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Critical
Aug 23, 2007

Welcome to the bowling thread for the 2011/2012 season! For anyone looking to do more than get 'faced with friends and knock down some pins, here is a glut of information for you. If you simply like to get turtled and hurl heavy objects 60 feet toward some phallic symbols, that's cool too.

Let us start with the most important part of bowling: Our balls!

A. What kind of balls are there?

We'll be focusing on coverstocks for now when explaining the different kinds of balls. Cores will be explained more during the drilling portion of our lecture.

Plastic/Polyester

These balls slide down the lane due to a non-reactive coverstock. Used primarily as a spare ball since it goes relatively straight. A plastic ball can hook a few boards if sanded, so if you like a little movement on your spare ball don't be afraid to take it's surface down a little. I'll explain how to do so in a bit.

Urethane

A little more reactive cover, Urethane balls came into popularity in the late 70s/early 80s. A urethane ball will have a smooth arc and reacts well with dryer lanes. They're pretty allergic to oil, so don't pull them out of the bag until the lanes are pretty well toasted. Urethane balls are having a small resurgence with the advent of shorter oil patterns. The Natural by Storm and the Blue Urethane Remake by Hammer are two recently released urethane balls.

Reactive Resin

Here's where we start to gain the large angular motions of today. RR balls will grab the dry back end of the lane and head toward the pocket with authority. They come in both Polished and Matte (or Solid) varieties. All drillings being equal, a polished ball will go longer and have a more angular break down the lane than it's solid counterpart. But a solid ball will hook a few board more.

Particle

The most aggressive balls will have a particle coverstock. A rough cover with more “teeth” to grab any friction it can on the lanes. These balls will soak up oil like a sponge so they require a good cleaning now and then. We'll go over that a little later.


B. Putting Holes In Your Balls.

Note: Everything from here on out that refers to direction will be based on a right handed bowler. Lefties (AKA Pussies Who Don't Know How To Adjust, House Rats, and Scum) just have to reverse directions.

Drilling today, while seemingly complicated, is actually easier than the drilling of 10 years ago. Drilling today is very personal and can be tailored to any individual's game, giving them a ball hook and reaction they prefer. Much better than “Throw the pin under the ring finger and hurl that bitch.”

I don't drill balls myself, but looking at a drilling chart can give you a case of the what the fucks if you don't know the terms. So here is some explanation.

PAP – Positive Axis Point: The axis your ball turns around before it makes it break to the pocket. The way your ball is drilled is tailored around this. Notated as, for example “4.35” by 1/4” up. What the gently caress does that even mean???

Imagine a vertical like drawn between your finger holes down through the center of your thumb hole. Then a perpendicular line from a point equidistant from your thumb and fingers. In the notation above, the PAP would be 4.35” to the right of the vertical line and 1/4” above the horizontal line. Bingo. If you were to put a piece of tape on that spot and throw the ball down the lane, the tape would stay rotating on that spot until the ball starts to make it's flip.

To find your PAP, go to a pro-shop. They will determine it from either looking at a track on an existing ball or filming you throwing a shot and gathering it from there.

CG – Center of Gravity – Self explanatory. This is based on the core of the ball and is marked. On storm balls, it looks like a little hurricane logo. Depending on drilling this can add side weight which will control how much and when a ball hooks.

MB – Mass Bias – Used on balls with asymmetrical cores. Denotes where the most mass is located on the core. This controls the shape of the hook.

Pin – Denotes the center of the core. This used to be what drilling was based around, not so much anymore. Adjusting the pin position can add or decrease length.

VAL – Vertical Axis Line – This is calculated depending on the layout of your ball. Arcs drawn specific distances from the Pin, MB and a Pin Buffer determined by the layout create a start point that you measure back from according to your PAP.

So what does all of this mean? I just want loving holes in my loving ball.

Layouts are usually notated by three numbers: Distance from Pin to PAP, Distance from MB to PAP, Pin buffer.

A good starting layout is the 4 x 4 x 2. So The pin is 4'' from your PAP, the MB is 4” from your PAP, and the VAL is calculated by the 2” Pin Buffer. So, on the VAL, the driller measures 4'' from your pin, 4'' from your MB. Using the PAP described above, he measures ¼'' below that mark and 4.35'' to the left. That is the center of your grip. Simple, eh?

Didn't think so. Use this PDF from Storm about the Virtual Gravity Nano to see how it works.

http://www.stormbowling.com/drill-specs/PSA_Lightning_Stikes.pdf


C. Caring For And Maintaining Your Balls

The simplest thing you can do to take care of your balls is to heed Douglas Adams' advice. Bring a towel. Use it to wipe the oil from your ball after every shot. EVERY shot. As oil soaks into a ball it's reaction will decrease. Especially on particle coverstocks. Wiping the oil off minimizes that.

Get a cleaner and wipe your ball down after every use. Pro shops sell them, you can use alcohol if you want. I use a ReactaClean solution made by Storm (I'm not on their staff, I swear.) on my Nano after every use.

Every 25 games or so you want to do a deep cleaning. This is amazingly simple. Go out and buy dish detergent with a strong degreaser. Lube up your ball. Wash it with warm water. Then wipe down with your cleaner of choice.

DO NOT put your ball in an oven or submerge it in scalding hot water. Temps over 120* cause the core to separate from the coverstock and cause cracks. Also, submerging your ball in water for a lengthy period of time will cause it to soak up said water and release it onto the lane, causing your house manager to hate you and hope you die.

Another part of maintenance is altering the surface of your ball. This means polishing (Bringing the surface UP) or sanding (Bringing the surface DOWN).

To polish a ball, throw it in one of those machines at your lanes for anywhere from 2 to 10 minutes. Or get some ball polish and do it yourself, you lazy gently caress.

To sand it DO NOT USE SANDPAPER WHY DO I EVEN HAVE TO SAY THIS. You can bring a ball down with Abralon pads, which is how they prep a cover at the factory. They range from 200 to 4000, the lower the number, the rougher the surface. If you're lazy and cheap, you can do it with a ScotchBrite pad, although this is less recommended than the alternative.

You can alter any ball at any time BEFORE YOU PUT IT IN PLAY. Once it touches the lane you can do nothing more than wipe it with a towel. Bringing a ball up is always easier than bringing one down. And if you gently caress up and bring one down too much, you can always bring it back up again.

Altering the surface can help. For example, my Victory Road is pearlized, or polished. If I'm practicing before a tournament and coming in a board light and leaving 10s all day, I can do two things:

Move a board right. But on a sport pattern this can send the ball too high and gently caress up my day. Or I can pull out an Abralon pad, bring it down to a 2000 finish and watch it hook a touch more and eliminate the lighter hits. After the tournament, I stick it in the polisher and bring it back up to a high polish again.

Note that bringing a ball down will also make it hook a tad earlier, so be prepared for that.

Tomorrow, we discuss oil patterns and how they affect you.

Critical fucked around with this message at 06:30 on Nov 5, 2011

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Critical
Aug 23, 2007

Bowlers hate oil. Oil makes our balls we paid hundreds of dollars for and meticulously laid out specifically for our technique not do a goddamn thing when we actually throw them. But without oil that ball would be in the left gutter 15 feet down the lane. I've bowled on a lane with completely burnt heads, and trust me, it's not pretty. Hope you enjoy lofting a 15 pound ball to the arrows. And, sometimes, oil actually helps when we yank that occasional shot 5 boards inside our intended mark.

When I was a wee lad about 13 years ago, lanes had three states. Dry, medium, and flooded. Leagues were bowled on house shots (to be explained in a bit) and tournaments were either on lanes flooded with oil, which hosed a stroker, or stripped of almost all oil, which hosed a cranker.

As an aside, for those new to this thread: Strokers are lower rev players, crankers are higher rev players, tweeners are, shockingly, in between. I've gone from stroker to tweener in the last couple months.

Anyway, as balls got more aggressive and started tearing apart house shots and even oily lanes, the mythical sport shot was invented. This was early 2000s, I was about to fall out of bowling for a while, and only heard rumors of our best bowlers who averaged 220 on a league shot hit a sport pattern and not being able to break 150. Egos were crushed, and people bitched and moaned. Eventually balls overpowered these early sport conditions too.

Enter Kegel.

Kegel starts producing sport patterns in increasing tiers of difficulty. It's Recreation series are no more difficult than a house shot, it's sport series makes the best bowlers tear their hair out. I'll explain the house shot first, then each Kegel pattern in the Challenge and Sport series. Once again, it will be tailored for righties, cheat-- er, lefties just have to reverse everything. Because they are freaks of nature, you see. Also, I can't find pictures for the Kegel patterns, and I can't grab them from their site, so PDFs will have to suffice.

Typical House Shot, or THS for short. Also known as easy mode, or wall shot.
We'll be using Kegel's Main Street pattern since it's the closest to a THS they have.

Length: Varied
Description: Grip it and rip it.
Advantage: Everyone.
Strategy: House shots are known for high scores and here's why. Throw the ball out and it will hit the dry boards and hook more. Pull it in and it will hit more oil, stay on line and still hit the pocket. I usually have 7-10 boards of room on a house shot and average between 220-230. Compare that to my 167 sport average and you see the difference oil makes.

Ok, starting with Kegel's Challenge series:

Sunset Strip
Length: 40 ft.
Description: This pattern places oil on the lane in four board strips. Some lanes may allow certain styles to play the outside strip while others may find the middle or inside strip the best. With a great performance and a little luck, you too can be a star on the Sunset Strip!
Advantage (Stroker/Cranker): Neither.
Strategy: As you can see, you have four boards of room, pretty typical for the Challenge series. Find which four boards gets you to the pocket most efficiently. Adjustment will be moving left while keeping your ball within the four board window, when the lanes start to really burn you can try moving a strip to the right.

Route 66
Length: 45 feet
Desciption: As one the longest roads in America, so is this pattern in the series. At 45 feet in length, and as with most long oil patterns, the optimum line is usually one that is closer to the pocket or more towards the inside portion of the lane. The greatest slope of conditioner on the ROUTE 66 is from the 11th board to the 16th board so players should target along this route. Outside of that slope, the pattern is flat so there will be very little room for error.
Advantage: Cranker. This used to be a strokers pattern before a couple adjustments. A cranker can move as far left as they need to and still get to the pocket. A stroker needs a more direct route and may not have as much room.
Strategy: As it says, 11th through 16th board is your sweet spot. Take a polished ball and stay within that area and it will start to break just as the pattern ends. You will be staying in that 5 board area and just moving left as the lanes break down.

Middle Road
Length: 39 ft
Description:  In political terms, this pattern is centrism in nature because the characteristics lie between the extremes of having to play too far to the right or too far to the left. The MIDDLE ROAD is a 39 foot pattern that is moderately challenging; it's not too easy nor is it not too tough. The best mindset and line for this pattern is usually somewhere near the middle of the road.
Advantage: Neither
Strategy: About the 10th board is the sweet spot here. Too far outside and it will skate towards the gutter, too far inside and it's going through the nose. As the lanes break down you will be able to move a little farther outside, but not too much. Pulling the ball on this pattern is a bad idea, most of your cushion will be to the right of your mark.


Broadway

Length: 37 ft
Description: This 37 foot pattern is named after the wide open street in Manhattan called BROADWAY, which ironically originates at a park called Bowling Green. BROADWAY was originally translated from the Dutch name of 'Breede weg' because of its location in New Amsterdam. Because of the medium short length of this pattern and light volume of conditioner towards the outside portion of the lane, players can arrive to the pocket on the BROADWAY from multiple directions.
Advantage: Neither
Strategy: As it states, you can find your own route to the pocket, giving this pattern more flexibility than most others. Preferred misses will once again be to the right, and this is one of the few patterns where you can adjust both where you stand and what board you're targeting. This is a higher scoring pattern.


Beaten Path

Length: 41 ft
Description: This 41 foot pattern is much like the MIDDLE ROAD but two feet longer. Because of this added length, the options of attack will be a little more limited and the pattern will usually play where the most worn or highest friction part of the lane surface is. The players who excel in reading the lanes will easily find the BEATEN PATH and make this pattern look relatively easy. If you veer too far off the BEATEN PATH, it will play more difficult.
Advantage: Stroker. Crankers have a tighter line coming in from the left side of the lane and have to use a weaker ball than most others.
Strategy: Take the surface of your ball up to combat the added length and play it similar to Middle Road. As a tweener, I actually found it a tad more open and forgiving than Middle Road, despite the description. Using a solid ball will make the line tighter and you will hate your carry. Find your sweet spot then adjust your feet left, as always.


Abbey Road

Length: 40 ft
Description: Like the goal of the famous album, this pattern is designed more like the way things used to be; back to the basics. Players should try different lines across the Abbey Road and watch out for traffic to find their best way to the scoring side. For some it may be on the corner while for others towards the middle, but like the last line the Beatles ever sang…in the end the score you take is equal to the score you make.
Advantage: Neither.
Strategy: Like Broadway, this is a flexible pattern, allowing multiple lines to score with. Take whatever ball you're most comfortable with and experiment. This will also reduce breakdown, as everyone isn't playing the same line, and you can adjust your feet and target appropriately. My league tore this pattern apart last year, causing us to ditch it this year.

Okay, then. The sport series is what makes grown men cringe. Here we go.


Winding Road

Length: 39 ft.
Description: This oil pattern uses a distance of 39 feet with very little downlane help to guide the ball into the pocket. Because of the lower ratios towards the end of pattern, the greatest factor on how the WINDING ROAD will play is the lane surface and how the bowlers breakdown the pattern. The WINDING ROAD could play more inside or it could play more outside but the player who figures it out will straighten out the WINDING ROAD!
Advantage: Neither.
Strategy: You can usually find you own line but you better stick to it. If a lot of people copy your line be prepared to adjust heavily. Consistency is key here, you're not allowed to miss your mark by much, so make sure you're on target.


Turnpike

Length: 41 ft
Description: With the conditioner being applied in a flat manner on the forward travel, and with a little shape created on the journey back towards the foul line, this makes the last third of this pattern very flat. So when bowling on the Turnpike, you better pay strict attention to your direction or you will pay a hefty toll!
Advantage: Neither
Strategy: Flat is bad. Missing your mark here will pay a heavy price, and you have very little leeway. Experiment to find your line and do not miss. Errors here are magnified because of the flat nature downlane, so you will either hit the pocket it or miss it completely. Turnpike doesn't break down a whole lot, so there will be little adjustment, but you will still have to be on your game.


Dead Man's Curve

Length: 43 ft
Description: This 43 foot pattern has more out of bounds than most patterns because of the increased application of conditioner on the forward pass. With a slight increase slope of oil from the tenth board to the fourteenth board on the return pass, the goal of the player is to target along those boards of extra conditioner without swinging the ball too much towards the outside part of the lane. Players who try to excessively curve the ball with too much speed will find DEAD MAN'S CURVE hazardous to their score.
Advantage: Strokers. You want to be smooth on this pattern. This is not a pattern you can overpower because a miss one board outside is death.
Strategy: As stated, 10-14 is your goal, and unless you don't rev the ball at all, you will be throwing out to this zone, so you're risking missing right and going out of bounds. I've found you have a little leeway outside 10, anything out to 8th board might get you a washout, anything 7th and outside puts you in deep poo poo. This is the only pattern I've thrown a gutterball on, and I missed my mark by three boards outside. Even going straight up 5 board will get you nowhere. You'll be staying in the butter zone all night and moving left as needed. This is the only pattern where switching to a more aggressive ball as the lanes break down is recommended, as it will help get the ball back to the pocket as you move more left. Don't expect it to bring you back from the flooded outside, however.


Boardwalk

Length: 35 ft
Description: Based upon the 2000 PBA Indianapolis Open pattern which was created by Kegel, this
pattern is designed to play towards the edge board. Because of the relatively short 35 foot length of the BOARDWALK, players will need to control the excessive change of direction of the bowling ball as it enters the 25 feet of dry backend. Since lanes do have many topographical differences, on some lanes the BOARDWALK will require a more direct route to the pocket while other lane characteristics
may allow players to swing the ball to the edge board. Like all wooden walkways, this pattern can provide great excitement but stray too far off the BOARDWALK and you’ll find yourself in the moat!
Advantage: Strokers. Crankers are throwing it at a more acute angle toward the gutter, so anyone who can get away with a straighter route has a slight advantage here.
Strategy: This is the ditch shot. You will be riding the gutter after 35 feet, so missing outside is not recommended, to say the least. Your goal is 2 board anywhere past the 35 foot mark. You read that correctly. 2 board before the 35 foot mark at an angle toward the gutter is going in the ditch. A pull, unlike most patterns from kegel, will not reach the pocket instead of sending you through the nose.
You will be moving left and staying on the same target, so this pattern gets more dangerous as the night goes on.

Autobahn
Length: 42 ft.
Description: The amount of conditioner is increased in the midlane but less
is applied at the end of the pattern. This makes the Autobahn more about speed control and keeping your path straighter through the front. On some lanes, faster speeds may be the best while other lanes may require a little less speed to navigate the corner without crashing through the breakpoint.
Advantage: Strokers. Straighter through the front is more common to strokers, unlike crankers who are used to throwing it out at higher speeds.
Description: Pick your own line but find a speed thats comfortable. As it says, it can vary on the lane surface, so you may find yourself slowing way down or hurling it as hard as possible. You can throw it out a little but not much, and one you find a speed that works you better be able to maintain it or you're in deep poo poo. Move left and maintain your velocity.

And finally:


Highway to Hell

Length: 40 ft.
Description: This 40 foot pattern is the flattest of the group and therefore can be the most difficult. With
an increased amount of conditioner outside, the HIGHWAY TO HELL is a low latitude ratio pattern with very little left to right shape to help guide the bowling ball towards the pocket. Each player will have to decide and make sense of their ball reaction to decide what is best for them to find their way down the HIGHWAY TO HELL!
Advantage: Both styles are equally hosed.
Strategy: Find a board and speed that works. This will take a while. Once you find it, hit that board and speed every single time. You have no margin for error here. This has been called the hardest pattern in the world, and for good reason. Our friday night league played this pattern for six weeks and the high score during that time was 180. Out 240 bowled games not one person broke 200, and high average was about 160. A certain local Storm staff member who won't be named and averages a whopping 250 on a house shot threw a hissy fit during a New England Bowling Association tournament and got fined and suspended. He was averaging about 150 at the time. My first game on this shot was a 105. Adjustments include praying and moving in half board increments. People will skip tournaments using this pattern as not to be embarassed. Just get through the night and hope they don't put it out again next week.

That's it for the sport patterns, tomorrow I'll cover shoes, accessories, and general bowling tips.

Critical fucked around with this message at 06:24 on Oct 29, 2011

Critical
Aug 23, 2007

Ok then. We've gone over balls and oil, so lets accesorize!

SHOES

Rental

The cheapest way to go, as long as your house doesn't make you pay for them if you're in a league. If they do, run to the nearest pro shop. In general it's terrible to bowl in rental shoes. They have almost no grip.

“But I'm supposed to slide!” the new guys are saying. Yes, but pushing off is just as important as sliding, and you can't get any leverage with these. Also they are terrible for your balance because it's extremely hard to stop sliding once you start. Stop being a cheap gently caress and go with the next option.

Midpriced

These will be more comfortable and have more grip than a set of rentals. Also, the only foot to go in them is yours, which is always a plus. Middle of the road shoes have a slide pad on each foot, but it's usually microfiber, giving you more grip than rentals. A good option if you're just starting out or only bowl once a week. A cheap pair can be grabbed for as low as $30 and go up to around $80.

High end

High end bowling shoes have two advantages. First, they now have interchangable slide pads and heels, which is great when you go into a new house with slick or sticky approaches. Just slap on a pad with more or less grip and you're good to go. Change heels as well if you feel the need. Most pairs come with two sets of pads and heels and you can buy more if you wish. It's good to have three sets: Low, medium, and high friction. You can mix and match soles and heels to get the right feel for any approach.

Second, these shoes are hand sepcific. Meaning one of the shoes will have a rubber non-marking sole on the bottom for maximum push off and leverage. So make sure you are buying the correct pair. Otherwise you will find yourself face down in a bunch of icky lane conditioner.

I got a pair of Dexter SST5s for about $160 shipped. SST8s can be as much as $250 in some places. Etonic also have high end shoes, and the local salesman said they're coming out with a new line that will “make the SSTs look like rentals”, so watch for those.

GLOVES

Grip Gloves

Grip gloves simply give you more grip on the ball due to a tacky rubber surface on the palm. Can help with a few more revs and lift.

Structured Gloves

A structured glove will have a metal plate behind your wrist to keep it from bending backwards. If you have problems keeping your wrist straight due to the wait of a ball when just starting this will help. A structured glove will also help with consistency in your release. There are a gew drawbacks however:

-You ball will sit on your hand differently, especially in the thumb area. You may have to add a few pieces of tape to get a good feel.
-You will become a “one shot wonder”. It is extremely uncomfortable to bend your wrist forward while wearing one of these, so being able to play multiple shots or take revs off of a ball becomes more difficult.
-Using a glove will reduce the amount of speed you can put on a ball. I usually took mine off to throw a spare shot for this reason.

I used a structured glove for years and when I first started again in June to give myself consistency in my release. I recently trained myself to bowl without it, causing me to be able to play multiple lines to the pocket and add and reduce revs as needed. Gloves can help with you game, but try not to become dependant on them.

Wrist Supports

Want to look like a kick rear end cyborg while bowling? Look no further. Wrist supports are structured gloves on steroids. You can adjust your vertical and and horizontal hand angles, giving more felxibilty on shot selection than a structured glove. However, bowling without this support become extremely difficult once you get used to it, and you will have to train yourself all over again.

OTHER ACCESSORIES

Thumb Tape

Thumb tape goes in the thumb hole. Comes in different sizes and textures. White tape usually has more grip to it while black tape is smooth. For this reason a number of bowlers adhere to the “black in the back” rule, where black tape goes in the thumb hole behind your thumb (on the thumbnail side) and white tape is applied near the pad of your thumb. This will give you grip while still alowing a smooth release without tearing the gently caress out of your thumb. If you ever have to remove tape and it leaves a sticky residue just use acetone to wash out the thumb hole and it will feel good as new.

Skin Tape

Skin tape is a life saver. It adheres to the skin wherever you place it, being the thumb or the fingers. Much recommended if you get “bowlers thumb” where your thumb fluctuates in size throughout the night, causing you to add and remove tape constantly. I use a piece of tape on the inside of my thumb (towards the fingers) and it helps greatly with release and decreases any chance of swelling. I haven't added or removed a piece of tape since I started using it. Be warned however: once you start using skin tape you'll never want to go without it.

New Skin

Evil, evil poo poo we used to use before skin tape became popular. Use of New Skin went thusly:
1. Tear a piece of skin the size of a dime off of your thumb after bowling 5 games in a tournament.
2. Put piece of cotton wicking over the wound.
3. Apply 95% alcohol with a adhesive additive over cotton.
4. Kick off your bowling shoes and run into the parking lot so you can scream “MOTHERFUCKER!!!” in pain without having 5 bowling balls thrown at your head from different directions.
5. Bowl more. Watch as adhesive is so strong it tears a new rip in your skin.
6. Repeat.

And before you say "You were supposed to put it on before you ripped your thumb open, dumbass!"... gently caress you, ok? We were kids, and this poo poo would cause tears in your skin as much as prevent them. Eat me.

Fun story, I bowled in a Junior Bowlers Tour tournament where a kid on my lane tore a hunk of skin off his thumb the size of a quarter after the first game. It was actually bleeding pretty freely and he didn't want to eat his $150 entry fee. So he cauterized his thumb on the spot with his lighter while biting his bowling towel. Then he shot +160 over the last four games and made the cut. Lesson? Bowlers are stubborn and dumb as hell.

Rosin/Grip Bag

Simply keeps your thumb and hand dry. Sweat and moisture will cause the ball to shift on your backswing, which is kind of like trying to gently caress your girlfriend while the dog sniffs your testicles. Really loving distracting. So keep a grip bag on hand.

Towel

Get a loving towel. Any loving towel will do. Place it in one hand while you spin the ball on it to remove any surface oil from your last shot. Look like a pro.

Shirt

Yes, this an acessory. You can look like a scrub and wear a t-shirt if you like, however it can absorb sweat and become uncomfortable throughout the day, especially during the summer. I wear lightweight golf shirts made from moisture wicking material while I bowl, and while I might be sweating like a pedophile in Toys R Us, I'm always comfortable. You can buy a shirt with a bowling logo on it if you want to be fancy. If you bowl in a lot of tournaments feel free to get your name embroidered on the back in difficult to read script, just don't wear it to league. You'll look like a tool.

Alcohol/Ball Cleaner

Use this after every use of your reactive ball, it does make a difference. I found out tonight you may use it while you are bowling if you wish, it's altering the surface of the ball that is illegal once the ball has been put in play.

Thats it for now, if anyone has suggestions on other accessories, write them up and I'll add them to this post. I hope all this information will help some old and new bowlers. Go out, throw some strikes, gamble, call ringing 10 pins a oval office, just remember to have fun.

Critical fucked around with this message at 06:25 on Nov 5, 2011

flacoman954
Nov 9, 2009
A side note on soaking your (bowling) balls. Make sure to keep water out of the finger or weight holes. The core materials can drink up water and there's no getting it back out.

Scarf
Jun 24, 2005

On sight

flacoman954 posted:

A side note on soaking your (bowling) balls. Make sure to keep water out of the finger or weight holes. The core materials can drink up water and there's no getting it back out.

Heh, whoops...

buffto
Feb 11, 2005
ass assassin
Pretty good op. One thing, though. Drilling has very little to do with the CG anymore. The pin placement is just as important as it ever was, if not more so. It is all about the pin and the mass bias. Distance from the pin to the PAP determines flare. Putting the pin on your PAP will result in minimal hook. Putting the pin further away will increase flare up until 3 3/8" which is the maximum flare that ball will produce. It then goes back down until the other minimal point, 6 3/4". The difference between 0" pin to pap and 6 3/4" pin to pap is with the longer pin to pap, the little flare that does happen will happen later, thus more length.

I guess I should mention what flare is. Flare is when the weight block changes its rotation. If you look at your ball when it comes back (assuming your ball has some sort of a weight block in it) you will see multiple oil tracks. This signifies the ball changing its rotation as it rolls down the lane. What this achieves is the ball rolling over a fresh part of the cover on each rotation, instead of rolling over the oil track the entire way down. This makes the ball react more and earlier.

Sorry, didn't mean to hijack. As you were.

Pander
Oct 9, 2007

Fear is the glue that holds society together. It's what makes people suppress their worst impulses. Fear is power.

And at the end of fear, oblivion.



I only own one ball, a 15 pound polished resin ball. I can get some good late hook action off it with my deliver, and on a good day will get 6-8 strikes per game (average is about 175-180).

Does using it for spares (often with different deliveries to adjust the amount of hook) cause problems with my first balls? I'm pretty good at using it for spares (except that goddamn bastard 7 pin, as I'm a lefty), but just wondering if there's anything I should note or adjust for regarding oil left on the ball or anything.

Critical
Aug 23, 2007

Pander posted:

I only own one ball, a 15 pound polished resin ball. I can get some good late hook action off it with my deliver, and on a good day will get 6-8 strikes per game (average is about 175-180).

Does using it for spares (often with different deliveries to adjust the amount of hook) cause problems with my first balls? I'm pretty good at using it for spares (except that goddamn bastard 7 pin, as I'm a lefty), but just wondering if there's anything I should note or adjust for regarding oil left on the ball or anything.

One thing I always preach: Get a spare ball and throw straight at every spare. Every one. I can forgive throwing at a spare with a sleeper in it with your first ball, but even those you should learn to shoot with a straight ball.

Why? Because when you get on complicated oil patterns and have no loving clue what your strike shot is going to do, you sure as poo poo don't know what your spare shot is going to do. Unless it's going straight.

Case in point: I subbed in a league tonight using Kegel's Beaten Path as the pattern. Kid shot at a 4 pin with his reactive strike ball. Pulled it two boards left of target. Ball was in the left gutter five feet before even reaching the pin.

tl;dr: It won't hurt your strike ball as long as you wipe oil off of it, but it's always best to have a spare ball and throw that at every spare you leave.

Anyway, I shot 172-185-194-191. Not too bad for my first time on the pattern. I'm starting a write up on oil patterns now, it'll be up shortly.

Critical
Aug 23, 2007

Double post, Oil patterns up in second post.

Pander
Oct 9, 2007

Fear is the glue that holds society together. It's what makes people suppress their worst impulses. Fear is power.

And at the end of fear, oblivion.



Good point about the oil patterns. Sometimes I'm driven nuts wondering why I can't pick up some random single pin as my ball spins helplessly rather than hooking in.

I'm pretty bad at maintenance though. I pretty much never wipe oil off. Or get it polished. Or do anything with it really except throw it then put it back in my super-cheap bag. Oh well.

Scarf
Jun 24, 2005

On sight

Critical posted:

Double post, Oil patterns up in second post.

Gonna do anything for the PBA Experience patterns?

Thom P. Tiers
May 29, 2008

Red Birds
Red Ass
Red Text
I love when people hook at spares on sport shots. They always come back from the approach in awe of what their ball did and why they missed it so badly.

Critical
Aug 23, 2007

Scarf posted:

Gonna do anything for the PBA Experience patterns?

I'll throw those in tomorrow. They're actually surprisingly similar to Kegel shots (Chameleon is close to Sunset Strip, Cheetah is almost the exact same as Boardwalk) so it will be pretty easy. I'll also be updating the third post tomorrow as well.

I was supposed to bowl in a tournament on Dead Man's Curve tomorrow, but we're supposed to get 4-8" of snow tonight, so gently caress driving through that to bowl against 20 people.

flacoman954
Nov 9, 2009
Flooded last night ... 555 series. Couldn't carry for love nor money.

Scarf
Jun 24, 2005

On sight
198-199-169. We lost all 4 points, but my brother has to post-bowl. Realistically we could get one point back, but who knows.

loving handicaps. We had to spot them 73 pins, and this is the team that we lost the final roll-off to last season. Sandbagging sons of bitches. They all bowled WAY over their averages tonight <:mad:>

Thom P. Tiers
May 29, 2008

Red Birds
Red Ass
Red Text
204-244-237 = 685

As with scarf, we bowled some guys with real high handicaps and they had a ridiculous first game. I think we had to give them around 150-200 pins. One of them had 71 pins of handicap and started the first game with the front 6 :stare:

They also "talked poo poo" all night by telling us we were going to miss and laughing when we didn't strike. 10th frame of the last game one of them stomped on the approach as our bowler was in his bowling motion. It was really the most bizarre thing I have seen.

We still took 2/3 of the games. So oh well. In second place right now, 1 point behind the leader.

Scarf
Jun 24, 2005

On sight

Thom P. Tiers posted:

204-244-237 = 685

As with scarf, we bowled some guys with real high handicaps and they had a ridiculous first game. I think we had to give them around 150-200 pins. One of them had 71 pins of handicap and started the first game with the front 6 :stare:

They also "talked poo poo" all night by telling us we were going to miss and laughing when we didn't strike. 10th frame of the last game one of them stomped on the approach as our bowler was in his bowling motion. It was really the most bizarre thing I have seen.

We still took 2/3 of the games. So oh well. In second place right now, 1 point behind the leader.

Oh wow... That's really uncalled for. Yeah, we at least don't have to deal with poo poo like that. What a bunch of assholes. I'm pretty sure you'd get kicked out of the league for poo poo like that around here.

Critical
Aug 23, 2007

Bowled like dogshit last night. Must have been bad manner night because my opponent dismissively shook my hand and then actively ignored me the rest of the night. I don't need a hand slap after every shot but at least act like I'm there and bowling me isn't totally underneath you.

I've also lost faith in my pro shop. My Victory Road feels totally different in my hand, and I have a completely different PAP when throwing it instead of my Nano. I have no confidence in it and no matter what I say he insists they're drilled the same and won't even measure it. So I'm going down to Buddy's Pro Shop in Connecticut (same guys as the Youtube channel) to grab a new ball and have my current equipment filled and drilled while I'm down there. They'll film me and actually ask what kind of layout I want and recommend changes based on my revs and speed. I feel like I have one working ball and have hit a ceiling and it sucks. So I can't wait until tax season.

Also, I will be updating the thread soon, I've just been busy with life poo poo. I have everything all planned out, just need to find motivation to type it up.

Devo
Jul 9, 2001

:siren:Caught Cubs Posting:siren:
Ugh I started out throwing a really nice ball last night and then fell apart. Front 7 strikes the first game followed by missing every loving easy spare in the book.

243 - 184 - 167 terrible. I must have missed 5 single pins over those last two games.

flacoman954
Nov 9, 2009
Position night Wednesday , we swept , w00h00 . Shot about 590 or so , was able to make shots at the end of games , so it was all good .
Critical: Must try the other pro shop , even if they don't drill anything up differently . If you don't have confidence in your equipment, it might as well be a pillow in your hand.

Critical
Aug 23, 2007

flacoman954 posted:

Position night Wednesday , we swept , w00h00 . Shot about 590 or so , was able to make shots at the end of games , so it was all good .
Critical: Must try the other pro shop , even if they don't drill anything up differently . If you don't have confidence in your equipment, it might as well be a pillow in your hand.

They'll drill something differently, because they'll actually ask my input and what I want out of the balls. My VR is a 4x4x2 standard and while it hooks tremendously late and hits like a truck, I'd like it to hook a tad earlier so it can face up to the pocket better. Oh, and so I can actually throw it with side roll instead of it spinning like a top. The Nano is perfect how it is, so if they can copy it exactly I'll be thrilled.

I'll be putting up more info tonight after I get back subbing in another sport league. Hopefully I can throw the ball a little better than on tuesday.

Oh, and Brunswick released a couple of new balls, the Nexus line. The stronger of the too is actually :gasp:... good?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35PFEWTPcwk

flacoman954
Nov 9, 2009
Folks around here are starting to use DV8 equipment ,seems like a good match at this one house; the other one, well you never know what the shot's gonna be.

Scarf
Jun 24, 2005

On sight
They're finally doing some renovations at the house. Not that it really affects us (except for having to hear construction while bowling), but this past week they've been putting in some automatic bumper-railing that'll move up and down automatically depending on the bowler. So if you're bowling with a group of kids AND adults, you can program it to where the rails will come up whenever its the kids' turn.

Supposedly we're getting new electronics too, but I'm not holding my breath.

Thom P. Tiers
May 29, 2008

Red Birds
Red Ass
Red Text
Gonna put some money in brackets and mystery doubles tonight. Hopefully I get a good partner, and hopefully I bowl well. I'll report tomorrow!

Critical
Aug 23, 2007

New info on shoes and accessories added to the third post. Finally.

xsf421
Feb 17, 2011

Scarf posted:

loving handicaps. We had to spot them 73 pins, and this is the team that we lost the final roll-off to last season. Sandbagging sons of bitches. They all bowled WAY over their averages tonight <:mad:>

The team we played on thursday had a woman bowl 215-197-210. Plus her 70 pin handicap. Needless to say, we got rocked. I think every player on that team was at least 30 pins above their average.

Scarf
Jun 24, 2005

On sight

xsf421 posted:

The team we played on thursday had a woman bowl 215-197-210. Plus her 70 pin handicap. Needless to say, we got rocked. I think every player on that team was at least 30 pins above their average.

Jeez. I know that everyone has good nights and bad nights, but sometimes it's just too drat ridiculous.

flacoman954
Nov 9, 2009
565 at this house; going to grab my Cell and attack it with scotchbrite.
Blow a big 'ol hole in the pattern and to hell with it.

Seth Pecksniff
May 27, 2004

can't believe shrek is fucking dead. rip to a real one.
Loving that OP. I'm gonna get some dish detergent on my way home today and clean my nano and my super beast!

Thom P. Tiers
May 29, 2008

Red Birds
Red Ass
Red Text
Well, I shot my highest ever last night.

289-278-225 = 792 :suicide:

I needed the front two in the 10th and a 6 count. I got the first one, then left a flush high 4 pin :(

Hopefully I can get this close again. It sucked not shooting an 800.

e: Good news is we swept and are now in first place by 4 pins. My Tuesday night team is looking pretty good right now.

Devo
Jul 9, 2001

:siren:Caught Cubs Posting:siren:
Ouch, getting so close hurts. My only brush with 800 was a couple years back. Had strikes in 3-7 and saw that I needed to go through the first one in the tenth to bust 800. Got the 8th fine and then went a little slow and a little high in the 9th and left a 4-9 :(

Critical
Aug 23, 2007

200-200-156-161. One day I'll finish strong. :sigh:

I took 9 points out of 10 but not without some drama. Went through the nose in the 10th frame and left the 6-7-10 to open and give my opponent a shot. He needed a strike and a spare, struck and then left the 4-9, barely missing it to give me the win 155-156.

Last game I was totally on tilt by the 4th frame and needed a triple in the 10th to win. Threw my three best balls of the night and went X-X-solid 8 to tie. Everyone else was done and I had a crowd rooting for me which helped. I was walking out the last ball and drat near fell over when the 8 stood.

My opponent had a 199 average vs my 164 so I was the definite underdog. It was nice to have support during the last frame though. :unsmith:

I can't wait for Dead Man's Curve to be over. Two more weeks...

Scarf
Jun 24, 2005

On sight
Holy hell what a lovely night.

155-156-189 for an even 500 :\

At least we won 3 out of 4 points after spotting the other team (all of whom prebowled) 152 pins in handicap. Thankfully they all bowled somewhat sub-par as well.

Thots and Prayers
Jul 13, 2006

A is the for the atrocious abominated acts that YOu committed. A is also for ass-i-nine, eight, seven, and six.

B, b, b - b is for your belligerent, bitchy, bottomless state of affairs, but why?

C is for the cantankerous condition of our character, you have no cut-out.
Grimey Drawer
So when I was younger, I was the dude who got injured, a lot. One of the things I wrecked was my right rotator cuff (had it repaired), broke my right wrist, and had my right thumb pushed back to my wrist. I'm right handed and my right arm is a mess, my shoulder especially so.

How much trouble would it be to learn how to bowl left-handed?

Devo
Jul 9, 2001

:siren:Caught Cubs Posting:siren:
Went 189 - 235 - 214 tonight. Felt pretty good after an inconsistent first game. My only opens were on splits tonight. Our anchor bowler had a 300 the second game and we took 17.5/27 from the first place team.

Critical
Aug 23, 2007

Zahgaegun posted:

So when I was younger, I was the dude who got injured, a lot. One of the things I wrecked was my right rotator cuff (had it repaired), broke my right wrist, and had my right thumb pushed back to my wrist. I'm right handed and my right arm is a mess, my shoulder especially so.

How much trouble would it be to learn how to bowl left-handed?

One thing to consider: This is an all or nothing change. You can't go "I'm going to practice bowling left handed then bowl right handed in league." It's going to gently caress up your timing and technique both ways.

Questions:
What is your average? If it's over 170 be aware you may never get back there by switching hands. And that's a perfectly respectable average, unless you want to try and win scratch tournaments.
Why? Do you have severe discomfort when bowling? Or do you just think having a healthier left side will help?
What is your style? If you're a stroker and don't put many revs on the ball, you wont have to adjust as much when you first start with absolutely no revs. And you can just get away with just plugging and redrilling all your equipment. If you're a cranker, its going to be a much bigger adjustment in line and speed. And keep in mind crankers use weaker equipment and layouts, so you may have to go with all new equipment.

It's not just about switching arms, you'll be changing your footwork too. When I was a kid I bowled candlepin (skinny pins and smaller balls, it's a New England thing.) My dad is a lefty, so I learned to slide on my right foot by copying him. Not a big deal when you throw a straight ball, a huge deal if you want to throw a hook.

It took me a full year to switch to sliding on my left foot. It felt so alien every time I tried it I felt like I was going to fall on my face. I eventually forced myself to switch by doing it sans ball for an hour, then one step approaches, then finally a full approach. And it didn't feel natural for a month.

I assume you're in a league. If so, wait until the end of the year, for obvious reasons. You're going to suck hind tit when you switch and your team will want to hurt you. However, you can prepare now by lifting weights to get your left arm stronger, since it's not used to hurling a 15 ilb object at 17 MPH.

There can be a positive, if you can afford it. If you can get lessons when you first start you'll be ahead of the game. Coaches love a clean slate. They don't have to break down bad habits and re-teach you anything. They can start you with solid fundamentals and go from there. Just be warned you're going to look like a goddamn moron when you're holding a bowling ball and skipping down the approach.

tl;dr: Think long and hard, repunch all your poo poo, get lessons, good luck.

As an aside, here's how bad habits can ruin everything: The kid who works at the desk at my house was struggling last night and asked me for advice. I'd never seen him bowl before. When he threw his first ball I almost gagged.

He looked like an octopus falling out of a tree. His plane and and wrist action during his backswing are so hosed I'm amazed he's averaging 180 on the house shot. He'll certainly go no higher than that. And his bad habits are so ingrained he failed to accomplish every pointer I gave him. He thought he was doing it, but he would do the same wrong poo poo over and over. I finally told him to call a Kegel coach, they'll help him burn and reformat, so to speak. He needs to forget how to bowl before he can improve, and that's drat near impossible to do. So if you can't find a coach when you switch, at least get someone who's good and has solid technique to look at you.

fisting by many
Dec 25, 2009



Critical posted:

New Skin

And before you say "You were supposed to put it on before you ripped your thumb open, dumbass!"... gently caress you, ok? We were kids, and this poo poo would cause tears in your skin as much as prevent them. Eat me.

You were? I always called that stuff "liquid bandage". That does make a lot more sense though.

It took years for all the callouses on my thumb from tearing off chunks to finally go away.

I miss bowling.

Thom P. Tiers
May 29, 2008

Red Birds
Red Ass
Red Text

Zahgaegun posted:

So when I was younger, I was the dude who got injured, a lot. One of the things I wrecked was my right rotator cuff (had it repaired), broke my right wrist, and had my right thumb pushed back to my wrist. I'm right handed and my right arm is a mess, my shoulder especially so.

How much trouble would it be to learn how to bowl left-handed?

An older guy in one of the leagues I bowl in did this. He messed up his shoulder and couldn't really use his right arm to bowl anymore. So he started bowling left-handed from then on. He was a pretty good bowler right-handed, and averages about 190-200 left-handed. It is definitely possible, just gotta put work into it and practice.

Scarf
Jun 24, 2005

On sight
Don't the rules state that you have to establish a new average/handicap if you change hands? And once you start a match with one hand, you have to finish with that hand?

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Devo
Jul 9, 2001

:siren:Caught Cubs Posting:siren:

Scarf posted:

Don't the rules state that you have to establish a new average/handicap if you change hands? And once you start a match with one hand, you have to finish with that hand?

Yes. You would have two different averages; one for each hand.

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