In League Play When Do You Change To Another Ball?

[Amyers]

I'm beginning to think bowling is 45% lane conditions, 50% release, and 5% other.

We spend a LOT of time talking and researching and kicking ideas around....but at the end of the day the vast majority of us (and bowlers in general) just kinda grab a ball or two and go throw up the line they usually play. And if they aren't scoring well....maybe they switch balls. Maybe not.

Like, lets say I'm throwing the Le. Revolver...and I'm missing Brooklyn (AND making good shots). I can:
1) Move laterally to find more oil...play a little more inside.
2) Ball down to the D. Encounter.
3) Increase speed.
4) Decrease axis tilt.
5) Decrease axis rotation.
6) Loft the ball vertically out more on the lanes to delay the hook.

So that's SIX THINGS I can do based on missing Brooklyn. Only ONE of those options involves changing balls. So why even bother with arsenals? If you have 5 ways to change a ball's path...why choose "ball change"?

There are people that swear up and down that if you're missing it's because you have the wrong ball for the conditions. Yet last month I was wasting time at a bowling center while getting my car worked on and threw a 207 with a house ball. Could it be, that after all of this, the ball really doesn't matter?? #theballdoesntmatter (also see Aslan's previous thread entitled "Does the ball Really Matter?")

Way to complicated as usual your throwing Brooklyn you got the wrong line period it's a you problem not a ball problem. Ball goes left you move left end of story. Changing balls is about optimum carry and matching the condition not hitting the pocket.

[RobLV1]

Way to complicated as usual your throwing Brooklyn you got the wrong line period it's a you problem not a ball problem. Ball goes left you move left end of story. Changing balls is about optimum carry and matching the condition not hitting the pocket.

Exactly right! Once you really accept the fact that balls do not hook more or less than other balls, only sooner or later, this will make much more sense to you. This is why you don't "ball down" and move right; rather when you go to a less aggressive ball, you stay where you are and just delay the reaction to enable you to carry the corners.

[NewToBowling]

Yep, you're playing house conditions which has a lot of forgiveness. I wouldn't even consider bringing 4-5 balls on a house condition. Like Amyers said, move left or right to adjust and that is all it should take on house shots. The less thinking you do the more consistent you will be.

[RobLV1]

I know a very good bowler who has the exact same outlook as you do. The problem is that he is averaging 25 pin less for game 3 than he does for game 2!

[AlexNC]

I struggle with my matchup to the lanes in a different fashion, albeit similar struggle. Since I have just begun to build my arsenal I only have a medium rg solid and a plastic ball, so I have constantly been messing with the surface to find something that works with me. I feel like everytime I add surface it goes too far to kill my back end and my ball rolls too early, and everytime I polish it doesn't get into a good role. Wednesday after league I bowled some extra games trying my stepfather's Crux, and I am not sure if it was just having the opportunity to make a change but it just felt great and seemed to work on several different lines for me. The oil at our house is a little on the heavier side and we don't see a whole lot of burnup, but I was still surprised at how well such a strong ball was working for me.