Skid versus tailwheel on a Turbulent.

[abgd]

My Turbulent currently has a tailskid. Until now, I've always flown it from grass and found it pleasingly benign in terms of directional control during take-off and landing. However, I've just moved to a tarmac runway and given myself a scare when it started to ground-loop despite full opposite rudder - then saved itself by exiting the runway onto grass which it clearly preferred. No harm done. I went for another flight, and the same thing happened.

I was quite shaken - I did my tailwheel conversion on grass in a Cub and found it slightly more work than the Turbulent on grass, but I felt in-control. Now the incident was at least partly down to my lack of finesse with the pedals - and I find the brakes downright awkward - but before I take to the air again I find myself wondering whether what I was trying to do was silly anyway.

The questions I have in my mind are:

1) How hard is it to land a tailskid aircraft on a hard surface? i.e. is this advanced 'conventional gear' flying in which case I can perhaps forgive myself for letting it get away? Or do I really need to look at my technique? Conditions were reasonably benign at the time. The Turbulent is known for being quite light on the tailskid so it really doesn't provide anything in the way of an anchor.

2) Will a fully castoring tailwheel give me much more directional control on a hard surface than a tailskid? There are no springs or detents to keep it centered, though presumably as it is trailing it still acts to damp down any divergence better than a skid would do.

In the meanwhile, grass whenever possible...