Skid-Missed Shots=Frustration

I played on equipment this morning that was reasonably clean for 3 hours with a conventional shaft and Blue Diamond chalk and never had a problem with a skid or kick or whatever you want to call it. Usually when I have those kinds of problems there is a lot of chalk dust on/in the cloth.
 
TheThaiger said:
They don't. The days of constant CB cleaning are long gone, because it, er, doesn't work.

I've always thought it'd be an interesting experiment to cover both balls with chalk, and record how many kicks you get. If it kicks every time, it's chalk, point proven.

Why don't you try it?
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I have done experiments with chalk applied to balls. That's the standard way I demonstrate kicks to students. It works nearly every time.
 
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Bob Jewett said:
I have done experiment with chalk applied to balls. That's the standard way I demonstrate kicks to students. It works nearly every time.
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If people are curious, here are some relevant video demonstrations:

Enjoy,
Dave
 
It's not dirt or chalk when I have seen it at the Major tournaments.... New cloth and new balls.... Table cleaned between matches and the cueball constantly being cleaned.....

They used the new tournament ball set at the Open and several players swore they were skidding way worse than the old TV balls... I am starting to wonder if it is where the topcoat is thin on the balls in spots... Maybe it's a dry resin on dry resin effect which could also explain the friction burns that sometime get left behind.... Or maybe it is a function of the friction burns left on the cueball from prio misscues/misshits....
 
The Renfro said:
It's not dirt or chalk when I have seen it at the Major tournaments.... New cloth and new balls.... Table cleaned between matches and the cueball constantly being cleaned.....
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Which is why I think the snooker boys have largely discounted chalk as the culprit. Why would you get a kick in the first frame, with brand new balls and new cloth, with the reds largely undisturbed?

Getting kicks immediately after the CB has been cleaned is not uncommon, either.
 
TheThaiger said:
Which is why I think the snooker boys have largely discounted chalk as the culprit. Why would you get a kick in the first frame, with brand new balls and new cloth, with the reds largely undisturbed?

Getting kicks immediately after the CB has been cleaned is not uncommon, either.
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What is observed is that each tip-to-cue ball contact leaves a chalk spot on the cue ball. Each spot can stay on the cue ball for several shots. Chalk at the cue ball-object ball contact point has been demonstrated to cause kicks. A brand new cue ball out of the box will have a chalk spot as soon as it is struck for the first time. This means that a "chalked contact point" can occur under conditions that are entirely clean except for the chalk on the player's tip.

Another thing that is observed is that object balls that have kicked also have scuff marks, often with chalk. It is almost impossible to prove that the contact point was the same as the scuff mark, but it is very likely, IMNSHO.

What is certain is that kicks occur due to high friction between the cue ball and object ball. The only realistic mechanism ever proposed for that increase in friction is the presence of chalk.
 
Neil said:
On the shot you linked to, I believe it was a very rare miss from Ronnie. If the black had skidded, it would have missed to the other side of the pocket.
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No, I think he was playing the shot with a lot of right draw (screw) to bring the cue ball off the side cushion and out for the single red you can see back to the same pocket where he tried the black. Right draw with a skid would have produced a skid to the left side of the pocket. Especially notice that the cue ball did not have enough draw and it barely got to a cushion that he intended to bounce off 18 inches or two feet. Something went very wrong with the shot and skid could clearly have caused it.
 
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