Wait! Where Did It Go?

I imagine most (okay, some) of us, at some time (still do) use a shock absorber (vibration dampener) on our racquet strings even though scientific research has indicated that these offer little (okay, no) protection from the vibrations when your tennis racket strikes a ball or anything else (for you out-of-control, angry racquet-destroyers) for that matter.

I have no clue why I still use a shock absorber on my racquet, but I am certain that if I would simply take a new racquet, forget the shock absorber and hit without it for a while, I would never miss it.

Even when I lose one during play, I never notice it (unless it hits me, my partner or opponent) being gone until I take a few strokes. This is not because I suddenly feel a tingle in my forearm or elbow. It's because it now sounds like I'm playing with a Wilson T2000 (circa 1890 something). This is quite an exaggeration as the T2000 sounded more like hitting dry fettuccine (or linguine) with an aluminum trash can lid.

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