Choosing the right ball for UFO / Helicopter Style

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shankarindia
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Choosing the right ball for UFO / Helicopter Style

Post by shankarindia »

Hi,

I started bowling UFO style with the house balls initially. The pin reaction was good. Then drilled a 11 pound reactive ball with no core. The pin reaction was great. But I somehow felt comfortable bowling a heavier ball. So tried drilling a reactive 12 pound ball with a core. The pin reaction was terrible. (Even a 12lb house ball had better reaction) Tried hooking the same ball and the pin reaction was great this time. So I stand confused. Is it possible to drill a bowling ball with core (12lb+) for UFO Style ? if so, what kind of ball should i choose ? I do not want the ball to drift in the back end of the lane. I want my ball to hold it's line.

Kindly advice.
Glenn
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Re: Choosing the right ball for UFO / Helicopter Style

Post by Glenn »

Welcome to Bowling Chat !

I am not aware of many UFO spinners stateside, and you might get more info tracking down YouTube videos on the subject from Asia where it is more popular and there are links and email addresses to contact the source (bowlers, bowling centers, and pro shops, etc. especially in Singapore).

A UFO spinner performs this release with relatively light-weight bowling balls (10–12 lbs) because sideways deflection is the goal. If he uses heavier bowling balls, the technique is difficult to execute and he may encounter injury. Also, 10 lbs can be too light and will often fall into the channel before hitting the corner pins. The sweet spot seems to be 11.5-12 lbs balls. There are a few using 14 lb balls.

The reason to use lighter weight balls is for deflection. Because UFO spinners do not want the ball to grab onto the lane with its surface, they often use "plastic" bowling balls as well as reactive balls that are not too aggressive (and they are kept polished). Plastic balls for this style are extremely consistent (you want a low reaction) on different oil patterns, and work best on the difficult patterns applied where this style is most popular. With the light-weight balls, you get little in the way of a core (usually pancake or light bulb types), and the cores don't seem to be that important to the UFO spinners. If the goal is to get the ball to spin like a top, I'd guess you'd want to stay away from ASYMs, too.

I've heard that Ebonite and Hammer made balls with a special core for spinners back in the day, but they were very hard to find outside of Taiwan, and I don't know if they are still being made. Maybe contact with Ebonite and Hammer would shed some light on that and help you choose a bowling ball.

I've talked way over my skis on this subject, and maybe others will chime in with better info.

Good luck!
Last edited by Glenn on April 2nd, 2022, 4:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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EricHartwell
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Re: Choosing the right ball for UFO / Helicopter Style

Post by EricHartwell »

For a spinner release I would drill a performance ball whether it is Symmetrical or Asymmetrical with the Pin on the PAP. No flare.
Eric Hartwell

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PAP 4.75" up 1/2"
45* rotation
12* tilt
330 rev rate
16 mph off hand
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