cyclone 19 g strings. am I crazy or is it hard to hit flat with these strings

[minconti]

I love the cyclone 19 for every shot except my backhand which I hit flat as a pancake. my balls barely go over the net. I was using lux ace big banger and love it on my backhand but not as great on volleys and forehand. I hit with a lot of topsin on my forehand. can someone help? I have no idea what's going on or I'm just crazy

 

[Humbi_HTX]

Did you keep the same reference tension from the previous string job?

You may want to look at your BH swing, hitting it "flat like a pancake" could mean that your swing is too horizontal and when the strings does not help you with power, the ball ends in the net.

 

[minconti]

yes same tension same stringer.

yes I definitely have more of a horizontal swing on the backhand and a much larger vertical swing on the forehand. actually I got a ton of power with my flat backhand. my bread and butter was my flat backhand with the lux ace big banger. I'm trying to figure out why I can't do the same with the cyclone because the cyclone is so much better for all my other shots.

 

[aaron_h27]

I love the cyclone 19 for every shot except my backhand which I hit flat as a pancake. my balls barely go over the net. I was using lux ace big banger and love it on my backhand but not as great on volleys and forehand. I hit with a lot of topsin on my forehand. can someone help? I have no idea what's going on or I'm just crazy

Thinner gauge strings reduce twist weight (less weight in the head) which improves spin/maneuverability on the forehand but gives up stability on the backhand. You have to find a compromise.

try adding some weight at 3 & 9 on your racket. a few grams should be fine.

 

[minconti]

Thinner gauge strings reduce twist weight (less weight in the head) which improves spin/maneuverability on the forehand but gives up stability on the backhand. You have to find a compromise.

try adding some weight at 3 & 9 on your racket. a few grams should be fine.

do you think the cyclone 17g would make the difference? I really like the feel of a lighter racket to really swing thru

 

[Humbi_HTX]

Do you have a similar frame you could string with cyclone 17g? It has been a while since I play with BB but I do not recall VC to be a powerful or elastic feeling kind of string. There is also VCTour as an option, just not in 19g.

 

[SteveI]

Do you have a similar frame you could string with cyclone 17g? It has been a while since I play with BB but I do not recall VC to be a powerful or elastic feeling kind of string. There is also VCTour as an option, just not in 19g.

Volkl Cyclone 19G is very soft, powerful and a spin monster compared to say the 16 and 17 in black which tend to be firm and deader for sure. I am regular user of VC 19G and it is a really nice string but is the best is say a Blade 98 18 x 20 or Prestige 18 x 20. 19G is also pretty durable for a 19G. The 17G or the 16G would be a great test. All the VC strings are great for spin production.. The VC 19G is off the charts.

 

[SteveI]

I never had any issue moving to this string as the OP is describing.. but I tend to loop my shots and have decent shape on my BH.

 

[minconti]

Volkl Cyclone 19G is very soft, powerful and a spin monster compared to say the 16 and 17 in black which tend to be firm and deader for sure. I am regular user of VC 19G and it is a really nice string but is the best is say a Blade 98 18 x 20 or Prestige 18 x 20. 19G is also pretty durable for a 19G. The 17G or the 16G would be a great test. All the VC strings are great for spin production.. The VC 19G is off the charts.

so then what do I do if my forehand has lots of spin and backhand is very flat? and my backhand is my best shot. id hate to give that up but dam the spin on all the other shots are so amazing ugh

 

[Steve Huff]

If you like the string, raise the tension a few pounds. Were you using 19g Big Banger?

 

[Fireball]

I love the cyclone 19 for every shot except my backhand which I hit flat as a pancake. my balls barely go over the net. I was using lux ace big banger and love it on my backhand but not as great on volleys and forehand. I hit with a lot of topsin on my forehand. can someone help? I have no idea what's going on or I'm just crazy

Maybe you hit with a very low arch but still get so much spin that the ball goes short or in the net. If you hit short and it's not caused by a weak shot it sounds obvious that it has to be the spin that drags the ball down.

 

[WYK]

Volkl Cyclone 19G is very soft, powerful and a spin monster compared to say the 16 and 17 in black which tend to be firm and deader for sure. I am regular user of VC 19G and it is a really nice string but is the best is say a Blade 98 18 x 20 or Prestige 18 x 20. 19G is also pretty durable for a 19G. The 17G or the 16G would be a great test. All the VC strings are great for spin production.. The VC 19G is off the charts.

I run the VC 18GL/115 in my Blade 18X20. It's great for groundstrokes, but is actually low on spin compared to TourBite 120 using 115 VC(Non T) in the crosses.
But the control is amazing for such a thin string(115 vc).
I tried 19G VCT in an open pattern and I couldn't control the slice or flat shots, but top spin was insane. It was just so lively and made the racquet unstable(Ezone 98).
I might get some to try in my 18X20 blade, though.

 

[Sardines]

I love the cyclone 19 for every shot except my backhand which I hit flat as a pancake. my balls barely go over the net. I was using lux ace big banger and love it on my backhand but not as great on volleys and forehand. I hit with a lot of topsin on my forehand. can someone help? I have no idea what's going on or I'm just crazy

Sorry that makes no sense unless your stroke has changed when you switched? If VC19 is less powerful, and/or has a lower launch angle than your present string, then it should affect all strokes the same way. I'm not familiar with Ace Big Banger, so if it's stiffer than VC19, adjust the contact angle? Obviously the strings are different, so trying to hit the same way will result in slightly different results. There will always be a bit of an adjustment with new variables. I suspect the rest of your game got a boost or at least wasn't noticeably detrimental as your "bread and butter" backhand. If it's one stroke, it's probably the execution and not the string.

I tried 19G VCT in an open pattern and I couldn't control the slice or flat shots, but top spin was insane. It was just so lively and made the racquet unstable(Ezone 98).

There isn't a VCT19g (1.1mm) but there is a 18g (1.2mm).

 

[High Lama]

Which color do you use? I use cyclone 19 gauge in orange and love it. I tried the black color in 18 gauge and couldn’t play with it. You can try cyclone in 18 gauge as a compromise. The black was significantly inferior to the other colors lol.

 

[WYK]

Sorry that makes no sense unless your stroke has changed when you switched? If VC19 is less powerful, and/or has a lower launch angle than your present string, then it should affect all strokes the same way. I'm not familiar with Ace Big Banger, so if it's stiffer than VC19, adjust the contact angle? Obviously the strings are different, so trying to hit the same way will result in slightly different results. There will always be a bit of an adjustment with new variables. I suspect the rest of your game got a boost or at least wasn't noticeably detrimental as your "bread and butter" backhand. If it's one stroke, it's probably the execution and not the string.



There isn't a VCT19g (1.1mm) but there is a 18g (1.2mm).

Ahh it must have been VC then, as it was def 110. I was using 110 crosses in my Blade 18X20 and tried the left overs in a few more open string racquets.

BTW, I think I forgot to add earlier for the OP that a good reason to use some of the VCT strings is they are quite soft for a poly strung at softer tensions.