BallReviews
General Category => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: Strapper_Squared on December 16, 2014, 04:05:57 PM
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What is the best approach for a standard THS? Take something strong and move inside out of the gate? Or use a milder cover/surface/layout and play more up the boards?
I've seen both approaches work well...sometimes even on the same pair.
Thoughts?
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Varies by bolwer and the rest of the people on the lanes. I use to stay as far right as long as possible but the over under sometimes followed by the need to move way, way , way left after the 2nd game was difficult.
This year I have gone more aggressive and start out left of everyone else and continue moving left as needed. Great thing is I rarely have to move much at all. Scores have been better and more consistent.
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For me it depends on who I'm bowling with and what they are throwing.
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For me as a left handed I use to throw between the first and second arrow, and most of the times I can bowl there all night, sometimes I need to move one or two boards to the right chasing the oil but thats about it.
I forgot to tell you, I use one pearl and one solid, so it really depends on the day, I start with the strong and then I change it for something weaker when the lanes break down.
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for my game, i like to think of myself as a right hand minded lefty. im rev dominant and with the ths i see using a weaker ball like a Vibe puts me into 13-14 at the arrows and 5 downlane on the fresh. the good news is i dont really have to move much all night. i could use more of a benchmark type ball like a disorder or hyroad solid or hysteria etc. but that would put me inside 3rd arrow out to 5-6 on the fresh and id rather not be that deep from the start because ill start getting traffic in the heads from the righties
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It depends on the team I'm going against, but here's what I generally do. If I'm going against a team of crankers, I'll stay as far outside as possible and use my straight game. This allows me to keep an area more to myself and avoid some of the carrydown/burning up that can happen. If I run into people playing straighter, I'll usually move left of them and open the lane up a bit.
Sometimes depending on the team (especially those who throw straighter), I may move on top of their line. In the past, I've caved in their shot with using a higher rev rate/higher speed and that has helped win points/games. It all depends on what the pattern is that day though.
Most times, I go with a medium ball such as my Sigma Sting or Covert Revolt if I need something a bit stronger for medium-heavy. If I really need to, I'll bring out the trusty Defiant with some surface on it.
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I don't think that there is a right or wrong answer to this. The approach varies by bowler, bowling center, pattern being used, lane surface, who you are bowling against, etc. As such, as others have said, it's best to just be observant and see what the bowlers around you are doing. Generally speaking, if it's truly a THS, you don't have to put too much thought into it. I would just avoid the extremes. Don't come out throwing a 360-grit Crux or a 4000 highly-polished Tropical Breeze Pearl. In terms of line, I wouldn't come out trying to play 6th arrow, and I'd avoid trying to use the 1-board too. Just keep it simple.
For me, I generally start my THS league standing around 27 (I drift about 6 right) with a medium-strength ball (Zero Gravity, IQ Fusion, etc.) and play a gentle belly through the middle of the lane. This usually provides me with a little bit of hold if I'm in and decent recovery unless I throw it out the window to the right.
Now, if I'm bowling with a bunch of guys who like to go straight and burn up the track, I often move right, ball down and play there with them because staying left of them usually forces me way too deep in order to get the ball to push through the area that they're burning up. When playing those straighter lines, I prefer a ball that reads earlier and stays smooth; otherwise, the ball dives too hard at the break point, and I am in for 9-pins and/or designer splits.
On the flip side, if I'm bowling with a bunch of hi-rev guys, I generally try to jump in with them. Even though I don't rip the cover off of the ball the way some of them do, I can use the friction they're creating to give me great recovery out and more hold than they get in. For this, a hybrid like the IQ Tour Fusion works really well in most cases, though sometimes I can go up to something like the Zero Gravity or possibly ball down to the Punch Out.
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I almost never even take an actual strong ball with me to a standard "THS" league so I guess weak for me. I'm slightly rev dominant but have very low tilt so although I typically start a little deeper than most people (except the true power players) but if I have to get real deep my carry suffers. Probably another reason I carry a plastic ball with a core. If things get ugly in, I can move way outside and still have a good shot.
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As Gene stated, there will be no right or wrong answer, just what works best for you. Some houses have higher friction lane surfaces and so the weaker balls can be your friend. The opposite can be true for fresh shots with some volume.
I'd suggest watching closely your ball reaction and carry as the night progresses. Most of us can get lined up to strike in game one, but what happens after that? Even if you're able to start with a stronger ball, you may need a weaker one as the lanes transition to help with carry.
Don't be afraid to experiment a little. Even if you choose the wrong direction you're likely to still make spares at worst, which is probably no worse than you already are or the question wouldn't exist, with the possible upside of finishing very strong with the weaker ball. Good luck.
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It really depends on your own style more than any of the other factors mentioned. High rev players can often move in right away and open up the shot from ball one. With so much available friction on a house shot this type of player might use a pearl even when they move in. At the other extreme is the very low rev fluffer, who isn't comfortable moving in, but can often throw something really aggressive and still stay out in the dirt. Good players in this category often can stay direct and move in slightly, still using an aggressive ball all night.
Big category is the so called tweener that encompasses a lot of different styles. I will define a tweener as a guy who gets enough revs to hook the lane, but not enough speed to maintain continuation if they do have to cover a lot of boards. Ball selection on a house shot can be most difficult for many in this category. Most tweeners can start fast using something really tame ( even urethane ) to allow them to play out and stay more direct. The problem comes with the transitions. When you do have to move in the problem of having to throw around the oil like comes up. Best answer can be to go to a very strong ball and get even deeper, but with the opportunity to get the strong shell to start up without getting so far right.
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I never bring a strong ball to league play. I am rev dominant with slow speed in the 14mph range. Bringing a strong ball is like overkill, and I probably will only use it for half a game.
It's usually a weak ball drilled strong on the fresh, and then weaker, weaker still. I like to start out right and then move left.(typical) but my best play is in the middle of the lane with a small belly.
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This year I have been bringing fairly agressive stuff sanded to 3000 or 4000 to combat the wet dry conditions that we have at both the houses. Previous years I was able to throw fairly weak balls and drill them weak.
Really depends on bowler and also what the THS is at the house you bowl at
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Personally, I have done both. Whatever works for you the best and whatever you are most comfortable with.
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This season my Wednesday night league is on a 42ft wet/dry type THS.
My choices have been my strong layout IQ Tour Pearl (3 1/2 pin) at 2000 and when they start to break down I go to a Track Tour X (4 1/2 pin) at 3000.
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I like to use as weak of a ball as possible, with a little surface. At one house, that means starting out with my Darkness or Network, keeping it in the ample puddle until about 38 feet. More direct I go there, the better my carry is and the easier it is to keep up with the transition, which usually kills me.
At another house in the area, which has much more friction, I will start out with a King Cobra or Sure Thing, and either ball down to a Hook, or move in and use a War Eagle or Dirty Look.
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Personally I use a weaker ball on a THS. There is generally plenty of dry somewhere on the lane to work with.
But that is my A game. And that is what a THS shot does, gives pretty much everyone a chance to play their A game.
On fresh you are probably not going to run out of adjustment area so any choice will work.
Now on sport shots where a shot is not built into the lane pattern it is more important that all participants work together to break down the lane controllably. Particularly in longer formats.
I know a dozen years ago on the PBA tour, qualifying squads full of rookies suffered because they all wanted to get inside and wheel the lane. But all that did was destroy the pattern and by the 5th or 6th game in a 9 game block the lanes were so chewed up they were unplayable.
The veterans would play the lanes similarly and by the 5th game the lanes would open up and become even more scoreable.
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Good post pinbuster. I started seeing this situation almost 15 years ago in local tournaments. One association would run a senior tournament one week and a regular tournament the following. I always scored better on the same pattern in the senior because we didn't have guys moving in right away.
I still see this a lot any time there are a bunch of high rev guys. The transitions get real tricky. THS is a bit wet dry to begin with. Guys moving in too quick just move the wet dry line in, and worse, the dry track become is very angular, forcing us lower rev guys to throw around the oil line and cover way more boards than is best for our game.
If you look at what is left of the tour now, all the guys play much more direct and further right on the long patterns. The only exception was last year on the badger when the guy purposely tried to blow up the pattern because he knew he could loft the lane better than the other guys.
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The Primal Rage is my current favorite since moving up to 13#. Prior to that it was the Thrash Frenzy and the Primal Scream when I was forced to throw 12# due to back surgery. I also have a 13# Octane, but it isn't my favorite, not at the moment anyhow.
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On fresh it would be a stronger cover, weaker core with a steadier layout.
My main concern on a THS is when I miss left or spin the ball (my 2 main mistakes) that the ball won't hook and leave me a 2pin.
Transition is a toss up because most bowlers in my mixed league average 140 so my feet usually end up right of where I started due to all of the carrydown.