BallReviews
General Category => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: Necromancer on May 24, 2016, 02:05:44 PM
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I posted at the end of last year about me thinking of making a comeback in bowling. I decided a couple of weeks ago I would. Yesterday I had my first real practice game in several years. Bowled a 191 (that is without practice balls) and struck on 5 of the last 6 shots. Every time I have had a break, I seem to get better on my return. I think it is the ability to completely change my game and to realize where I can improve. I think if you bowl all year around for years and years, you are unlikely to make significant changes in your overall game. What you are doing is too embedded in how you bowl. Things I've worked on just from reading and watching videos:
1) Ball speed - after over 20 years of bowling, I think I finally got it. By moving closer to the foul line, I noticed yesterday my ball is going a lot slower and reacting a lot better.
2) Ball weight - still using the 15lbs (14.8lbs officially) I didn't give away or put in my mom's yard. At one point I had 20 balls. Now I have 6 balls. The 2 Quantums are encased with security protection. I plan to drill a 14lbs ball in a few weeks. Lighter ball means I should have more control. My wrist is super sore today.
3) Don't be a sucker to the bowling industry. From where on out, I'm not going to be the 9 out of 10 bowler that buys the latest and greatest. I was using my 2005 Vertigo yesterday on medium oil synthetics and it was crossing over many boards with ease. If I want something different, I will resurface the balls I have.
4) Strength training for bowling. I use captains of crush daily and I build a wrist roller with $10 and a trip to Home Depot. This will make the ball feel lighter and I noticed yesterday, I am putting a lot more revs on the ball than ever before.
5) Finally! Technology! What I didn't have until I was older was a real time recording device. During practice, I use my iPhone and tripod to record my shots, approach, and ball reaction. This helps a lot and allows me to improve much quicker.
Anyways, one question, have bowling balls improved that much recently or is it pretty much the same stuff just renamed?
:D
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Welcome back! Long time gone and good to hear from you.
As for technology, there have been some minor changes in cover tech over the last 7-10 years, with some newer additives used to enhance the qualities if the coverstock, but no real changes in core tech. Asymmetry has gained in popularity for those that have trouble getting the ball to roll over, but that's about it.
The biggest "change" has been in the tech studies done on drilling and the effects of the drilling and hole placement on the reaction of the ball. Mo Pinel and his group have really put lots of effort into this area, and have made discoveries about drillings, weight holes and their placements that were unknown before they studied it in depth the way they did.
If you haven't kept up, and don't know about "dual angle" and "pin buffer" drilling techniques, not to mention Mo's system of weight hole placement, you might want to give those subjects a look.
Good luck!
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Welcome back and enjoy the game!
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Juggernaut. Thanks I'll look into that maybe on my next ball. I might ask my pro shop if they are familiar with it. I've always needed a cheat sheet to understand the drilling layouts and ball reaction haha. I'm kind of interested in the Pyramid line since they are cheap and got decent reviews. But for now, I think I'll stick with getting the 6 balls I have left resurfaced with new finger inserts and correct thumb slug sizes. I'm going to get 3 more fixed this weekend before week 1 of summer league.
notclay. Thanks.
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Welcome back! Enjoy it!
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Bowled 210, 211, 177 for 598. Not bad for not bowling since 2009 haha. I'm anchor on my team. It's a big league. The pattern I would describe is a fresh medium oil 40 ft pattern. I basically played up 10 board. Of the games, my most impressive for me was my 3rd game (177). Here is how I got this 177:
9/ 54 X 53 90 90... had 68 in the 6th frame. Then.... I went from the Vertigo to the very polished Recharge I had surfaced last weekend at pro shop with like 4000 grit...
X X X X9/
I didn't know if I was going to break 100 and wound up with 177.
My goal is to get a 300 ring this year for my dad.