CRT discharging: Ill effects?

[MIPS]

I already know the answer to this from my own routine of doing this and don't need a lesson in how to discharge a CRT. I just need to ask the question with an audience who is a bit more seasoned and experienced with day to day television and video display maintenance.

I have a friend who says that when you discharge the anode and flyback system of any CRT, regardless of the tube size you must have a resistor inline with the path to ground or else the strong and instant grounding will negatively affect the inner properties of the CRT and how it can act as a capacitor. Furthermore the strong discharge with the flyback has the potential to damage the ultrafine windings of the flyback. The latter I can understand if the set was powered, but for this instance it is not plugged in, or turned on. It's being serviced.

How appropriate does this sound to you old salts who spent a large portion of their lives working on and discharging TV's? Have you ever come across an instance where an instant discharge damaged the unit?