Vibration Damping Device

A vibration damping device is a small piece of silicon rubber that is inserted into a tennis racquet’s string bed near the throat of the racquet.

These mini shock absorbers first made an appearance way back in 1964, when Rene Lacoste produced the very first vibration dampener called the Tanti-Vibration Dampener as an aid for injury prevention.

Naturally, other brands followed suit to create their own versions of dampeners, and it’s become a widely used modern-day tennis accessory.

Today they go by many names, and you’ll hear them called vibration dampers, absorbers, dampeners, worms, damps, rubber bands, shock absorbers, and doughnuts. Manufacturers even like to put their own spin on it with terms like “Pro Damp” which is designed to make you think you’re getting something better than a standard one.

Regardless of how they’re named, all of these terms describe the same thing; a product designed to reduce the amount of vibration from the strings after you make contact with the ball.

What Does a Dampener Do On A Tennis Racquet?

If you surveyed one hundred players on why they use vibration dampener or what it does, you’d get a range of responses from changing the way it feels, curing tennis elbow, reducing vibration and general injury prevention. However, the purpose most players have when they use vibration dampeners is because it changes the “ping” sound after the ball makes an impact with the racquet.

The rubber dulls or muffles the sound, and for most players, this is for mental/auditory wellbeing than a physical purpose.

They do make a big difference on the sound, and if you’ve ever had one pop out during a rally, you instantly know it’s not in there when you hear that pinging sound on the next shot. Some players hate that, which is why dampeners are so prevalent on tour and across tennis clubs worldwide.

Do Tennis Vibration Dampeners Prevent Injury or Tennis Elbow?

Dampeners do not help tennis elbow, change string tension, increase string durability, boost power, add spin or any of the other benefits you may have seen touted elsewhere.

The reason this misconception has spread is due to manufacturers using terms in their marketing to make you think playing without a vibration dampener is leaving you open to all sorts of elbow problems. It then only takes one respected club member to put a dampener in their racquet, sing it praises and before you know it every other club member is using one.

However, numerous pieces of independent research have shown that string dampers do not reduce the amount of racquet frame vibration that you will feel in your forearm; they only reduce the amount of vibration of the strings. Hence the acoustic effects.

Research from Taiwan to England shows that the dampening device is too small to actually reduce frame vibration. String dampers do not reduce the amount of racquet frame vibration received in the forearm. They remain a popular accessory among tennis players because of their acoustic effects and psychological support, rather than any mechanical advantage.

The reason why there’s no reduction in vibration from the frame is that vibration dampeners are simply too small to have any sort of effect.

Despite this research, the myth that vibration dampeners will reduce frame vibration and prevent tennis elbow still persists.

The only explanation is that some players find that ping sound more jarring, which probably translates into thinking their elbow is having to soak it up. Putting on a dampener muffles the sound and likely creates a placebo effect.

However, no matter what vibration dampener you put on your stringbed; if you’re using a frame that’s too heavy, too stiff or a string that’s harsh like polyester, this all has a significant impact on the shock and vibration your arm endures which no small piece of silicon can impact.

If you’re suffering from tennis elbow, it’s recommended looking into arm friendly racquets and the type of tennis string you’re using.

Most manufacturers produce a line of racquets that have built-in dampening properties to their frames that give better shock absorption.

Where Do You Put a Vibration Dampener?

Given there aren’t many areas on a racquet you can install a dampener without it negatively interfering with the ball, you wouldn’t think there’d need to be any rules on it.

However, according to the USTA’s Official Rules of Tennis and the ITF rulebook, a vibration-damping device “may only be placed outside the pattern of the crossed strings” (Rule 4, Case 3).

Therefore, legally it can only be fitted in one of three places.

1. At the very top of the racquet, however, there’s rarely enough room there.
2. At the extreme left or right of the frame, which doesn’t seem very logical. Although a dampener only weighs ~5g and probably won’t affect the balance of the frame dramatically, having it in the middle of racquet head just looks weird. You might keep seeing it in the corner of your eye during the shot.
3. Near the throat of the racquet before the first cross string. The only logical spot.

There are no rules on the shape, but it has to be a reasonable size.

What Other Impact Can a Dampener Have on a Racquet?

Aside from the impact on the sound of the ball at contact, the only area a dampener can affect is the feel of the racquet. The loss of feeling is perhaps one of the downsides of having a vibration dampener on a tennis racquet as you don’t feel the ball as well on your strings.

This boils down to purely personal preference though; some players love a muted response, others really want to feel the ball on the strings so whether it’s good or bad is for you to test and decide.

When playing with a dampener on, you get less feedback on how well you hit the shot.

You get a somewhat muted sound regardless if you hit a screamer in the middle of the sweet spot or you hit off centre. The sound is different and is slightly more grating on the ears, but you get used to it.

What Are The Different Types of Vibration Dampener?

Vibration dampeners come in three main styles:

• button;
• worm;
• elastic band.

Button Dampeners

Button dampeners are usually circular (sometimes square or cut out like a brands logo) like a button and are the more commonly seen compared to the worm style.

Most pros go with these as they’re easy to fit, which means removing and putting one in a freshly strung racquet before a ball change is a job you can do walking back to the service line.

The only negative is that button dampeners do fly out during play from mishits. They are only held in place by two main strings, so if you make contact near the throat, then you’ll be having to search around the court for it. So remember to keep a couple of spares in your bag.

Worm Dampeners

The other common type of vibration dampener is known as a “worm” dampener. This type of dampener is long and thin, and it is fitted by weaving it between several strings. As a result, it is in contact with more of the stringbed and produces more of a dampening effect on the sound.

Compared to button dampeners they are a bit faffy to fit, but once they’re in, usually they won’t come out.

Elastic Bands

If you were a fan of Andre Agassi, then you’re likely familiar with his DIY dampener – the elastic band. Agassi tied a rubber band to his strings, and it has the same effect as a rubber dampener. It might not look as cool, you can’t get one with a logo or smiley face on, but they do the same job.

The dampening isn’t quite as severe as you get from a button dampener, but the thicker the band, the more significant effect it has.

Andre apparently used a band as he didn’t like the way rubber dampeners felt so instead used a size 64 rubber band.

If you want to use a rubber band dampener, here’s how to fasten it to your racquet.

How To Install a Vibration Damper

The denser the string pattern, the harder dampeners are to fit, but generally they’re simple to install. The only time players find them annoying is on a freshly strung racquet with stiffer strings as they do require a bit of force to budge.

The button dampeners are easier as you just push the slot of the damper into one of your main strings as far it will go, then either bend the dampener or pull the opposite main string until it slots into the other side. Then slide it up onto your first cross string.

The worm ones can be slightly fiddly.

Should You Use a Vibration Dampener?

Dampeners are all about personal preference. Some players like them, others don’t. But given the relatively low cost of buying one, it’s worth testing out.

Ultimately they’re somewhat of a misnomer as they dampen string vibrations, not frame shock, and so do not prevent injury.

So while it’s not a product that is going to improve your game, it may produce more of a pleasant sound to your ears and if you enjoy the aesthetics of adding them to your racquet, give them a try!

Remember if you are a player who likes the ‘pock’ sound then use a worm dampener, players who only want a quieter ping should use a button dampener and those who want a loud ping should use nothing.