Changing balls for fun

[foreverincamo]

I got asked by a bowler in my league how I use my arsenal during league. Mind you, this guy averages 225 to my 208. Anyway, I told him I bring 4 balls, and I use three of them during the night. I throw whatever I brought with me for the fresh in game one, which has been a pin-down DV8 Marauder Mutiny or my Brunswick Melee Cross. Then I usually switch to my Hammer Black Widow Legend for game two. Then game three I use either my Brunswick Gold Rhino Vintage or my Brunswick Platinum Ringer Pearl.
He asked, like you all will, why I do that. Simple, I brought them, I want to use them. That's what they're for. I have one teammate who owns one ball, and three others that own two. I have 9, three of which aren't even drilled yet. I just like to change things up for fun. I'm averaging 208 so I'm not hurting the team.

[bowl1820]

He asked, like you all will, why I do that.

Actually, the thing I would ask you is what was his opinion of what you did?

[J Anderson]

I got asked by a bowler in my league how I use my arsenal during league. Mind you, this guy averages 225 to my 208. Anyway, I told him I bring 4 balls, and I use three of them during the night. I throw whatever I brought with me for the fresh in game one, which has been a pin-down DV8 Marauder Mutiny or my Brunswick Melee Cross. Then I usually switch to my Hammer Black Widow Legend for game two. Then game three I use either my Brunswick Gold Rhino Vintage or my Brunswick Platinum Ringer Pearl.
He asked, like you all will, why I do that. Simple, I brought them, I want to use them. That's what they're for. I have one teammate who owns one ball, and three others that own two. I have 9, three of which aren't even drilled yet. I just like to change things up for fun. I'm averaging 208 so I'm not hurting the team.

Since I'm too lazy to switch the balls that I bring, I normally have one lefty ball and three right handed balls with me. Obviously I don't change balls when bowling lefty. On the right side I switch to the Storm Mix for 90% of my spare shots. I only switch strike balls when I can no longer get the ball into the pocket in the right phase of ball motion with an adjustment.

[foreverincamo]

Bowl1820, I left him speechless. With the way I do it, I'm balling down with each change. He just doesn't know it. Shot 726 last week, used three balls. Must be ok.
And JAnderson, I've never known anyone to bowl with either hand besides my Uncle Skip. Must be fun

[RobLV1]

My only question is this: what do you do when your strategy doesn't work? If you throw a big score in game one and, when you change balls, lose your carry in game two, do you stick with your change or go back to the ball that worked in game one? The only time that having a strategy is a bad thing is when it becomes something that is cast in stone whether or not it's working.

[J Anderson]

And JAnderson, I've never known anyone to bowl with either hand besides my Uncle Skip. Must be fun

Yes it is, especially the reactions from people who don't know know me when they see me switch!

[vdubtx]

Yes it is, especially the reactions from people who don't know know me when they see me switch!

I was surprised to see Wes Mallott at the practice session last week for US Open, shooting strikes as a left hander. LOL! :cool:

[Tony]

I usually stay with a ball if it's working well but I have been know to start with different balls from week to week just to get comfortable with and practice using the different one's I have.
I can bowl right and left handed and bowled lefty for a year and a 1/2 due to surgery but once healed up I just stick with right handed.

[fordman1]

I don't know where Janderson bowls but on the pro bowlers allow bowlers to switch hands during league play. Even switching from week to week isn't legal. If you have to switch because of injury you must establish a new avg. The league must also approve the switch

[RobLV1]

The PBA allows you to switch hands at will. The USBC says that you must use one hand exclusively, and maintain different averages with different hands.

[foreverincamo]

RobLV1, if it doesn't work and I lose carry, I still had a fun night because I'm bowling with my friends. And it's not " cast in stone ". If I just reeled off a good game and feel like I still have a good look with that ball, I stick with it. But the 726 I shot, I started with a 233, and switched balls and shot 268. Switched to another ball and shot 225. It worked, and I had fun.
This past bowling night I bowled against the kid who asked me about how I used my arsenal. He brought 8 balls. Pretty sure he used 7 of them. I used my three and shot average for the night. What was better was my team won 5 points to their 2.

[foreverincamo]

And the following week I started with my bench mark ball, and it wouldn't make the turn at all. Switched over to my normal 2nd game ball in frame 7 of game one, and used it the rest if the night. Shot 636. Nothing big for today's scores but these lanes are tough. No one broke 700 for the league last night.

[Aslan]

Actually, the thing I would ask you is what was his opinion of what you did?

I would ask, did said strategy make RobM's head explode?

It just furthers my theory that the ball really doesn't matter as much as we are led to believe.

I switched to the Dark Encounter for Game 3 Wednesday...not because the lanes dictated it...I guess I figured things were starting to transition and balling down would let me stay on my line a bit longer. Besides, like foreverincamo, it's kinda getting boring throwing the same ball every single time I bowl. I carry six balls with me each night....and use two. My back is hearing that and going, :confused: :mad: I guess I just worry that the ONE NIGHT I might NEED a different ball....that'll be the night I wimp out and just bring 2 balls with me.

[foreverincamo]

I'm getting two new bags soon and can carry 6 balls instead of 4. I could switch balls every 6 frames if I wanted. There are nights I just want to see what happens if I use this ball or that ball. Other nights I can see that one of my balls won't possibly work, and it stays in the bag. I still have three balls I haven't drilled up so soon I could pick from 9 balls.

[Blomer]

There's a guy n my time who brings a different ball every week. He says he does it as he has so many balls at home he just wants to use them. I'm good with it. Use whatever you want. Change if your struggling, change if you just haven't used a certain ball in a while or whatever. As for me I usually stick with the same balls each week. Generally I stick with new ball each week as long as I can. It's fun in practice to try ones you haven't used in a while.