Wanting to get back into the game

[floridanative772]

First of all hello to all and thank you for any kind help and direction i may gain from here. I started bowling when I was 4 on leagues at my hometown bowling alley. My mother was a coach and was the driving force behind me. I bowled consistently on yearly bowling leauges and competed in every years state tournaments. When my mother passed away when i was 15 I made it to 16 before I quit league bowling and pretty much any at all. I have been ocasionally of and on for fun since but am really interested in possibly joining a league here and really getting back into it. Im now 28 and have not ever bought a bowling ball. I still have my hammer 3d super offset which was the last ball my parents bought me. Since being out of the sport for so long I have no idea what is what anymore. I seem to have kept my skill pretty well as last year i went bowling with the wife and rolled a 175, 174 and a 248. And that was after a few years of even going and really havent gone since. So any advice on where i should start with looking bowling ball wise would help. I just feel the passion for the sport coming back to me that I had when i was younger.

[Hot_pocket]

Welcome to the boards. I would have to say the biggest changes to the sport are the oil patterns and bowling balls. Bowling balls now are made to hook out the box but lane conditions also make it where those balls are necessary. Depending what kind of bowler you are (stroker tweener cranker) depends on what ball to pick and how that ball should be drilled. I'm not an expert and i have much to learn also but i do know a little something about the game. I will say this is the place to learn besides an actual coaching session or two. just check the technique & skill threads and any other thread for more info.

[billf]

Welcome to the forum. Given the type of construction of ball you are accustomed to I would suggest staying with balls with symmetrical cores while you adjust to the game changes.

[floridanative772]

Ive actually been looking at the dv8 balls. I am looking between the reckless or the too reckless. I would say I have a pretty fast aggressive throw, but its pretty much pretty simple hook from the right side into the pocket. I would like to be open to adjusting and trying some new approaches though and would like to start with a good ball that is pretty versatile. As I get into the game more seriously I would like to have a couple different balls to help cope with oil conditions. Any input on those would be great! And once again thank you for helping me refuel my love for the game.

[striker12]

welcome to the boards if you are looking at the dv8 balls and you are looking at the reckless and too reckless you should go with the reckless because the too reckless has high polish on it witch will make it skid down the lane alot more then the reckless where the reckless has just got normal polish on it like most other balls there both good balls just ask bill about the reckless and i can say the too reckless has alot of motion on it and i got it drilled for length but sometimes skids down alittle too far where when it breaks it will go light into the pocket or miss the pocket to the right.

[billf]

I personally prefer the Reckless over the Too Reckless. If you want to adjust a little then the DV8 Marauder has a nice angular back end motion also. Sounds like you may be speed dominate so I would suggest a pin down layout to avoid any skidding past the breakpoint but a good pro shop will watch you bowl and match the drilling accordingly.

[striker12]

yeah bill the reckless is a good ball i have seen it go down the lane and the too reckless is alright not best but i mainly got it for when the lanes are dryer like if i was doing a 10+ game turnnys then i could use this ball and keep some good games

[floridanative772]

Well thank you all again for your help. I ordered my new shoes today as my old ones fell apart a while back. So I'm going to be taking the old hammer out soon to get my swing in order. Now I'm pretty set on getting the reckless, but one thing I need help with is the pin and top weight. I have no idea what I should get and never really knew about this till I started looking at balls. Like I said I always just picked a ball out of the catalog when I was younger in leagues and the pro at the shop did everything else. With everything cheaper online I would like to be able to order my ball and have the shop drill it. Thanks for any help guys.