Skid/Flip Balls and Why They Get a Bad Wrap

[Aslan]

An Aslan Opinion Piece

1. Everyone thinks the perfect bowling ball should "go long and snap angularly", which is incorrect. So, they get a "skid/flip" ball and are disappointed that it doesn't work well 100% of the time.

2. Manufacturers love to call all of their balls "skid/flip" balls even when some clearly aren't. If it's not a Pearl and it has a high RG...it's not an ideal skid/flip ball...so you're just calling it that to try and sell balls.

3. Skid/Flip balls, more than any ball in your bag...requires constant maintenance to stay effective. Because it is a ball that has competing specs (a cover/surface wanting to go long and a core wanting to turn soon)...if that surface begins to degrade...the ball will turn too soon and violently too soon...which is why so many people buy "skid/flip balls and love them for about 2-3 weeks then claim they can't use them anymore.

According to my current (this changes slightly over time), an ideal skid/flip ball has the following specs:

- It is generally an asymmetric core, with a 2.49-2.50 RG, with a surface of 1000 or less, and a strength of > 214.8 (PerfectScale). They must be polished and have a Pearl coverstock and should have a differential between 0.047-0.054.

The goal is to create a ball, using specs, that goes long...once the lanes have been beat up quite a bit (no earlier than middle of Game 2 of league play) AND there has been some carry down of oil to the breakpoint...usually the result of some bowlers throwing urethane or plastic.

Plastic happens...people shoot spares over the course of league night...it pushes oil down the lane...probably not enough to really mess with the breakpoint unless they are really bad spare shooters AND shoot a lot of spares those first couple games. But, as urethane has regained popularity, it doesn't take long for 1-2 bowlers throwing urethane to start pushing oil up the lane using a urethane strike ball.

Now, #2 on the list...nothing can be done about. Manufacturers do what they do and they don't really care. #3, also hard to deal with because not everyone has a ball spinner in their garage...and you almost need one to throw a skid/flip ball effectively. #1 is also a long shot because trying to get bowlers to understand ball specs...well, there are pro bowlers that don't understand ball specs and leave that stuff up to their ball reps.

But, thats why (I believe) you see so many bowlers struggle with "skid/flip" balls. The Melee Jab...Reaxx Pearl, the Fortera Exile...and those are just the three I have where there was a lot of chatter about them where a few people said they loved them...but most everybody hated them. Yet, the Scandal Pearl and those 3 I mentioned...probably the 4 balls I've had my highest scoring games with...WHEN THE CONDITIONS WERE RIGHT. The Scandal Pearl, Reaxx Pearl, and Melee Jab currently are #1, #2, and #3 (respectively) on my Top 10 list. (Exile not yet ranked).

Now, if I took them out too early...misread the conditions...thought there was carry down when there wasn't, etc... Well, bad night. If the lanes are dry (no carry down), ball jerks sideways like it hits a nickel. If I get too anxious and the lanes aren't beat up enough...opposite problem...too little surface to allow that big core to start to turn over and I miss the pocket. If I don't pay attention to surface maintenance, I also got problems. I keep my skid/flip balls at about 500/R. Compound/polished. Thats not a gradual surface differential. I'm essentially throwing my strongest ball, on the same line that I've been throwing my other balls all night. In order to get away with that...I rely heavily on that polish to hold.

So, those are my thoughts. I think, especially for bowlers that use a progression system, having a true "skid/flip" ball can be a great ball for their bag. Especially as we see more bowlers start to add urethane balls to their arsenals. However, bowlers that really want to do well with "skid/flip" balls or who have struggled with them in the past really need to understand that a "skid/flip" ball is sort of specialized. Not as much as a spare ball...but similar. It really should only come out when you see a certain condition develop...otherwise it should stay in the bag. I love throwing mine...but there are many weeks where it stays in the bag.

[Aslan]

Case in Point

Recent Tournament

Game 1
Bowler 1: 248
Bowler 2: 199
Aslan: 159
Bowler 4: 231

Game 2
Bowler 1: 197
Bowler 2: 227
Aslan: 172
Bowler 3: 238

Game 2:
Bowler 1: 187
Bowler 2: 172
Aslan: 246
Bowler 4: 178

In this case, it was clear that nothing was working. I had exhausted all options (moving in, switching balls, moving out, vertical targeting, etc...). Now, my scores were lower than they should have been due to bad spare shooting...which has nothing to do with anything...but the point is...I came to the conclusion that there must be carry down at the breakpoint. And I KNEW...that Bowler #2 had decided to switch to a plastic ball as his strike ball because he got frustrated in Game 1 that his line wasn't working. So, I made the change in Game 3 to my skid/flip ball. X, X, X, X, X, 9 /, X, X, X, 9 -. Both non-strikes were pulled shots, so, not the balls fault. And, that was with a Brunswick Fortera Exile that most people I talked to (all except one person who was a DV8 rep) said I would hate.

Also, props to bowling ball.com. Bought the Fortera Exile on a Black Friday special on their website back in 2015 or so.

[RobLV1]

Even the most piece of cr**p ball will work occasionally. How long have you been lugging that thing around? Was it worth it?

[Ryster]

I think most serious bowlers have bowling balls they lug around with them that rarely ever get used. I have a four ball bag, currently carrying my plastic spare ball and three "performance" balls; one hybrid, one solid, one pearl. The pearl has literally never seen the lane...it is brand new, drilled but never thrown...not even once. Been carrying it for over 8 weeks now. I throw the solid and the hybrid during warm-up, choose the one that gives me the best, most consistent look, and put the other one back in the bag.

In the event the lane conditions totally nosedive and require a ball change, I will change to something else. But it is rarely the case that I can't use the same ball all night and just move my feet and target. Who knows, maybe one of these days I will try that pearl and see what it does. Just because it is in the bag doesn't mean it has to be used all the time.

The league I am on is an extremely competitive, scratch league. We have some bowlers (including some that are regional staffers) that bring upwards of 6 balls with them each week, but usually end up using the same one or two balls each week. It all boils down to whatever makes the bowler comfortable.

[Aslan]

Even the most piece of cr**p ball will work occasionally. How long have you been lugging that thing around? Was it worth it?

I'm gonna leave out the Melee Jab and Reaxx Pearl because I actually didn't use them as Skid/Flip balls in my progression. I probably could/should have...but:

1. The Melee Jab came along before my coach helped me develop my progression system. I was still experimenting with a benchmark type of approach. And, honestly, the Melee Jab probably was a bit too weal (overall) to be an ideal fit for that spot.

2. The Reaxx Pearl from a spec perspective was probably the better choice to be my skid/flip choice in arsenal #3...but I chose to keep it a 4000 matte surface and use it as my ball #1 and use the Scandal Pearl as the skid/flip option. This was when I first was shown the need FOR a skid/flip ball...and first developing a progression system. I initially was using a Rotogrip Defiant Edge as the Skid/Flip ball and that ball just wasn't working for me...so I got the Scandal Pearl and sent the Defiant Edge to early retirement (gave it away).

The Scandal Pearl I think I got a lot of use out of. Did it get used as often as my other balls? No. BUT...that meant I didn't need to replace it every time I built a new arsenal. So, the Scandal Pearl was part of Arsenal #3 and Arsenal #4. Mostly because I bought it late into arsenal #3...but if you don't use it much, that could be another reason not to replace it. I used to buy a "dry ball", like my Track 300A...that I would carry around in a Joey...and I hardly EVER used that ball. I got so sick of carrying it around...that starting with my next arsenal...I'm changing my progression to eliminate the "dry ball" slot and building a "Ball #1, Ball #2, Ball #3" rather than just "Ball #1 and Ball #2". Why waste a slot on a ball you never use? So, I get where you're coming from. But, if I go to a tournament...and I have to play on burnt conditions...like I used to do occasionally. Well, then I wasted my entry fee without that "dry ball" in my bag. I just don't do that enough anymore to justify it.

So, Pinpal Stats:
Scandal Pearl

Games: 87
Average: 191.60
High Game: 267
First Ball Average: 8.98
Strike %: 47%

Fortera Exile (still in use)

Games: 28
Average: 186.00
High Game: 246 (x2)
First Ball Average: 8.75
Strike %: 45%

Now, keep in mind...Pinpal only counts a "game" as a complete game with one ball or a game where you start the game with that ball (I don't remember which). So, for a skid/flip ball...you can probably multiply those game numbers by about a factor of 3 because it's very rare that I'd start a game with it. Usually it comes out early in Game 3. So, for those games that you see counted...I likely made the decision late in Game 2.

For comparison purposes, here is a standard ball (pre-move, bowling a LOT, pre-Covid, not a Ball#1) that I retired:

Ebonite Innovate (Arsenal #3)

Games: 118
Average: 188.99
High Game: 278
First Ball Average: 8.87
Strike %: 47%

So, apples to apples with the Scandal Pearl...the Innovate certainly would get used more. I would almost always try the Innovate or use the Innovate before going to the Scandal Pearl. And, in many cases, I wouldn't need to get the Scandal Pearl out of the bag because there simply would't be a need for it...especially back then when urethane still wasn't a big deal. I'd say I probably used the Innovate 230-240 games and the Scandal Pearl 80-90. But, I kept the Scandal Pearl for Arsenal #4...probably got another 175 games out of it the following bowling season.

I won't get the same number out of the Exile. I plan to replace the Exile with the Pyramid Force Pearl when I debut my next arsenal. Aslan's "Closet of Destiny" will finally be emptied. But, thats okay. The Exile has gotten more use simply because the Grudge Hybrid (Ball #1) hasn't been as effective as I had hoped and I've had to skip it many nights at certain centers. Two of the 3 centers I bowl at are just too dry and the Grudge Hybrid won't allow me to move inside enough...yet won't retain energy if I get near the track. Oh well. Hits and misses.

[Aslan]

The league I am on is an extremely competitive, scratch league. We have some bowlers (including some that are regional staffers) that bring upwards of 6 balls with them each week, but usually end up using the same one or two balls each week. It all boils down to whatever makes the bowler comfortable.

I used to bowl in a Thursday league like that. A lot of staffers and even some PBA guys. You could always tell when they were having bad nights (in addition to loud noises as they'd slam things around)...because they'd unzip that 3-ball roller bag that they always bring with them and never usually unzip. Out would come a ball that I swear they would have to actually dust off before they put their insert in it.

And usually, the next week...especially the PBA guys...you'd see them at their table with like 4-5 boxes of brand new, drilled balls...the latest ones. One rough week...time to bring out the big guns. What did they do with the balls from last week? Probably check the dumpster.

[Timmyb]

I have two I carry at all times. The Phaze III I guess I would say could be a skid/flip (pearl, RG 2.48, diff .051). Ball gets through the front like a charm, and gets afterburners once it clears. Unless it's really warm out, I can go all night with that ball. My ball down is an IQ tour Nano, All kinds of beat up (solid (polished), 2.49, .021 diff). This is not what you'd normally call a skid/flip, but polish it and it behaves that way.