Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 13

Thread: Considerations for Arsenal 7.0

  1. #1
    Bowling God Aslan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Hutchinson, KS
    Posts
    6,912
    Chats: 204

    Post Considerations for Arsenal 7.0

    So, after Arsenal 6.0 was a disaster, 6.3 was decent until the Mystic cracked, and 6.6 has been 'okay'...

    I've decided to update my arsenal for Summer 2022 and for the FIRST TIME...I am NOT using the Closet of Destiny!!

    That's right...the closest is EMPTY...and I am now ready to use 'Aslan's Arsenal Selection Matrix"...which has been in development.

    Now, before I get to the two balls I've selected...a couple notes:

    1) The arsenal is 4 balls + a spare ball. It consists of:
    - Fresh Oil ball
    - Ball Down option
    - 2nd Ball Down option
    - Skid/Flip ball

    2) I will only be replacing the fresh oil ball and ball down option (top 2 on list). I have decided to:

    - 'Unretire' the Vintage Rhino Gold and use that as my 2nd Ball Down Option.
    - Continue to use the Pyramid Force Pearl, switching it from the 2nd Ball Down Option back to the Skid/Flip ball.

    The reasoning for using the Vintage Rhino Gold is that it doesn't have very many games (30) and is a very good fit for the 2nd Ball Down Option. The reasoning for continuing to use the Force Pearl is that it was really working well as the skid/flip ball until I had to shuffle my arsenal around and it also doesn't have many games on it (45).

    Continued on next post...
    In Bag: (: .) Motiv Trident Odyssey; (: .) Hammer Scorpion Sting; (: .) Pyramid Force Pearl; (: .) Brunswick Rhino Gold; (: .) Ebonite Maxim
    USBC#: 8259-59071; USBC Sanctioned Average = 186; Lifetime Average = 171;
    Ball Speed: 15.5mph; Rev. Rate: 240rpm || High Game (sanc.) = 300 (268); High Series (sanc.) = 725 (720); Clean Games: 181

    Smokey this is not 'Nam', this is bowling. There are rules. Proud two-time winner of a bowlingboards.com weekly ball give-away!

  2. #2
    Bowling God Aslan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Hutchinson, KS
    Posts
    6,912
    Chats: 204

    Default

    So, I've decided to replace the Grudge Hybrid and Storm Optimus Solid.

    The Grudge Hybrid has been an above average ball for me. I've averaged about 185 over 106 games with it. The problem I've always had with this ball is that I originally bought it thinking it would be a good Ball Down option to the Aura Mystic. It never was a good 'ball down option' to anything...it was always the strongest ball in my bag. However...it was never "strong enough" to allow me to open up the lanes and move inside. So, on lanes where the THS was a little wider or had a little more volume...the ball was amazing. But, if it was a more typical house shot that is narrow and dry...this ball wouldn't retain enough energy given my speed/rev rate and where I could play.

    I could keep using it as the Fresh Oil ball...and I'll keep it as an option...but with 106 games on it...maybe it's time to give something else a try.

    The Optimus Solid has been a bit more of a failure. I 'thought' this ball...being a Solid cover...put a more aggressive surface on it---a 2.48 RG...I thought this ball would allow me to move inside a little. Maybe get closer to the 13-board rather than be out in the 7-9 area. It was a failure. The ball just wasn't strong enough for my physical game...and with any surface on the ball...it performed terribly outside the oil line.

    It wasn't until I finally came to terms with this and demoted it to the 'Ball Down Option" that I finally started to have some success with the ball. I reduced the surface by finishing it with Storm Step 2...and would either start with the ball out around 8-9 or I'd save it until the 2nd game and ball down to it. I ended up averaging 187 over 45 games with the ball. I even shot two games over 260 with it at a very dry house over the summer.

    My choices are:

    Fresh Oil Ball: Hammer Obsession

    IF I'm ever going to be able to move inside on fresh oil...given a slightly higher speed and low rev rate...I need a ball with a low RG and a much stronger core than the Optimus Solid. I had good luck with the old Reaxx Pearl with a 4000 surface...so maybe the Obsession can can get me back to being able to inside 10 at the start of league night. If it can't, I don't know what can.

    Ball Down Option: Storm IQ Tour

    The Optimus Solid taught me the value of having a decent, yet weaker, ball as your ball down option can be very valuable. My experiment with the Special Ops was hit or miss. The Yeah Baby Sinful was terrible. The Aura Mystic worked very well until it cracked. So, the IQ Tour is a proven ball...much weaker and with a very low differential...but still with that low RG I do well with.

    This ball is actually the most important ball for my overall game...because it is kind've like my "benchmark ball" in that I will use it as a "ball down" option on heavier/wider THSs but also may start with it on lighter THSs. So, this ball almost always gets used while the other 3 balls sometimes just sit in the bag all night.

    The only "risk" with this duo is...every time I try to get a solid that will allow me to move inside...I end up with a ball that won't turn the corner for me and is useless outside the oil. I watched the Laneside Reviews on the Obsession and the older bowler seemed to have NO LUCK with this ball. Given his game is more like mine than the other two bowlers...that worries me. On the other hand...with a little less surface...this ball could be very similar to the Reaxx Pearl and that is one of the better balls I've ever thrown...so I don't know.

    Thoughts?
    In Bag: (: .) Motiv Trident Odyssey; (: .) Hammer Scorpion Sting; (: .) Pyramid Force Pearl; (: .) Brunswick Rhino Gold; (: .) Ebonite Maxim
    USBC#: 8259-59071; USBC Sanctioned Average = 186; Lifetime Average = 171;
    Ball Speed: 15.5mph; Rev. Rate: 240rpm || High Game (sanc.) = 300 (268); High Series (sanc.) = 725 (720); Clean Games: 181

    Smokey this is not 'Nam', this is bowling. There are rules. Proud two-time winner of a bowlingboards.com weekly ball give-away!

  3. #3

    Default

    Get the whole "turn the corner for me" thing out of your head. A "stronger" ball doesn't hook more, it just hooks earlier. The only thing that determines how much a bowling hooks is the release of the bowler. I've seen your release, and you don't turn the ball. Instead of thinking of moving inside and throwing the ball out and trying to get it back (not going to happen with any ball), take your whole line and move it left... your feet, your target at the arrows, and your target at the end of the pattern. As I've suggested before, learn to use the dry past the pattern, rather than the dry outside of the pattern.

  4. #4
    High Roller Phonetek's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    West Suburbs of Chicago, Illinois
    Posts
    1,840
    Chats: 0

    Default

    Aslan, you keep your PSO very happy. Instead of eating Ramen Noodles every night I bet with you around he gets occasional surf and turf.

  5. #5
    High Roller
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Pittsburgh
    Posts
    2,590
    Chats: 0

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by RobLV1 View Post
    Get the whole "turn the corner for me" thing out of your head. A "stronger" ball doesn't hook more, it just hooks earlier. The only thing that determines how much a bowling hooks is the release of the bowler. I've seen your release, and you don't turn the ball. Instead of thinking of moving inside and throwing the ball out and trying to get it back (not going to happen with any ball), take your whole line and move it left... your feet, your target at the arrows, and your target at the end of the pattern. As I've suggested before, learn to use the dry past the pattern, rather than the dry outside of the pattern.
    Kind of what I have been doing more of recently. I can't stand right and throw out to the 10 board and expect it to come back. But I can stand in the middle and throw down the 3rd arrow and hit the pocket. I only do it when I have to but have been practicing it more lately. Gives me another option
    Arsenal "15# Global Eternity Pi-45x4.5x40" "15# 900 Global Xponent-60x4.5x40" "15# 900 Global Zen Soul-60x4.5x40" "15# Roto Grip Idol Helios-90 x 2.25 x 45" "15# 900 Global Altered Reality-50x3.625x30" "15# Brunswick Uppercut-80x3.625x35" "15# Brunswick Igniter-70x5.5x35" "15# Raw Hammer Pearl 45x5.75x40" "15# Brunswick T-Zone"
    Rev Rate about 270 @ about 15.5 MPH at the pins* High Game: 290 - High Series: 733. PAP: 5 1/8"x1" up; tilt 20*, rotation 75*. YTD highs - 290-733
    Oh, and LEFTY!!!

  6. #6
    Bowling God Aslan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Hutchinson, KS
    Posts
    6,912
    Chats: 204

    Default

    I don't think my line is terribly aggressive. Maybe I'm giving the wrong impression because there's no visual.

    But, I'm usually standing with my left foot around...let's say 16-17 and aiming for 7-9 (thereabouts) at the arrows. Thats a fairly typical up and in shot.

    As the lanes break down, I usually can make 1:1 and 1:2 adjustments and eventually get to where maybe I'm aiming 12-13 and standing 20-24. So, the "line" never gets terribly aggressive where I'm opening my shoulders and "going crazy".

    All I'm looking to do is maybe find a way to expand my abilities so that at the beginning of the night I can maybe target 12-13 and stand 22-26. So, rather than have to wait until the lanes break down, maybe have an arsenal that allows me to move my line into that oil at the start.

    To Rob's point, I'm not thinking that if I get a different ball I can suddenly loft the gutters Belmo style. Even if I could...I would go for a skid/flip ball that went long and turned hard...because at that angle...you're crossing the oil as much as bowling in it. I'm looking for something that allows me to do EXACTLY what Rob is suggesting...take my rather boring and mundane line...and just move it about 4:8 left so that I'm left of most of the bowlers that are bowling the track at the beginning of the night rather than right of them all night.

    I felt the Grudge Hybrid had the ability to do that...on wider THS patterns or maybe patterns with just a little more volume. And yes, thats looking at the lane front to back as well as side to side. Maybe the oil was a little longer on those patterns and that allowed the Grudge to retain some energy? Maybe by being 1-2 boards wider, the Grudge stayed in the oil just a little bit longer down the lane? I don't know because I don't apply the oil. I just know that on typically "drier" or "narrower" houses...I really struggled to carry 10-pins with that ball. Move right....it goes through the nose. Move left, it leaves a 2-pin. At that point...you're talking about making much more drastic changes to get it to strike when the easier answer is, "maybe there's a ball that'll work better."
    In Bag: (: .) Motiv Trident Odyssey; (: .) Hammer Scorpion Sting; (: .) Pyramid Force Pearl; (: .) Brunswick Rhino Gold; (: .) Ebonite Maxim
    USBC#: 8259-59071; USBC Sanctioned Average = 186; Lifetime Average = 171;
    Ball Speed: 15.5mph; Rev. Rate: 240rpm || High Game (sanc.) = 300 (268); High Series (sanc.) = 725 (720); Clean Games: 181

    Smokey this is not 'Nam', this is bowling. There are rules. Proud two-time winner of a bowlingboards.com weekly ball give-away!

  7. #7
    Bowling God Aslan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Hutchinson, KS
    Posts
    6,912
    Chats: 204

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Phonetek View Post
    Aslan, you keep your PSO very happy. Instead of eating Ramen Noodles every night I bet with you around he gets occasional surf and turf.
    I replace my arsenal once per season.

    Back in "the day", it made more sense to replace the arsenal once per season because:

    1) I was bowling nearly 200-250 sanctioned games a year, PLUS tournament games, PLUS I was practicing like CRAZY!

    2) I had the "Closet of Destiny" and needed to either drill the balls or wait for them to just crack in the box...which a couple of them did.

    Since then, I've only been able to bowl about 140-170 sanctioned games per year, virtually no tournaments, and very little practice. So, the balls are being retired with quite a bit fewer games on them. Thats one of the reasons I decided to keep using the Force Pearl this summer and "unretire" the Rhino Gold. These balls just don't have very many games on them and they still fit relatively well into the #3 and #4 spots in my arsenal...so no sense buying two balls just to buy them.

    Plus, some folks on here (and fellow bowlers elsewhere) have suggested NOT replacing an entire arsenal all at once...so maybe just do a couple pre-summer and maybe one or two prior to the fall.

    The balls are a one-time expense. Buy them from bowlingball.com or bowlerx and the shipping is free....and both sites offer very good prices and service. Getting them drilled adds another $70/ball...which is what the pro shop gets out of the deal. I maintain and surface the balls myself with my own spinner and surfacing products. So, no need to constantly drop $100 here and there at the pro shop.

    And, if my Achilles and knee issues don't hinder me this summer...I'm hoping to get back to at least two leagues per season...so that'll get more games on the balls.

    I had 154 games on the Thug Life before I retired it. 139 on the Reaxx Pearl. Thats essentially a couple seasons of league bowling on each. I had 118 on the Innovate. Thats a season and a half. You don't think it's time to get a new ball after throwing the same one every game for 1.5 to 2 seasons? Every game?

    The Scandal Pearl had 87, the Mystic 86, the Warning Sign 70. The Exile has 60 now and will likely have more than that by the time I re-retire it. Thats essentially an entire season of bowling.

    The Optimus was unique being retired with only 45 games...the last time I did that was the Track 300A which I retired with only 27 games on it. But, like I said, the Optimus just never did what I wanted it to do. I took a shot and missed. I bought a Rotogrip Defiant Edge and retired it after 10 games. I just couldn't throw it. Same with the Rotogrip Asylum I won here on BBoards...finally gave up on that one after 65 games...just didn't work for me. Not a huge fan of Rotogrip.

    I'd say my bowling cost breakdown is something like:

    League Expenses (2 fall, 1 summer): $5,312.50
    Coaching: $1200
    Balls: $632.50
    Pro Shop: $300
    Surfacing Supplies: $280

    So, it's a $7,725/year hobby. It was more expensive in Cali because I got coaching from 2 different coaches and the leagues almost all swept in Vegas. I also practiced at LEAST once a week AND did at least a couple tournaments a year...AND I was usually doing brackets in 1 or more leagues each night. If I decided to use the same balls for 3 straight seasons...I might be able to afford a 2nd summer league one out of three years.
    In Bag: (: .) Motiv Trident Odyssey; (: .) Hammer Scorpion Sting; (: .) Pyramid Force Pearl; (: .) Brunswick Rhino Gold; (: .) Ebonite Maxim
    USBC#: 8259-59071; USBC Sanctioned Average = 186; Lifetime Average = 171;
    Ball Speed: 15.5mph; Rev. Rate: 240rpm || High Game (sanc.) = 300 (268); High Series (sanc.) = 725 (720); Clean Games: 181

    Smokey this is not 'Nam', this is bowling. There are rules. Proud two-time winner of a bowlingboards.com weekly ball give-away!

  8. #8
    Bowling God Aslan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Hutchinson, KS
    Posts
    6,912
    Chats: 204

    Default

    And, a decision had been made!!

    Oh, thank you, thank you, please.....please....this is getting embarrassing....seriously though....yes, I know everyone is glad to see me after a > 1 year sabbatical. The rumors are not true. I was not kidnapped by Iceman and held at knifepoint in a cabin. There is no restraining order on me regarding a rumored stalking event with RobM. Also, Vegas related, I was not found pants less in the Paris Casino. I was not "kicked off" the site for posting multiple limericks about there once being a Man from Venus. Mike White and I have not become 'partners' and started a Simon & Garfunkel tribute band. All nonsense. Fake News!

    I have suffered my first "significant bowling setback" due to an injury.

    I began noticing a "bump" on the back of my right achilles. It started when I was running a lot back in 2012-2014. About 2021/2022, I finally "injured" it. The initial injury felt like my achilles was an old rubber band. Ya know the old ones that are kinda crusty and you pull on them and they don't 'break', they just get longer, thinner, and non-elastic? Well, it feels like a minor tear of the achilles. I rested it for a week, went back, another 'tear' more up towards the calf. Finally, the following week...after some treatment and extra stretching...I made it through a league night. But, I think the following week it tore again, this time closer to the heel.

    These 'tears' are actually "interstitial tears". So, they are like strands of rope...you can tear some...and the rope is fine. You're just a little sore. But if it's too many, it's not good. And the tearing is because I developed a cyst on the back of my achilles...similar to the one I developed under my right arm...primarily from so much bowling. Most of the time, cysts don't do anything...they're harmless. However, if they develop and get big enough..in an area where something is rubbing up against them...like a muscle, tendon, joint, etc..., that's when you have a problem. I had a cyst on the back of my knee, as a kid, from baseball. It never bothered me until all the sudden I was running from first to second and it felt like I got shot with a pellet in the back of the knee and I went right down. No permanent damage. Just rest and had to wear a flexible knee brace during sports.

    Well, on my Achilles of my bowling "push-off" (non sliding) leg...there's a cyst. It is slowly damaging the achilles every time I use my Achilles (used frequently...required for movement). I could try rest and "wait and see", but it could take months to years to fully heal...and still could cause me issues once I started back up. I could have surgery...where they cut your Achilles, then take some tendon from your thumb or back (???) and add it to your damaged tendon. That is a serious surgery, you're out of commission for weeks, then you gotta use one of those scooters with your leg in a boot, then months later you can walk in the boot..and 2 months later you can walk. But it's another year until you can do "activity" (like bowling). The third option was a "procedure" where they go in and try to remove damaged material. It immobilizes ya for a few days....then a boot for 1-2 months...and you'll still need the 1-2 years before "activity"...but it's not as invasive. So, I did option #3 last summer.

    cont...
    In Bag: (: .) Motiv Trident Odyssey; (: .) Hammer Scorpion Sting; (: .) Pyramid Force Pearl; (: .) Brunswick Rhino Gold; (: .) Ebonite Maxim
    USBC#: 8259-59071; USBC Sanctioned Average = 186; Lifetime Average = 171;
    Ball Speed: 15.5mph; Rev. Rate: 240rpm || High Game (sanc.) = 300 (268); High Series (sanc.) = 725 (720); Clean Games: 181

    Smokey this is not 'Nam', this is bowling. There are rules. Proud two-time winner of a bowlingboards.com weekly ball give-away!

  9. #9
    Bowling God Aslan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Hutchinson, KS
    Posts
    6,912
    Chats: 204

    Default

    ....so.

    I had to take Summer 2022 and Fall 22/23...to Summer 23 off to recover from the "procedure". Based on my last appointment, I was allowed to return to 1/3 normal activity. So, since "normal activity" is 3 leagues a week...I think I'm at least ready for 1-2 leagues a week. The Lion has been asleep too long!

    Also, I moved (again) from Michigan to Kansas. I know, "Kansas" of all places! I think I'm in Iceman territory!?

    So, since I'm getting back in the game after a length hiatus...first order of business is to fill the two holes in my arsenal (what this thread was originally about). I had my eye on a DV8 Collision as my lead ball and a Storm IQ Tour as my "Ball Down Option". It made sense from all sides. The IQ Tour is a reliable ball...far more so than the Optimus Solid. And I usually throw DV8 well...have been throwing it for a few years...so the Collision will maybe allow me to get further left early on...stay ahead of the other righties.

    Well, I have been gone away so long, that I figured I'd update my matrix. I did that and made some slight tweaks to the "BatCompter" and decided on a couple different options:

    Ball #1 (fresh oil/long/wide/slick lanes)
    I'm going to throw my first Motiv ball. I've never really been a fan...then boycotted them appropriately for their Jackal Scandal...but I like their commitment to U.S. manufacturing and I think I'm gonna give the Trident Odyssey as the replacement to the Grudge Hybrid. The Grudge Hybrid gave me a handful of good games, but it was really erratic house-to-house. Some houses it was too strong for their THSs....or I'd have to open up my angle which I'm no good at. I anticipate the solid cover with a matte surface will give me a similar ball, but a little more aggressive.

    Ball #2, (Ball down option for Ball #1, "benchmark ball", First ball lout of your bag for typical to dry THSs)
    I've decided to go with the Hammer Scorpion Sting. It's gonna go a little longer and not have the same overall movement as the Optimus Solid...but it'll be reliable and consistent. The Optimus was all over the place and I was always trying to polish it to get further down the lane...battling that solid coverstock. I've also had very good luck with Hammer balls. Not as much as with Brunswick (or even DV8/Radical)...but I've had better experiences (to date) with Hammer than Storm.

    Next BIG CHALLENGE...find a pro shop in Kansas...and one that can drill VISE. I'll drive an hour to Wichita...but I might switch to Turbo and get all new inserts if the closest pro shop drilling VISE is in Kansas City.
    Last edited by Aslan; 07-07-2023 at 09:01 PM.
    In Bag: (: .) Motiv Trident Odyssey; (: .) Hammer Scorpion Sting; (: .) Pyramid Force Pearl; (: .) Brunswick Rhino Gold; (: .) Ebonite Maxim
    USBC#: 8259-59071; USBC Sanctioned Average = 186; Lifetime Average = 171;
    Ball Speed: 15.5mph; Rev. Rate: 240rpm || High Game (sanc.) = 300 (268); High Series (sanc.) = 725 (720); Clean Games: 181

    Smokey this is not 'Nam', this is bowling. There are rules. Proud two-time winner of a bowlingboards.com weekly ball give-away!

  10. #10
    Pin Crusher
    Join Date
    Oct 2015
    Location
    Milwaukee
    Posts
    1,240
    Chats: 0

    Default

    Welcome back!
    Old guy with power (15.5-16; 325). Current arsenal--Storm Summit, RotoGrip Idol Helios, Storm Phaze III, Storm SureLock (retired), Storm IQ Tour Nano and Motiv Rebel tank (spare/dry). High sanctioned game - 300 (4). High sanctioned series - 856. A.V. 300-s - 8. Longest string - 25.
    2023/2024 YTD highs--High game-289; high series-739

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •