What Does Malott do in regards to OIL ON HIS BALLS

[MICHAEL]

I watched the, ( I believe it was the world series of bowling last week, have it on my DVR), and did you notice that
Wess Malott does NOT WIPE HIS BALL off during the match! You can actually see the tracks of oil on his ball, while standing on the launch pad!
This goes with what the lastest research has stated, and was passed on to me from Bruce, (X pro bowler that has many pro bowlers come give clinics while in town), That wiping off the oil does more damage then good!

Yes some comes off on your rag, or shirt, but the process of rubbing it with your towel actually pushes lane oil into the ball at the same time.

If you taped the last match, that Malott won, and started from the first round, he never wipes his ball through all his games to his victory!

To wipe, or not to Wipe,,,,,, that is the question,,, Science is backing this new data!

Malott, did pretty darn good not wiping his ball,,,, maybe it's worth a try,,, your thoughts!

(( I know ,,, OLD HABITS are HARD to break))..... even if research states otherwise!

NO ONE is saying don't clean your ball after bowling league! Just don't wipe while bowling!

[e-tank]

According to Rob Mautner(silver level Usbc coach), it was to get a little more length on that short cheetah pattern. I doubt pros care about the oil soaking into the ball over a long period of time as they are always getting new equipment

[vdubtx]

Was actually talking about this very subject last night with one of my team mates(40+ 300's and 30+ 800 series). He does not wipe his ball at all and was told by his Dad many years ago(his dad is on Top 10 PBA Senior tour earnings list) that wiping the ball off doesn't help the ball at all. You are actually removing oil off the contact surface ball/lane and burning up your line.

I have always been a wipe off ball every time up on approach kind of person and am starting to transition to not wiping. Last night, half way through game 2 when we were talking about it I stopped wiping. Will see how it goes the next couple weeks.

[dnhoffman]

Iceman we really gotta get you into a Research Methods class at the local community college!

No on here has said you're wrong about this, we just want to see the actual study. It sounds interesting. And vdub, that point about burning up your own line is really interesting too! I've never thought about it that way.

[Bunny]

And vdub, that point about burning up your own line is really interesting too! I've never thought about it that way.

Stuart Williams actually changed his line to try to burn a line to stop Josh Blanchard's strike fest at the West/Northwest RPI this year. Defensive bowling. That's a new one.

It actually worked but Stu didn't make a move back soon enough and put the hammer down. At least that's what the announcer's said. It was a really interesting match to watch.

[sprocket]

All I do is spin the ball once on my shirt in the area of the flare rings. I'm not trying to remove any more oil than it takes to avoid the saturation point. By "saturation point" I mean when there is so much oil on the flare rings that is starts to spread out. I couldn't care less if there is oil on the flare rings. That's what I want! How can a person say they like oil on the lanes to keep their ball from hooking early yet they don't want oil on the ball to keep it from hooking early? It makes NO SENSE. Oil is oil. When the ball touches the lane it is in the oil and the oil keeps the ball from hooking early. Oil on the ball does the SAME THING. The oil doesn't care where it is; it's still slippery.

What I don't want is oil on the DRY FLARE RINGS, which is why I use a very minimal wipe and attempt to just hit the area of the oily flare rings to knock the oil down a bit but NOT spread it all around the ball.

[dnhoffman]

Kept thinking about this last night and tonight on league. I don't think wiping it down every shot or not makes a really tangible difference if you're cleaning the ball after every set and de-oiling every 30-50 games.

[SouthpawTRK]

I decided not to wipe down my ball during league to see if there was any effects; negative or positive. While I did not bowl well in the first and second game, I would not blame that on not wiping down my ball. The last game was a well scoring game (for me) and that was not due to me not wiping down my ball. By no means am I saying that you should or should not wipe down your ball between shots or that I'm any type of authority on it; just my two cents.

[MICHAEL]

I bowl with my dream team tonight, Biker Larry, Hanging Chad, Manic, The Dude, and me-Iceman!
We are at the present time, and have been since last year, never lost that position! I will bowl on House pattern fresh oil without a wipe... I will report back later this evening as to my observations, and what ball I used. They will be cleaned with simply green, and alcohol on my spinner before attempting this feat! I want to be like Malott!!! This theory has been discussed, and now needs to be put to the Iceman test!! Later,,,

[bowl1820]

Here's something to ponder, if the light pressure of your hand with a towel is grinding some dirt and oil into the ball surface.

Just imagine how much more of that dirt and oil you don't wipe off, is getting ground into the track area of the ball do to the pressure of the ball's weight against the lane surface when you roll it again.

The thing to remember with Malott, he was trying to compensate for lane conditions by not wiping his ball. Not because he was worried about grinding oil and dirt into the cover.

Excerpt from The Brunswick Ball Life Study:

PROLONGING LIFE AND BRINGING BACK REACTION ON REACTIVE & PARTICLE COVERSTOCK BALLS
by John Prokopec, Product Manager and Bill Wasserberger, Director of Consumer Products R&D

Recommendations:
Since Brunswick has identified oil absorption as the primary cause of reduced ball reaction with use, it makes sense to use techniques that reduce oil absorption.
• Wipe oil from the surface of the ball between shots.
• Use a ball cleaner to remove oil from the surface of the ball
after bowling.

[MICHAEL]

Here's something to ponder, if the light pressure of your hand with a towel is grinding some dirt and oil into the ball surface.

Just imagine how much more of that dirt and oil you don't wipe off, is getting ground into the track area of the ball do to the pressure of the ball's weight against the lane surface when you roll it again.

The thing to remember with Malott, he was trying to compensate for lane conditions by not wiping his ball. Not because he was worried about grinding oil and dirt into the cover.

Excerpt from The Brunswick Ball Life Study:

PROLONGING LIFE AND BRINGING BACK REACTION ON REACTIVE & PARTICLE COVERSTOCK BALLS
by John Prokopec, Product Manager and Bill Wasserberger, Director of Consumer Products R&D

Recommendations:
Since Brunswick has identified oil absorption as the primary cause of reduced ball reaction with use, it makes sense to use techniques that reduce oil absorption.
• Wipe oil from the surface of the ball between shots.
• Use a ball cleaner to remove oil from the surface of the ball
after bowling.


That was old thought,, Maybe,, This new theory is backed my nano technology and Surface analytical oil absorption equipment, that didn't exist before Brunswick made the above statement,,, maybe,,, lest that's what I was told by an anonymous source deep in the industry that would like to remain silent due to obvious reasons.

[classygranny]

My coach instilled upon me that wiping the ball after each shot is a smart thing to do. If the ball is traveling down the lane and encounters some oil on the surface of the ball, you will see a different reaction than you might if the ball is only encountering lane friction. Thus, if it encounters oil, you may make an erroneous adjustment based on a reaction caused only by oil on the ball surface.

[dnhoffman]

Ya, I can in no way believe that it has anywhere near that profound and/or immediate of an effect.

[MICHAEL]

I was going to not wipe my ball tonight at league, but you might as well put bamboo under my finger nails.... I,,, I,,,, I JUST CAN'T not wipe my ball!!! I can't lie and make up a story, its in my DNA to wipe!!! I don't care if it does more harm then good, or even if it does some good! I am a wiper! ( Plain and Simple!

I am, and always will be a Happy Wiper!

[Hampe]

I always wipe my ball.....I even do it when there are no visible oil lines on it, it's just a habit. It's pretty much part of my pre-shot routine.

One of the centers here usually has quite a bit of oil on the lanes, and if you don't wipe your ball, it's hard to pick it up off the rack after a game or so. That center also has a few ball returns that have trouble getting balls up into the return if they are too oily. If you're on one of those pairs with someone who doesn't wipe, their ball will start to get stuck in the return after a few frames (which also means your ball will start to get stuck -.-)

[sprocket]

I was just reading there there is liquid cleaning agents that are U.S.B.C. approved for use DURING competition. I did not know that. I was actually researching the best type of towels to use to remove oil and avoid driving the oil into the surface. You learn something new every day.

[MICHAEL]

I was just reading there there is liquid cleaning agents that are U.S.B.C. approved for use DURING competition. I did not know that. I was actually researching the best type of towels to use to remove oil and avoid driving the oil into the surface. You learn something new every day.

All I can say is,,, Your on heck of a Nice guy!! I think someone else didn't really mean it, but,,,, Iceman does!!

[dnhoffman]

Can someone provide a link to cleaning products approved for use during league play?

[bowl1820]

Can someone provide a link to cleaning products approved for use during league play?
USBC BALL CLEANER LIST - ACCEPTABLE/NON-ACCEPTABLE
http://usbcongress.http.internapcdn.net/usbcongress/bowl/equipandspecs/pdfs/Combined%20cleaner_polish.pdf

[dnhoffman]

Thank you for enabling my laziness! I appreciate it.

[circlecity]

Wow! Took a look at the list of cleaners. There are a lot of them.

[bowl1820]

Wow! Took a look at the list of cleaners. There are a lot of them.

A lot those cleaners are not around anymore.

[Rdmonster]

All this cleaning/wiping talk is making my head hurt.

Seriously..I imagine it makes about the same difference for me as the type of golf ball I use. Pro V1, Top Flight, Roundish rock...I'm not good enough for it to make much of a difference.

I wipe it off...sometimes not very good....I usually clean it after a set...not always.

If your release, revs, PAP etc isnt all the same (or what you want it to be) the ball wont do the same thing or react to your liking whether it's been wiped or not !!!

[Aslan]

Whether it does anything or not…does anyone subscribe to the theory or a "routine" that they go through before each shot or each frame? I only ask because I've heard some advice from better bowlers that they go through the same routine each time before they roll or before each frame. For most of them…wiping the ball with a towel and putting their hand over the hand dryer are just part of the "routine". Does it matter if your dry hand has air blow on it before you roll (especially if you're wearing a glove)? Probably not. Does wiping it change much? Probably not.

I'm fortunate that in my game (lack of)…it can't get much worse…and it would take a LOT of stuff to make it better.

[sprocket]

The pros that go through strict pre-shot routines actually go through more of a routine than even what you see. They want EVERYTHING the same from one shot to the next. That includes breathing, heart-rate, thoughts, the exact way they step on the approach, the exhale before they start their approach...all of it. They do it because if everything is exactly the same as in the past, then the brain and body automatically assume that what comes next will also be exactly the same.

I think though, that this was actually more effective in the past when what came next really COULD be the same shot after shot. Now with rapidly changing lane conditions, what comes next BETTER NOT be the same as in the recent past (like the last frame).

Actually it would be really interesting to talk to some pros about this topic....

[dnhoffman]

The pros that go through strict pre-shot routines actually go through more of a routine than even what you see. They want EVERYTHING the same from one shot to the next. That includes breathing, heart-rate, thoughts, the exact way they step on the approach, the exhale before they start their approach...all of it. They do it because if everything is exactly the same as in the past, then the brain and body automatically assume that what comes next will also be exactly the same.

I think though, that this was actually more effective in the past when what came next really COULD be the same shot after shot. Now with rapidly changing lane conditions, what comes next BETTER NOT be the same as in the recent past (like the last frame).

Actually it would be really interesting to talk to some pros about this topic....

Yes, but this is also because most "pros, experts, and geniuses" and also crazy people that have OCD, and a plethora of other disorders. It's what allows them to accomplish things the laymen couldn't hope to!