Old bowler needs an update.

[Bunny]

Why? I'm actually really accurate with 2 hands. Shot a 200 game last week.
I don't see why it's a problem..Just because it's not your traditional shot?

Most of us old folk don't take to change easily!

In my opinion, (notice I wrote out the words, that's how old I am) it's looks kinda funky. I enjoy fluid, smooth, more traditional form. But that's just me.



True story...Quite a few younger bowlers (I'm talking under 20) have gone to Mark Baker for lessons. They want to bowl like Belmo. Turns out the torquing is hard on the back. Several of them had to go back to one-handed due to bad back problems.

And like Buddha512 stated earlier, he thought that "two-handed is for little kids..."

I rest my case.



But seriously, I truly enjoy the uniqueness that every bowler possesses. It makes things more interesting. Imagine if we all looked exactly the same bowling? That wouldn't be any fun!!

[Bunny]

Rob Mautner created an AMAZING group of postings on another forum that explains the basics of bowling balls. It is a long read but one that is chocked full of information and can be found here: http://www.bowlingintel.com/forum/thread-533.html

Great link! Thank You!!!!!!!

[DLP]

I had just posted this else forum...

Imagine if we were all cookie cutter of the same approach/release. We'd all be wearing white and black saddle shoes and throwing a black bowling ball and putting a 300 up every week. What's the fun in that?!?!

The different approaches and releases just add to the uniqueness of the sport. So do the neon green skulls on my black bowling shoes and my ball smelling like a pina colada. But I digress.

I've seen two handed bowlers that if they don't throw a strike might as well write any mark off to the wind (their accuracy leaves a lot to be desired). But I've also watched two handed bowlers that don't just crank the ball down the lane and pray for a hit. They have a method to their madness and it works for them. Why bash it? Frankly, it's just another way of doing things.

The only constant? Mathematical proof and the laws of physics come to mind as being the only two "constants" that are irrefutable. How you apply them and utilize them... to each their own
That is until we start bowling on another planet on in the vacuum of space.

[e-tank]

Hey Buddha you could try looking into a urethane ball as those have a smoother more controllable hook if you dont want a stronger reactive ball. If you have interest you could look at the hammer blue hammer, motiv tank, storm natural, roto grip grenade, brunswick karma urethane.

[Aslan]

Why? I'm actually really accurate with 2 hands. Shot a 200 game last week.
I don't see why it's a problem..Just because it's not your traditional shot?

I just think it's a joke. It used to be that you'd see 2-handed bowlers at cosmic bowling because they didn't know how to bowl so they just used 2-hands to get a crazy high rev rate and hope it hit the head pin. Or little kids would use two hands because the balls even at 6lbs were too heavy.

But, bowling is a simple game...so 2-hands, under-hand, over-hand, high loft...the bottom line is...if you can be consistent...the there is no "approved" method...so people can do whatever they want. And once a couple 2-handers made the Tour...one of whom is a young, handsome, dynamic personality (although in my opinion a classless jerk at times)...then people wanted to emulate them.

What happens if I bowl a 300 by throwing the ball between my legs? Or what if I develop a style where I just throw an 11lb ball all the way 50ft through the air and have it land on the headpin...and I can do it consistently and score? People would be upset. They'd look at those ways of bowling as "not bowling"...even though they WORK. Because thats not what bowling is nor has been for the last 90 years.

High rev rates, big hooks, thumbless and 2-handed bowling...these are all fun to watch...I just think it's had an overall negative effect on the sport. It's like in basketball...a team like in the old "Hoosiers" movie versus a modern team with high flying dunks and 7 foot middle men. The old way, the fundamental way...nobody wants that. In bowling, kids don't want to learn to shoot spares and throw balls straight at the headpin...it's not "fun".

And I also feel the 2-handed approach for MOST players...is a bad idea. Not because of the back issues that Bunny referenced...because those could be offset by less shoulder, wrist, hand issues of bowling single-handed...but I think it's a bad idea because the style itself is inconsistent. Belmo is great. That asian kid out here in California (Wesley Lee or something like that)...also very talented. But I've watched both of them recently in tournaments against strokers...and they lose. The 2-handed, high rev approach is by design less consistent...more affected by lane conditions or changes to the ball due to oil absorption. Belmo isn't great because of his 2-handed approach...he's great because he's constantly running 5 calculations in his head and is able to notice minute changes in the lanes. 2-handed/high rev approaches will give you your best chance at 300 games and striking...but they are hard to repeat consistently and nearly impossible to pick up spares...which is why most high rev players throw spare balls and many will change their release when they do..some will throw 1-handed at spares. I saw Wesley lose to a very tall, classic stroker in a junior tournament...Belmo lost the first major to Parker Bohn...a classic stroker southpaw.

If it was up to me (which it never will be)...you'd be required to have 2 fingers and a thumb in a bowling ball for sanctioned events. Otherwise...where does it end?? I get some pretty strange looks when I start lofting my ball 20ft down the lane...but there's no rule against that. The guy that has done some coaching with me...he has a 200+ average and lofts that ball 10-15ft before it lands. It works...so I guess it's okay. But "traditionalists" like me...I don't like to see the game get too far away from where it started. Too many 300s, 2-handed techniques, house oil patterns, reactive resin/high hook core balls...just too many changes for my liking.

[Aslan]

And I'll give you a "cross sport reference" to further explain my disain for the non-traditional.

I used to be a big, big paintball player. And there was nothing more fun in the world than getting together with friends and shooting at each other with CO2 powered pump action paintball guns.

Then one day...a guy showed up with a semi-automatic....then EVERYONE had to get a semi-automatic to compete. But because of that change...the sport became too expensive...because the rate of paint usage tripled and paint is the biggest cost. But I kept playing....had to go to fields and play against strangers. But then one day, a guy showed up with an electronic marker (gun) that ran on compressed air rather than liquid CO2. Because it fired so fast (up to 13x as fast as you could pull the trigger)...it also used a powerfeed mechanism to feed the balls at a high enough rate.

Then more and more and more people switched to electronic markers. And suddenly...paintball saw a decline in interest. Part of it was the rise of FPS (first person shooter) games on XBox and Playstation 2/3. Why pay to shoot and get shot (which hurts BAD) and get dirty and waste gas when you can play on your couch for free?? But it was more than that...the sport was also in decline because electronic markers changed the game. I used to play with 500 rounds at a cost of about $25. With an electronic marker...you needed 2 cases (4000 rounds) and the cost of the day of play increased to around $110-$225 dollars. ANd it was no longer about "skill" and "tactics" and lines of fire and movement and suppression fire. It was about who had the fastest marker. 10-year olds were suddenly winning games against ex-military...because the ex-military guys were shooting semi-auto and the little kid just got a brand new $850 marker for his birthday.

In paintball, the technology killed the game. All the woodsball players, the "base" of the paintball crowd...they all stopped playing. They got sick of the classless little punks with their fancy guns and their cheating and their dangerous antics (like increasing ball speed to over 300fps). Sure...those new guns were "flashy" and kids would see them and want to get one...it ushered in the X-Ball era where paintball is played more on a field of inflatable bunkers rather than the woods. Paintball was even on TV for a short time...and they made video games about it. But the numbers...have dropped. Fields have closed. There are still games every weekend...some colleges have teams...there's a handful of pro teams out there. But the same technology that made the game more popular, ended up killing it in terms of overall popularity.

I see this in bowling. Demographics and the economy and video games...bowling has been in decline for a long time. So, they tried to make it more appealing to a larger audience...ball improvements, weaker lane conditions, cosmic bowling, Bowlmor, less focus on league play and more on corporate parties and birthday parties. Now balls are flourescent and scented...no more black balls with you initials. And rather than watch Carmen Salvino, Dick Weber, and Earl Anthony...we have Sean Rash and Jason Belmonte yelling at each other and Pete Weber in his race car driver sunglasses yelling at the audience. The few kids interested in bowling aren't learning how to adjust to pick up spares...they're trying to figure out how they can make the fancy ball go right and then cut drastically across the lane. Heck, the most popular size ball on Friday and Saturday nights is the 5-6lb balls they have for little kids...because the teenagers just want to whip them down the lane at 23mph or get the rev rate to 700 and watch it hook.

[Stormed1]

As mentioned above for bowling on a typical house shot you don't need the latest hook monster unless you have light speed. The Frantic, Freakin' Frantic, Lights Out from Storm are all good choices. Motiv's entry level balls called the Ascent are both also good choices. Along with the Cyclone from Ebonite, The Vibe from Hammer, The Freeze from Columbia 300, The Misfir from DV8,The Strike King from Brunswick, The 300 & 400 series balls from Track, The Shatter& Wrecker from Roto Grip. In a lot of ways it comes down to what's your favorite color. Talk to your pro shop, let them watch you bowl and have them make a recomendation.If I were to recomend something sight unseen I woule probably go either Wrecker or Frantic for you and a Shatter or Ascent pearl for her. If she has a little higher ball speed than average I would say either a DV8 Diva or 900Global Vixen or Freakin' Frantic

[Buddha512]

Hey Buddha you could try looking into a urethane ball as those have a smoother more controllable hook if you dont want a stronger reactive ball. If you have interest you could look at the hammer blue hammer, motiv tank, storm natural, roto grip grenade, brunswick karma urethane.

Thanks E-Tank. I was hoping someone would recommend some balls that don't run clear off the left side of the lane. I'll research every one of those you listed.

Scotty

[dnhoffman]

Scotty, welcome back!

Find a reputable pro shop [/b] that is IBPSIA certified.[/b] that has a pro who will work with you. Getting back into the sport, if you go buy something that doesn't match up well or is drilled improperly then it could force you right back out, and none of us want that!

You may also want to take a lesson, to avoid starting any bad habits and to starts off on the right foot. I recommend finding a certified one through www.bowl.com

Again, welcome back and have fun!

[Bunny]

Here are links to medium and medium oil balls:


Medium Oil Balls http://www.bowlingball.com/shop/all/...ibute_6=Medium


Medium-Light http://www.bowlingball.com/shop/all/...e_6=Medium-Dry


As far as manufacturers go between the two of us we have Hammer, Roto Grip, Columbia, DV8 and Ebonite . They are all good balls. And several manufacturers I believe are owned by the same companies.

We like what Storm is doing right now with sponsoring, education, and support. Our next balls will most likely be Storm. (I've got my eye on the Hy Road Pearl or The Reign On.)

Hammer has a two year warranty, although I haven't heard about how they are at honoring it.

I had a bad experience with Columbia 300 quality and they didn't back up their product. I will never purchase their products.

Brunswick is a name I grew up with and they're still in business! Their Marauder Mutiny looks pretty darn sweet!