thinking about investing in a few 93's with an 18x20, but after demoing them, I found I was botching my OHBH, and my BH slice more than usual.

Is this common for 18x20s?

Thanks for your input

I find that darker coloured cosmetic frames creates an illusion right at contact on my OHBH and makes it slightly, ever so, late.

Any opinions?

Is this common for 18x20s?

 

[tennixpl]

what did you have and what did you go to, Prestige or blade.

denser will tend to snap back less which reduces spin and launch angle of racquet frame. this is good to keep balls low but bad for producing spin, you might need to compensate and change your string setup. though this will invariably change how well you aer hitting your forehand too.

 

[hersito]

If anything a dense pattern should help more with a OHBH because you have way more control than open patterns, maybe its just not the stick for you.

 

[Ramon]

If anything a dense pattern should help more with a OHBH because you have way more control than open patterns, maybe its just not the stick for you.

I agree. I started playing when they still had wooden racquets with 65 sq in head size and 18 x 20 patterns. My OHBH was my best stroke growing up, and I could hit with topspin or slice. I always found the topspin backhand easier with smaller heads and closed string patterns. The slice is something I could hit with anything.

 

[Hawbolt]

Thanks for the replies everyone. The one i'm looking at is the blade 93. I think a big part is that I've been getting lazy with thin gauges and open string patterns, which allow me to pull up more on the BH and almost drag the ball up using the strings. The 18x20 doesn't dig as deep, and so I have to learn to hit it at a different angle and apply more spin. At least this is what I'm guessing now...

 

[Say Chi Sin Lo]

... I've hit my 1hander for a decade (from learning the stroke to actually mastering it as best as I could) with a Prestige Mid (i.Prestige and PC600), which are really ~89.5sq in with 18x20 pattern.

Why would it be more difficult again? If you can't hit a certain a stroke, it's not the racquet, you just have to work at it.

 

[movdqa]

I've hit with various-sized frames from 65 to 106 and I think that it's a little harder to get as much precision on the OHBH with larger frames but you adapt over time. The string pattern may make a small different but, again, you adapt. That's the problem with demos - it's just a first look - and you need to spend some time with a frame to see if it's really for you. Though I find that I can adapt to most frames, as long as they are not too stiff.

 

[BreakPoint]

More likely it's because your current racquet is the PS 85. Hard to match that racquet for 1HBH, especially with a bigger and lighter one.

 

[THE FIGHTER]

is the new racquet of a different weight or balance? that makes a noticeable difference for me at least.

 

[Hawbolt]

Hey breakpoint, how do you feel the pro staff ROK 93 compares to the PS85, the PST90 and the K90s?

 

[mmk]

We managed to hit 1HBH with 65 sq in 18X20 racquets for decades.

 

[BreakPoint]

Hey breakpoint, how do you feel the pro staff ROK 93 compares to the PS85, the PST90 and the K90s?

The ROK is a pretty good racquet, but I'd say the PS 6.0 85 and the K90 are slightly better. The PST90 is a tad too cumbersome sometimes and a bit too stiff.

 

[Hawbolt]

The ROK is a pretty good racquet, but I'd say the PS 6.0 85 and the K90 are slightly better. The PST90 is a tad too cumbersome sometimes and a bit too stiff.

Thanks for the reply. Also, What about the two different versions of the rok? Is one of them much better?

 

[BreakPoint]

Thanks for the reply. Also, What about the two different versions of the rok? Is one of them much better?

Do you mean the two different head sizes? I've only ever played with the 93 version.

 

[Hawbolt]

I read somewhere that there was an older and newer version of the 93, one of which was 10 grams lighter and supposedly not as good

 

[tata]

I think the specs of the racquet matter more than the string pattern. Probably the last thing to really consider. If anything it will make your strokes on bboth wings feel more boardy on contact with less spring and pop off the strings. It will depend on how you hit - spinny or relatively flat.