In the old days when I started practicing, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, ok, maybe not that long ago, but sometimes it seems like it, what the court called a custody arrangement was very significant. If the court said one parent had sole physical custody, that meant the children were with them most of the time. If the court said the parties had joint physical that meant they shared remarkably close to equal time.
Now, the label is not as important. The court can say that one party has sole physical custody when they share equal time and can say joint physical custody when one parent has most of the time. What is important, as it should be, is the schedule, the time you actually spend with your kids, not the label a court puts on the arrangement. Child support is based on the actual time spent, not the label. When you are going to court on custody focus on how much time you have with your kids, not what a court calls the arrangement.
Ed