Yes, otherwise the racket would break. You have to load the tension to the racket carefully (and unload when cutting the old strings out). Why do you suddenly ask even when you have been stringing for a little while? I only ask as this would be one of the first things you learn?

Just out of interest, but why did you ask?

lol
Been there, done that! Very difficult to do a racket with kids about. Or animals come to think of it.

A few years ago when my son was younger, he happened to fall off the sofa. And whilst I downed tools and checked that he was OK, one of my cats started biting the string that was hanging from the racket to the floor! I was like *&%@$!?!

Not only I had to start all over again (he had almost bitten it right through the string!), but the bloke who’s racket I was doing had given me the string to do his racket and I didn’t have that string in stock! So I had to text him to say that my cat had eaten his string and that I could do it in another string and give him a small discount!

Lesson learned, feed the cats before you start (they were waiting to be fed)!

If it’s not the kids, it’ll be something else!

You cut the mains first. It doesn’t matter to much where the break is (if there is one, you might be restringing as strings have lost their tension) but generally you star with one of the middle strings (as there isn’t one middle string) and then you leave the string next to where you have cut and cut the one next to it. And then do the other side. Then go back to the other side and miss one from the last one cut and cut the next one and do same on other side till you have reached the sides of the racket. Then cut all the mains strings that you missed and then the across strings. On higher tensions, when you are first cutting the first lot of strings, you can see the racket changing shape. By doing this method you are slowly reducing the tension around the racket head and therefore reduce the chances of getting hair line cracks.

It is also generally recommended that you cut the strings as soon as you can to protect the racket head shape but I am guessing this is probably more for high tensions like 27 lbs and upward as I have never seen a problem with keeping the strings in there until you get round to it!

Maybe someone more qualified could answer that one better and I have found that at the end of the day, some stuff regarding stringing is down to preference as there isn’t a set way as such as people do somethings differently and never experience problems. However, I don’t normally string any higher than 24-25lbs so I don’t have experience with high tensions. I also mainly string for myself and some people at my club, so you could argue that I am a beginner myself.

If my long winded reply does not make sense, let me know and I will try again, it sounded right in my head anyway!