Anyone who's read my posts will know I fight the corner for wooden balls, thus they don't bounce, but here's something I've noticed...
When I drop a ball about half the time it'll stay roughly where it is, that way I can recover it, 50% of the time it'll roll off stage into the audience, then I need to use a back-up ball.
This started me thinking, if that ball was bouncing, it would increase the chances that it would be unrecoverable. It's rare for the ball to go straight down, and bouncing off into the audience is not good!
So to those who use bouncy balls, do you really find that when you drop them you catch them? And have any gone bouncing off into the audience on smaller stages?
Paul

My attempt is to hit right on so I don't drop them. But it happens. When it does happen (for me) it bounces straight back up. I have never had an unrecoverable ball (that I can think of right now). If it ever does happen, it is one bounce, then right back up to my hands.

Forrest Chapman

I purposely bounce a Fakini ball, three different times during my eight billiard ball routine and every time the ball bounces straight back up.

However, I do work in large theaters, so the stage floor are always level and seamless.

I can imagine if you work in an environment such as a corporate show at a hotel meeting room where they commonly use folding raised platforms you have to be very careful. Sometimes such floors are too soft and they can greatly reduce the height that a silicone ball can bounce, also if the ball hits the seam on the platform it can bounce off into an odd direction. In such a venue, never hold the balls near the seams of the folding platforms.

Levent

We all always aim for seamless, but when you're tired concentration can lapse, and there goes a ball. Purposely bouncing is hugely different from a drop, you can aim with a throw.
Stage floors are a dream, usually I am on one, but some cabarets are spider stages, and there's no way I'm looking at the floor throughout my act!
The other thing is, if you drop late on (6-8 balls), you'd need to catch between the fingers, especially if you have a ball in palm.
It just seems to me that a ball bouncing around is out of control, whereas if it just sits there on the floor, or at worse it rolls, it's not a potential hazard.
Paul

I also have not had many problems at all with bouncing of my Fakini balls. In fact I also use a bounce of the ball to create an effect. I first bounce the ball because I want to show the audience that this is something they are used to seeing. This is not anything tricky or a magical prop of sorts but just a simple bouncy ball they may haveplayed with at some point in their life.

I also bounce the ball to create a transitional effect in the routine I do. The ball is bounced and as it comes down to my hand it vanishes and turns into a silk of the same color. This visual transformation goes along with the music and works quite well to give the audience a little something more.

NBow paul is dead on when he says there is a difference between a drop and an intentional bounce. when a ball drops for me, I usually am ok with it cause it usually will bounce upwards in arms reach for me to catch it. One thing I will say I do before a show of a manipulative nature, is to examine the floor and staging that I am on. I try and sweep it clean as much as I can. it is just an easy thing to do to esnure a little better surface for me when I am performing. this way dusts or pebbles will not cause the ball to bounce away as much.

Hope this helps.

Kyle

Personally would rather take my chances recovering a drop from a ball that bounces, but can see merit in both approaches.

I believe all balls bounce back up but then there are times that it does land on something that causes it to go in different directions. If this happens then recovering it may be a problem.

Kyle gave some good advice - check out the stage or performance area to see whether there are carpet fold or wires around where you may be standing. Even a little piece of any material can send the ball to any direction when landed on.