Layout:
90 x 4” x 25

Sporting a bold purple and blue veneer, this heavy oil entry into the MOTIV lineup is sure to turn a few heads. The Coercion HV3 solid reactive coverstock (finished at 2000LSS) provides exceptional traction capabilities to bite through heavier volumes while the trusty Predator V2 asymmetric core (2.47RG, .054Diff) delivers ridiculous flare potential to aid in creating fortuitous entry angles into the pocket. The sheer power this combination delivers is nothing short of impressive.

I used my typical ‘Predator’ layout as this has given me the best results from this core throughout its history. By placing the pin at 4” I give myself quite a bit of the power that the V2 offers; this is shown in the 6+ inches of flare I get. In contrast, with a 90° drilling angle I am telling the ball to stay in the hook phase longer thereby creating a bit more push through the mids. By putting these two measurements together I get an extremely controllable, predictable motion out of the Alpha that drives through heavier volumes and displays devastating hitting action all the way to the pit.

With most equipment of this strength you end up with limited usage. As the fronts go, your angles open, and then the ball starts to chug as it tries to spend more energy turning the corner. This iteration of the Jackal, however, does not want to give up and finds a way to go deeper into the set. On a typical league night I start laying down 24 crossing 18, already a 5-3 more than my Forge Fire. I can make multiple moves left, go through the transition, and get into launch angles that I would typically have to put a ball of this strength away. So far I have been able to be as left as laying down 33 crossing 24 without compromising the drive power this release has. This showcases, what I think is, the best attribute of this ball: its sheer versatility. On top of that shot-line ability, the way you can see this ball read the mids gives a strong sense of control and confidence when you’re trying to predict moves to stay ahead of the transition. Not to be underrated, the motion down lane is also not to be trifled with. I see a strong, but not snappy, transition that retains enough energy to drive through the eight-pin with regularity. I honestly did not think I would have such a backend reaction out of a piece this strong, but I am delighted by its presence. When I do eventually get to where my reaction is struggling, it is an easy transition to ball down into the Forge Fire or even the Tank Blitz. Being able to have multiple balls that compliment each other in the bag makes for a great advantage when all those transitions come.

Be the leader of your pack and grab an Alpha Jackal!

Trent Overbey
In the Zone Pro Shop
MOTIV Staff
www.motivbowling.com