BallReviews

General Category => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: BeerLeague on December 27, 2016, 08:50:48 AM

Title: House/Wall shot help.
Post by: BeerLeague on December 27, 2016, 08:50:48 AM
I have been bowling in challenge/sport leagues for the last 20 years exclusively.  I like the competition, the pace of play and the overall vibe of the league. The league is split in half with a different pattern each half. We have a few retired PBA members, 2 Vegas eliminator champs and one ABC Masters champ in the league.  I have averaged 20X over the past decade and find myself being able to somewhat compete with the best in the area.  Honestly 9 out of 10 times they will beat me but I bowl good enough to keep it interesting.  Most patterns we bowl on require equipment to regulate backend reaction.  Only the best can play big angles and most of us play tighter lines, especially on the fresh.

I have had very little exposure, until recently, to a house "wall" condition.  I find myself confused by the over/under condition.  If I move in, I seem to 10 pin and sometimes hit light, if i move closer to the dirt, the ball just flys off the spot.  I am using an iQ Tour solid at 2000 abralon and a Match solid at 2000 abralon.

The adjustment I think I need to make is the opposite of what I have been dealing with in my leagues.  It almost seems I need a big core/cover hook monster ball and play more in the middle and play MORE angle thru the front.  Before I throw down $200 + on an experiment, I'd like some opinions.

Am I on the right track?
Title: Re: House/Wall shot help.
Post by: SG17 on December 27, 2016, 10:00:14 AM
in my area for a house shot I rely on pearls and weaker solids.  typically drilled for length.  usually a weaker solid drilled for an arcing motion will be in the bag.

for me, in the centers around me, I wouldn't even THINK of bringing a ball stronger than the snap lock for house conditions.  But I do not know what you are bowling on; I know some that use slicker house shots, just as easy but you need Nirvanas, alpha cruxs, ect.


doubtful you need a "hook monster".  I would try a surface adjustment on the Match first.  where are the higher scoring guys playing this house shot?
Title: Re: House/Wall shot help.
Post by: BeerLeague on December 27, 2016, 10:09:27 AM
in my area for a house shot I rely on pearls and weaker solids.  typically drilled for length.  usually a weaker solid drilled for an arcing motion will be in the bag.

for me, in the centers around me, I wouldn't even THINK of bringing a ball stronger than the snap lock for house conditions.  But I do not know what you are bowling on; I know some that use slicker house shots, just as easy but you need Nirvanas, alpha cruxs, ect.


doubtful you need a "hook monster".  I would try a surface adjustment on the Match first.  where are the higher scoring guys playing this house shot?

The bigger hands(which I could barely qualify for - @400 RPM) are throwing grenades from @17 out to 8/10 and watching it RIP off the spot.  It is so walled up, I can pull a shot and hit light.  It's oiled up pretty good which is why I am leaning towards more ball.   I am thinking it would let me take advantage of the big ramp in the middle.
Title: Re: House/Wall shot help.
Post by: Channelsurfer on December 27, 2016, 11:26:53 AM
I had the same problem at one center.  I ended uo having the best look with more surface on my tour.  Try taking the IQ down to 1000, standing farther in and keep your eyes out and use the bump to get it back. The extra surface will get those tugged shots to carry.
Title: Re: House/Wall shot help.
Post by: Luke Morningwood on December 28, 2016, 03:11:35 PM
In our area, at least for us tweeners and strokers, generally the progression from fresh is a medium core of some kind with a pretty clean cover, then as the puddle starts to move down lane we make small moves right to stay outside of the carry down. After the mids start to dry up it is a ball change and a move left into the puddle. More core with a solid cover with 2000 or 3000. The cover helps blend off the friction if you miss right and the bigger motor helps the ball roll up and hit if you miss in.  The good hands people just start in the puddle and play it out to the friction, then adjust (usually left) as the traffic moves the reaction. Their bigger hand gets the ball to face up and hit from in there, where as I usually flat 10's or 2-10.
Title: Re: House/Wall shot help.
Post by: spmcgivern on December 29, 2016, 08:54:40 AM
Another thing I notice on sport shots, playing the oil/dry line is paramount.  Just a little nudge.  But when you get the cliffs I see, you have to play INTO THE DRY, not a nudge. If your cliff is 10, don't try to hit 9 or 10, go for 6 or 7.  That way those slight tugs don't turn into 2-8-10s or buckets.
Title: Re: House/Wall shot help.
Post by: avabob on December 30, 2016, 11:15:05 AM
House shots can indeed be tweener hell.  Big handed guys can move in and cover boards without the ball burning so they carry a ton.  Lower rev guys who can throw harder and straighter can stay closer to the oil line.  The problem for us tweener stroker types is that the heads go and force us into playing too much out angle for our rev rate.  Ball turns the corner but sets up half pocket without enough continuation.

I don't bowl much on house shots anymore either, but I noticed 10 years ago that my carry was usually better on flatter patterns, be they long or short, than on heavy 10 to 10 walls.  Last season I bowled on my first house shot league in 5 years.  I started out really struggling to carry and was barely averaging 207 thru 8 weeks.  I eventually did two things with good success.  First, I started targeting further down lane toward my desired breakpoint and concentrated on projecting the ball further down lane.  Second I went to a very strong cored asymmetrical pearl ball ( Paradox pearl and polished Lock ).  My carry improved significantly and I ended the season at 223.  I am reluctant to give this approach as a one size fits all solution because styles even among us tweeners varies a lot as do surfaces.  The bottom line is you need to find a way to keep straighter angles thru the heads either by using speed and staying a bit further right, or tightening your breakpoint slightly down lane if you do move in.  Choice of equipment is basically to go stronger the deeper you want to play.   
Title: Re: House/Wall shot help.
Post by: BeerLeague on January 10, 2017, 02:15:41 PM
Thanks for the input.  I have experimented over the past few weeks and came to the conclusion that I needed to add surface to my IQ and take it off the Match.  This leaves me with a couple options.  I can go to the Match if I need to stay right and the Tour seems to roll off the spot at 1000 abralon quite nicely. I still think a bigger core/cover with a little less surface would let me get in a little and bounce it off the dry.

Title: Re: House/Wall shot help.
Post by: avabob on January 10, 2017, 04:06:07 PM
Sometimes you can bounce it off the dry and get the ball to set up really well.  Other times not so much.  I think it depends on the length of the buff.
Title: Re: House/Wall shot help.
Post by: northface28 on January 10, 2017, 05:27:07 PM
Better yet, don't use a low diff IQ on house, you're really gettting in your own way. Sure, its smooth but who likes going flat 10 all night on house? I certainly don't. Put some fur on the match and let it rip!
Title: Re: House/Wall shot help.
Post by: Impending Doom on January 10, 2017, 05:35:23 PM
Better yet, don't use a low diff IQ on house, you're really gettting in your own way. Sure, its smooth but who likes going flat 10 all night on house? I certainly don't. Put some fur on the match and let it rip!
Depending on length, I'll use something smooth to take the transition out of play (I really like the Darkness to blend the ths), but you need enough flare to get around the corner. Otherwise, I'll use something lower flaring (King Cobra comes to mind) to keep control of the pocket until I can ball down to a Boost.
Title: Re: House/Wall shot help.
Post by: BeerLeague on January 11, 2017, 07:05:34 AM
Better yet, don't use a low diff IQ on house, you're really gettting in your own way. Sure, its smooth but who likes going flat 10 all night on house? I certainly don't. Put some fur on the match and let it rip!

I'll give that a rip this week.  I imagine the Match will be a little hotter off the spot.
Title: Re: House/Wall shot help.
Post by: bergman on January 11, 2017, 07:08:46 PM
It really depends on the condition of the particular house shot, your speed/rev rate, and equipment selection.  On some nights, I can move in a little and feed it out into the dry for best results. Other times, I need to square up and play it up against the hill for best results. As a higher speed stroker (there goes that term again), I much prefer
squaring it up and playing it pretty straight, if the condition allows it.
Title: Re: House/Wall shot help.
Post by: Channelsurfer on January 12, 2017, 12:04:00 PM
So higher diff on a wet/dry house shot or flat 10 all night.  Hmmm.... so to control a wet/dry house shot let's use something with more flare potential that can also magnify wet & dry even more......makes sense.

Why not use a lower diff and use surface to control where it hooks.....that's what most people do when trying to control the break point on challenging conditions.
Title: Re: House/Wall shot help.
Post by: Luke Morningwood on January 12, 2017, 12:15:05 PM
So higher diff on a wet/dry house shot or flat 10 all night.  Hmmm.... so to control a wet/dry house shot let's use something with more flare potential that can also magnify wet & dry even more......makes sense.

Why not use a lower diff and use surface to control where it hooks.....that's what most people do when tryinh to control break point and challenging conditions.

You actually use the higher diff to do the same thing that you are doing with the rougher surface. In combination, you are trying to burn off energy at a controlled rate so the ball doesn't boomerang, it just rolls and arcs. The higher flare potential actually can help make the ball shape rounder, more predictable and strength can help the ball continue through the pin deck.

Obviously, different houses and lane surfaces make this strategy vary from ridiculous to the perfect solution. Your results may vary.
Title: Re: House/Wall shot help.
Post by: Impending Doom on January 12, 2017, 12:16:16 PM
Use flare to get it thru the pins right, surface to smooth out the wet dry. Sand parallel to the initial track for more back end with control, perpendicular to the initial track to smooth out the move.