Starting fresh

Bowling ball related topics including new products, arsenals and comparisons.

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Phonetek
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Starting fresh

Post by Phonetek »

I've been out of the game for some years but am getting back to it. I had a ton of balls over the years probably 45 or so. I am down to having two left, a Blue Hammer and AMF Swirl reactive ball. I'm not a super cranker by any means but more than adequate. The Swirl did a good job for me, hit hard and proved versatile. It got pretty beat up over the years and stayed forgotten about in the garage for years under harsh winter temps. I recently bowled with it and I don't know if it's that the lane conditions have changed that much or the ball is that dead but it seems to have lost it's pop. I was looking at new balls and I must admit, I never heard of most of the manufacturers out there. In my day it was Fab, AMF, Columbia, Brunswick, Ebonite and Roto Grip. I never heard of Elite, Storm, DV8, Track, Motiv, Radical or 900Global.
Being a cautious shopper I was sticking with who I know so I am looking at the Hammer products. Over the years I had probably 8 different hammer balls. I'm leaning toward The Gauntlet. I'm just wondering if that's way more ball than I need for the way I throw. Balls aren't a hundred bucks anymore for the best like they used to be. I don't want drop a bunch of money on something I'll leave in my bag. Suggestions would be welcome. Also I'm probably going to purchase a spare ball and maybe a third being just Urethane as a reactive alternative to play it safe.
TonyPR
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Re: Starting fresh

Post by TonyPR »

For most house shots you will be good with a medium oil ball reactive and a plastic for spares. Ball selection will be based on many factors: your speed and how it relates to your rpms, your axis tilt and rotation, the lane material you are playing on and the oil pattern. If you find these out we can help you with ball choice, layout and surface prep recommendation.

The Gauntlet is a good ball for heavy oil and/or for players with more speed than revs, you say you can crank it a bit so this ball may be too much for a house shot. You could look into something like a Hammer Rebel, Ebonite Game Breaker Phenom Pearl or Ebonite Affinity to name a few medium oil balls from companies you know. Radical also makes great balls and MegaMav who is this forum's administrator is on staff with them so he can also help you if you decide to go Radical. They are a subsidiary of Brunswick and are designed by bowling guru Mo Pinel who used to participate a lot in this forum.

Although I love urethane balls I wouldn't recommend them to play on house shots and besides, if you still have a Faball Blue Hammer that is one of the best urethane balls ever made, don't ever sell it.

Your reactive is most likely not reacting due to modern oiling and lane conditions. You could try putting it in a revivor oven and resurfacing it, just ask your pro shop operator. Keep in mind the AMF Swirl was a mild and tame ball in 1996 so that probably makes it a light oil ball for today's conditions, maybe rolling it from 5 at the arrows to 3 at 40' could make it react.
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Phonetek
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Re: Starting fresh

Post by Phonetek »

You know I have to admit Tony. When you talk about revs and axis tilt, rotation and all I see something called PAP. I have no clue what anyone is talking about. That stuff wasn't really part of my game back then. It wasn't stuff I ever really thought about. My main concern was getting a nice 3/4 roll. I used to overturn and get top spin. It took me a long time to over come that but I did and I get a nice 3/4 roll. My speed is moderate but I can adjust that by how fast I take my steps. I never change speed with my arm, that stays constant. The only time I do do it is if the lanes are soaked with oil then I lower my push off point thus lowering my arm speed. If I have to resort to both slowing my feet and lowering my push off point then it's time to go to something that's a sponge instead.
When you guys talk about revs, I see numbers in the 300's. They have to be talking per minute or something because there is no way a ball can spin that many times in 60 ft or it would start it the lane on fire. Back when we counted revs it was how many revolutions it took in 60 feet. It certainly wasn't in triple digits, it was like 24 or something I don't remember. LOL That I can provide next time I go. MPH I'd need a radar gun to find that out. Unless there is some snazzy app for a cell phone that does all this?
When I see all this tech talk I have to say I feel like an idiot. For someone who's bowled 37 - 300 games, won many tournaments and averaged over 200 from the age of 17 to 36 I really don't seem to know much actually ABOUT the game. This may be one of those cases where ignorance is bliss. What I also can do is the next time I go to the lanes is see if wifey can video me and the ball with her ipad, she has a nice stand for it where it will stay steady and not look like an episode of COPS. Maybe that can help put together these numbers for me, I'm sure this won't be the last conversation I have where this will come up.
JohnP
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Positive Axis Point: 15 15/16 x 3/16
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Re: Starting fresh

Post by JohnP »

The link below will take you to the index of the glossary in the Bowling Chat wiki (see the radio button at the top right of every Bowling Chat page). There you'll find a definition for almost any technical bowling term. When you're done there go to the wiki home page and you'll find enough information to keep you busy reading for days. -- JohnP

http://wiki.bowlingchat.net/wiki/index. ... y:Glossary" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
TonyPR
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Re: Starting fresh

Post by TonyPR »

Jaja, don't worry I've heard Pete Webber doesn't know much about these numbers and measurements either, he's got ball reps to do that for him. Wish I had a resume like yours, in my case I bowled youth in the 80's and early 90's and came back to the sport about 4 years ago because my daughter fell in love with it. I got certified as a coach by USBC and I am kind of a nerd so I learned a lot about the technical side of the game on my own mainly through this forum and by interviewing and becoming friends with local coaches, pro shop operators, national team members and some world class coaches too. There's a lot of information on the internet about this but one needs to take everything with a grain of salt, this forum is probably the most fact based, reliable and up to date source available. Use the search function and use the Wiki section at the top of the page and you will find almost everything you need to know.

Here's a link to a 5 part podcast where Mo Pinel explains the basics:

http://above180.com/category/ball-drill ... es-series/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Enjoy!
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Phonetek
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Re: Starting fresh

Post by Phonetek »

TonyPR wrote:I've heard Pete Webber doesn't know much about these numbers and measurements either, he's got ball reps to do that for him.
I see I'm going to have to do some homework. However, when you put it that way I guess a fair question would be and please don't take it as being sarcastic or offensive. How is knowing these numbers and such going to help me on the lane? Also, since this is done with the ball then wouldn't it vary with each ball in your arsenal?
TonyPR
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Re: Starting fresh

Post by TonyPR »

Thirst for knowledge is never an offense. You have an advantage because you know how to adjust some variables to make a ball work for you. Having three different speeds, axis rotations (up the back, 45* and 60*), knowing how to give it more or less rpms(revolutions per minute) and controlling loft distance are great tools that will help you adjust to changing lane conditions, not many players master this but most top level bowlers do. That said, balls are like golf clubs. If you only play in one house with the same recreational oil pattern (house shot) maybe 2 reactive balls plus a spare ball will be enough. If you plan on bowling on different houses, play tournaments or play different sport patterns (which are very different from recreational house shots) then I would probably recommend 5 balls plus a spare ball.

Not all balls work the same for every player, depending on your specs you will need certain balls and for them to work the best for you they should be tuned with the appropriate layout and surface to create the shape which will give you the greatest margin of error.

You can either trust your pro shop or you can make sure things are done correctly as unfortunately some shops don't take the time to watch you bowl, record your specs and give you the best recommendations. Balls are expensive and I myself want to make sure they suit my game best so I decided to learn about this.

A 5 ball sport arsenal would probably look like this:
-one early rolling heavy oil ball
-one ball that transitions strong for long oil patterns
-one ball to play inside and roll it to the friction once it has developed (this ball would also be used in a recreational house oil pattern)
-one lighter oil control type motion for late transitions and for when there is little oil and the other balls are too aggressive (this ball would also be used in a recreational house oil pattern)
-a urethane ball for short sport patterns

Again the purpose of an arsenal is to match up with lane conditions in a way that it gives you the most margin of error. This will not be obvious in an easy house shot where you have hold inside and friction (free hook) outside, in these types of patterns you can probably have ten boards you can hit at 40' that will produce a pocket hit whereas in a flatter sport pattern you can have as little as three boards.

The player who has the correct equipment, understands it and knows how and when to use it will have an advantage.

Hope this helps.
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Phonetek
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Re: Starting fresh

Post by Phonetek »

Yes of course it helps, I am grateful for any knowledge people are willing to offer. I always listened to my teacher of course but when others made suggestions I always tried them. If the suggestion worked for me I incorporated it, if not I didn't.
I will likely be buying myself 3 new balls for starters. I have to have the span changed on my blue hammer, it's a little too short for my taste and the thumb pitch is a tad sharp and snug. Since there is no slug in the thumb and it's a minor adjustment I may be able to get away with putting one in without having it plugged. Then the AMF ball I have to have repaired because it's cracked between the finger holes. When that's done I'm going to have them resurfaced to their original finish. There will be my 5 ball arsenal for now at least. I have an excellent pro shop guy, well actually two different ones. Either one isn't a bad choice, they both will bend over backwards to help.
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