Griping about skids... what's your gut say? Excuse or legit?

When players at an event say skids cost them the match, what do you think?

  • They're probably right, skids were likely to blame.

    Votes: 16 38.1%

  • They're probably just making excuses and missed the shot.

    Votes: 2 4.8%

  • Depends on who's doing the complaining.

    Votes: 16 38.1%

  • They honestly think it was skids to blame, but it was something else.

    Votes: 8 19.0%
  • Total voters
    42
CreeDo

CreeDo

Fargo Rating 597
Silver Member
One guy in the DCC just posted he got about a half dozen skids in one set,
several of them on the same ball.

I remember when cyclop balls were first introduced at a major tournament,
there was this epidemic of skid complaints too.

I know skids really happen, but what's your first instinct when you hear all this
complaining about how they cost someone the match?

I often feel like it's just making excuses... you see players tighten up and hit balls scared and undercut them,
and they wanna say it skidded. In my experience, skids are really rare,
like I could hit 200 balls a night and never have one.
And it's not like I'm playing on world-class equipment cleaned daily.

On the other and, the same guys who complain have been willing to openly admit in the past
when they just played badly. So maybe I'm being too cynical.

What do you think?
 
Last edited:
No one ever says they hit it wrong but caught a lucky skid and pocketed it, do they?

I've seen very legitimate and obvious skids. I remember seeing a particularly bad one that Johnny Archer caught and it seemed pretty obvious to me that the ball came off at a goofy angle with goofy spin.

If you look here at 59:22, that looks like a bad skid to me, and even Johnny commented on it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_1PzkE2dE0

But I have to say that I'm 42 now and have been playing since my early teens. I don't remember anyone complaining about it back then and truthfully wouldn't even have known what they meant by "skid". Maybe if they said "sticky balls and got a bad throw", or something like that. I hear it all the time know. Someone will get 2 or 3 bad skids per rack, the same rack they've been nursing for 20 minutes. We all use the same equipment. Part of the game is managing the layout to minimize the influence of imperfect equipment. It's liking shooting super softly on a long shot. If something should slightly drift offline, it's the table's fault? I should know better by now and these imperfections are part of what makes this a hard game.

Just my opinion.
 
I think it 's mostly an excuse, but I've played on skid-friendly conditions and it's the same for both players.

One thing to consider is style of play as well... the players who like to roll balls in will see a lot more shot-affecting skids as opposed to players who have a firm-shooting, punch style of play.
 
I couldn't vote on the poll...my category wasn't there.

If a good player says he got a skid, I believe him.
There's a reason they can park whitey on a dime...they know where it should go.
 
victorl said:
I think it 's mostly an excuse, but I've played on skid-friendly conditions and it's the same for both players.

One thing to consider is style of play as well... the players who like to roll balls in will see a lot more shot-affecting skids as opposed to players who have a firm-shooting, punch style of play.
Click to expand...

I agree with victorl, I'm a soft shooter and like to roll the ball into position, and I have seen (had) my fair share of "Skids". Immediately after the shot I complain and blame. But, after more thought I accept the fact that I knew better and my style of play can cause skids more than a "punch" stroke.
Case in point, if you have ever shot soft, high english on a ball and had the cue "climb up" on the object ball, it is the same thing as a skid. It is the vertical version of a skid.
The overhead view from the YouTube post of Johnny Archer shows the funny reaction of the 2 ball when it skids.
 
I've seen balls skid and actually take that new angle and go in the pocket. Without the skid, it was a missed shot.
I see skids more frequently now playing one-pocket, so I usually clean the balls before starting play. I think the hamburger boys play in the evening at the poolroom and get grease on the balls.
 
victorl said:
I think it 's mostly an excuse, but I've played on skid-friendly conditions and it's the same for both players.

One thing to consider is style of play as well... the players who like to roll balls in will see a lot more shot-affecting skids as opposed to players who have a firm-shooting, punch style of play.
Click to expand...

Basically what I was thinking.

I bought a set whe the group buy came through and have been playing with them almost exclusively. I have not noticed Maybe ten skids in about a year, but I can't hit the ball easy either.
 
An, I wilpad, err...add:

For me anyway, the style of play required on a diamond really brings me to a manner of play that lends itself to skids.

I can't boss the balls around, gotta play things slower.
 
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