carry down

[wcsmith]

how many out there struggle with this? would like to here some thoughts on different moves.

[kev3inp]

Are you talking your own or fellow bowler's carrydown? If it's really bad you have to make a big move all at once, maybe 5 boards. Your other option is to change equipment and change where the ball's breakpoint is.

[The Bowling Guru]

I fight carrydown by moving to a slightly more agressive ball, usually drilled for backend, and try to play the same line. With the oil moving down lane, you are going to want to switch to a slightly more agressive ball than the one your are using, which will give you the added pop on the backend that you need.

[Iceman]

Now this is a good topic. Carrydown defines how much the oil is pushed down the lane - also taking burning the heads up - so the lanes transitions are different for all styles. The swing players push oil to the breakpoints at different angles than strokers/tweeners do. This causes bowlers with different styles to change angles differently in my opinion.

Me, as a stroker/tweener combo (until I get fully to a stroker) do go with an aggressive ball for carrydown, my breakpoints are similar with or without carrydown, I just change the front head angle I go to my breakpoint at. usually a few boards left or right.

Here's where I don't fully understand it. with the heads burning up and pushing oil down, going to harder surface in theory should get the ball through the heads better than a softer ball, si this correct? But the way I've been told - is to use aggressive balls swing to get through the heads better then a harder pearl ball. i hope I am explaining this right, cause i'm a little confused trying to explain it.

I can say that with spinning the ball, (when I do it, don't mean too from coming around to early) the ball does not get through the heads right and I end up heavy or crossing over. No matter what ball I use, but when I don't come around early, the softer ball gets through the heads fine and has enough energy on the backend to finish. The harder balls, get through the heads easily, but with less backend due to carry down.

Is this the same concept (heads vs carry down) or am I confusing 2 subjects here?:confused:

[The Bowling Guru]

If I am not mistaken, you are wondering if a dull ball will get through the heads cleaner than a pearlized ball? I find pearlized balls to get through the heads much easier, and if they are drilled for length, will fight the carrydown and snap in the backend. On the other hand, a duller ball might not get through the heads as easily because it wants to pick up sooner. The whole concept behind carry down is getting your ball to push through the front part of the lane, and than cut through the oil in the back part of the lane. I personally find strong, pearlized balls will fight carrydown very well, but as you said, it all depends on your bowling style. With my rev rate, a dull ball will just roll too soon for me.

[bowl1820]

When talking about carry down for the most part, it's looked at as just oil being pushed down from the heads to the backend. Now in the Oct.08 BTM they had article saying it's oil depletion because of oil absorption by the ball coverstocks rather than carrydown.

Click here for pdf (http://bowlingknowledge.info/images/stories/slowinski_oct_for_slowinski.pdf)

I think it's a combination of both depletion and carrydown. But it's where it's being carried too that's the thing. The graph in the article show's lot's of oil depleted from the first part of the heads and they found little being transfered to the backend.

But if you look toward the mid-lane area the oil is not being depleted there like it is in the heads. I think that's because the head oil is being pushed into that area, with very little making it to the backend. Because by the time the ball make's it there the coverstock has absorbed most of it.

So now you have a dryer heads, a mid-lane that still has oil and backend still relatively dry. So if you keep playing the same basic line, Your high friction aggressive ball will start losing power in the heads.Then hit the mid-lane oil skid and go a little longer and be doa down through the backends.

Now your low friction hard surface ball (which you'll likely be putting more speed on)will get through the heads, but then when hitting that mid-lane oil it will go long and over shoot the break point, Looking like it's carrydown not letting it come up.

Which is why it looks like neither ball is working.

Now this wouldn't be true all the time, it would depend a lot on who else is bowling on your pair of lanes and the balls and lines they used. Say a lot of plastic balls are used, they would tend to push more oil, rather than absorb it. Thus you'd have more true carrydown.

As for what to do, that would depend on the style of bowler. I find I can stay with my ball by moving right and changing my release some. Or sometimes I'll move right and change to my particle pearl.

[Iceman]

So going harder surface to get through the heads is clear cut choice in most options? I remember where I heard the softer surface on dryer heads is better. I know it was a clinic I took at a alley last year, just can't remember which manufacturer rep explained it. I think it was a storm rep, but I remember 1 other guy agreeing, and the rest of us were like "deer in the headlight look expressions" I do recall after hearing the whole explanation it made sense, but the explanations above make sense too.

And, I totally agree about absorbtion rather then push with all these porous surfaces. Sponge balls as I call them, is why everyone "wants" more oil. :p Our Wednesday Exec league bowls after a mixed couple so some nights we have true carry down - I like walking in and seeing house balls still on the ball return of the pair I'm on. At least I know what I've got to do out of the gate.

Not to change the subject, but will this absorbtion change for the better or worse since the USBC has regulated the manufacturer balls? I still haven't read exactly what the changes are, and also how long will the USBC allow the older type balls in tournaments? Is there an article that explains this anywhere?

[11 in a row]

how many out there struggle with this? would like to here some thoughts on different moves.

i,ve struggled with it this week in particular on monday night......i generally move in a bit and back alittle sometimes alot..