From a physics standpoint, asymmetrics have a significant preferred spin axis (in addition to the one at the pin that all balls have). Symmetrics don't. On a machine like a
deTerminator, an asymmetric ball will find its PSA in 5-15 seconds, while a symmetric ball will take much longer if it finds it at all. The lower the spin time, the stronger the asymmetry. The strongest asyms today are in the 5-5.5s range, while milder ones are closer to 10-12 seconds.
There are several ways to create asymmetry: adding mass to one side with core shapes (Track's bread and butter), density changes (The One series and the X-factors and Paradigms do that), or by stretching a symmetric core (the current Zone core).
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