Me bowling advice appreciated

[Amyers]

Thanks for all the remarks guys some days it's just tuff and that is what happened to me yesterday. It didn't help that I was bowling with and against some really top notch bowlers just made it that much worse for me.

After some time to think about what I did yesterday and listening to you guys I think I figured out what was going on. I believe it was really three problems.

1. I have been struggling with the lanes having more oil than what I'm used to during open play. I said I was going to move farther outside to combat this but it really didn't work for it to make a difference I had to be five or farther out and I'm just not comfortable there. I am okay anywhere laying down between 7 and 17 any farther out or in I just struggle.

2. In reaction to this I started to try and hook the ball. Yes I know better but when your bowling with guys that have more aggressive balls and higher revs than you it gets in at least my head. This caused me to try and increase my cup of the wrist and I believe it was slowing my swing down causing as Rob mentioned my timing to be even worse.

3. I grip the ball with my thumb way too much. Always been a problem for me. To the point that I'm having problems with blistering between the nail and the first joint in my thumb. I have been using protective tape to help with this but it was way too hot yesterday and the tape was not sticking to my thumb caused some bad throws and just added to my frustration

I want to thank everyone for their support and comments it dose help.

Ps I will try and get you my league sheet tomorrow or Monday at the latest I don't have a scanner at home.

[Amyers]

I did practice today much better 208-188-212 the 208 was my best game missed a spare single pin spare in the tenth could have been much better. Felt good I just let it happen balance was the best it has been in quite a while slowed down some.

Question I'm thinking about asking my pro shop guy to change the surface on ball to help me get a little more traction at league. I'm currently throwing a seismic euphoria that is polished I'm thinking about asking them to take the surface down to about 3000. Do you think this would help it get a little more traction?

[Aslan]

Question I'm thinking about asking my pro shop guy to change the surface on ball to help me get a little more traction at league. I'm currently throwing a seismic euphoria that is polished I'm thinking about asking them to take the surface down to about 3000. Do you think this would help it get a little more traction?

Lemme tell you a little story that may or may not apply or have any impact on anything.

When I went from wood lanes to heavy oil synthetics for a little 11-week league last year…I got REALLY REALLY frustrated because I averaged 180 in my first week on wood and 118 in my first week on synthetics. SO….

I bought a new ball…solid coverstock…figured that would be my "golden arrow" and solve all my problems. But it didn't. So…I took my other ball…and sanded the **** out of it to give it a more aggressive surface. All that did was either make it roll too early or cause me to move further inside and miss right.

Finally, I realized that it wasn't the balls. I had to understand the balls to fix the problem. I had to understand how balls skid and roll and save up energy. And what I realized was…by taking my hybrid coverstock ball and sanding the poo out of it…all I did was keep it from being able to store up energy. All it did was cause it to roll earlier and lose energy. And it still wasn't aggressive enough to play inside. And the solid cover stock ball…THAT wasn't a good choice either because it WASNT THE BALL that was causing me to struggle. It was the WAY I threw…and how FAST I threw. At 21mph…on heavy oil…you need a LOT of rpms to get a monster hook into the pocket.

So the solution wasn't a surface change nor a new ball…I had to learn how to ROLL the ball and SLOW IT DOWN. THAT worked. Could I have gotten a heavy oil "big hook" ball and maybe gotten "some" relief??? Maybe. Maybe.

[Aslan]

Also, first bowler I've ever heard of throwing "Seismic" bowling balls. Ive only recently even seen them for sale. Never saw them in pro shops.

[Amyers]

Yeah it's an unusual piece I wanted to try something resin before spending a lot of money on something. He had this one which someone had sent him as a free trial he tried it and liked it but it didn't fit in his arsenal so he replaced it with the newer seismic euphoric and plugged and redriled for me for $30 couldn't pass that up. The ball hits really well on the right conditions the main reason why I don't really want to do something with it if they are even a little dry the next day after leagues it's a champ I love it so I kind of hate to mess with it but on the fresh it just doesn't hook. I don't throw 20 mph and I don't think I'm rev challenged I don't know if you can tell that from my videos or not. It's just something I wanted some advice on. Not looking to radically change it just not getting anything on the fresh even playing outside

[Amyers]

Practiced again today shot ok 158-198-167 about average for me felt pretty good but didn't get quite the look on my strike balls that I like but shot spares better than usual. Again felt my balance was better today was able to post some of my shots. I will try to do some more videos next week you guys can see if I've made any improvement. Have leagues Monday night looking forward to it but still a little anxious as I haven't shot well on the fresh oil yet

[Aslan]

the main reason why I don't really want to do something with it if they are even a little dry the next day after leagues it's a champ I love it so I kind of hate to mess with it but on the fresh it just doesn't hook. I don't throw 20 mph and I don't think I'm rev challenged I don't know if you can tell that from my videos or not. It's just something I wanted some advice on. Not looking to radically change it just not getting anything on the fresh even playing outside

The problem with changing surfaces is; every time a condition changes, you gotta re-change the surface. I changed the surface on my Frantic trying to get more "hook" and all it did was start rolling earlier and lose energy. I had to have resurfaced and polished.

I'm not opposed to changing a surface in a tournament or something. I have little strips of 1000 wet/dry sandpaper in my bag. I'd be more afraid that by trying to get the ball to hook more, you're going to make it hook "earlier"...not "more". As I've learned the hard way trying to figure out a solid coverstock ball....the surface changes it's entire track, it doesn't give it a more angular back end....not at my low rev rate. You want more angular of a back end...you need to look at a hybrid/pearl with an assymetric core and higher differential.

At least thats what the "numbers" say. I'm not 100% sold on the numbers lately. It's hard to say what a ball will do given that everyone throws at different rev rates and speeds. I think the numbers are less impactful than bowling ball manufacturers would like us to believe when it's all said and done.

[Amyers]

Actually this ball is a pearl but symmetrical not asymmetrical. I think I really need to just wait and add another ball. Storm comes to our lanes and does an exhibition where you can try the different balls. I have been waiting on that to add another piece. They don't charge for it at my home lanes so it seems to be a great opportunity to check out what works for you. Has anyone on here ever did this? Did this help you make a decision? I think this would help me decided what would work best for me but they won't be doing it again until fall so I hate to continue to not have what I need the rest of the summer.

[rv driver]

The problem with changing surfaces is; every time a condition changes, you gotta re-change the surface. I changed the surface on my Frantic trying to get more "hook" and all it did was start rolling earlier and lose energy. I had to have resurfaced and polished.

I'm not opposed to changing a surface in a tournament or something. I have little strips of 1000 wet/dry sandpaper in my bag. I'd be more afraid that by trying to get the ball to hook more, you're going to make it hook "earlier"...not "more". As I've learned the hard way trying to figure out a solid coverstock ball....the surface changes it's entire track, it doesn't give it a more angular back end....not at my low rev rate. You want more angular of a back end...you need to look at a hybrid/pearl with an assymetric core and higher differential.

At least thats what the "numbers" say. I'm not 100% sold on the numbers lately. It's hard to say what a ball will do given that everyone throws at different rev rates and speeds. I think the numbers are less impactful than bowling ball manufacturers would like us to believe when it's all said and done.

Granted, I'm a Noob when it comes to reactive bowling, but it seems to me that the way you get a ball to hook "more" is by the way you release it -- not by the way the cover is finished. That would only make it go longer or hook sooner, yes?

[Amyers]

Granted, I'm a Noob when it comes to reactive bowling, but it seems to me that the way you get a ball to hook "more" is by the way you release it -- not by the way the cover is finished. That would only make it go longer or hook sooner, yes?

In a lot of ways your right rev but and I'm not the expert on this most of my ex pierce is with urethane but on a wetter condition more surface would allow the ball to hook sooner creating more overall hook. The downside to this if you run out of oil the ball will burn up and you will lose energy and the ball could end up hooking less it's a fine line.

A lot of this was less complicated with urethane more surface equaled a longer continuous hook less surface smaller hook but it's more complicated than that now wha t the ball was made to do and the conditions you are bowling on have more effect on what the ball does.

If this seems complicated and convoluted it is to me too. Maybe someone on here can explain it better than me.