New To The Site....questions questions questions!!!

[Rdmonster]

A little background....I've put up a few posts but want to know some "stuff". Many of my questions will be tough to answer without seeing me...take your best guess. I bowled on a league in college and have been an infrequent bowler at best.After my golf league ended I convinced my partners to join a bowling league. Guys gotta do something right.

My current equipment is a plain old urethane Rhino with fingertip grips and a thumb insert. Its a 16 pounder that actually wieghs about 15.5. On most house lanes it spins alot but doesnt hook much till the very end...if i try to baby it it hooks to early. I cup my wrist and dont muscle the ball but I'm a fairly strong guy...I dont think I crank it because it's not spinning (reving..whatever) a bunch. My average the first month of the league is about 140 although I had two games near 160 this week. What type of bowler am I (<---question 1). Cranker, stroker etc. I release it smoothly with almost no loft and good power. My more experienced teammates have commented that I throw it fairly hard...whatever that means.

I ordered a DV8 Marauder online. I got it in 16 pounds because I'm a physical tyrannosaur. Just kidding. I rolled 7 games in a row earlier this month and though a tad fatigued in the wrist I wasn't sore at all.I feel fine bowling 6 or more games a week.I think I'll be OK with the heavyweight.Seemed like the best fit for what I'm looking for and used to. I cant get to fancy on drilling options because quite frankly, I dont know what most of it means (pin down, pin up, pin 12 degrees east of my pinky if I hold my breath). If he (pro shop guy)has time to watch me chuck the Rhino a few times then geat...if not I plan on getting it drilled very similar to my old ball which I am retaining for a spare ball. Other than a tendency to cheat with my thumb from time to time (fingertipping it lol) the old ball feels pretty good (Question 2---->) Is there any such thing as a standard drilling style. Geting to fancy at this stage may be a mistake and I'd hate to get worse instead of better. I would think average would be best until I'm more advanced.

Is it difficult (question 3!!)to get your speed, revs etc measured. If I continue to be a lunatic about this and continue to improve I may want to look into this. Is it something that most big centers do? Of course I can ask but I work all weekend and the internet is so much fun to ask questions on.

Give me some suggestions...tips...pointers..anything. I really have taken quite a shine to bowling and since I'm a better bowler than a golfer (scary thought) and half our golf league is on the bowling league I look forward to kicking their asses. Our team is actually pretty good in the standings and I've been having so much fun I might buy the place where we bowl. Ok I cant do that but I can hang out there a bunch. If anyone actually reads all this and can give me any insight I would appreciate it. If my questions seem simple and rudimentary it's not like I'm a member of MENSA. I took the test and they said a club for dumb people might be more appropriate.

Thnaks in advance and I'll let the boards know how the new ball rolls.

[AZBowla]

I would say take that Rhino with you when you get your Marauder drilled and have the guy in the pro shop watch you bowl with it, and also so they can measure your PAP (Positive Axis Point). This will tell them where to drill it for optimum performance for YOUR release (everyone's release is different). This is what I plan to do with mine when it arrives, so that it's drilled perfectly for the way I bowl. I figure if I'm going to pay someone to drill my ball, I want them to earn every penny.

As for tips and pointers, youtube is your friend when it comes to bowling tips. There are plenty of good videos out there that will help you improve your score. I've spent the last month or so absorbing all I can from videos like this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5nnDbV0znE and also from watching the Pro's bowl in various PBA tournaments you can find on youtube. This site is also a gold mine for information, just about every bowling question out there has been asked and answered on this site. Last but certainly not least, if you can upload a video of yourself bowling to YouTube and share it here, there are plenty of folks who are experienced coaches who will critique your game for you and offer pointers for improving it. I plan to do this soon also once the new ball is drilled and I've had a chance to get used to it.

Hope that helps!

[billf]

Welcome to the forum.
Question #1. Sounds like probably a Stroker.
Question #2. There is a generic drilling lay out. I suggest what AZBowler said, have the driller watch you bowl and he can take measurements, like your PAP, from that ball. This makes it all work better.
Question #3. Yes, it's easy enough to measure speed, rev rate, etc. All you need is a stop watch and a piece of tape a contrasting color of your ball. More later when you're ready to do it.

There is nothing wrong with the ball hooking late. The key is, when ever it hooks, to control it. Urethane doesn't hook a lot on medium or heavy oil conditions. You will notice this during the first game of league it won't hook as well as the third game. Urethane covers have less friction that the reactive resin covers used today. Less friction, less hook. Another thing that can help the ball hook more (more isn't always better) is when you go to release, rotate your fingers around the outside of the ball. This will alter the axis rotation so it will spin on a different axis than it's travelling (spin right to left while rolling away from you).

I read the entire post and now going to look for some Xanax.

[bowl1820]

I have to ask:

At first you said-

On most house lanes it spins alot

But then you said:

I dont think I crank it because it's not spinning (reving..whatever) a bunch.

That's a little contradictory

[Rdmonster]

^ that's is a lot contradictory.... I should have put it this way.... It looks like it spins alot but not in comparison to the spin rates of the two best bowlers on the team...it might be deceptive since their balls are colored and mine is solid black. I think our best guy is a cranker because his ball looks like its spinning like crazy.Its also hard to keep a train of thought when I had to work while typing that.Its definitely spinning for a hook not just spinning like a top. Sorry for the confusion. (My confusion!)

[Brownswick]

It seems a pretty safe bet you're a low-rev bowler. Probably a stroker. Nothing wrong with that. Walter Ray Williams is a low rev bowler, and a stroker. He's the winningest player in the history of the PBA.

Of course he probably has a wee bit more talent than you.

It is absolutely essential that you have your pro watch you bowl before he drills up a new ball. In fact, depending on how old your old ball is (and whether or not it's the same pro that drilled it), I would strongly recommend you have him measure you again. This means you may end up with a completely different fit. Which would mean your two bowling balls will feel completely different. That's okay. It just means you'll eventually want to get your first ball plugged and redrilled so it feels the same as the new one.

In pro parlance a ball that's said to be "spinning" is not rolling end over end as much as it's spinning around horizontally. These "spinners" have far more side turn than forward roll. You want a combination of both, with greater emphasis on forward roll, generally speaking. Hard to know which one you're describing since, as you have readily admitted, you may not know what you're saying.

The color of balls means nothing in terms of what they are and how they'll perform. There are plastic, urethane, reactive urethane balls in all colors. I couldn't begin to describe them all here. Lean on your pro to make a recommendation that suits your game.

Take lessons.

[Rdmonster]

I already called the pro shop thats closest to me. There are not really alot to choose from in Indianapolis. He said he could watch me throw the old one a bit and was very specific about remeasuring me which I would insist on anyway. The new ball came in yesterday and at least it looks cool. I do put revs on the ball or my old Rhino would not hook much. Loks like it's spinning on it's side more than rolling forward for the most part. I'm going to be at the shop when it opens on Monday...he said he could drill it while I waited...then I will practice some before league on Wednesday. New standings have the team in third...my average just a few pins shy of 150. Hope the new ball helps.

BTW I bought the Rhino in 1992 at the latest because I was still in college and graduated in '93. I can throw it with no issues at least until my thumb tightens up a bit and then I have to concentrate to not cheat with my thumb by only going in slightly past the first knuckle. Not good I know. The fingertips feel perfect. Snug but not to tight.

[billf]

If your thumb swelling is a common issue for you then I have some options for you to consider.
1. Get an interchangeable thumb. They are basically sleeves that fit in the ball and lock in place with a twist motion. The hole they go in is the same size with the thumb insert part being able to be drilled out to accommodate various sizes.
or
2. Get the thumb hole on the bigger side. Then add tape as needed per session to obtain the proper fit. White goes in the front of the thumb (textured for grip), black in the back (slick for easy release). The rounded part of the tape goes at the top of the hole. **description for any who may not have known.

[Rdmonster]

bilf...The pro shop suggested the tape route if I get the same issues with the new set up. My old ball feels comfortable enough but my best guess is that my thumb is larger now than it was in 1992. I had them open the hole up a tad a few weeks back but it didnt seem alot different. Hopefully with a new fit and precision measurments it will just fix itself. Either way by this time tommorow I will be rolling the new ball so I will know soon enough.

[billf]

I've broke my thumb three times in my life so I've had to become a tape expert. And that's with having interchangeable thumbs. The thumb that fit perfect for ten games yesterday from 2pm-4:30 was too tight at 6pm. Had to remove a piece of tape. Same sleeve tomorrow may end up being too big.