Can't Stop Breaking Strings

ufg8r

ufg8r

New User
Hey guys, I'm a pretty serious junior player with a huge string breaking problem. I play around 2-3 hours every day, and I break strings at least every other day. I've tried so many different polys, and nothing seems to solve the problem. I currently play with Genesis Typhoon, and with a recent ankle injury, I have a few weeks off where I can look at some new strings. I'm just looking for suggestions on extremely durable string because nothing seems to cut it for me. I've tried spin-x, rpm, revenge, pro hurricane, alu power, savage, etc... None of those seem to last me more than a couple of days so any advice would be appreciated.
 
Kevlar. Kevlar strings are really going to be your friend here. Very rarely do I see someone break Kevlar after a few days. :)

-Fuji
 
You're breaking poly strings every other time you play. Hell, you're breaking ALU and Revenge every other time you go out. Are the balls covered in razors?
 
Are stringing a hybrid or entire poly? How thick are the strings? I have found that hybrids are more durable since there is less notching of the strings. I would try a slicker poly and go to a 15L for more durability, but there are only a couple of Luxilon, Prince Beast, and Technifibre black code (my favorite). I would try a soft, durable cross, like Babolat N.Vy. The guys on my team swear by it. It rarely breaks and they have significantly increased their durability while increasing feel.

Kevlar is obviously a second option. Personally, I hate it. It kills your arm and lacks a lot of the benefits of the poly (sliding of the strings that aid in spin) while only being about 10-20% more durable.

The last option would be changing your racquet to a denser pattern. The more open the pattern the more stress on the strings. A dense pattern (18x20) should significantly increase string life vs. an open pattern (16x18).
 
Last edited:
ufg8r said:
Hey guys, I'm a pretty serious junior player with a huge string breaking problem. I play around 2-3 hours every day, and I break strings at least every other day. I've tried so many different polys, and nothing seems to solve the problem. I currently play with Genesis Typhoon, and with a recent ankle injury, I have a few weeks off where I can look at some new strings. I'm just looking for suggestions on extremely durable string because nothing seems to cut it for me. I've tried spin-x, rpm, revenge, pro hurricane, alu power, savage, etc... None of those seem to last me more than a couple of days so any advice would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

I had similar issue and switched to Kevlar main and ALU Rough. This combo allowed me to last 6 hours (of good performance) then the Kevlar would start to unravel and the poly goes dead. Eventually, the Poly will break but I can see the unraveling way beforehand. I can use it if I swing fast to maintain control.

Now, for whatever reason, the ALU is breaking after four hours so I'm looking for an alternative poly that would last longer, like 6 hours. That would be a 50% increase in durability. My current set up was durable for about 1 year until my swing changed (probably due to a back injury). Until recently, I think the Kevlar/Poly set up is great so maybe you can give it a try.
 
ufg8r said:
Hey guys, I'm a pretty serious junior player with a huge string breaking problem. I play around 2-3 hours every day, and I break strings at least every other day. I've tried so many different polys, and nothing seems to solve the problem. I currently play with Genesis Typhoon, and with a recent ankle injury, I have a few weeks off where I can look at some new strings. I'm just looking for suggestions on extremely durable string because nothing seems to cut it for me. I've tried spin-x, rpm, revenge, pro hurricane, alu power, savage, etc... None of those seem to last me more than a couple of days so any advice would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

Do you by chance attend Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters???
 
Try hitting the sweetspot instead of shanking, that should make the strings last longer.

Seriously. Even my trainer doesn't break strings more than a few times a year.
 
Rorsach said:
Try hitting the sweetspot instead of shanking, that should make the strings last longer.

Seriously. Even my trainer doesn't break strings more than a few times a year.
Click to expand...

Know a player who cannot get more than 5-6 hrs on a set. Strings weekly and does not have a machine.
 
Rorsach said:
Try hitting the sweetspot instead of shanking, that should make the strings last longer.

Seriously. Even my trainer doesn't break strings more than a few times a year.
Click to expand...
I keep saying this in every thread but keep getting mocked. Off center shots make stringbeds cry.
 
if you string poly too tight it loses it's elasticity and kills the string. If you string 30-40lbs then you should be able to hit bricks with it and not break it. It's when you string it too tight it becomes more brittle.
 
What is exactly the problem? if the problem is the money you have to spend in strings and labor maybe you should try to get an sponsorship, that should make things easier on your pocket, or buy a cheaper poly. On the other hand what racquet are you using? those Oport prince racquets eat string faster than others.
 
Rorsach said:
Try hitting the sweetspot instead of shanking, that should make the strings last longer.

Seriously. Even my trainer doesn't break strings more than a few times a year.
Click to expand...

Uh... you have to stop feeling threatened by those who break strings more frequently. Yes, you can break string if you shank at the grommet. I've done this exactly once in my life with a borrowed racket. My strings break in the middle of the racket. The last two have been perfectly dead center on the cross and fifth cross from the top. That is a centered as optimal as you can be. The funny thing is the closer it is to the sweet spot center, the fast the break. I know plenty of other players, some are juniors who are not physically large and you would never think by looking at them that they could break full poly in 2-4 hours but they do.
 
dennis10is said:
Uh... you have to stop feeling threatened by those who break strings more frequently. Yes, you can break string if you shank at the grommet. I've done this exactly once in my life with a borrowed racket. My strings break in the middle of the racket. The last two have been perfectly dead center on the cross and fifth cross from the top. That is a centered as optimal as you can be. The funny thing is the closer it is to the sweet spot center, the fast the break. I know plenty of other players, some are juniors who are not physically large and you would never think by looking at them that they could break full poly in 2-4 hours but they do.
Click to expand...
If I felt threatened by those who break strings, then I should be threatened by myself. I used to shred strings in high school like no one's business. I'm now hitting so much heavier that it doesn't really compare, and will literally shred strings to a fluff instead of just snap them like I used to. I've watched college players go through entire matches with hybrids switching between two racquets just to let the grip dry without a single break. I sat in Cincinnati watching Berdych play his entire match changing sticks once, only because the tension had dropped (I'm assuming, but no break). Think about all of the times you watch professional tennis on television and see players going to their bags because they broke a string. They switch racquets because the playability has dropped.

Breaking strings is not a sign of a hard hitter, or hitting with a lot of spin. There are so many factors to consider here. To me, as a player and moreover as a stringer, people who bring me broken poly stringbeds is less impressive than someone who has a perfectly shredded center of the racquet face. A kid I string for broke Scorpion/gut in two outings. These two outings were college tennis courses: literally a class you can take here where you play tennis for an hour or so. He broke the Scorpion by completely notching it to nothing. I hit with him to see just how he'd done it and let's just say he was getting his money's worth by using all of the racquet that he bought. Another girl I string for played tennis at a D2 school on a scholarship as an undergrad before coming here for grad school. She only plays full syn gut. She breaks strings about once a month, using two frames regularly.
 
pvaudio said:
If I felt threatened by those who break strings, then I should be threatened by myself. I used to shred strings in high school like no one's business. I'm now hitting so much heavier that it doesn't really compare, and will literally shred strings to a fluff instead of just snap them like I used to. I've watched college players go through entire matches with hybrids switching between two racquets just to let the grip dry without a single break. I sat in Cincinnati watching Berdych play his entire match changing sticks once, only because the tension had dropped (I'm assuming, but no break). Think about all of the times you watch professional tennis on television and see players going to their bags because they broke a string. They switch racquets because the playability has dropped.

Breaking strings is not a sign of a hard hitter, or hitting with a lot of spin. There are so many factors to consider here. To me, as a player and moreover as a stringer, people who bring me broken poly stringbeds is less impressive than someone who has a perfectly shredded center of the racquet face. A kid I string for broke Scorpion/gut in two outings. These two outings were college tennis courses: literally a class you can take here where you play tennis for an hour or so. He broke the Scorpion by completely notching it to nothing. I hit with him to see just how he'd done it and let's just say he was getting his money's worth by using all of the racquet that he bought. Another girl I string for played tennis at a D2 school on a scholarship as an undergrad before coming here for grad school. She only plays full syn gut. She breaks strings about once a month, using two frames regularly.
Click to expand...

I give up on this endless repetitive posting where if you break strings often you must suck because you can't hit the ball in the center.

Why don't people stick to give recommendation about "string" not criticize people for "lack of ability".

Let's try this... assume that I'm a lame assed tennis player, and because of it I break strings, I'm asking about strings so tell me what strings to try and refrain from telling me that I need to change my strokes.
 
dennis10is said:
I give up on this endless repetitive posting where if you break strings often you must suck because you can't hit the ball in the center.

Why don't people stick to give recommendation about "string" not criticize people for "lack of ability".

Let's try this... assume that I'm a lame assed tennis player, and because of it I break strings, I'm asking about strings so tell me what strings to try and refrain from telling me that I need to change my strokes.
Click to expand...

Well, that's the problem. In the scenario you just presented, the strings aren't the problem. It would be irresponsible to tell you to go spend money on strings when the long-term solution to the problem would be more time on the practice court...
 
The Djoker said:
Well, that's the problem. In the scenario you just presented, the strings aren't the problem. It would be irresponsible to tell you to go spend money on strings when the long-term solution to the problem would be more time on the practice court...
Click to expand...

You can go ahead and be irresponsible and give me advice on strings.

This is similar to somebody asking questions about durable shoes. They drag their toes and they need to find more durable shoes. You don't say... sorry, you need to improve your footwork and then stop.

I'm not asking for advice on my strokes. I'm asking for string advice.
 
dennis10is said:
You can go ahead and be irresponsible and give me advice on strings.

This is similar to somebody asking questions about durable shoes. They drag their toes and they need to find more durable shoes. You don't say... sorry, you need to improve your footwork and then stop.

I'm not asking for advice on my strokes. I'm asking for string advice.
Click to expand...

From stringing a friend's racquet he got twice the longevity/life switching from 16 to 15 gauge strings. Something to try.
 
I also do not get why people say that stringbreaker = poor technique, this is a very bad generalization. If you are more a Topspiner you will definitelly break strings way more often than a flat hitter, does this mean that the topspiner has a bad technique? Usually the people that break strings by shanking do not do it in 3-4 hours constantly, it takes a very bad shank to break a strings. Even if you are shanks-a-lot type of guy that doesn't mean you must have a bad technique, timing problems maybe - but not bad technique. I know a guy that shanks a lot and happens to have one of the best strokes technically speaking in the tennis history, maybe you have heard of him, his name is Roger something...
 
jmverdugo said:
I also do not get why people say that stringbreaker = poor technique, this is a very bad generalization. If you are more a Topspiner you will definitelly break strings way more often than a flat hitter, does this mean that the topspiner has a bad technique? Usually the people that break strings by shanking do not do it in 3-4 hours constantly, it takes a very bad shank to break a strings. Even if you are shanks-a-lot type of guy that doesn't mean you must have a bad technique, timing problems maybe - but not bad technique. I know a guy that shanks a lot and happens to have one of the best strokes technically speaking in the tennis history, maybe you have heard of him, his name is Roger something...
Click to expand...

In the equipment section?! Really?!:shock:

OP: try kevlar and/or thicker strings. Switch to a smaller head sized with a denser string pattern.
 
Kevlar (Aramid is essentially the same thing).
I played with it most of my life. You can get good spin from it - not as much as the spinniest polys.
 
I don't know why you guys are so amazed. The OP hits pretty hard in the ball, plays 2-3hs a day, probably with heavy top spin. It's normal to break strings that often.

A friend of mine is a junior as well, plays everyday, more than 4h a day, and breaks strings every single day.

The solution is to find a cheap poly that gives you decent performance. After all, you're not like us, who need to take the best performance out of the gear because our technique is poor:D
 
jmverdugo said:
I also do not get why people say that stringbreaker = poor technique, this is a very bad generalization. If you are more a Topspiner you will definitelly break strings way more often than a flat hitter, does this mean that the topspiner has a bad technique? Usually the people that break strings by shanking do not do it in 3-4 hours constantly, it takes a very bad shank to break a strings. Even if you are shanks-a-lot type of guy that doesn't mean you must have a bad technique, timing problems maybe - but not bad technique. I know a guy that shanks a lot and happens to have one of the best strokes technically speaking in the tennis history, maybe you have heard of him, his name is Roger something...
Click to expand...

That guy will not follow the free advice on the board and just use a larger head racquet.
 
dennis10is said:
I give up on this endless repetitive posting where if you break strings often you must suck because you can't hit the ball in the center.

Why don't people stick to give recommendation about "string" not criticize people for "lack of ability".

Let's try this... assume that I'm a lame assed tennis player, and because of it I break strings, I'm asking about strings so tell me what strings to try and refrain from telling me that I need to change my strokes.
Click to expand...
You're not even getting it. I'm saying that someone who consistently breaks strings for no decent reason and isn't a very high level player most likely needs a technique change and not a string change. Even then, there are so many reasons why the strings could be breaking prematurely. Honestly, the most likely reason is the stringer is garbage and is producing bad stringbeds from the get go.
 
jmverdugo said:
I also do not get why people say that stringbreaker = poor technique, this is a very bad generalization. If you are more a Topspiner you will definitelly break strings way more often than a flat hitter, does this mean that the topspiner has a bad technique? Usually the people that break strings by shanking do not do it in 3-4 hours constantly, it takes a very bad shank to break a strings. Even if you are shanks-a-lot type of guy that doesn't mean you must have a bad technique, timing problems maybe - but not bad technique. I know a guy that shanks a lot and happens to have one of the best strokes technically speaking in the tennis history, maybe you have heard of him, his name is Roger something...
Click to expand...
This is the worst attempt at an argument that I've seen on this forum. It just fails on so many levels.
 
OP, the reason why myself and others are saying that you don't need kevlar strings even though you're breaking strings all the time is because there are players out there doing everything that you do but at a much higher level and AREN'T breaking every hour. No one is saying that you're a bad player, it's just that getting two practices out of ALU or Revenge before breakage probably isn't because you're just hitting that hard or with that much spin. I'll speak for myself and advise against kevlar for that reason: very few players use kevlar strings because they are used only for durability (sometimes spin, yes). I'll speak for myself again and look at your technique and importantly, the stringjob to see if the issue doesn't lie there.
 
Maybe the problem is not the player or the stringer. Are the strings breaking near the grommets? Could be the racquet.
 
I insert string savers. 6x6 in the sweet spot just after stringing.

If the problem is shanking, I insert tubings in the grommets.

Both methods help a lot !
 
Bent said:
I insert string savers. 6x6 in the sweet spot just after stringing.

If the problem is shanking, I insert tubings in the grommets.

Both methods help a lot !
Click to expand...

Wonder if there is a sharp edge or a broken grommet in his racquet?
 
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