A few years back i was playing Shane Winters at the DCC. First match in the morning, the DCC guy just cleaned the table. He threw out a brand new set of those one eyed balls. Within seconds each one had a obvious fine coat of chalk all over them. I'm guessing it was static electricity that attracted it. We both had at least 3 horrible skids during the match. It was brutal... I've always noticed that skids occur the most when you use a little high outside on a softer hit. I saw the same thing during Mosconi a few yrs back. It seemed like the US players were getting more than a few skids and the Europe boys were playing those type shots harder to avoid the skids. The room i play at has gone down hill the last few yrs so the balls are always greasy and filthy along with the tables. Skids are pretty rare there...
For sure. The soft, rolling shot allows for maximum gearing. Gearing I would describe in pool as the ability for the balls to transfer friction. Ironically, a ton of spin doesn't allow friction to be transferred, whereas little bits allow much more. If you watch some brumback dvds where he has to get max torque in an ob he uses spin but just a touch to get the max torque out of it, he'll never load up on the English.
We get most (or all?) skids with high rolling, slow shots, imo, because the cb will tend to jump because that's the way it is rolling (up the face of the cb). With draw the cb is getting forced down and the ob is getting sent on its rolling path. I believe somewhere in there lies the answer. When the cb is able to go "up", and leave the surface of the cloth, the contact then becomes very unnatural. You can still make the ball, as frank mentioned, as I've had that many times, but the overall result of the shot is very unnatural. Think about what is happening: the cb is in contact with the ob, and during say half that contact time, it's rolling up the face of the ob. it could even collide again with the ob on its way back down! Any scenario where a cb is climing the ob is going to result is a very strange outcome. Again, we don't get skids with centerball or draw shots because the cb perhaps physically can't go up, as the friction is not doctating that. Maybe the key to figuring out skids is realizing they occur only/mostly? when the cb is able to rise up?
Here's the million dollar clue to the above sentiments (that high, slow rolling shots are predominantly the culprit): we should get a ton more skids with center ball hits, because that's when the friction is at or near the maximum. But we don't see that imo. I believe now that skids are caused by the cb rolling up and that causes everything.
I totally agree with you I've had sessions wi super clean balls, maybe a little power on the table and tons of skids. Maybe contact a spec of the powder in just the right spot with a slow high rolling ball is what does it.
Anyway, I'm just half guessing my way through it. Interesting discussion.