How much drilling ignorance is bliss?

[Ball99999]

If you had no idea about ball drillings and just told your driller "hey I like this ball please drill it for me", would you just adjust to the reaction and not know any different?

This guy makes a good point to me


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK5HO__gBJE

[bowl1820]

Here take a look at this thread
http://www.bowlingboards.com/threads/10635-Got-my-Modern-Marvel-tonight-D?





Bowling Tip of the Week - A Fireside Chat about Drilling


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK5HO__gBJE

I like that video.. I thought it was going to criticize pro shops for not doing layouts but it basically emphasized it won't matter for me.

[Ball99999]

Here take a look at this thread
http://www.bowlingboards.com/threads/10635-Got-my-Modern-Marvel-tonight-D?

That was my own thread lol.. where the video came from.

[AZBowla]

This is exactly what I did when I had my new ball drilled. The pro shop operator couldn't watch me bowl because there were leagues in progress when I went and the lanes were all full, but he just told me "this ball is designed to have a long skid and a pretty good hook in the backend, is that what you're looking for?" I said yes, and he drilled it to match.

The difference was pretty significant compared to what I was used to but I just adjusted my game accordingly and now I'm getting pretty good with it. I just need to get more comfortable and confident with my release due to the thumb sticking when I do it wrong, but other than that he did a great job. I'll definitely be back as my arsenal (and my lovely girlfriend's arsenal) grows. And it will grow, I'm going to be starting leagues soon and depending on how well I do, I might add a DV8 Nightmare to the collection just because that is an awesome ball and a misfit for when lanes break down towards the end of the night. Plus we're both looking at new shoes and other accessories, and lugging around two balls in a shoulder-tote is getting old quick so we'll be looking at rollers and ..... oh man there goes the kid's college fund...

[scottymoney]

Richard Shockley needs a much shorter domain name! Golly Folks! I do enjoy a good southern accent during a rant like this.

Smart guy and I like his approach. He does have a very valid point that anyone under 200 average needs work on everything other than how their ball is drilled.
One guy on my team asked me last week what arrow I throw at and I said "I aim at the 2nd arrow, obviously i missed that last shot"(threw it outside the arrow a good 4 boards or so) . Then i proceeded to walk up and throw right over the 2nd arrow and bam strike! He knew at that point I had hit my mark. I definitely know I am in that 5 board range and that I can see the difference of hitting my mark and not hitting mine.
When I get my ball drilled this time I am not too worry about layout, I just care about the fit. If I have to move my target and where I stand I would rather do that than worry if it was drilled correct for layout.

[billf]

At one point in time I would not have known any different and tried to adjust. That was before I was doing tournaments. At one point I said, "why can't I make my ball do that?" The guy heard me, let me roll his ball and whammo, turns out I could do it but my equipment couldn't. The average he uses, 200, is a reasonable one but having a ball that suits your style and lane conditions will get you there faster.

[scottymoney]

After reading your comment Bill I think there is a balance between the 2. Obviously the bowler needs to be more effective on hitting his marks, but he also needs to put his style in it. Me being more of a "down and in" guy I would always look to get my ball drilled pin around my ring finger to promote a little extra length and more backend, but that is how I always have had it. I guess I should maybe wonder what changing my layout might do for my ball motion. If I went to a different layout how much would it effect my ball motion being mainly a down and in guy. I do move left and use some extra hook at times, but that is normally after I get frustrated for half a game trying to figure out why I miss the pocket.

[The German Shepherd]

Dude makes all kinds of sense here....bowling common sense.

Jay

[Zothen]

WOW I guess all my balls are drilled wrong since i'm a 176 avg bowler on THS. So the question is-If my ball speed is 15-16mph(17-18mph add 2 for speed gun)rev rate of about 250,down & in player(stand 18-22 board and throw 7-10 board)what is my conventional drilling? Here are my balls-neXus solid,Defiant,beserk,Bullwhip SE,Shout,508A.

I thought it was the pro shop guy's duty to ask what the ball is going to be used for,what reaction you looking for and then drillng the ball for the lane condition it will be used on the most.

When I get a ball I ask the pro shop what balls he suggests,then I go home and research and I might ask you all your opinions,then when I make my choice,i'll go the my pro guy and he'll ask how I want it drilled. He will drill it based off of what I want the ball to do and the type of condition it will be primarily used for. I am pleased with the way my balls have been drilled! the only thing i've had to do is adjust coverstock for more or less hook.

Zothen

[bowl1820]

I think you missed the point that he was trying to make. That the 170 average bowler at their skill level, shouldn't be having to worry about layouts yet.

That the pro shop should Just set them up with a basic layout, something that will work for most situations and not going to get them in trouble. That will allow them to go out there bowl and not have the ball cause them any problems until they build up their skill level.

[HughScot]

I love this guy. Confirms the conclusion I came to: It's not the ball it's the bowler. Which doesn't mean you should buy the cheapest and drill three holes anywhere, but we should get real.

[AZBowla]

I love this guy. Confirms the conclusion I came to: It's not the ball it's the bowler. Which doesn't mean you should buy the cheapest and drill three holes anywhere, but we should get real.

That's no fun, come on there has to be a magic bowling ball that will just automatically find the pocket no matter what! :D

In all seriousness, I agree although having a good ball doesn't hurt your chances any. I've gotten a few strikes with my DV8 ball that shouldn't have been strikes because I threw it all wrong, but that ball made it happen anyway. It's a bit more forgiving than my previous ball was.

[HughScot]

That's no fun, come on there has to be a magic bowling ball that will just automatically find the pocket no matter what! :D

In all seriousness, I agree although having a good ball doesn't hurt your chances any. I've gotten a few strikes with my DV8 ball that shouldn't have been strikes because I threw it all wrong, but that ball made it happen anyway. It's a bit more forgiving than my previous ball was.

I know what you mean and it is psychological, if I throw a cheap ball and it doesn't hit well I'll want to blame the ball. At least now I know for sure it really is just me.

[billf]

Only to a point. Let's say you average 140s. You have just below average speed, say 13.5 mph, tweener with high revs, let's say 375-410. Your league bowls second shift. Wanting to be all you can be you buy the brand new, hook in a box DV8 Nightmare because you saw the reviews and want to throw the big hollywood hook. Now this is a heavy oil monster with a matte finish. Obviously this ball is way too much for most fresh lanes never mind on a burnt shot. So this bowler struggles along still fighting to keep his 140 average. What happens when he is given the original Marauder drilled to go long? He starts hitting the pocket easier. Confidence goes up. The average starts to rise. With this all going good he starts to practice more, gets some coaching and starts making spares. In one season that 140 bowler went to a 200 bowler. What was the biggest change? The ball was the root change that affected the rest.
How do I know this story? It's mine. I slowed the ball down because league bowlers who I thought knew what they were talking about told me to. I bought better balls. Nothing worked. Then one day I went to a pro shop 50 miles from home. The driller watched me for a few minutes. He asked why a guy as big as me was rolling it so slow. We talked and a coach came over. 20 minutes later I was hitting 20 mph at the pins matching my rev rate. The driller picked out an entry level ball that would suit my new style and lanes I bowl at. I went from one 600 series to four 700s in six weeks. It all has to match or it won't matter at all.