Volkl Cyclone 16g hurting my arm. Any advice?

[Kenzik]

Hey guys. I'm currently using Volkl Cyclone 16g strung at 56lbs in a O3 Speedport Black(stiffness rating of 70). After playing with it for a while, it's started to hurt my arm. This is the first time a poly has ever given me arm problems. I played with a racquet with a 62 stiffness rating using Volkl Cyclone 17g and many other polys before and I didn't have any problems with that. As of now, I'm not having any troubles hitting the ball and I feel like I could go up a gauge and down the tension a little more. I feel like I strung it too high since I was afraid I would not be able to control my shots. In my O3 Black, I've only tried one string, Volkl Cyclone 16g, and that's because it's a new racquet. I'm thinking about trying Genesis Hexonic as I've used that string before and it was pretty soft to me.

My questions is, how much of a difference in stiffness rating is that? Is 8 points in stiffness rating a really big jump? And how much of a difference will dropping the tension make? Will 2 or 3 lbs be a noticeable difference in terms of softness and arm-friendliness? How about 5 lbs? Thanks in advance!

 

[Bartelby]

If you're already around or under fifty it might not make a difference, but if around 60 then yes.

Stiffness ratings are a general guide, but qualitative reviews are better.

 

[Kenzik]

Thanks for your input Bartelby!

 

[SteveI]

Hey guys. I'm currently using Volkl Cyclone 16g strung at 56lbs in a O3 Speedport Black(stiffness rating of 70). After playing with it for a while, it's started to hurt my arm. This is the first time a poly has ever given me arm problems. I played with a racquet with a 62 stiffness rating using Volkl Cyclone 17g and many other polys before and I didn't have any problems with that. As of now, I'm not having any troubles hitting the ball and I feel like I could go up a gauge and down the tension a little more. I feel like I strung it too high since I was afraid I would not be able to control my shots. In my O3 Black, I've only tried one string, Volkl Cyclone 16g, and that's because it's a new racquet. I'm thinking about trying Genesis Hexonic as I've used that string before and it was pretty soft to me.

My questions is, how much of a difference in stiffness rating is that? Is 8 points in stiffness rating a really big jump? And how much of a difference will dropping the tension make? Will 2 or 3 lbs be a noticeable difference in terms of softness and arm-friendliness? How about 5 lbs? Thanks in advance!

Yes moving from a frame with an RA of 62 to the Prince Speedport Black for sure could be causing the pain. The Prince Speedport Black is one stiff frame and the combination with Cyclone 16 would produce a stiff string bed. I would move to the 17G version or drop the tension of the 16G... or hybrid the 16G with a nice soft slick syn gut. I would go 50/48 on the hybrid if it was me. I have played the Prince Speedport Black and it plays stiffer than 70 RA IMO. Good luck and protect that arm.

 

[eidolonshinobi]

String lower...not enough people know that poly needs to be strung lower.

 

[SteveI]

String lower...not enough people know that poly needs to be strung lower.

Indeed... I used to string my poly hybrids in the upper 50s.. now I am down in the very low 50s. I know some folks here are in the 40s and some in the 30s. The extra power, feel and comfort you get out of reduced tension is wonderful and so much easier on the arm. Some of co-polys on the market these days are stiffness ratings about the same as syn gut and are playable longer for me since I tend to break syn gut under 8 hours. I get 12-15 hours out of my poly hybrids.

 

[Korso]

String it at 45lbs. This will soften up the string bed. Stringing with a soft cross in a hybrid will help out too.

 

[NLBwell]

The Black is a very stiff racket.

 

[SteveI]

The Black is a very stiff racket.

It is one of stiffest I have ever played. Plays over the 70 RA IMO. Some frames play under their listed RA... not this one. I wonder how stiff it would play with standard grommets?

 

[Sander001]

Cyclone 16 is above average in stiffness for a poly.
If you wish to stay with Cyclone, try the 17 gauge again.
Or if you want to remain 16 gauge, try a softer one like Yonex Poly Tour Pro or Sonic Professional.

 

[Rabbit]

just another vote for low tension. the thicker the gauge, the lower your tension should go. i'm stringing in the upper 40s now, 47/44.

 

[v-verb]

Indeed... I used to string my poly hybrids in the upper 50s.. now I am down in the very low 50s. I know some folks here are in the 40s and some in the 30s. The extra power, feel and comfort you get out of reduced tension is wonderful and so much easier on the arm. Some of co-polys on the market these days are stiffness ratings about the same as syn gut and are playable longer for me since I tend to break syn gut under 8 hours. I get 12-15 hours out of my poly hybrids.

I string poly at 35 lbs and love it! No arm pains, more spin, better ball pocketing and feel.

First serves have less pop but both first and second serves have more spin so I'm actually getting more points on my serve.

I did buy a Pro Staff already strung with Klip gut at 55 lbs and did not have any problems at all - I guess due to gut's elasticity.

But poly - definitely string lower

 

[fuzz nation]

I wouldn't expect your arm to start feeling better unless you make a significant change. Switch to a softer string for a while (at least a couple of weeks) to see whether things cool out for you - that means no poly, even in a hybrid layout. Yes, you've made a significant jump in racquet stiffness.

You'd probably be smart to also do some therapy, strengthening, etc. to stack the odds more in your favor. Massage, icing, exercising... Pretty sure there's plenty of guidance around here along those lines.