Contest Dec 23, 2013 to Dec 29, 2013 - Hammer Cold Blood

[Aslan]

Im just gonna go ahead and direct you here http://www.modern-bowling.com/Bowlin...-Vegas-NV.html

Read everything

I've already read it a couple times and the simple fact is…while many of his points are valid…his overall premise is incorrect. A bowler can change the reaction of his/her ball via surface changes. And a ball's reaction can change incredibly based on release, ball speed, loft, and lane conditions. To say that bowling is just a matter of having a huge ball ARSEnal so that you have a ball for every condition is silly.

I can throw a urethane ball straight as an arrow, a lady can throw the same exact ball with a low speed helicopter release and get it to hook brooklyn, and a thumbless bowler can make that same ball go from side to side…gutter to gutter. So? Is it that said ball isn't a good match for the lane conditions?

I can out bowl any lane conditions. I can change my release, I can move laterally, and I can change speeds. I can loft it or if need be I can even scuff it with some sandpaper to make it break earlier.

In this day and age…far too many "pros" are working hand in hand with bowling ball manufacturers to try and convince every intermediate bowler out there that they need 3-12 bowling balls and a couple roller bags. Funny how 50 years ago bowlers used 1-2 balls…and still managed to pioneer the sport.

[GoodGravy]

I have some friends on my league team that might do really well with this ball...would love to be able to give it to them!

[tccstudent]

, and a thumbless bowler can make that same ball go from side to side…gutter to gutter. So? Is it that said ball isn't a good match for the lane conditions?

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You dont have to take your thumb out of the ball to do this you just need lots of practice to develop a lot of "hand" I have a rev rate in the high side at 500 but with my ball speed really high to it helps me keep the ball tamed down If I slow my speed way down i can go gutter to gutter to Brooklyn easily too me when you take your thumb out you lose control When I was learning to throw a hook I wasnt using my thumb untill the bowling alley owner told me if I didnt put my thumb back in he was gonna kick me out. Then he came down and helped teach me to throw a proper hooking ball

[Aslan]

What I meant by my response is that the premise that "if a ball aint working, go grab another" is a logical fallacy because if you take that thought process to it's conclusion…it would mean the bowler with every ball on the market would just need to know what ball to throw and his/her 300 would be in the bag.

And from my own personal experience…throwing different balls on vastly different lane conditions…I can tell you that changing release and changing speeds can take virtually any symmetric core ball and make it do vastly different things. I don't "NEED" a spare ball because I can simply increase my speed and not snap my wrist as much….straight as an arrow. I can then take that SAME ball, slow it down to the 14mph range…and watch it hook from board 8 all the way over to the 4-pin. And if it's hooking just a "little" to much….in addition to lateral movement…I can loft it a little further down the lanes and there ya go…right into the pocket.

And it's not just me. Pros do the same thing. On a pro tv telecast, they'll generally use 1-2 balls plus a spare ball. But if you watch enough bowling…you'll see examples of pros moving back/forward, side/side, change speeds, and even loft. I just watched Mika roll in a match where the announcers talked about how he was adding a little loft to get the ball to break further down the lane.

I WILL admit that I was wrong about the need for a "spare ball". I recognize that if someone uses a strong asymmetric core ball…hitting a single 10-pin may be much harder with a strong ball. You could loft it…you could flatten your wrist….and yes, you could still be successful picking it up. But you're making it more difficult and I understand that. And Lord knows we don't want to make picking up spares harder than they already are. But the need for more than a 4-ball ARSEnal…for most bowlers that bowl at ONE center…maybe 2…rarely a local tournament…I still don't see it.

Wait…what were we talking about? Oh yeah…Hammer Cold Blood…I need to win it…it's the greatest call ever made!! And it's my favorite color!! And It'll be my birthday sometime within the next year!! PICK ME!!

[tccstudent]

Aslan how often is it really the balls fault that you aint strike you can find a good line with just about any ball out there throwing a 300 has little to do with the ball and a lot to do with shot replication of course all these proshop and ball reviews are trying to push different ball its all about profit maximization
You really need about four balls one that is gonna give you length for the drier conditions one that is gonna roll a little earlier for the wetter conditions something in between and a spare ball.

Now for the true topic of this thread Tuesday is my birthday and I need a present so give me the ball

[Aslan]

You're smarter than the average bear kiddo. I agree 100%. Pro bowlers once struck and scored well over 200 throwing a rubber ball straight at the pocket (well, with a "little" hook). But "magically"…nowadays people like the guy e-tank linked to seem to preach that if you're not rolling 280 games it's because you have a "hole in your arsenal". Ha ha…hole in your arse…nal. Thats funny.

When I started bowling on heavy oil synthetics…I struggled BIG TIME. I kept lofting it high and throwing at 19-20mph and it would just sail right of the pocket. And, as a beginner, I immediately thought, "Oh no! I need a new ball! This one doesn't work!! I need a bigger arsenal!!" Then…I made a minor surface change…that "almost/sorta" helped. But then I learned how to use the lane…throw slower, lower loft….use more of the lane. And slowly but surely…I've gotten better. I DID get a new ball drilled as well..just to give me a "little" more help on heavier oil, allow me to play inside if need be, AND allow me to polish up the other ball so that it would react better on wood lanes…but slowing the ball down has done more than ANY ball change could have.

[tccstudent]

When I started bowling on heavy oil synthetics…I struggled BIG TIME.

Really I started out on wood and the wood house that I was bowling at was not well kept up it has needed to be resurfaced for the last 10 years. When I started bowling leagues in Tulsa on synthetics my average jumped 30 pins immediately
The wood lanes were so dry you were moving by the 3rd frame of the first game. By the end of the night I was lofting the gutter. On synthetics I was able to play much straighter haven't you ever heard straighters greater.

Me personally the only reason I am getting a few new balls right now is because one of my go to balls cracked and the other has at least 500 games on it. So i traded the cracked Franic for a Reign On and I am going to retire the Reign of Fire for a Reign of Power

[Aslan]

I think most people are like you. They struggle on wood because the heavier hooking balls and high rev rates just don't react well on wood until you learn to play inside. And many people just hate the idea of playing inside. And since wood lanes are so rare nowadays…it's actually rare to be in the position we were in where we started out on wood lanes and had to adjust. When I first started…hell, I didn't even know lanes were made out of different materials or had different oil patterns. I figured every alley was the same. Oops.

Hey man…get as many balls as ya want. For what it's worth, I have 2 in my bag, a retired one in my hall closet and 8 more undrilled in my bedroom closet. So I have no problem with "collections". Hell…might even be getting a 9th NIB one if the guy on BBE ever gets back to me.

[tccstudent]

You havent had any ball crack on you yet have you. I have had 3 balls crack in the last year and two was just sitting in my closet with one being undrilled

[sprocket]

I don't think I need very many different balls but I'll tell you what, I don't know what I would do right now without my old Strike Zone. I don't know exactly what it is about that ball that makes it work so well for me but I am working on finding out precisely what it is so I can apply it to a new ball. Although the ball still has its greatness it is old and I rely on polish to make it work well which can be hard to duplicate and.... it doesn't matter, the point I'm trying to make is that although I am in total agreement that the need for a big arsenal is a complete farce, I do think it is incredibly important to find the cover, core and layout that works best for you. And that is a big catch 22 because you may have to try many combinations to find it and that requires an arsenal. A very wise ball driller or a good deal of research online may give you a good idea of where to start so it doesn't take a pile of balls and redrills to find the right combo.

The conditions we play on just aren't the same as they used to be. I wish they were but they are not. The reason they are not is pretty much a complete money making scam too because if you blocked the lanes back in the '60s to the extent that they are today, even with the lower volume of oil back then and rubber balls, the scores would have been astronomical. The reason pros back then only needed one ball is because until plastic came along all balls were pretty much the same for like 40 years. Hard rubber and pancake weight block. The volume and viscosity of oil we have now requires the coverstocks we have now to deal with it. And the varying lengths of oil and the placement of the oil means that finding the right core and layout dynamics are important to be able to best play conditions and not end up with a big over/under reaction and to hook at the right point. But I'm talking about one or two personal layouts, not 15.

Thursday night I went out to practice at 9:30 pm and the lanes were toast. The first few shots missed the headpin running away left. Over time I found that there was still a shot way outside using my Strike Zone. It was around 8 at the arrows to 3 at the breakpoint. A slight miss left was runaway Brooklyn but there was still some area. After several games I moved inside to around fourth arrow with the same ball. I had a little area there too and the carry was just as good. I didn't need some other special ball to turn the corner from inside. I did need THAT BALL though. My other two worked lousy from any angle.