Help with selecting my next ball....Switched to 2-Handed

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ZRated
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Help with selecting my next ball....Switched to 2-Handed

Post by ZRated »

To all - this is a long one...a novel. In this I am explaining my change in style, my speed change, rev rate change, current ball and issue I am having, and why and what I am looking for in another ball to add to this one. Thanks in advance if you get through this book I posted up ha.

So, recently I added the new Black Widow Ghost Pearl 15# to my arsenal and essentially "retired" any other ball I have due to being extremely old balls that were passed down and honestly obsolete and very difficult to throw. So, I basically reset my bag, starting with 2 balls. My main and my spare ball. However..... I also chose this Ghost Pearl based on me changing my style of bowling. My original 1-handed style of bowling in form and release was very similar to Tom Daugherty's (minus the "terminator step") and even Buttruff's (minus the wrist breaker ball position). I also used 2 fingers instead of 3. I elected to go to 2 handed because the above style of bowling I have used since I was 12 was causing some serious issues with my shoulder, collar bone, and even my shin. I had some bad breaks in the Army (11B) with collar bones (blood wings) and a shoulder replacement later down the road. The 2-handed style took a lot of focused strain off of those key points of my body as it allowed my legs to do generate most my speed and power. The traditional 1-handed swing is also not an option as I cannot bring the ball back that far...even with a 10# ball. This is the limit of my pain and strain and not muscle. I am pretty well built as I still box (at 44 lol) and stay in decent shape (minus the added beer...for protein right?)

So, that's the setup of what I have going on here. I have worked tirelessly..and I mean 20-30hrs per week...literally on top of work for the last 2 months transitioning to 2-handed. It has been a rough ride with a LOT of hours studying every lefty 2-hander pro and youtuber I can find and putting them in slow motion etc. etc. I have developed a pretty solid form but have some kinks to work out before I can safely say I am in the "fine tuning" stage.

One of the things I lost when changing to 2-handed was ball speed. My average speed 1-handed was usually around 18.5mph naturally and measured my rev rate (with tape etc) to be around 370-400. When I started 2-handed my avg. ball speed dropped down to a meager 15mph but my rev rate went through the roof at over 500.. I ranged from a hair of 500 to 540. The Ghost Pearl when I got it was drilled long (and he didn't get my PAP or anything like that bc I was a new 2-hander and not worth the time trying to get me to throw consistent enough to get it as he said....and therefore said he had a "good 2-hander layout"). The ball was so aggressive at the back end that it would snap across the lane in an instant..usually hitting the 3 pin (and I'm a lefty..so imagine the snap). I nearly 9 hours at my center (luckily they have 2hrs for $12 deals mon-thurs lol) trying to get that ball to the pocket. I practically had to throw so far right I was over the gutter..and still could only pull Brooklyns. I tried throwing the ball flat to take reduce the rev rate and sometimes it worked but it felt very awkward and really started putting some odd strain on my wrist and finger. I took it to the shop there in my center (should have gone there first but they were out of town...impulse). They plugged and re-drilled my brand new ball to almost pin dopwn after taking me out on the lanes and getting my PAP etc. It helped a LOT.....however..still some issues. (This was the ONLY time anyone went out to a lane with me from 4 different pro shops I have been to the last year for drilling etc.)

The ball is much more manageable as I don't have to start off playing as far right as you can go without tripping over a ball return.. I am able to move in more and throw it a tad straighter as opposed to using entire lane on fresh oil. It still snaps pretty hard but.... I spent the last 2 weeks ramping up my ball speed and my form to where I am sitting right around 16.3-16.6 MPH on average...and I can stay in the range naturally ( I was originally doing a 3 step approach and added a step with the push away and it really fixed a lot of problems I was having as well as ramping up the speed). My rev rate is still very high and still mis-matched to my ball speed in my opinion.. I need to be throwing that ball down lane around 17.5 to 18mph to really make it work. The rare occasion when I smash the pocket for that awesome rack wrecking throw..my ball speed is just up over 17mph.. Most of your pros etc on this ball (2-handers) are right in that range...and I have learned that it has been easier to increase my ball speed than it is to change my hand position and mechanics to reduce my rev rate....

The ball is ok on league night on that first game as I can throw it decently at first...but after that first game the ball reminds me that there is no margin for error from me. As the lanes break down...I run out of room to move comfortably and eventually start doing bad things like change my throw...swing my arm out... throw at an odd angle with my hips..etc...and then my ball speed plummets and the ball is off the lane.

So, I decided I need a smoother and less aggressive ball that has a larger margin for error...at least while I work on increasing my ball speed and honing this new style to me. I think the Ghost will be fine..but it is just a little out of my range of control right now.. I have spent HOURS watching reviews and charts on about every ball that has the "smooth" factor in it. Those reviews I record, open up my video editor, and measure MPH of the reviewer... eyeball their rev rate best I can..etc. All to see where I fit in to their speed and rev rate and how that ball reacts for them. I don't want to base my ball choice off a 2-hander that throws 18-19mph with a 500 rev rate right now...I am not at that point yet. I consider myself to be a low speed - high rev bowler at this point.

Again.. I don't know my PAP and it may have changed since I started 2-handed and where I am now. It has been very difficult to get a pro shop here to go out on the lanes and spend time with me....and I mean VERY difficult. I see them with other customers out there but when I come to get a ball from them they act very discouraged to help me... in the 4 centers I have gone to here. In fact, without getting any numbers from me or seeing how I bowl..they still try to sell me the high end balls they have in stock. I have given more information in this post on how I bowl than a shop is willing to gather with 10 minutes or so on the lane.

Here are the balls I am looking at based on my own research....

My avg speed right now is within 16 MPH somewhat consistently... I have some timing issues I am working on to stay in this range more..
My rev rate is 490-550... the madder I get..the more it increases... but safely I am a 500+ rev rate

I THINK a symmetrical ball is a wise choice...as it seems they are smoother overall
I am looking for an entry to low performance..not wanting to drop $200 on a ball alone that a $100 ball will do fine for me right now. I am also basing this off of house shot in league...

Hammer RAW - Black (Solid) = This one seems to be really smooth in the reviews I have painstakingly researched
Hammer RAW - Black/Orange (Hybrid) = This one appears to be smoother in what I have seen with high rev bowlers and have heard mention that they are better for low speed players on house shot. Also, I have been seeing a LOT of these coming out of bags on league nights.
Brunswick Rhino - (Solid?) = Have seen a few of these out there too and talked to a guy who had one and was a lefty 2-hander as well...but his ball speeds were incredibly slow... He was on the lane next to me and I looked at the video I took of league other night and he was throwing 12-13mph for his average speed...but this kid (20s..I'm 44 lol) rolled a 238, a 212, and a 215 with that Rhino..he also had a high rev rate and told me he tried the Ghost Pearl I have and he had the same issue I did.
Radical Payback - (Pearl Reactive) = This one is a little more pricey but was suggested by one of the pro shop guys when I asked about the Hammer RAW he had on display... I am not sure if he was taking me from the lower priced balls to the higher margin balls here.. He didn't ask me any questions on my bowling...other than "do you want snappy or smooth?"

So, again... I am looking for a nice, smooth arc I can play straighter..that is for a 16mph speed with high rev on house shots. I think medium oil is decent as leagues are in FULL swing right now at my center and they pack those Sunday leagues in...meaning... the last 3 weeks they have not had time to re-oil the lanes from the previous league. They finish up about 6pm and ours starts at 6:30pm.. So the lanes have already seen 6 or 8 players rolling 3 games on them before I even get a ball down.

Something else, once I get things ironed out in my learning process for 2-handed..and my ball speed goes up...I also want this go-to optional ball to still be relevant. I figure as aggressive as that Widow is...., having a ball that is the polar opposite is a good ball to have with me to work with.

I have also considered including some sanding but I am not experienced enough with it to use it as an option...for now.

If anyone has read this far...thanks for reading and thanks in advance for any advice on a ball choice. I hope through all this typing you have an idea of where I am in this and what I am looking for.

Before I got my Ghost back from the plug and re-drill... I had to use a house ball on 2 league nights.. It was a 14lb and it had a pin dot on it so I assume it had some kind of core in it. I bowled a 199, 202, and a 180 with it!! It had a smooth awesome arc and it had this great margin for error as I could miss left by quite a bit and it would find itself to the pocket. I was so pleased with this house ball that I took a picture of the serial number (lol) and found it the next week... Where, on a whole different pair I bowled a 179, 129, and a 216. The 129 was because I tried throwing my teammate's old I.D. something ball that he hated...and it hooked hard but I kept throwing it. Went back to the house ball next game.

then I got the Ghost back...and literally threw a 129, 136, and a 125 a couple days ago in league...I was not happy.. I have not thrown under a 400 series since I was like 12 or 14..
TomaHawk
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Re: Help with selecting my next ball....Switched to 2-Handed

Post by TomaHawk »

"I THINK a symmetrical ball is a wise choice...as it seems they are smoother overall
I am looking for an entry to low performance..not wanting to drop $200 on a ball alone that a $100 ball will do fine for me right now. I am also basing this off of house shot in league..."

Most everything could change in regard to your game. Rev rate, axis tilt, speed, and rotation could be affected during your transition from one to two hand. To be totally honest, it's going to take a minute or two to execute the delivery consistently enough to really warrant spending a ton of money on expensive equipment.

Start with a Twist, Rhino, or Surge, those bowling balls are some of the least sophisticated balls on the market. That doesn't mean they will not perform, they are just easier to control.
ZRated
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Re: Help with selecting my next ball....Switched to 2-Handed

Post by ZRated »

Thanks for the reply, I ended up going with the Raw Black Solid and they were out of stock so he had to order it...Should be in by next Tuesday so kind of sucks I won't have time to practice with it before next league. He (pro shop) suggested the Black over the Orange/Black and Rhino for me and I decided to go with it. While I was there I decided to work on my ball speed and did something to my hip during my stretching to where it wouldn't allow me to throw any other way but straight-legged. It still hurts even now. I ended up having some employees join me there and a pro and we had some fun. Tried the Payback which was on my list from one fo the guys who had it and did well with it but I couldn't really gauge it because I was throwing so upright and releasing the ball very high because of my hip issue....

It's funny but my TZone was the killer ball today. The employee liked it so much he started striking with it. He said it wasn't drilled right bc it hooked so hard..but I told him "how? it has no core? It's plastic?". Either way... it was running really nice through the medium stuff.. I can't wait to get the Raw in.
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Re: Help with selecting my next ball....Switched to 2-Handed

Post by TonyPR »

Invest in proper coaching as practice doesn’t make perfect, practice makes permanent and if you’re practicing improper technique for so many hours it will be very difficult to fix as your body will go on auto every time you stand on the approach. Some people would rather spend $200-$600 on balls (sometimes more) than paying for a lesson every other week. Not many coaches coaching two handed properly, tell me your location and I may be able to recommend someone.
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