Ball Motion Question

[classygranny]

This may be a stupid question, but I'm asking anyway as I am still learning about reading ball motion, ball reactions, etc.

I understand that when a ball loses energy it tends to hit like a marshmallow, and I have seen that happen with others' bowling balls. (Still learning to read my own.)

My bowling partner and I bowl at a Brunswick/Bowlero house that has just remodeled and we've been told they have changed the oil they have been using. The lanes appear to be a bit drier on the outside (of 8 board) and have a large skid area down lane inside at about 14 board @ 43'.

My teammate has been struggling big time lately. For some reason, her ball speed has increased from about 14.5 to 15.-15.2. When she plays outside with the Hyper Cell Fused or the Crux or the Halo Pearl, the ball never turns the corner and tends to slide by the headpin for a washout when she shoots anywhere around 5-10 board. Is the ball possibly losing energy and we just don't recognize it, since it isn't a pocket marshmallow hit? Should she be throwing a ball with a little less energy, like the Timeless, or Intense Fire, or the Hustle and aim it a little bit from corner to pocket if necessary?

[Stormed1]

I would say try the weaker pieces and see how they react. If they react well then t is quite possible and more probable they are burning up. If she wants to stay with the stronger pieces she will need to move left and open up here angles to catch more head oil

[boatman37]

Lately I have been starting out with my Radical Squatch and have noticed with that and my Black Widow Gold (both pearls) that the first 5 or so frames my ball is right in the pocket then I start hitting light and either missing the headpin or just barely touching it and pretty much goes straight. This is the beginning of the transition for me as my ball is starting to burn up. My fix is to either move in a little or what I have been doing is starting to tuck my pinky to get more rotation. This will bring the ball back to the pocket for me. Not sure why that works cause I'm still targeting the same line. Maybe with the extra revs it is actually getting slightly more inside earlier and catching that fresh oil? Can't say for sure but it has been working. Another option is to ball down but I don't really have anything less aggressive to go to in my bag

[Aslan]

I've found that you often need to get lined up and making good shots and hitting the pocket...THEN...if the ball starts hitting the pocket 'weak'...its usually (almost always) a sign of a ball that is losing energy. It 'could' be carrydown, but that would be much later in the evening and usually require large teams or a bunch of people throwing plastic/urethane.

If it's hitting weak to START with...its a matter of getting lined up properly. It might not be a strong ENOUGH ball if they re-did the lanes, changed/lengthened the oil pattern, etc...