Hypothesis on Cyclop Ball Skidding

[realkingcobra]

If I'm not mistaken, they didn't even use the Cyclop cue ball during the US Open events at the Rio.

I know from my personal experience that I haven't seen any more or less skids with the Cyclop balls. I've used them 3 times now in our booth. Twice at the BCA Trade Show, and now at the BCAPL event at the Rio.

I will say this though. 15 years ago, before the average pool player knew anything about a bad contact or skid, everyone was happy. I mean pool was much bigger and played by way more people then too. Back then the term "skid" was used to describe how the balls would slide more on new cloth as compared to old cloth.

Now, more often than not, I hear the term skid used when in reality the player just missed the shot. I'm not saying they don't happen, I know they do. But I would say that more than half of the times I've witnessed a shot that was blamed on a skid it just look like they missed to me.

Just my observations

I've had some skid shots that have ended some of my high runs playing 14.1, but I take blame for the skid because I got lazy on a shot, and never thought about the skid...rather than to shoot the same shot, being aware of the possibility of a skid, with draw or spin english on my cue ball. So what bothered me more than missing the shot, was the fact that I could have avoided the skid in the first place had I been paying attention to the whole shot, instead of just making the ball in the pocket

 

[Bill S]

If I'm not mistaken, they didn't even use the Cyclop cue ball during the US Open events at the Rio.

I know from my personal experience that I haven't seen any more or less skids with the Cyclop balls. I've used them 3 times now in our booth. Twice at the BCA Trade Show, and now at the BCAPL event at the Rio.

I will say this though. 15 years ago, before the average pool player knew anything about a bad contact or skid, everyone was happy. I mean pool was much bigger and played by way more people then too. Back then the term "skid" was used to describe how the balls would slide more on new cloth as compared to old cloth.

Now, more often than not, I hear the term skid used when in reality the player just missed the shot. I'm not saying they don't happen, I know they do. But I would say that more than half of the times I've witnessed a shot that was blamed on a skid it just look like they missed to me.

Just my observations

You are correct Royce. We used the measle cue ball at the Rio for the pros.

Bill S

 

[CreeDo]

The problem is that once someone finds a theory to latch on to,
a whole herd of people will jump on the bandwagon.
Confirmation bias will make someone see 5 skids,
because that's what "they say" on AZbilliards.
If they never read that, they might have seen 1 skid and 4 misses instead.

Then they use some random anecdote to explain something that may not exist.
"I happened to play with them for a few hours doing totally different games on totally different tables,
and this maybe might have happened".

Screw that. What's that prove? This is easy.
Get your cyclop balls. Get some aramiths.
Make up a simple scientific test and repeat it over and over on the same table.
Do it on the dirty table with a ball return if you think that's the deciding factor.
Hit 500 with Cyclop, 500 with Aramith, and mark down every time you see a definite skid.

The question is, what's the test?
I'm thinking object ball several feet from the pocket,
cue ball (already played with extensively until it's good and dirty) with another "wired" ball behind it,
pointing the wired combo to sink the shot. Donuts under all 3 balls so they're consistent.
Shoot any ball into the wired ball and keep using that same cue ball, but a different object ball every time.

 

[bigskyblue]

Where did you buy your set of Cyclop Balls??

 

[JB Cases]

If I'm not mistaken, they didn't even use the Cyclop cue ball during the US Open events at the Rio.

I know from my personal experience that I haven't seen any more or less skids with the Cyclop balls. I've used them 3 times now in our booth. Twice at the BCA Trade Show, and now at the BCAPL event at the Rio.

I will say this though. 15 years ago, before the average pool player knew anything about a bad contact or skid, everyone was happy. I mean pool was much bigger and played by way more people then too. Back then the term "skid" was used to describe how the balls would slide more on new cloth as compared to old cloth.

Now, more often than not, I hear the term skid used when in reality the player just missed the shot. I'm not saying they don't happen, I know they do. But I would say that more than half of the times I've witnessed a shot that was blamed on a skid it just look like they missed to me.

Just my observations

I often think pool was in a much much much better place before internet forums.