Crosses Breaking First

[Ash Doyle]

For a few years I used nothing but full poly string jobs. With this setup, I never broke strings and just got a new job when the current one just felt dead. For the past year I have switched to using nothing but full multi string jobs (and my game has improved incredibly).

Now I break strings regularly, but it is always a cross string in the dead center of the racquet. For a full year, I have been through about ten stringing jobs and have never broken a main...it always breaks midway on a center cross string. I've always thought it was odd because usually people break mains, and others on the court with me when the break occurs say the same thing. Any idea on why I'm consistently breaking strings in what appears to be such a non-standard way? Just curious.

 

[spot]

Do you use an eastern forehand grip on your serve?

 

[Oski]

You probably hit with a heavy topspin. The ball will wear away at the crosses more than the mains because the strings on the mains can shift, which decreases the friction.

 

[foggie]

Multi normally broken as the wearing of coating but not the notches, so breaking crosses is nothing weird.

 

[Ash Doyle]

Do you use an eastern forehand grip on your serve?

No. Continental.

 

[Ash Doyle]

You probably hit with a heavy topspin. The ball will wear away at the crosses more than the mains because the strings on the mains can shift, which decreases the friction.

Actually, no. I hit relatively flat groundstrokes.

 

[xtremerunnerars]

ever thought about using string savers?

 

[PBODY99]

I have a player who breaks crosses only using Head Pure Control in a LM Radical mp. he hits a very heavy spin serve and the break has been at the fifth cross from the tip, in the middle of the string.
If you break at the exact same spot, it is you technique. Consistency has its price. Do try string savers, as soon as you get you frame restrung.

 

[Steve Huff]

I have found that several multi's fray and break the crosses first. Are you getting any fraying first, or is it just breaking?

 

[kabob]

I used to break only mains when I played with a multifiber synthetic all around. Every since I switched to a hybrid setup, I only break the crosses as that's where I string my multis.

 

[Bent]

When I use/used multis in MW 200 and POG Mid, I always break a X in the sweet spot.

And string savers only speeds the proces, because the string savers lift the string and iyhe x's wear faster from the out side.

 

[diredesire]

Yeah, it's just a fact of life when playing with multi full jobs. I actually find it unusual for big hitters to break the mains first when using full multi jobs. I am stringing for a DI team, and a few players hit with full multi, i always get them back with busted crosses.

 

[muggy]

using a full multi job on a 18 x 20 midsize pattern, I sawed through and broke the middle cross first, just as described here.

 

[volleyman]

The only multi I have ever used that I consistently broke crosses with was Yonex 850 Spin. All the others broke in the mains first.

In my gut/syn gut hybrids, I find that the syn gut crosses often (but not always) break before the gut mains.

 

[kingdaddy41788]

You probably hit with a heavy topspin. The ball will wear away at the crosses more than the mains because the strings on the mains can shift, which decreases the friction.

Exactly right.

 

[Zets147]

I usually break crosses first on most of my stringjobs (most tend to be Multis).

 

[armand]

Yes when I used multis I also broke crosses. I've always wondered about that.

 

[Bubba]

multis tend to be softer... when moving (topspin hits) the softer string will bear the brunt of the wear.