should i be wiping my ball after each shot?

[britjeff]

just been wtching jason belmonte and i noticed he wipes his ball after each shot. does it make much difference?

[RobLV1]

Yes. Wipe it off after each shot (use a microfiber towel, not terrycloth), and clean it after each set, and your ball will last much longer.

[Mike White]

just been wtching jason belmonte and i noticed he wipes his ball after each shot. does it make much difference?

It depends on the pace at which you are bowling.

Oil on the surface of the ball will given time absorb into the ball.

If you are bowling on a 5 man team, most likely all of the oil will be absorbed before your next turn,

If however you're bowling on a 2 man team, there is likely to still be oil on the surface of the ball that hasn't absorbed yet,

Wiping the ball should be incorporated into your pre shot routine, that way you at taking care of the issue regardless of the size of the team, and less likely to forget.

[britjeff]

cheers guys, i've got a terry towel in my bag, but i only wipe when it feels too oily. i'll grab a micro fibre one when i am out.

[Shaneshu87]

i'm like a towel nazi lol i wipe my ball after every shot and i don't care who follows me and if they get aggravated i spend my hard earned money on my equipment and i'm going to take care of it

[Mudpuppy]

I treat my ball like a child. If it gives me a good shot it gets a towel wipe down the next shot. If not then it stays covered in oil as a reminder of its bad deeds.

[Aslan]

I treat my ball like a child. If it gives me a good shot it gets a towel wipe down the next shot. If not then it stays covered in oil as a reminder of its bad deeds.

Me too. If I strike, I wipe the ball before the next frame. If I leave pins...I don't wipe it until before the next frame, not between shots, because it doesn't deserve to be wiped down for leaving me a 1-2-8.

[vdubtx]

I wipe after every shot when there is plenty of oil on the lanes. On my Tuesday league which is a lighter volume/higher friction house I wipe maybe the first game or 2, then the third there is hardly any oil left out there so I don't. It is part of my routine though to pick up my ball and wipe with a microfiber towel, dry my hand off, get into my stance and then go.

[Mudpuppy]

Me too. If I strike, I wipe the ball before the next frame. If I leave pins...I don't wipe it until before the next frame, not between shots, because it doesn't deserve to be wiped down for leaving me a 1-2-8.

EGGZACKLY

It's a commitment or a non-commitment

[RobLV1]

EGGZACKLY

It's a commitment or a non-commitment

Aslan: Think real hard about this: if you leave a 1-2-8, it means you missed the head pin on the right. If you don't wipe the oil off of the ball, the next time you miss it even further right. If you wipe the oil off after every shot, you always have a fresh surface. Would you rather have a fresh surface for each shot you throw, or cast your fate to the wind based on whether or not you threw a strike? For someone who overthinks most everything, there is a serious lack of thought on this one.

[Storm Tyler]

I never wipe mine. I experimented with it but found no difference.

[fortheloveofbowling]

I can definitely see a difference when i use a microfiber towel between shots.

[Aslan]

Aslan: Think real hard about this: if you leave a 1-2-8, it means you missed the head pin on the right. If you don't wipe the oil off of the ball, the next time you miss it even further right. If you wipe the oil off after every shot, you always have a fresh surface. Would you rather have a fresh surface for each shot you throw, or cast your fate to the wind based on whether or not you threw a strike? For someone who overthinks most everything, there is a serious lack of thought on this one.

So you're trying to poke holes in the theory that it's not the bowler's fault for a bad shot...it's the inanimate object/ball's fault?

Rob...sometimes you come up with the craziest stuff!!

[RobLV1]

So you're trying to poke holes in the theory that it's not the bowler's fault for a bad shot...it's the inanimate object/ball's fault?

Rob...sometimes you come up with the craziest stuff!!

Talk about crazy! That's not what I'm saying at all. I'm saying that by not wiping the ball off because it didn't strike, you helping to insure that it doesn't strike on the next shot whether it was a bad shot or not. Wipe the ball off. Then you'll know.

[Amyers]

So you're trying to poke holes in the theory that it's not the bowler's fault for a bad shot...it's the inanimate object/ball's fault?

Rob...sometimes you come up with the craziest stuff!!

The oil on the ball is not inanimate Aslan

[fortheloveofbowling]

If the lane has a lot of volume on it i generally wipe the ball before each shot. If i start to go high and want to stay on the same line in addition to another smaller adjustment i won't wipe the ball before my next shot. Right or wrong, dumb or smart that is what i do. A lot of times guys will wipe their ball before each shot partly because that is their pre shot routine and do the same thing every time before a shot. I think ultimately it is a good idea just to have a consistent surface each time.

[britjeff]

cheers everyone. i'm not good enough yet to see a difference yet wether i wipe or not, but i guess it willbe a good habit to get into, especially when i get my reactive ball.

[J Anderson]

cheers everyone. i'm not good enough yet to see a difference yet wether i wipe or not, but i guess it willbe a good habit to get into, especially when i get my reactive ball.

If it does nothing else, it will keep your bowling shirt cleaner:)

[Mudpuppy]

cheers everyone. i'm not good enough yet to see a difference yet wether i wipe or not, but i guess it willbe a good habit to get into, especially when i get my reactive ball.

You can also put some cleaner on the towel for when you wipe it. USBC says you can use approved cleaners during competition but you cannot alter the surface, i.e. sanding.

[britjeff]

i'm assuming the cleaner will be some sort of solvent. dont know if we use usbc rules in the uk. want to bo hitting 150 before i get into leagues. slowly getting there( 137 so far) dont know what the rules are in the uk

[ralphs007]

cheers everyone. i'm not good enough yet to see a difference yet wether i wipe or not, but i guess it willbe a good habit to get into, especially when i get my reactive ball.
I'm in the same boat as you are. Since oil plays such an important part in the game, it does makes sense to clean the ball before your shot.
Even if the oil didn't effect the balls characteristics, I'd still clean it just so that I didn't get the oil all over me.

[britjeff]

cheers everyone. i'm not good enough yet to see a difference yet wether i wipe or not, but i guess it willbe a good habit to get into, especially when i get my reactive ball. aye i usually hae lovely oily smelling hands when i get home. playing thursday, so on the morning buying a new cloth. hopefully get someone to come wiht me.otherwise i'll look a billy no mates playing by myself lol

[Blacksox1]

should i be wiping my ball after each shot? I am going with the YES.

[Mike White]

aye i usually hae lovely oily smelling hands when i get home. playing thursday, so on the morning buying a new cloth. hopefully get someone to come wiht me.otherwise i'll look a billy no mates playing by myself lol

I guess thats better than a "billy no mates playing with... no never mind.

[Aslan]

The oil on the ball is not inanimate Aslan

You do realize bowling lane oil isn't "alive" right?

[britjeff]

I guess thats better than a "billy no mates playing with... no never mind.
:):o