Hopefully...if I'm understanding this discussion at all...which I probably don't....hopefully I can make a point for Rob here:
I am the POSTER BOY for having low RPMs and trying to make up for that deficiency by using surface. My first 3 balls in my arsenal are surfaced as follows:
Bullet Train: OOB: 2500 neat. Current surface: 500 abralon.
Hammer Rhythm: OOB = 2000 abralon. Current surface: 1000 abralon.
Columbia300 Encounter: OOB = 2000 abralon. Current surface: sanded to 1000 grit wet/dry then 1000 abralon.
Now...this "cheating" with surface manipulation HAS allowed me to get to the pocket with at least some angle. Without these surface changes...with my slightly elevated speed and approximately 250rpms...I was missing right constantly before changing the surfaces.
BUT...it has had some negative effects as well...and this goes along with (I think) what Rob is talking about with the hook/roll phase. The downside of having these balls sanded so much is...the ball hooks SOONER not MORE. So it helps get the ball to the pocket...but by the time it gets there...it's often "rolled out" and I get a lot of pocket hits where the ball deflects to the right because it just doesn't have the carry energy left and virtually no break-point angle.
I actually get MORE angle and better power into the pocket using my two polished balls...the other Encounter and the Slingshot...because at least some of the energy is stored up and able to be released when the ball encounters friction. The PROBLEM with those two balls is...on fresh oil...until the pattern breaks down considerably...I just don't have the rev rate to get those balls into the pocket...not on a fresh pattern with medium (or higher) volume/length.
Case in point:
I practiced yesterday and had to stop using the Bullet Train after 1.5 games because it couldn't stay right of the headpin. It WASN'T that the ball was too strong...hitting the breakpoint...and missing left. It was that the ball at 500 abralon was reading the lanes too soon...and rolling out straight into the headpin. A move left and the ball missed the headpin right. A move right and the ball encounters even drier conditions even earlier and still goes through the headpin but with even less energy.
Rob is right...most bowlers...including myself....have a hard time seeing when that ball transitions from skid to hook and especially from hook to roll. And in today's game, that's a very, very important concept to understand...because the balls aren't made to go out, make a big arc, and come back into the pocket. The balls nowadays are made to "snap" when they encounter friction. Sanding them actually takes away that "snap"...and the ball ends up "flopping" into the pocket like a wet noodle. On heavier oil, or very long/tough patterns...with no rev rate...you may not have a choice. But that doesn't make it "ideal".
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