My technique or my ball?

[extraacount]

Hey everyone, I was wondering why my Power Groove Reactive doesn't hook as much as it used too. Here's some more details. I got this ball two years ago when i was 10. It was GREAT! :D It hooked pretty good, from a scale from Bad Good and GREAT it was good. Good enough for a beginner like me back then. 2 years later, my hand grew too big for the ball and i got it re-drilled around March. I hadn't used it for about 4 months. It doesn't spin as much as it used to.

So my question is, is it because the ball is to light for me and that i throw it too fast ? or is it simply cause the ball is just losing its touch?

Oh, and I'm considering of getting a new ball. 11 - 12 poundm preferably 12. And I want a bowling ball from Storm. I chose a couple of balls I want but I don't know the differences between them. I've chose either the Storm Virtual Gravity or Storm Virtual Energy. Which ones do you prefer?

[Coach 3G]

The power groove is an entry level ball and by nature isn't designed to hook all that much. That said throwing the ball faster would definitely decrease the balls ability to hook as you are not giving the ball enough time to read the lane and then hit the pocket (I'm guessing you don't have any idea how many revolutions you are putting on the ball, so it's hard to make that judgement without watching you bowl).

Other factors besides speed and revs could be coming into play as well. Are you bowling on the same conditions? Different houses will play differently and if the oil pattern is longer you could have trouble hooking it. Also as your hand grew the fit might not be what you are used to and may result in you struggling to release it properly and taking some revolutions or axis tilt off the ball.

It sounds to me from your post you are seriously considering a weight upgrade with the ball. This will definitely help slow you down and the balls you are looking at are high performance balls and by design will hook more.

It might be worthy of keeping your power groove for spares when you upgrade your balls especially since you say you are having trouble hooking it.

Hope I didn't get too technical on you, and that will help you along. Good Luck!

[extraacount]

Haha thanks you very much for making it simple, I dont know my revs at all haha. How can you find out? And yeah i basically agree to everything you said, I've been throwing the ball too fast because its too light for me and it doesnt have enough time to hook. The lane conditions i play @ are always medium - heavy oil conditions. And yeah getting the corners with my PG is really easy.

Anyways, I might be getting a Storm Virtual energy and I'd like your opinions on that.
If you'd like a little bit more information, Here ya go.
I bowl @ medium - heavy oil lane conditions everytime.
Looking for a 12 pound ball.
A ball that hooks great in those lane conditions i mentioned.
And yeah. Either the storm virtual energy or storm fast or furious comes to my mind.

[JackyChua_SG]

How is the speed of your throw now, as compared to 2 years ago?

[PSBA10]

Something else to consider. Typically, and I know there are exceptions, a 12 pound and lighter ball will have a pancake core. Cores are heavy and with balls that light there may be no way to manufacture a "name" ball with the actual core.

My point here is that the Storm Virtual Energy that you want in 12 pounds may have the same core your Power Groove has. I suggest you do your homework before you spend the money for another ball. You may be very disappointed if you don't.

I learned this lesson the hard way. My wife was having a problem with her13 pound ball. She felt it was too heavy. She liked the ball but wanted the same ball in 12 pounds instead. I bought her one. She couldn't use it. She now uses it for spares and is back to using her13 pound ball with the good core.

[JackyChua_SG]

Haha thanks you very much for making it simple, I dont know my revs at all haha. How can you find out? And yeah i basically agree to everything you said, I've been throwing the ball too fast because its too light for me and it doesnt have enough time to hook. The lane conditions i play @ are always medium - heavy oil conditions. And yeah getting the corners with my PG is really easy.

Anyways, I might be getting a Storm Virtual energy and I'd like your opinions on that.
If you'd like a little bit more information, Here ya go.
I bowl @ medium - heavy oil lane conditions everytime.
Looking for a 12 pound ball.
A ball that hooks great in those lane conditions i mentioned.
And yeah. Either the storm virtual energy or storm fast or furious comes to my mind.

If you can, maybe putting up a video on how you are bowling can be of great help for other readers who can provide some advise to your game...

For example, from your earlier post, I need to be sure:
- if the backends are clean,
- about your built
- how fast are you throwing your 12-lb balls

Nevertheless, you may first want to try sanding down the surface of that 10-lb ball, to see if it still works.