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Thread: Found a hole in my arsenal

  1. #1
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    Default Found a hole in my arsenal

    So lanes were very dry tonight. Most nights I start with the Squatch then switch to the Black Widow Gold after the 2nd game. Tonight the Squatch was a little too aggressive from the start but I added a little speed and got around that for the first game. End of game 1 I started leaving pocket 7's. Tried moving in but left 7's in 3 of 4 frames so switched to the BWG. Struggled to find the pocket with it but after a few frames started stringing strikes. By game 3 that ball was struggling. I tried moving into the oil but kept tugging the ball. My only other ball was my Rhino which is at 3000 polished. I only use that ball for 7 pins but it goes almost straight and if I miss to the outside it won't hold the lane. I have really been struggling with 7's. Thinking of maybe going to 3000 unpolished and using that for 7's hoping if I miss wide it will hold the lane. As it is now my aim has to be almost perfect to get that 7. I could also use it as a weaker ball for nights like tonight. I did try the Rhino in warmups tonight and surprisingly it hooked a little. Think if that ball was unpolished it might have been a good choice later tonight. In the past I had always used my weakest strike ball for 7's and been much better than I am with the polished Rhino.

    My biggest issue right now is spares. Ball choice isn't the issue. The issue is me being way off target. Not sure why. I can hit my target with my strike ball consistently but miss by several boards with spares. I think the issue is me trying to flatten my hand and my consistency is struggling. Seems like when I use my regular release I'm more consistent with it. Thinking I need to use my regular release to get that consistency back and adjust my lines as needed. I don't get alot of rotation so the Rhino barely hooks. I'd say 5 boards less than my Squatch. If I had to guess I'd say the Rhino hooks about 2-3 boards when throwing my normal strike ball. A plastic ball isn't out of the question but not sure it would help in this situation. Would a plastic ball hook at all even with my normal strike release? Think for next week I will try the Rhino at 3000 unpolished and see if that helps.
    Arsenal "15# Global Eternity Pi-45x4.5x40" "15# 900 Global Xponent-60x4.5x40" "15# 900 Global Zen Soul-60x4.5x40" "15# Roto Grip Idol Helios-90 x 2.25 x 45" "15# 900 Global Altered Reality-50x3.625x30" "15# Brunswick Uppercut-80x3.625x35" "15# Brunswick Igniter-70x5.5x35" "15# Raw Hammer Pearl 45x5.75x40" "15# Brunswick T-Zone"
    Rev Rate about 270 @ about 15.5 MPH at the pins* High Game: 290 - High Series: 733. PAP: 5 1/8"x1" up; tilt 20*, rotation 75*. YTD highs - 290-733
    Oh, and LEFTY!!!

  2. #2
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    In theory any ball can create friction in the dry and hook to some degree. The thought with the polyester (plastic) equipment is that it is an extremely slow reaction and if you cross the lane when throwing at the corner pins you are going to project the ball through the puddle of oil in the middle delaying the reaction even further. With this delay in the reaction due to the oil and the slow reacting nature of the cover you wouldn't see much, if any hook.

    What is your thought process around knocking the polish off of the rhino, specifically in regards to your spare shooting?
    Currently in the arsenal: Roto Grip Hyper Cell (@2000), Hammer Gauntlet Fury (@1000 polished), Roto Grip Idol (@2000), Storm IQ Tour Emerald (@1500 polished), Storm Phaze 4 (@1500 polished), Hammer Cherry Vibe (@1500 polished), Hammer Black Widow Urethane (@1000), Jet Blackbird

  3. #3
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    With your speed a true spare ball will probably not hook.

    The problem that you face is that most of your previous bowling experience has taught you to throw at the gutter in front of the 7 pin and let the ball hook a bit and follow the edge of the gutter into the pin. The problem with using your Rhino is that your sub conscience “knows” where you should throw a ball that hooks and puts the Rhino right in the gutter. It will take several practice sessions of shooting nothing but 7s to get used to throwing a plastic ball straight at the 7.

    Lastly, changing your release to go straight can definitely affect your accuracy.
    John

  4. #4
    Bowling Guru Amyers's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by J Anderson View Post
    With your speed a true spare ball will probably not hook.

    The problem that you face is that most of your previous bowling experience has taught you to throw at the gutter in front of the 7 pin and let the ball hook a bit and follow the edge of the gutter into the pin. The problem with using your Rhino is that your sub conscience “knows” where you should throw a ball that hooks and puts the Rhino right in the gutter. It will take several practice sessions of shooting nothing but 7s to get used to throwing a plastic ball straight at the 7.

    Lastly, changing your release to go straight can definitely affect your accuracy.
    Ding!!! Ding!!! Winner!!! J Anderson nailed it here. there is no reason to make yourself learn and entire new release to shoot spares. If you try it you will never be as successful with it as if you didn't. You simply will not practice this release as much as you do your first ball release so why would it ever be as good or better? if you are a pro and have nothing else to do ie Norm Duke you can learn a second release that is very effective if you are like most of us who are even serious about the game your lucky if your practicing once a week you don't have time to attempt things you don't have to.

    I do like your idea of adding some surface to your rhino for use as a ball under the bwg. Go practice before they reoil the lanes especially if there is some period that the lanes are more used or the time is longer between oils with the Rhino. Hopefully that will give you a better feel for how it will preform in low oil conditions. That ball is less than your others but thrown properly on the right conditions it still hooks plenty
    I am a proud member of Bowlingboards.com bowling forums and ball contest winner

    Current arsenal

    900 Global Badger Claw - Radical Ridiculous Pearl - Spare Ball Ebonite T Zone

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Amyers View Post
    Ding!!! Ding!!! Winner!!! J Anderson nailed it here. there is no reason to make yourself learn and entire new release to shoot spares. If you try it you will never be as successful with it as if you didn't. You simply will not practice this release as much as you do your first ball release so why would it ever be as good or better? if you are a pro and have nothing else to do ie Norm Duke you can learn a second release that is very effective if you are like most of us who are even serious about the game your lucky if your practicing once a week you don't have time to attempt things you don't have to.

    I do like your idea of adding some surface to your rhino for use as a ball under the bwg. Go practice before they reoil the lanes especially if there is some period that the lanes are more used or the time is longer between oils with the Rhino. Hopefully that will give you a better feel for how it will preform in low oil conditions. That ball is less than your others but thrown properly on the right conditions it still hooks plenty
    @J...my thought process for knocking the polish off was more for using it in conditions like last night as a strike ball, not to help as a spare ball but i'm wondering if it might help since i keep cramming it into the gutter because for 20+ years i relied on the friction holding the edge of the lane. The last few weeks it seems my first attempt at the 7 goes in the gutter so I start tugging subsequent attempts and miss to the inside. i think i was 2/6 last night on 7's. i'm thinking of knocking the polish off and seeing if that helps and then have the ability to use it late in the night like last night and i still have the option of adding a plastic ball if i need to. and yeah, i rarely have time to get out and practice. our center has leagues every night so i think they oil every morning. at least every time i have been there just after open i see the machine running.

    and yeah, definitely going to go back to my normal release and work on it from there. several weeks back i was 7/7 on 7 pins. not sure why i was so successful that night but don't think i was altering my release that night. and practice time is very limited for me.

    i have been nailing my strikes lately but the spare shooting is really holding me back.
    Arsenal "15# Global Eternity Pi-45x4.5x40" "15# 900 Global Xponent-60x4.5x40" "15# 900 Global Zen Soul-60x4.5x40" "15# Roto Grip Idol Helios-90 x 2.25 x 45" "15# 900 Global Altered Reality-50x3.625x30" "15# Brunswick Uppercut-80x3.625x35" "15# Brunswick Igniter-70x5.5x35" "15# Raw Hammer Pearl 45x5.75x40" "15# Brunswick T-Zone"
    Rev Rate about 270 @ about 15.5 MPH at the pins* High Game: 290 - High Series: 733. PAP: 5 1/8"x1" up; tilt 20*, rotation 75*. YTD highs - 290-733
    Oh, and LEFTY!!!

  6. #6

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    How long have you been talking about getting a plastic spare ball? It seems like it's been quite a while now. At the risk of sounding harsh, if you insist on not investing in a plastic spare ball, then stop whining about missing your spares. It's so simple, yet you keep avoiding it.

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    Quote Originally Posted by RobLV1 View Post
    How long have you been talking about getting a plastic spare ball? It seems like it's been quite a while now. At the risk of sounding harsh, if you insist on not investing in a plastic spare ball, then stop whining about missing your spares. It's so simple, yet you keep avoiding it.
    I'm in agreement with Rob. I think in a prior post about the customer service you have received from a pro shop we had figured out that you had made 3 or 4 ball purchases in the past year, none of them an attempt to address the spare game issue yet you are talking about having issues with your spare game. Now you are talking about adjusting the surface of the ball you use for spares in order to try and deal with a condition. People above are saying it, the likely issue is in the attempt to have multiple releases (one for spares and one for strikes - would be a tough thing for any of us to maintain if we don't practice enough). With the angles you are going to use with a spare ball for corners, your rev rate, and you ball speed you won't have to worry about changing the release because the ball isn't going to hook. Release manipulation is likely going to create inconsistent results...that 2/6 night costs you somewhere between 36 and 44 pins.
    Currently in the arsenal: Roto Grip Hyper Cell (@2000), Hammer Gauntlet Fury (@1000 polished), Roto Grip Idol (@2000), Storm IQ Tour Emerald (@1500 polished), Storm Phaze 4 (@1500 polished), Hammer Cherry Vibe (@1500 polished), Hammer Black Widow Urethane (@1000), Jet Blackbird

  8. #8
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    Part of the reason is if I buy a plastic ball I need to get rid of one. No more room in my bag. The other reason is my job is in limbo right now so waiting to see what happens next. And with how I'm missing them I'm not sure a plastic ball will help. The issue is my consistency, not the ball hooking. My Rhino goes perfectly straight when I throw at the 7 but my targeting is off. A plastic ball won't fix my aiming issues.

    If I do get a plastic ball (after the job stuff is squared away) I would probably remove the Rhino from my bag leaving the Conspiracy, Squatch, and BWG as my strike balls. Sound like a reasonable arsenal?
    Arsenal "15# Global Eternity Pi-45x4.5x40" "15# 900 Global Xponent-60x4.5x40" "15# 900 Global Zen Soul-60x4.5x40" "15# Roto Grip Idol Helios-90 x 2.25 x 45" "15# 900 Global Altered Reality-50x3.625x30" "15# Brunswick Uppercut-80x3.625x35" "15# Brunswick Igniter-70x5.5x35" "15# Raw Hammer Pearl 45x5.75x40" "15# Brunswick T-Zone"
    Rev Rate about 270 @ about 15.5 MPH at the pins* High Game: 290 - High Series: 733. PAP: 5 1/8"x1" up; tilt 20*, rotation 75*. YTD highs - 290-733
    Oh, and LEFTY!!!

  9. #9

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    Eh... in terms of bag space, there are plenty of ways to get around that. A cheap single ball bag, backpack, even a reusable store bag would suffice to carry a single ball in a pinch.

  10. #10

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    My wife used a backpack with some foam at the bottom to absorb shock. You dont have to forsake something for a spare ball.
    I am a proud member of bowlingboards.com bowling Forums and ball contest winner
    What's in the bag: Radical Zing/Ebonite Choice Pearl/Track Tactix

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