Started on greentops, bluetops, then the brown TS's.. First thing I tried on the 89 Tornados, still in pretty much same format as today was banks. New geometries prevented anything similar to what you could do on the rounded, narrower and more giving TS men.. but that was just another challenge. Figured out:
1. different heights with the longer and wider and different angled tornado men required different set points and pin/trap locations.
2. different widths meant effective bank angles were different, more 1/4 & 3/4 sidewall points, not the ole middle (cup area).
3. much wider goal widths meant more of a "bank or on-goal" decision, since on-goals were more available to shoot then.
Experimented for a week or so.. found you could still pin the tornados and bank, but at a different ball position further from the rod center and more under rod or frontpinned. Started learning to bank more between the 2bar and opposing 3bar and also near the 3bar on the other side of the midline. (Easier actually) Cut down on banks to concentrate a bit more on on-goal shots, since speed was enhanced by the hollow rods. Never had a problem banking on Tornados after another 3 weeks.. although I did end up shooting more on-goal since lateral motions & tictacs from the 2bar were that much easier and more reliable ON A WIDER GOAL, too. Didn't miss banking that much. But it wasn't that hard to adjust.. and I've always enjoyed banking on guys to death, who keep crying about the old banking TS's (Don't get me wrong, I loved them as much as anyone) especially the inside 22 bank to one's near wall, which is actually more reliable off a front pinned tornado man. Warn't noh g'damn rocket science except for folks who insist hitting the ball at different angles with different shaped guys should result in the same bank. Sure there's more banking off front-pins so you don't scoop with that Tornado foot, but jeeze.. it was never that hard to adjust.
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