[dbeckwith]

Yeah trying to figure it out yourself is probably way too hard. I don't think you necessarily have to come up with a model by trial and error though (even though that might be conceptually the simplest solution). You could probably find many models online that are very accurate (i.e. they incorporate drag, backspin and frontspin, and other factors). I think there might even be some that were created specifically for FRC, and are modeled off the balls we are using. With the material and weight of these balls, a simple parabolic motion model is definitely not going to be accurate.