Buying too much ball.................

[Mudpuppy]

Read winning bowling by earl anthony and use that first blood. It's not rocket science. Very easy.

[Bunny]

Among all of the diverse opinions about bowling balls, the one thing about which most of us agree is that the surface of the ball, both the material and the finish, is the one factor that is the most important in determining ball reaction. While bowlers can’t do anything about the cover material other than to listen to marketing rhetoric from the manufacturer and opinions and observations from a trusted pro shop operator, the finish is something over which every bowler has total control. I truly doubt that there is a professional bowler on the planet who doesn’t understand and utilized surface changes to fine-tune ball reactions to specific lane conditions. I wonder, however, why so many bowlers choose to ignore this important tool.

See what polish does to an early-rolling, low rg ball. See what surface does to a ball that goes long.

Spending a few dollars to change surfaces to find just what’s right for you could be the best investment you ever made for your bowling. As Ron Mohr said, after winning the Senior U.S. Open this year, “You can’t out bowl a bad ball reaction.” I totally agree.



Link to full article...
http://www.modern-bowling.com/Bowlin...-Vegas-NV.html

[Hammer]

What kind of league do you bowl on where they use medium heavy oil? Usually regular house leagues bowl on Typical House Shot patterns which are usually dry to medium dry. If you are bowling on dry THS patterns the ball might not be hooking because it is losing energy being used on dry lane conditions so it will not hook. If you are using it on medium heavy oil then it won't hook because you do not have the correct release. By correct release I mean your wrist is straight or a little cupped when you reach the release area which is near your sliding foot and your hand is behind the ball. When your thumb comes out then you rotate your hand and fingers an inch or two. Remember to keep your fingers bent as the ball comes off your hand. If you straighten them to let the ball go then you can say good-bye revs which make the ball hook. To see correct form of swing and release go to YOUTUBE and look up a video called Analysis
of modern 10-pin bowling swing and release. It shows pros using correct form in slow motion with close ups. You will get the idea of how to put revs on the ball. Plus it shows the correct way to swing the ball and the approach.

[Big Daddy]

What kind of league do you bowl on where they use medium heavy oil? Usually regular house leagues bowl on Typical House Shot patterns which are usually dry to medium dry. If you are bowling on dry THS patterns the ball might not be hooking because it is losing energy being used on dry lane conditions so it will not hook. If you are using it on medium heavy oil then it won't hook because you do not have the correct release. By correct release I mean your wrist is straight or a little cupped when you reach the release area which is near your sliding foot and your hand is behind the ball. When your thumb comes out then you rotate your hand and fingers an inch or two. Remember to keep your fingers bent as the ball comes off your hand. If you straighten them to let the ball go then you can say good-bye revs which make the ball hook. To see correct form of swing and release go to YOUTUBE and look up a video called Analysis
of modern 10-pin bowling swing and release. It shows pros using correct form in slow motion with close ups. You will get the idea of how to put revs on the ball. Plus it shows the correct way to swing the ball and the approach.

I'll get the info on just how oily/pattern type used on the lanes tonight and let you know. You're probably right though. I've seen that video several times and for some reason I just can't make my hand do all those things. Perhaps I can concentrate on just one or two? The Hand shake and perhaps some lift? I'm going to have a few beers tonight and just enjoy bowling. When I'm feeling really good, all loosened up and such, I'll begin trying to get some revs on the ball. I think I was just too uptight when bowling yesterday. After that, I'm going to get a bowling buddy to help me out some, if I still just can't get it.

[Aslan]

Perhaps I can concentrate on just one or two? The Hand shake and perhaps some lift? I'm going to have a few beers tonight and just enjoy bowling.

I think the hardest thing for me about the release/revs is; I don't want to "muscle" the ball...I want to use a natural pendulum swing...lay it down earlier, etc... But if I just roll my hand gently along the side of the ball....no revs...very little hook. So I try to "snap" that wrist (to get revs)...but I end up muscling the ball...it lofts up...goes faster...the added revs are minimalized because the ball is skidding through to the pins. So I've been trying to slow down my swing...nice and easy...and make sure that all my arm action is only creating revs (going up the side of the ball) and not "pushing" or "throwing" the ball.

But I feel your pain. One minute I think I have the approah/timing figured out...but my release is horrible. Then I fix the release and I'm back to having a crappy timing/approach.

Just remember...it's a simple game. You roll a heavy ball...it hits lighter pins...they fall over. Sometimes when I'm totally lost, I have to remind myself of that and just "reset" especially when I find myself making it more difficult than it should be.

[J Anderson]

Just remember...it's a simple game.

Simple game, but when you think about it just walking on two legs is a pretty complex motion. Otherwise we'd be seeing robots like C3PO walking around instead of little robotic vacuum cleaners bouncing off chairs. Throw in a heavy object in one hand and a desire to throw said object in a way that will make its path curve and you have a very complex problem. That's why we have a number of drills, many of which can be done without a lane and ball return, that let us isolate parts of the process and practice them so that when it all gets put together, we don't have to worry about any one part.

[Aslan]

so that when it all gets put together, we don't have to worry about any one part.

Agreed. I think the biggest advantage an experienced bowler has is that so much of what they do, they do without necessarily focusing on it. When you get that "habit"...some things become second nature. If they are bad habits...good habits...I guess thats what makes one experienced bowler better than another.

[sprocket]

Use the dang ball. You bought and paid for it. It's yours so use it. It doesn't matter that it weighs 16 lbs. All of us old timers used to use 16lbs. Using 15lbs is something fairly new. Mostly 15lbs is used because it carries better than 16lbs on today's conditions, with modern balls, but that is ONLY true if you are a fairly skilled bowler. Their is nothing wrong with learning with a 16lb ball. FIT is extremely important. Have your fit double checked, particularly the thumb hole. There are plenty of us who add and remove tape all the time and ONE piece of tape is enough to make a big difference.

Take some lessons. If you want to improve take lessons from a good coach. Practicing without taking lessons just ingrains bad habits and that's the last thing you want to do.

[Hammer]

Description of your Hammer First Blood: RG. 2.48, Perfect Scale 220.8, Flare Potential-high, Differential 0.056, Lane Condition- heavy oil, Pro Performance 10, Coverstock Hybrid Reactive, Surface 500x3/1500 Abralon, Core asymmetric, Mass Bias. Reading the description
of this ball I would say it is too much of a ball for your skill level. This is made for a more experienced bowler with a decent release. You need a fingertip ball with a symmetric core that is entry level performance. A ball like the First Blood is not good for you because it is made for a more skilled bowler. A high performance ball is no good if you do not know how to use it or have the skill to use it. You can use it as a door stop until you develope more skill in your technique.

[Hammer]

I just looked at the bowlingball.com site and the entry performance balls are pretty cheap. They are under $100.00. A good ball can be the Storm Tropical Breeze Hybrid. It is a symmetric core ball which is easier to control and it will hook with a fingertip drilling. Just because they are cheap does not mean that they are garbage. This kind of ball will be easier to learn the correct technique for the release and to hook the ball which will be a more controlled hook.