drilling question

[shadlikefish]

i am bowling with a DV8 Misfit and i bowl lefty. this is my first ball reactive ball that i have bought. my question is i have seen lately that DV8 has 4 drilling layouts that they show and as far as i can tell my pro shop followed what DV8 calls the BIG FLIP pattern. my question is how did the guy come to the conclusion that's what was best for me? this is the first ball that i have had finger tips in so he didn't watch me throw at all. the other question is whats the point of the "get back hole"? does it help that much on getting more hook? would this be a viable option to add more hook to my ball if i currently don't have this hole? Sorry for the stupid questions im just really new to this.

[J Anderson]

i am bowling with a DV8 Misfit and i bowl lefty. this is my first ball reactive ball that i have bought. my question is i have seen lately that DV8 has 4 drilling layouts that they show and as far as i can tell my pro shop followed what DV8 calls the BIG FLIP pattern. my question is how did the guy come to the conclusion that's what was best for me? this is the first ball that i have had finger tips in so he didn't watch me throw at all. the other question is whats the point of the "get back hole"? does it help that much on getting more hook? would this be a viable option to add more hook to my ball if i currently don't have this hole? Sorry for the stupid questions im just really new to this.

For the first question you either need to go Mindreader.com (jk) or go back to the pro shop and ask the driller. My guess would be that either he likes balls with a skid / flip reaction, or most of his other customers want skid / flip reactions.

A balance hole in addition to the finger and thumb holes can be drilled for one of three reasons; to make the ball USBC compliant, to make the ball more aggressive ( the so called get back hole), or to make the ball less aggressive. If the "get back hole" is drilled in the right spot it will make visible change in the ball reaction.

[ecub]

Being this your first ball, typically, most bowlers want that big hook, which is why the pro drilled it that way.

[Tampabaybob]

First of all welcome to the boards. We are happy to have you here and we'll be happy to help you in any way. Why your driller drilled it this way without first asking you about your bowling style, average, ball speed, etc., is a mystery to me also. A "good" pro shop guy will always ask those questions.

As for the layout of the ball, a skid flip reaction, it's not a bad way to start, but there are many variables involved here. He didn't ask the questions, so let me:

1. This is your first ball, so are you a casual bowler or are you bowling in a league ?

2. What is your average ?

3. Right handed or lefty ?

4. How fast do you throw the ball, based on the computer speed on the monitor ( if your lanes have one) or approximately how fast ?

5. Do you normally throw a hook or a straight ball ?

6. Do you normally throw the ball straight down the middle of the lane or do you target more towards the right side and let the ball hook in ?

7. How many games a week do you bowl ?

These are some of the questions he "should have" asked you before even measuring your hand. There may be other questions I missed and some of the other guys will probably chime in with those. Let us know, and we'll be happy to help out. By the way, in reference to the weight hole, John answered it correctly of it's purpose and use.

[shadlikefish]

This is my first reactive ball and i do bowl on 1 league. right now my average is around 145. im a lefty and throw between 12 and 15mph. i have been trying to throw a hook ball but cant get very much movement on it. I start at the 11 board and throw to the 10. i bowl 3 to 9 games a week. Thanks for all your help

[scottymoney]

This is my first reactive ball and i do bowl on 1 league. right now my average is around 145. im a lefty and throw between 12 and 15mph. i have been trying to throw a hook ball but cant get very much movement on it. I start at the 11 board and throw to the 10. i bowl 3 to 9 games a week. Thanks for all your help

It sounds to me you are rolling it straight off your hand without getting the finger lift to get the little bit of revs you need to get the hook reaction you want. It is totally a guess but you roll it straight off your hands and come up through with your palm going towards the ceiling?

If this is the case you want to release the ball by letting your thumb come out of the ball first and then using your fingers to create the revs you need to get the hook. In the end your release should follow this order
1. thumb out at the bottom of the swing.
2. fingers lifting through the shot creating the revs.
3. finish with your hand in the "handshake position"

Here is a video showing a couple pros releasing the ball.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT32utKEu0s

[Tampabaybob]

Scott has some good points. In order to get the ball to too (assuming the driller has drilled it correctly, which we'll assume that he has) start with your thumb at approximately the 11:00 position. Leave your hand in that position all the way through your swing until you feel your thumb start to come out of the ball. At that very moment, rotate your hand/wrist so your fingers will end up at approximately 8:00 or 9:00. This area, where your thumb starts to exit the ball, is your explosion point. That's where the rotation of the ball will start. If you can "feel" this you will see that ball hook a ton. If it doesn't move your feet two boards left and your target 3 boards left and get the ball into a little drier area. Try it and let us know how it worked out for you.

[scottymoney]

I forgot the original poster was a lefty so I started reading Bob's post and was totally confused. Guess I need some more coffee to wake up this morning! Once you get the fundamentals down, don't try to keep increasing revs by doing too much. By trying to create more revs in actuality you end up hurting your rev rate. Don't rush progress and just relax and have fun.

[Tampabaybob]

Yeah, he's a lefty. There's only two types of bowlers in this world....those that are left handed and those that wish they were !! My Dad bowled left handed and when I really got into the game I asked him one day why he started me off as a right hander. Told me I was a dummy and probably couldn't handle it ! He loved to pull my chain. LOL

[shadlikefish]

Thanks for all the advise guys. i will have to try some of this out tomorrow night.

[shadlikefish]

Well tried out all the advise and started getting more revs on the ball just missing my lines due to not knowing how much the ball was going to hook. I also seemed to be releasing right of target alot when trying to make sure i was flicking my fingers. its a work in progress.

[Tampabaybob]

Just keep practicing on that. If you're missing your target consistently to one side, be sure that you are staring at your target until the ball rolls over it. Also another thing to try is, do not blink your eyes from the first step until you release the ball. You'll be surprised what a difference that'll make.

[panbanger]

this is my first ball reactive ball that i have bought. my question is i have seen lately that DV8 has 4 drilling layouts that they show and as far as i can tell my pro shop followed what DV8 calls the BIG FLIP pattern. my question is how did the guy come to the conclusion that's what was best for me?


I think this is the most generic layout. My Misfit, which is also my first reactive resin ball, was also drilled with this layout. I find that if I throw it much faster than 12mph it gives very little hook. Now this may be because it needed a good cleaning, which I did yesterday and got out enough oil to open my own bowling center, or it may be because of the conservative drilling layout. I'll know more after I practice this week.

[Tampabaybob]

These new balls act like sponges to oil. Some of the manufacturers recommend de-oiling them as early as every 60 games. That tells me they are definitely aware as to how much their balls will absorb the oil. Some guys clean (rejuvenate) their equipment once a month. Especially if they typically bowl on heavy oil conditions. You probably will see a difference in the amount of hook you'll get from the ball immediately. Be prepared to move your feet/target !

[shadlikefish]

Ya I really need to give the ball a good cleaning and resurfacing. Bowling got snowed out this week and it's driving Me crazy. I really need to get outand work on all these things.