I have been reading up on the terminology of the new bowling balls and using some of the online matchmaker program and I do not under stand what flare and track mean and axis of rotation mean?

Flare is rated 5"6" on bal I am looking at

Track comes in three levels Low, Medium and High

Axis Rotation is asking for In between, Up the back and Off the side

Can anyone explain the three to me?  I want to understand before going toa pro-  I beleive the proshop I am going to is not reputable-- reason being he sold a ball to my son and his friend-- the same ball and my sone cranks it while is friend rolls it-- he garunteed 10 points on ther average but my son is struggling with controling the ball.

So I don't wat to make the same mistake twice.

thank you for looking.

The proshop recommending the same ball for two completly different style bowlers does not mean there was an error by the proshop. Bowling balls can seve multiple purposes for many different style players despending on the conditions, the layout, surface, and other options available.

Being more informed is a good thing. I am just glad to see many of the manufactures pulling drill sheets from the box.

Understood just confused-- to many variables-- I am a simple person  just want a ball i don't have to baby to get action on the back end, like my Ebonite Source-- would like to throw ina comfort zone of 16-18 mph and get the right angle to the pocket.

i noticed as I got older I am more focused and cam hit my mark 80% of the time within a board or two playing the 8th to 10th board standing three  boards to the left of the last dot on the approach.

I am not against moving to the middle of the approach and letting the ball out-- just looking for a ball with a little forgiveness and reation. 

i am more focued on understanding flare, lenght and axis orline so that I get the ball drilled properly. Not just a standard drill that all house use becasue they are doing the righ thing and giving you  a chane at sucess. 

I always beleived it's not the arrows it's the Indian-- I just wwant to have the right arrows first

I think the matchmaker is trying to match up your style with your typical oil pattern.

So if you are a fast speed, low rev, low tilt bowler, and you are bowling on a fair to high amount of oil, it will recommend balls that are strong, probably solid, dull, with high flare "potential".  As a contrast, if you are a slow speed, high rev, high tilt bowler, on dry lanes, that is the other extreme and you will be recommended to use something with shiny surface, low flare potential, with a weak drilling.

So balls with high diff, will have the ability to flare more, because the core is usually taller, and thinner.  Balls with round cores, tend to flare very little.  Flare = hook.  So more diff, more flare, more hook and vice versa.  Now the ball can have all the hook potential in the world, but if you are a straight bowler, you won't be taking advantage of that.  Also if you are on very dry lanes, you will probably not need all that hook.  Check out this link:

http://wiki.bowlingchat.net/wiki/index.php?title=File:Bowling_Ball_Track_Flare_Explained.pdf

Axis Rotation refers to the angle the ball makes relative to the direction is is moving.  If your ball is rotating end over end toward the head pin, by staying dead straight behind the ball at release, you are at 0 degrees (up the back).  If you are rotating the ball so that it is spinning like a clock as perpendicular toward the pins, you are at 90 degrees (off the side).  etc. Almost everyone is in between 0 and 90.    Check out this link: 

http://wiki.bowlingchat.net/wiki/index.php?title=Axis_Rotation_Comparison_Video

Track refers to the tilt on the ball.  If you look at your ball when it returns from a shot, and the oil lines are very close to the thumb and fingers, you have a high track.  The further away the lines are from your fingers, the lower your track.  Check out this video:

http://wiki.bowlingchat.net/wiki/index.php?title=Axis_Tilt_Axis_Rotation_Speed_RPM_Comparison_Video

Like others have pointed out, go to the wiki on BowlingChat.net and you can see much more detailed descriptions on all the terms you have asked about.