nork
12-30-2011, 11:46 PM
My first post here, so first off, hello everyone.
I know these are two different balls, but I need some advice on picking either up.
My bowling background, I've never bowled for a league, I've never owned a ball, I use house balls and shoes, I know little terminology, so be patient with me when I refer to things as "dots" and "points". Despite describing your typical twice-a-year bowler, I find myself scoring fairly well (after my first "practice" game) and averaging about 180 per game. Not a score that's going to change the world by any means, I know, but better than a lot of other casual players.
My best friend from high school owns an alley and our friends and I used to spend quite a bit of time up there on the weekends drinking and playing a few friendly games. He used to (maybe still does) bowl semi-pro (for lack of a better term) and has told me numerous times that I should invest some time into practicing as well as my own ball(s) and shoes. My dad has bowled for leagues as far back as I can remember. I'm 29, he's 55 now and I remember being a kid and playing Galaga in the bowling alley arcade while him and my mom bowled for league night. Any way, on Christmas evening he took my brothers, my wife, our 5 year old daughter, and myself bowling for a few hours. After we were finished he told me the same thing my friend said -- that I should consider picking up my owl ball, shoes, and getting some real practice in. He said I have control and accuracy and though I have plenty of room for improvement, he said I have a good foundation to become a much better bowler.
So, I've been window shopping online looking at different balls and for my first purchase I want a quality ball for the money, but I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on something that may not work for me. Going from that, it seems that the DV8 Misfit is a great beginner ball. There may be better out there and I'm totally up for suggestions, but if I were to purchase without asking for help, it's come down to this or the Hell Raiser. The Hell Raiser seems to be catered more towards advanced bowlers and some might say it's too much ball for a beginner like me, and you may absolutely be right, but the reason I'm considering it is because of the ball key on DV8's website.
For the Misfit, it has a hook potential rating of 110 (out of 175) where the Hell Raiser has 165. Using their graphic as an example, the Hell Raiser (shown below as the red line) follows the same exact path I use to throw the house balls, where the Misfit (shown as the yellow line) is more like how my father bowls.
http://dv8bowling.com/images/lanes/strike-lines_5.png
Here's where I start to sound dumb. I'm right-handed and when I'm setting up, I place the ball of my right foot on the left-most dot. I take 3 steps starting with my left foot (I've tried 4 starting with my right , but it just doesn't feel natural to me) and for the first throw I aim in between the middle lane arrow pointy thing (I could Google the terms in an attempt to sound smart and fit in, but meh) and the one to the right of it, closer to the one to the right, in hopes of getting in the 1-3 pocket. The way I hold the ball is weird to almost everyone that watches me bowl, as I don't use my thumb and after I've inserted my fingertips, I twist the ball counter-clockwise until my middle and ring finger line up perfectly down the middle of the lane (think of front and rear rifle sights, if you're a firearm shooter). I don't necessarily think this helps with my aim, but it does help me get more spin on the ball. Of course with more formal practice, I may pick up a completely different technique which will require a completely different ball, but for now this is how I feel comfortable bowling. I'll admit I feel like the Forrest Gump of the bowling alley. I don't understand half of what's going on as far as technique, terms, forms, etc, all I know how to do is keep score and knock down pins. I don't always get strikes, but I rarely setup splits and I'm fairly decent at picking up spares.
So in a nutshell, I have a lower ball speed, 12-14 mph I'd say, but I rely on a heavy hook. The lanes closest to me that I would be using are very nicely kept, but I have no way of telling you guys if they're dry, medium, or heavy-oiled. I also typically bowl with 10 or 11 lb balls. Since my back swing is no more than parallel to the ground, I use a lighter ball to gain a bit more speed.
So, if I were to pick between the Hell Raiser or the Misfit, which should I consider most? Are there other balls you guys would suggest? I'd prefer not to spend over $150 (I find the Hell Raiser for about $140) and would actually like to keep it closer to $100 (Misfit I see at $80).
After all that typing, I need a drink of water for my fingers. Sorry about the novel, guys, but thanks in advance for any and all pointers!
I know these are two different balls, but I need some advice on picking either up.
My bowling background, I've never bowled for a league, I've never owned a ball, I use house balls and shoes, I know little terminology, so be patient with me when I refer to things as "dots" and "points". Despite describing your typical twice-a-year bowler, I find myself scoring fairly well (after my first "practice" game) and averaging about 180 per game. Not a score that's going to change the world by any means, I know, but better than a lot of other casual players.
My best friend from high school owns an alley and our friends and I used to spend quite a bit of time up there on the weekends drinking and playing a few friendly games. He used to (maybe still does) bowl semi-pro (for lack of a better term) and has told me numerous times that I should invest some time into practicing as well as my own ball(s) and shoes. My dad has bowled for leagues as far back as I can remember. I'm 29, he's 55 now and I remember being a kid and playing Galaga in the bowling alley arcade while him and my mom bowled for league night. Any way, on Christmas evening he took my brothers, my wife, our 5 year old daughter, and myself bowling for a few hours. After we were finished he told me the same thing my friend said -- that I should consider picking up my owl ball, shoes, and getting some real practice in. He said I have control and accuracy and though I have plenty of room for improvement, he said I have a good foundation to become a much better bowler.
So, I've been window shopping online looking at different balls and for my first purchase I want a quality ball for the money, but I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on something that may not work for me. Going from that, it seems that the DV8 Misfit is a great beginner ball. There may be better out there and I'm totally up for suggestions, but if I were to purchase without asking for help, it's come down to this or the Hell Raiser. The Hell Raiser seems to be catered more towards advanced bowlers and some might say it's too much ball for a beginner like me, and you may absolutely be right, but the reason I'm considering it is because of the ball key on DV8's website.
For the Misfit, it has a hook potential rating of 110 (out of 175) where the Hell Raiser has 165. Using their graphic as an example, the Hell Raiser (shown below as the red line) follows the same exact path I use to throw the house balls, where the Misfit (shown as the yellow line) is more like how my father bowls.
http://dv8bowling.com/images/lanes/strike-lines_5.png
Here's where I start to sound dumb. I'm right-handed and when I'm setting up, I place the ball of my right foot on the left-most dot. I take 3 steps starting with my left foot (I've tried 4 starting with my right , but it just doesn't feel natural to me) and for the first throw I aim in between the middle lane arrow pointy thing (I could Google the terms in an attempt to sound smart and fit in, but meh) and the one to the right of it, closer to the one to the right, in hopes of getting in the 1-3 pocket. The way I hold the ball is weird to almost everyone that watches me bowl, as I don't use my thumb and after I've inserted my fingertips, I twist the ball counter-clockwise until my middle and ring finger line up perfectly down the middle of the lane (think of front and rear rifle sights, if you're a firearm shooter). I don't necessarily think this helps with my aim, but it does help me get more spin on the ball. Of course with more formal practice, I may pick up a completely different technique which will require a completely different ball, but for now this is how I feel comfortable bowling. I'll admit I feel like the Forrest Gump of the bowling alley. I don't understand half of what's going on as far as technique, terms, forms, etc, all I know how to do is keep score and knock down pins. I don't always get strikes, but I rarely setup splits and I'm fairly decent at picking up spares.
So in a nutshell, I have a lower ball speed, 12-14 mph I'd say, but I rely on a heavy hook. The lanes closest to me that I would be using are very nicely kept, but I have no way of telling you guys if they're dry, medium, or heavy-oiled. I also typically bowl with 10 or 11 lb balls. Since my back swing is no more than parallel to the ground, I use a lighter ball to gain a bit more speed.
So, if I were to pick between the Hell Raiser or the Misfit, which should I consider most? Are there other balls you guys would suggest? I'd prefer not to spend over $150 (I find the Hell Raiser for about $140) and would actually like to keep it closer to $100 (Misfit I see at $80).
After all that typing, I need a drink of water for my fingers. Sorry about the novel, guys, but thanks in advance for any and all pointers!