When your ball don't match up to the lanes on league night.....

[Hammer]

I definitely had trouble bowling tonight on league night. In Bowling This Month magazine a writer for the rag said that your ball will work differently on different lanes in the same house. My first league night this year I bowled a 155, 207,and a 220. Tonight on a different pair of lanes I bowled a 158, 144 and a 172. My ball did not match up to the lanes or the application of the oil they put down. It seemed that my urethane Blue Hammer with 4000 Abralon surface could have used maybe a 2000 Abralon surfrace. Maybe a backup ball with more surface and drilled with a different layout might have helped me out. I made some little adjustments with my feet on the approach to see if I could find that elusive path to the pocket for more strikes. Didn't happen. I guess the writer of the article in BTM magazine about lanes acting differently in the same house one night and then different again with the same ball on another night knew what he was talking about. For this reason he said you need a backup ball with different surface and different layout in case your first ball can't handle the lanes that night. I should have brought my Hammer Raw Anger with me tonight then maybe things would have worked out better for me and maybe not. Oh well that's bowling for ya. :cool:

[Stormed1]

In todays environment you definatly not be a "one ball wonder". There aremany factors that come into play. Lane topography, lane wear, lane surface, who you're bowling with and what they're throwing. One center I bowl in (wood lanes) varies as much as 2 arrows depending on which end of the center you're bowling on. For example in our doubles league on 17 & 18 I was playing 12-8 in games 1 & 2. For games 3 & 4 we were on 43 & 44 i was playing 18-8 with the same ball. I have also bowled in a center wher 13 hooked an arrow less than 14 I have played where I shoe 2 different balls. same line during league. So it's always a good idea to have more options available

[vdubtx]

Absolutely different reactions from different lanes in same house using same oil pattern. In my Thursday house, not only is it the lanes that differ, but the pin setter can sometimes be different. 13-18 are notorious for Pocket 7-10 splits. I think it is 5-6 in this house that you can tell the head pin is very slightly off.

I often throw different balls on each of the same pair of lanes. I even threw a 300 doing so on lanes 21-22 using my Uturn on 21 and my Black Widow Pearl on 22.

[MICHAEL]

Absolutely different reactions from different lanes in same house using same oil pattern. In my Thursday house, not only is it the lanes that differ, but the pin setter can sometimes be different. 13-18 are notorious for Pocket 7-10 splits. I think it is 5-6 in this house that you can tell the head pin is very slightly off.

I often throw different balls on each of the same pair of lanes. I even threw a 300 doing so on lanes 21-22 using my Uturn on 21 and my Black Widow Pearl on 22.

interesting you say that!! I bowl with a hall of fame guy named Pat Henderson, (look him up on bowling awards com),, his location would be Missouri!

He uses, on some occasions two different balls on a pair also! (not often but on occasion).. works for him. He has Godzilla amounts of 300s and 800s look him up. I bowled with him on league last night! I am a sub for bowlers on his team of immortals... lol

[e-tank]

Absolutely different reactions from different lanes in same house using same oil pattern. In my Thursday house, not only is it the lanes that differ, but the pin setter can sometimes be different. 13-18 are notorious for Pocket 7-10 splits. I think it is 5-6 in this house that you can tell the head pin is very slightly off.

I often throw different balls on each of the same pair of lanes. I even threw a 300 doing so on lanes 21-22 using my Uturn on 21 and my Black Widow Pearl on 22.

yea i know that feel. There a couple lanes that allow your ball to pop out of the gutter an knock down the standing 10 pin on a spare. Im pretty sure thats not usbc legal but im not in a sanctioned league so no one cares

In regards to Hammer, lane pairs can be night and day between the 2 sometimes. For this reason i always bring a sanded and a polished ball or pay attention to how your balls reacting and adjust accordingly

[Hammer]

I am going to try knocking down my ball surface from 4000 Abralon to 2000 Abralon. I figure when the lanes are playing tighter I will get a better reaction to the pocket with the 2000 surface. If they are drier I would have an easier time adjusting for the pocket. For me the tighter line to the pocket is harder to make adjustments to get to the pocket for more strikes.

[Zaxmazr]

I experience this ALL the time. Literally every bowling alley I go to with supposedly the lane patterns, have ALL different reactions from my arsenal.

[atty_hen05]

Same goes for me, my average during my regular league is usually 180 using my VG Nano pearl. I know this is a strong ball but when I played in a different lanes on a different league. It just wont hook. The oil patter was crazy! made a lot of adjustments such as going further outside and stepping back but to no avail. It just wont hook. I guess this is because most of the players that night are just house ballers (No offense). They all throw straight using plastic house balls. They tend to push the oil up to the end of the lane.

[Stormed1]

Same goes for me, my average during my regular league is usually 180 using my VG Nano pearl. I know this is a strong ball but when I played in a different lanes on a different league. It just wont hook. The oil patter was crazy! made a lot of adjustments such as going further outside and stepping back but to no avail. It just wont hook. I guess this is because most of the players that night are just house ballers (No offense). They all throw straight using plastic house balls. They tend to push the oil up to the end of the lane.

It could also be not enough oil for you Nano. If there is not enough oil it will not hook. Try a weaker ball and see what happens

[atty_hen05]

It could also be not enough oil for you Nano. If there is not enough oil it will not hook. Try a weaker ball and see what happens

How could it be? is it because of the cover stock? From what I know, if there is less oil, the more it will hook.

[dnhoffman]

How could it be? is it because of the cover stock? From what I know, if there is less oil, the more it will hook.

You know, I've never really understood this either. I do understand a ball rolling out and decelerating but not this.

[MICHAEL]

It could also be not enough oil for you Nano. If there is not enough oil it will not hook. Try a weaker ball and see what happens

It took a long time for this to SINK in but OIL is very important for a ball like the Nano! I have the Nano Pearl, and I KEEP it higly polished and notice it works like a champ when it is higly polished on league oil. I used it last night and had a 725 that I posted under scores.

From what I gather, they lose energy with friction, and need oil.... that's why the Nano pearl, and pearl balls in general work for ICEMAN!!

Especially a top in high performance ball, NEEDS OIL, not unlike the Tin Man in the wizard of OZ!! Its amazing how weak they can look with no snap at the end when oil is not heavy and present... I am learning!!! (:)

[Hammer]

If there is not enough oil on a lane and you are using a high power ball with like a 500 Abralon surface the friction on the lane will eat up
the energy of the ball and cause it not to hook. I read about this in Bowling This Month magazine. He even said that some league bowlers will think that there is too much oil causing their high power ball not to hook. When you get a new ball check for what lane condition it is made for. Check the bowling ball site on the forum and they will show you what balls are made for what lane oil condition.
The ball you use has to match up with the lane condition you are bowling on hence the use of a ball arsenal.

[noeymc]

i think any ball will work on any house its up to you to adjust your revs axis and speed to make it work but thats just me

id be willing to put this up against anyone at any house my shatter will react the same on any lane i need my 10 min warm up to make my adjustments but once i know how i need to throw it i can make it do anything as you can to

[atty_hen05]

^^^ Agree. This is good you only have to work with limited arsenal.


@Hammer,

Understood what you said. My league plays in the evening and I noticed that the lanes were not re-oiled before we play.

[Aslan]

I don't know. I don't think people need as many balls as they carry. I mean, if you're not bowling in $10,000 tournaments...you shouldn't need to bring 6 roller bags to the alley every night. Take 2-3 balls, change your spot and ball speed as appropriate. I mean, if you need 2 balls for each lane...then another 2 for a different alley...and 2 more for the other lane at that alley..where does it end?

I sometimes notice a difference lane to lane....but it's a matter of aiming 1 board left or 1 board right....maybe starting slightly more left or more right.

I'm not saying it's unheard of...I think I saw Pete Weber using the same brand/style of ball on each of two lanes....but he had them drilled differently. Pin down vs pin up.

[J Anderson]

i think any ball will work on any house its up to you to adjust your revs axis and speed to make it work but thats just me

id be willing to put this up against anyone at any house my shatter will react the same on any lane i need my 10 min warm up to make my adjustments but once i know how i need to throw it i can make it do anything as you can to

I applaud you for taking the time and effort to learn a number of different releases. Most of us, for whatever reason just don't.

Having shot a couple 600s last year using only a White Dot I agree that any ball can strike.

On a good day, I can find a line that consistently gets the ball to the pocket with whatever I choose to use that day. I usually don't change balls unless I get totally frustrated. That said I will almost always lose to someone who is using a ball that gives him or her a better reaction for the lane conditions.

[noeymc]

I applaud you for taking the time and effort to learn a number of different releases. Most of us, for whatever reason just don't.

Having shot a couple 600s last year using only a White Dot I agree that any ball can strike.

On a good day, I can find a line that consistently gets the ball to the pocket with whatever I choose to use that day. I usually don't change balls unless I get totally frustrated. That said I will almost always lose to someone who is using a ball that gives him or her a better reaction for the lane conditions.

saturday was the first time ive thrown a different ball then my shatter in over 8 months i needed to burn up a line fast so threw my hammer taboo to suck up some oil so i could use my shatter cuz i think it carries better then my other ball and anyone can change all this its not nearly as hard as you would think it is most people shake the hand try just pointing ur pinky at the target and watch the difference

[atty_hen05]

Truly..my Nano Pearl was the wrong ball I played. There was less oil. So I brought in my cyclone and it did well.

[Zaxmazr]

Again, this is why I bring 3 strike balls. One for literally any oil condition.

[sprocket]

I usually just try to tough it out with the same ball and try to find a way to get the job done. I might switch balls once but 90% of the time I don't, particularly this early in the season in a handicap league. Is it sandbagging to not go to every measure possible to score well? I mean, there's times, this week for instance, when I truly believe I would have been better off changing balls but I wanted to try to get my new one to work so I toughed it out. Today I will take that ball in and get more surface put on it.

So is it sandbagging, strategy, or neither to stick with the same ball when it isn't working very well? It is true that I am not overly concerned with results this early in the season. I tried to do my best with a ball that didn't match up very well. The second game was actually quite good, and I struck out to finish the night. Overall though, I was below average.

[J Anderson]

So is it sandbagging, strategy, or neither to stick with the same ball when it isn't working very well? It is true that I am not overly concerned with results this early in the season. I tried to do my best with a ball that didn't match up very well. The second game was actually quite good, and I struck out to finish the night. Overall though, I was below average.

Technically, if you have other balls with you that you think might work better and you don't switch, it would be sandbagging. Personally, I would not be too quick to call you out on it. First there is no guarantee that any of the other balls will work better. I admit there have been times when it's obvious to everyone but myself that even a plastic spare ball would be a better choice than what I was using, but still it's not a case of change ball = automatic improvement. Second, most of us don't have the time or money to practice as much as we need to so league isn't just about getting every pin we can. It's also about trying different lines, different releases, still trying to make the best possible shot with the equipment we started with until changing balls is unavoidable.

Lastly, no one goes out and bowls their average every single game. Sometimes we're focused and everything is right on target with the right stuff and all the games are better than normal. Other times it can be like we've forgotten everything and all the games go badly. If you're not throwing the ball well it really doesn't matter what ball you're using.

[e-tank]

i think any ball will work on any house its up to you to adjust your revs axis and speed to make it work but thats just me

id be willing to put this up against anyone at any house my shatter will react the same on any lane i need my 10 min warm up to make my adjustments but once i know how i need to throw it i can make it do anything as you can to

agreed. My crossroad could be used for all 3 games but i like to use a stronger ball to take up some of the head oil and dry up the break point. Although sometimes i need a stronger ball to get a earlier roll so it can avoid a deadzone

[atty_hen05]

Now supposing my weak ball is no longer hit the pins that good i.e. leaving splits and weird spares, what ball do I change to? my spare ball?

[MICHAEL]

What happens when none of your balls really match up to the conditions on a given night, WELL I had one last night!
The Nano Pearl that was so gracious to Iceman Monday league night, was way too aggressive 3 days later!?!?... I am talking from the very beginning, even in warm up!
Was there oil, I would say yes, because it kept going way to high on the head pin, right from the start! Same bowling alley but different lanes, also bowling different bowlers, but same 5 person teams.

I tried everything I could imagine to make the V.G. pearl work, but now I know my knowledge base is not as complete as it needs to be! I had a bad night, plain and simple! The whole team was struggling to a degree, but not as bad as Iceman!

The team we bowled had Godzilla amounts of Brooklyn Strikes,,, Whoooopieee,, screaming and yelling all night long,,, “ I’ll take it!”,,,, I’LL TAKE IT!!,,,, I’ll TaKE iT!,,,, I’ll Take it!,,, I’LL TAKE IT!!! All night long, it affected Iceman so much that I woke up twice, my wife said, saying out loud, I’ll Take it!! She ask me, (you’ll take what?) , but no reply, just Iceman laying in bed Stone Cold shaking his head!!

Thinking back, sure you’ll take it in most cases it is the only way you will get a Fricken Strike… lol They were rude, and had a game plan to yell, and make commits, while we were bowling, and it actually got to one of our better bowlers. His last game was a 170, and his average is 225!

I had only three ball, and my choices were not what I needed for that night of oil derangement, by the Trailer Trash group!... YES,, they were all wearing shirts, with pictures on the back that claimed they were trailer trash, and proud of it!!!! Goofy looking pictures of mutated people, with buck teeth, and that look in their faces, of ( “The lights are on, but no one is home look!”) or, that look of , I’ll take it, any way I can get it, in regards to strikes… NO FRICKEN PRIDE at all….. lol

I had the nano pearl that worked great Monday, for all 3 games, 300, and 780 series
but couldn’t use it at all,,, also for some strange reason brought the lucid that I just resurfaced,,, to strong also,, and the DV8 misfit, lemon drop, it worked but was not carrying well at all… and my spare ball, that is the sling shot! Thinking back I should have tried throwing it for the strike ball.

To sum it up, some nights even with great bowlers, the whole team can be off!! When I say great bowlers, I am not including myself; I now know I have a LOT TO LEARN!! I was not able to adjust well to the lane conditions. I am sure there is was a solution, Iceman just didn’t find it!! I am still a work in progress! We still have the lead, and you can’t keep a group like ours down, we with the help of the bowling Gods, will keep our position, in first place, with good clean pocket hits, and none of the , “ I’ll take its” ()

[Mudpuppy]

Ug. I hate nights like that Iceman. So frustrating.

[MICHAEL]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb2CIQuWVUg

The team we bowled..... proud members of the trailer trash association, of K.C. MO!! lol

You know I Kid the team we bowled,,, but they were wearing trailer trash tee shirts!! LOL..... They did cause such a disturbance that one bowler two lanes down came over and said it was affecting his game!! (:),,, To be honest, I am so focused when I step up to the approach that I don't hear Fricken anything until I am on my way back from the shot!

I told my wife, maybe its the Iron Worker in me!! When I was walking the steel hundreds of feet up, there would be all kinds of distractions while waling the steel, but my concentration and focus kept me alive for over 25 years... even with numerous distractions...

the rest of the team did not like the distractions, but then they don't have the nerves of steel that Iceman has!! LOL....