|
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 |
#
¿
Oct 28, 2011 06:20
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 26, 2024 12:30 |
|
|
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 |
|
#
¿
Oct 28, 2011 06:20
|
|
|
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 |
|
#
¿
Oct 28, 2011 06:21
|
|
|
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). 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.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 29, 2011 03:55
|
|
|
Double post, Oil patterns up in second post.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 29, 2011 06:07
|
|
|
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.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 29, 2011 22:53
|
|
|
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.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 3, 2011 04:51
|
|
|
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 . 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
|
|
#
¿
Nov 4, 2011 18:42
|
|
|
New info on shoes and accessories added to the third post. Finally.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 5, 2011 06:26
|
|
|
200-200-156-161. One day I'll finish strong.  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.  I can't wait for Dead Man's Curve to be over. Two more weeks...
|
|
#
¿
Nov 9, 2011 20:04
|
|
|
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. 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.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 10, 2011 10:27
|
|
|
Scarf posted:So Christmas time is right around the corner, and I could use a new ball. Looking for some suggestions. Victory Road is actually surprisingly aggressive for a mid level ball. It's a lot more angular with a standard drilling than my Nano, but keep in mind that any ball's normal trajectory can be altered with the right drilling. And on certain conditions it will actually outhook my Nano by a few boards. As for balls for dryer conditions the Hy-Road is always a good choice. The Vibe series by Hammer and the Cyclone by Ebonite are also a lot of ball for very low price. My friend is ripping poo poo apart with a Cyclone right now. He's going with all new equipment next month and the Cyclone is the only thing he's keeping. At tax time I'm filling and drilling my VR, and adding a Too Reckless by DV8 to fill the gap between my Nano and VR. I'm also adding a Cyclone for dry lanes and I may go to a Urethane ball for a spare/backup in case the lanes get totally burnt.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 19, 2011 04:21
|
|
|
We switched to Beaten Path tonight. I was an idiot this afternoon and after cleaning my Nano I hit it real quick with a Scotch brite pad. Only I hit it too hard and the loving thing was trying to move at 30 feet. Totally wasted all of it's energy early and was hooking less than my VR. Not a huge deal, since it's a longer pattern and something pearl is probably recommended anyway. I ended up bowling the league leader, who has a 220 average and a 45-15 record. Compared to my 167 and 23-36-1 record. So I was kinda in deep poo poo. Thankfully he took me lightly the first game and shot a 171 while I shot the worst 246 ever. Front seven, missed a board left and punched for a spare, then did the same and missed in the 10th. After that I couldn't find my own rear end in a top hat with the use of both hands and a flashlight and threw 150s at him while he dropped 240s on my head. So the rest of this week is filled with taking my Nano to the shop and getting it restored to factory, and then doing penance on Turnpike on Friday night to prepare me for Sunday's tournament. 80% handicap (60 pins a game for me) on a house shot. If I only throw a 6 I'm close to being leader after the first round. If I don't finish top 3 I'm probably going to hang myself.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 30, 2011 08:31
|
|
|
gently caress. Northeast Amateur Tournament was today. Shot 235-194-200 in the first round for a 764 with handicap to make it to the semis. They cut from 152 down to 35. 255-166-183 for a 737 with handicap and I missed the cut to top 8 roll off by 4 pins. Had two single pin misses in the last game that killed me. Overall I finished 11th, made $155 and somehow still want to kill myself.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 4, 2011 23:45
|
|
|
Locutus of Bald posted:Looking forward to league tonight, because I brought home my ball and put it in front of the space heater in my room to sweat out the 10 or so years worth of oil that has accumulated since we bought this thing. Really should have done this a long time ago. If you're using ten year old equipment it's not going to do much no matter how much oil you pull out of it. The conditioner is stronger to combat more aggressive balls. You're better off getting new poo poo, you can get a new entry level ball like a Slingshot or Cyclone for about $100 drilled. I actually bought a Cyclone last week and I love it. I have it drilled weak so I can use it on torched lanes and it hits really hard since it's not expending much energy. I'll post a picture of the drilling later tonight, it's insane. It looks like it was drilled for a left hander.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 13, 2011 23:35
|
|
|
I, uh... throw on my shoes and skin tape, throw a practice shot and scream in terror as it dives through the nose when I hit my mark. Then I bowl 150s all night and take a rage poo poo after I'm done. I haven't thrown a clean game in three loving weeks. My best game tonight: X 9/ X X X X 9/ X 6- 9/X 211 Somehow I shot a 211 after throwing 3 complete garbage games and still hate myself. gently caress Beaten Path. (I actually watch a lot of Youtube matches, usually Norm Duke since my line is very close to his and WRW's style is so ugly it fucks with me.)
|
|
#
¿
Dec 21, 2011 09:35
|
|
|
Yolkz posted:Why does my ball always flatten out at the end? Its a C System 4.5 and the pin is below the middle finger. No matter what lane condition I'm on unless bare rear end dry it flattens out at the end. I've tried cranking the poo poo out of it slowing down everything it always looks perfect till the last second and then dies. One word: Brunswick. I'm not kidding. Until their latest releases with the Nexus line Brunswick equipment is known for using up all it's energy midlane and flattening out. The most you can do is polish the poo poo out of it and try to delay it's breakpoint for a few feet and hope it retains some energy through the pins.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 22, 2011 20:34
|
|
|
Finally found something that clicked and had my second point sweep of the season, 209-182-190-215. Last week of Beaten Path. Good thing, since we've had two 300s in as many weeks on this pattern. Autobahn is next. Also, has the pleasure of bowling in front of Johnny Petraglia Jr who complemented me on a couple balls I threw well. I think he's bowling a Vegas tourney with our staff amateur so he was there to hang out. Throws one of the nastiest balls I've ever seen but doesn't want to deal with the grind of the tour. I guess you can afford to bowl whenever the gently caress you feel like when you have a HoF PBA member as your father.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 4, 2012 06:27
|
|
|
loving 140-201-158-199  Autobahn breaks down weird as hell. Started trying to play an outside line, which didn't work at all. Piped it down 10 board with the Victory Road for the second game and opened in the 10th to kill a much better game. Carry down killed that line about 5 frames later and I had to move back outside to the 5 board with the Nano to get it to the pocket. More overall oil than most other kegel patterns and less put down on the reverse pass, which is what helps maintain the pattern. So if anyone is playing a inside line they bring all the forward pass oil into my groove.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 11, 2012 09:00
|
|
|
mattfl posted:Alright this took forever to edit in iMovie, on my freaking phone so you guys better watch it! Ok, couple things I'm noticing. And before I go all super critical you actually look not that bad and a couple fixes will get you a lot more consistent. 1. As said before, get comfortable with the fit of your thumb hole. You want to be able to relax your hand and have a snug fit in the thumb hole. If you're using a shitload of tape (more than five pieces) get a slug put in to tighten the thumb hole if needed. This will loosen up your swing. Thumb hole. 2. See how you step to the right after every shot? Your balance is way off. This is a timing issue. You mentioned bringing the ball back in the middle of your third step, this seems a little late to me. If you're using a four step approach you should be pushing the ball forward in unison with your first step. Pretend your ball hand is attached to your right foot with a string, they should move in unison. This will get your timing on track and you will be much more balanced at the line. In the best case you should be able to hold your release pose until the ball passes the reflection of the bottom of the masking unit on the lane. That's about 40 feet down or so. Don't worry about the length of your backswing, it's different for everyone. It might get a little longer but go with what feels right. 3. Your miss is always to the left. This is because your elbow flares out to the right and you can't get back into a leverage position. A good thought is to keep your elbow behind the ball throughout the swing. This will keep your hand to the inside of the ball, giving you more accuracy, a few more revs and a lot more consistency. That may seem like a bunch of poo poo, but you do seem to have a decent base and more practice with a couple of tweaks will get you going nicely. As for my poo poo, I bowled on Turnpike tonight. gently caress that pattern. I shot 199-193 my middle two and those were the highest games in the league tonight. I'd rather be loving waterboarded. Critical fucked around with this message at 04:20 on Jan 21, 2012 |
|
#
¿
Jan 21, 2012 04:18
|
|
|
That's why you become an addict like me and own 5 or 6 balls. And bring some Abralon pads. Going 500-1000-2000 on a Nano before putting it on the lane will make it move through anything and as a bonus soak up all the oil so the crankers can't use it. I'm punching a Too Reckless from DV8 when I finally get my tax check and might be grabbing a lesson as well. My axis is getting increasingly more vertical for some reason and I can't seem to fix it. Witching my ball spinning like a top does not inspire confidence and I've been bowling like garbage. Edit: My bloated arsenal as of next week. From weakest to strongest. Everything is 15lb. TZone - Spares. Duh. Ebonite Cyclone - Drilled negative (pin is almost under my index finger) for really torched lanes. Very situational. Victory Road - First out of the bag. Breaks late and hits like a truck. Too Reckless - Probably going to take the place of my Nano in a more consistent rotation. Going to have it break about the same as the VR but with about 5-7 boards more hook if needed. Nano - Getting it ovened and resurfaced when I punch the Too Reckless. For flooded conditions. It would be awesome for what I'm bowling on now but it's soaked up so much oil I can't do that much with it. I'm probably going to pick up something between the Cyclone and VR (possibly a DV8 Misfit) and I'll be set for any condition I have to bowl on. And I won't have to buy anything for a year. Obviously if you bowl on house every week this is kind of overkill. But you would be surprised how much I wish I had a different piece when bowling on 6 different sport patterns a year. Critical fucked around with this message at 00:32 on Feb 3, 2012 |
|
#
¿
Feb 3, 2012 00:25
|
|
|
flacoman954 posted:Critical : did you give the Nano the hot water & dish soap treatment ?? Multiple times. It gives it a few boards more hook but nothing major. They say to give it a rejuv about 200 games in or so, and I know I'm getting close to that, so it will be worth the money. Solids are really rough to keep in shape these days.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 4, 2012 06:19
|
|
|
Goddamn it's hard to see some of these scores when I'm busting my rear end trying to grind out 200s. I haven't even hit a 800 series (for 4 games) during the season. gently caress y'all and your wall shots. (I'm bowling a house shot league during the summer. I'm a sucker.) Anyway, I got invited to bowl a NEBA (New England Bowling Association) tournament this Sunday. It's basically one step below PBA regionals and had a bunch of amazing bowlers so I'm not even thinking about cashing, just going for the experience. Hopefully I don't make a total fool of myself.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 9, 2012 07:38
|
|
|
Yeah, I'm lucky because my house puts out a sport condition more often than not. Mondays is on Boardwalk right now, we're on Autobahn, and Friday has a league on Turnpike. Plus they throw out a random sport pattern on the first 10 lanes on Sundays. We've had grudge money matches where the two guys go up on Sunday night and have to bowl blind, not knowing what the pattern is. That's always hysterical. Anyway, here's a video of the NEBA championship match in November. 2 game aggregate total. Alex Aguiar, the guy in white, is the number 1 amateur in the country and I have the pleasure of competing against him on Tuesdays. He has lost a total of three games out of 48 this third. I was one of them.  John Van Hees is a pro-shop owner from Rhode Island and is probably one of the top 10 ams in the country. Disregard the second game for him, after the first couple frames he basically mailed it in. I get to bowl up against both on Sunday. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjKaeZXBg2w
|
|
#
¿
Feb 10, 2012 00:02
|
|
|
loving oval office. Position round tonight for the second third. If I take all 10 points I'd end up jumping like 5 positions and $150 in winnings. Had the first three games won and threw a spare shot the second frame. Ball got caught in the belt and came back looking like a gnome was gnawing on it. So I got to shoot all my spares on burnt back ends with my Cyclone. Ended up with a 170 with two missed single pins and lost by 2 sticks. At least I'm getting a pretty new "Ocean Breeze" colored spare ball for free.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 15, 2012 06:46
|
|
|
If you ever bowl on a pattern that isn't house a spare ball becomes a necessity. Even if you can flatten your hand out shooting at a 7 pin on a pattern with no oil in the middle becomes very iffy. Grab it just a tiny bit and the ball is going in the left gutter.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 3, 2012 19:37
|
|
|
Finalfuckingly. First weekend of the city's bowling association tournament. They put out Route 66 to much bitching. I shot a meh 520 scratch in doubles. My partner and I are in 2nd with 1458 after handicap. Singles I shot a 591 for a 782 with hdcp for second place again. Teams I shot a 603 and our team ended up with 2856 after handicap to lead by 150 pins. If they all hold up through next weekend I'll pocket about $700. Plus the $25 I won for murdering my bracket today. The lanes were so burnt by last game I was off the left corner with my Nano throwing it 6th arrow. For reference, I usually throw it out from the middle over 3rd on a fresh pair. It would actually burn up all it's energy and flatten out at about 35 feet directly into the pocket. We burned up so much of the left side of the lane that the lefties on our pair had their balls trying to hook at the arrows. Edit: Oh, and I'm leading the all around with 1283 after handicap. Not bad for a "170 scrub", as put by one of our bowlers who thinks he's a superstar. Critical fucked around with this message at 23:49 on Mar 18, 2012 |
|
#
¿
Mar 18, 2012 23:45
|
|
|
Shot 771 for 4 games tonight, possibly ending my quest for an 800 series by the end of they year, since we go to a legit sport pattern for the last six weeks. But that is not the news of the week. The news is how much of a loving baby a bowler can be. The top dog in our league had to bowl a make up match and got totally loving dismantled and lost 10-0 in points for the first time all season. He's struggled on the pattern the whole time, which is a surprise since it's a relatively easy 35 foot shot. So he first claims that there's no way that shot is getting in the league next year. Boo hoo. Then he starts trying to convince the league secretary to replace out next shot (Winding Road) with the US Open shot. Guess who is the only person in the league to have bowled in the US Open this year? He then goes on to say that some people won't even be able to average 130 on the shot. Considering I have the second lowest average in the league, I wonder who he might be talking about. I'm seriously considering e-mailing the secretary and saying that if the US Open shot goes out next week, I'm done. I'll pay the rest of my dues so no one gets hosed out of prize money, but I'm not going to embarrass myself for six weeks so the best bowler in the league has a shot to come back from 9th place. gently caress that noise. It's not fair to anyone else who has a shot to win the third and is a bitch move all around. It doesn't affect me a whole lot, so am I being a huge baby about this? It is less unfair than it seems?
|
|
#
¿
Mar 28, 2012 04:34
|
|
|
PendingForaBending posted:Have you guys decided on what patterns were going to go out for the rest of the year? Because if so it is loving bullshit that he would want to get the pattern changed because he sucked rear end for 1 week. If the patterns had been decided on previously I would say something if it ended up getting changed because one guy is a giant rear end in a top hat. We've had the pattern schedule since we started bowling, it was voted on and approved prior to bowling the first week.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 28, 2012 05:20
|
|
|
Question: What do you have to average with Handicap to win a no-tap tournament at my house? Answer: 308. 918 was leading after two squads so I said gently caress it it's only $25, and I only have to average 270 scratch.  Went 278-275-255 for 808. With 115 pins handicap that's 923 and gently caress you, pay me. I have to wait a month for the check but it should be around $250. Added to the $400 I made for finished top 5 in everything in the city tournament and it's a pretty good end of the year so far.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 21, 2012 22:29
|
|
|
PendingForaBending posted:225-168-267. 660 overall, so not bad, but made a poor adjustment in the 2nd game. I was left in a position too where I didn't throw a good ball a couple times after the adjustment so I stuck it out after that a little more than I should to make sure it was the line and not just me. A quick rule of thumb on the Kegel patterns, if that's what you're using. Take the length of the pattern, subtract 31 and that's the board you want to target to start. Some patterns you'll still be targeting there and just moving your feet, some you'll be moving all over the lane. For example, I'm on Winding Road now, which is 39 feet. So my target at the beginning of the night is 8 board. It doesn't stay there long, but that's a good starting point. Also, you'll want to pay attention who is ahead of you if you're moving across pairs, or who is bowling with you if you stay on the same pair. Look where they are playing and the lines they are carving out and how they adjust. You have to make your own room on a sport pattern, so if someone similar to your style has a wide open shot, steal it. Do this during practice, too. If everyone is playing inside there's a reason for it. You're not going to overpower a lane unless you have 550 revs. And in some cases that won't even help you. Above all, you will get frustrated. You will be in a groove and then your line will evaporate on literally the next shot. You will learn to shoot every spare. You will have an opponent who has ten boards of room while you have two. And you will shoot 150s to start, but you will improve so much that a house shot is laughable.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 26, 2012 06:59
|
|
|
Bowled in a tournament with 190 players today. $2k for first. Shot 178-214-256 to make the cut to semi-finals by a mile, and won high handicap game for the third game with a 301 for $50. Bowled on the most burnt to poo poo lanes in the semis and couldn't do a thing. I have an Ebonite Cyclone that's drilled negative (pin is to the left of my middle finger, I'm a righty) for exactly that occasion and it wanted to start moving at 30 feet. Shot a 690 with handicap to miss the cut by 19 pins. Then they bowled the match play finals on fresh oil and I watched a dude with a 155 average string the front 9. Figures. Made $205 on the day and I should be happy with it but I still kinda want to punch things.
|
|
#
¿
May 7, 2012 00:36
|
|
|
Cheetah is actually probably the easiest pattern on tour in that it's very clearly defined where you're going to be playing it and adjusting is simple. Good luck on the open pattern though. Have everyone on the team play in the same area and keep moving deeper inside. All it takes is one person on the pair to gently caress it all up. I'm actually currently driving a half hour to bowl in a sport league on Tuesdays. We're on a "Modified USBC White" pattern that's dogshit, then we move to Middle Road. Last week we had a rack so bad that our team life 15 solid 7 pins over 3 games. So glad I made this decision.
|
|
#
¿
May 26, 2012 01:01
|
|
|
mattfl posted:Here's my update. gently caress 7-10 splits that happen when you absolutely bury the ball in the pocket. Why in holy hell does that happen? Has happened no less than 2 or 3 times per night to me in my league the past 4 weeks and I mean these balls are buried right where they should be in the pocket but loving solid 7-10s, so frustrating. A high flush 7-10 is exceedingly rare and if it happens often then the rack you're bowling on is probably hosed. A "solid" 7-10 is actually a ball that comes in about a board light, causing a soft 10 pin. Then all you need is a pin to miss the 7 and viola. This actually causes a 7-10 more often than going through the nose and is pretty common. Update on my summer sport league: Made a hand position adjustment and shot 590 this week after bowling awful for 3 weeks on a medium difficulty shot. We skunked the other team 22-0 and have never won less than 16 points in a night. We are leading by a lot and people aren't very happy about it. I love angry bowlers.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 8, 2012 23:39
|
|
|
Shark is like the Us Open pattern in that it's not too bad if you can get deep inside early and create some room. The earlier you can move inside the better. Last night was torture, apparently they did something to the approaches before we got there and it was impossible to slide. I had to change my timing and plant every single shot, and was amazed I only went like -30 and shot 570 for the series. So of course I get paired up against a guy who's approach was to take one step at the line and throw, didn't even notice the change in the approach, and shot like 660. On a 170 average. Edit: Didn't mean to say the US Open shot isn't bad, it's torture either way, it's just slightly better if you can get inside quick.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 13, 2012 22:38
|
|
|
Toad on a Hat posted:Chamelon can suck poo poo through a pig's anus, especially when you're playing with the same line as high revvers Hint: Get off that line. Even moving a couple boards parallel left can have a huge impact. Half the challenge of bowling is realizing how to adjust to not only where you're playing, but to where other people are playing as well. Put a different piece in your hand and move to find some oil.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 15, 2012 00:15
|
|
|
Pander posted:Threw five games last night. Something like 145, 199, 168, 191, 176. Something was off the whole time, because no matter what I tried to do I ended up high. I'm a lefty with a strong curve, so I ended up leaving a dozen 2-4-7's on the night. When I gave up my curve and just threw center pocket I was getting more consistent strikes, and when I didn't strike I'd get 8 or 9 down rather than 7 or split 8s. First game had 3 nasty splits in the first 5 frames. If it's been 5 years bring it to your local pro shop and tell them to bake it. They'll throw it in a low temp oven and pull all the oil out of the ball, then they can also bring it back to factory surfacing. This will add anywhere between 3-10 boards of hook and make it snap harder on the back end. Do it regardless if you're used to how it hooks now, it will help, trust me. Finally put everything together tonight and shot 205-208-233 on a shot that got progressively tighter as the night went on. Also won the random drawing at the end of the night. Most splits converted in the last game, and I made the 3-6-7 in the first frame to win $50. Not bad. Grumbling about our team gets louder with each progressing week, considering the last three weeks we've gone 22-0, 18-4 and 21-1 on points. We lead by 8 at this point. We're resigned to the fact that they're going to tell us to take a hike at the end of the year after payouts. I'll just sniff my money and laugh. 
|
|
#
¿
Jun 20, 2012 03:59
|
|
|
Punching some model of Hellraiser tonight. Trip report after I'm done with practice.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 30, 2012 23:10
|
|
|
Double post, and a quick one, since I'm tired. My review of the Hellraiser Revenge is Thus: 10 boards stronger than my Nano, and it's drilled weaker. Very angular, amazing carry, and I had 3 messengers take out ten pins tonight. Considering I have about 200 revs at 15 mph that's pretty loving impressive. Just astounding power through the pins. About to melt down the rest of my equipment and pledge allegiance to DV8.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 31, 2012 05:11
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 26, 2024 12:30 |
|
|
Second tournament in two weeks tomorrow afternoon. I bowled NEBA last week and got totally wrecked. Shot 961 for 5 games (-39 based on 1000, which is how they score) on a weird shot, which was kind of mediocre for me. Thought I did ok until the announced the cut for my squad which was loving +199. I knew I wasn't going to make it but I didn't think I got my rear end beat that hard. All around cut for the day was +116 and I got to bowl with a guy who cashed in the US Open so I can't bitch too much. Tomorrow is handicap on Dead Man's Curve (I think) so I hope I can make a little money and grab one more ball to round out my arsenal and then be done for a while.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 11, 2012 21:02
|
|