BallReviews
Equipment Boards => Storm => Topic started by: ryguy119 on November 10, 2015, 09:38:50 PM
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Been struggling my last game for the last month or so. 1st 2 games are usually good and then I can't break 190 the last game. I have been switching to a less aggressive ball the last game but I am starting to wonder if I should keep the same ball but just start moving left. Back in the day you just moved left with the same ball. Now a days the move seems to be to ball down and stay in the same spot. Sometimes I think it was easier in the old days when you only brought 2 balls to your league. Bringing 5 can lead to confusion. Currently throwing Crux, Respect Pearl, IQ Tour, Ride and Super Natural. Also have a Respect but have a hard time fitting it in my arsenal. Crux is hard to put down. Great rolling ball. Bowl mostly in leagues with some tournaments later in the season. Sometimes it also is confusing when you strike in practice with all 4 balls. Which one do you pick?
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Typically, my ideal situation is to throw the same ball all night. Doesn't happen often, but sometimes. That being said, I'll chase oil in as long as I can maintain carry while doing so. For me, it's not always about balling down, but sometimes, getting into a ball with a different shape. Typically something that gets down the lane further and corners a bit better is what the shot calls for...for me.
If I strike with 4 balls in practice I base my decision on 1 of 2 things. 1, I pick which one puts me closest to my "comfort zone" or preferred area on the lane I like to play. The more comfortable I am, the freeer I'll be, and the better I'll roll it. #2...if im equally as comfortable with all 4 of them, I'll pick the one I can miss the most with, simple as that.
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Don't watch strikes, watch the ball go through the skid, hook, and roll phases. You could easily throw the ball going through the phases correctly and ring a 10 while a different ball might carry a mixer.
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Thanks Matt! My best sets have been when I can use the same ball for all 3 games. A pretty rare occurrence now a days. Sometimes I feel I would be better off with just a 3 ball bag and leave my tote at home. I guess my IQ Tour is truly the ball that gives me the most room on most nights. I need to stick with it longer and not switch after 1 shot that doesn't carry. I will take your advice and see what happens.
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On most house shots today I do not see any reason to have 5 balls. I understand wanting to throw various pieces, but honestly with a med solid and Pearl or hybrid you can cover most true house shots.
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As others have said, you should chase the shot until carry suffers. I usually wait till I leave a flat 10 then change to a different shape. I would then go to a slightly stronger ball with more skid/snap reaction than the previous ball.
However, for some lefties, it can be better to ball down and stay outside. Without the same traffic on the left side, moving in can lead to consistency issues.
Also, on shorter sport patterns you usually have more luck balling down and staying out for as long as possible.
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Depending on who is on the pair with me, I usually move right (righty) in the second game, then either move back left with the same ball, or ball up to a ball with a sharper look to get around the spot. Being a tweener, I get trapped in Tweener Hell, where the guys with hand are left of me, so if the move is too small, I jump right into their burn, and if I move right, I'm in the track with the dumpers. So if I start out the night with something that is smoother (King Cobra or Night Hawk), I will move left 3rd game usually with something like a Black Ops or Dream On.
This only applies to a THS.
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As others have said, you should chase the shot until carry suffers.
I'll get on the bandwagon and say it too.
Once I lose a good angle to the pocket and start leaving repeated 10's and/or 7's, and I don't want to move further left than I already have, I'll consider a ball change.
I hate making ball changes in the middle of a three game set, because it usually takes a couple of frames to get lined up again. But sometimes that's the only reasonable choice.
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I always chase the shot long before I consider balling down. In fact on a wet dry house shot I probably move in and ball up, then stay with that ball until I just cant get any deeper with my feet and target. At that point I would ball down from my Marvel or Paradox, to my Cobalt Vibe. Seldom run in to this anyplace except long format tournaments.
I think balling down to keep from moving is a poor strategy in most circumstances except maybe when I have something out side 5 board and just don't want to move to another zone.
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just like doom, depending who's on the same pair, I move right (righty) a lot more than I do left. And if I do move left, it's not too far from my comfort zone. I'll move further left if I have good carry. Likewise, I watch ball motion first to see if my ball is moving through its phases. Then i watch where the ball finishes at the deck and how the pins behaved as the ball goes through the pins. (this doesn't happen all the time. if it did, I'll be better than I am now lol)
I normally change balls when I start leaving back to back corners.
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I had a good conversation on this topic with my opponent in our scratch league last night. We both agreed that 80% of league bowlers make ball changes in order to keep from moving in as the shot transitions. In todays environment the balls blow up the heads much quicker than any carry down can develop. Also most synthetics are aging, and the surface is a lot rougher than it looks, meaning you are going to get quicker burn as the oil goes off the heads than was the case on a new pristine surface. Once the heads go balling down doesn't work unless you go down to urethane or polyester.
Bottom line, bowlers need to be comfortable all the way from 5 board to 20 board. I understand that most league bowlers are going to have difficulty developing this comfort level, but their time would be more productive working on making adjustments, than packing 6 balls through the parking lot.
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Thanks for all the advice. I grew up bowling back in the day when you just carried 2 balls. 1 plastic and 1 urethane. You adjusted by moving your feet not switching balls. I would love nothing more then finding a ball I can use for all 3 games. The closest I have right now is my IQ Tour. The only problem with the IQ is you can only move so far in before ball losses its carry. Thinking about bringing my crux out and using it until I can go no farther left. On our house shot it is almost impossible to miss the pocket. Only problem is finding the right ball to carry all 10 pins most of the time. It is 5 man and the shot changes pretty quickly.
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I chase the shot inside and change my release as the shot dictates, but ball changes are usually required as well because some balls just don't match up well when having moving in; they burn up too much early even as you migrate in to find more oil. To be a good bowler these days, you can't just adjust OR make ball changes; you need to be willing and able to do both as the conditions dictate.
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I also will make ball changes as I move inside. The one house shot I play on this season is really tempting to start weak out around 8 or 9 board. However the shot jumps in quickly, leaving me to make as much as a 5 board move and switch balls by early in the second game. Alternatively on this pattern, I can start a little inside 10 with my stronger ball and score just as well while making smaller adjustments in the second game with the same ball.
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That is exactly the reason I recently bough a Ride. Lets me stay way out before having to move in. Ball just isn't strong enough to move inside of 10 for me. 5 man is a different animal,especially if bowlers are throwing their dull stuff. Might be able to last 1 game outside with Ride before that also starts hooking too much. Not sure there is a ball out there right now that I could use for all 3 games at this house. Maybe on a good night the IQ Tour. When I was a lot younger, when I needed to throw harder ,I could. Not the case anymore as age has caught up to me. Respect pearl is also a good ball to start with. Eventually it will go too long when moving in,thus coming in behind headpin or worse.
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I have a Ride and a Cobalt Vibe in my arsenal. In the house shot I was referring to, I have started the night with one of those balls about half the time this season. After a quick start the first game, I have not been able to follow up with a decent game the second game even once. This week I started with my polished Paradox about 4 and 1 deeper than my Vibe. Still dropped off the second game, but rebound big the last two for my best set of the year by 50 pins. Like so many houses anymore, it seems necessary to play a lot more out angle through the heads almost immediately than was the case a few years ago. My Ride was the only ball that I could play close to straight up the oil line, and I was forced to make a 7 board move with my feet while only bringing my target in a board or two in addition to switching balls early in the second game. Paradox allowed me to make two and one or one board moves with my feet in a much more orderly fashion.
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If you figure it out, let me know... last night I shoot 277, 277, then ran out of head oil and real estate on the approaches... solid 180 finish :-(
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I think I could stay with a strong drilled Booyah. Usually, inside of 10 doesn't break down.
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Gary Faulkner's vid explains it best.
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Excellent
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That all depends on your game, the conditions, and knowing you limitations. For instance. My house shot is a med heavy 40 ft top hat pattern that breaks down quickly. I can only chase in so far then i have to ball down. If i use anything with a cover on it with my revs and my heavy forward roll i shred the heads by middle of first game. Any right hander with hand is starting 4 th arrow and has already migrated 5 boards by end of first so by second game if i chase in i am crossing them and my ball hooks earlier or has nothing left when it gets to pocket. so i isially shell down to get push. my speed limits me feom going in too i can get it to pocket but ill plack 7s all day long. gotta know your ability and that will help you make you decision. only diff between a really good bowler and a great bowler is knowledge of ones game and how to adjust.
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That all depends on your game, the conditions, and knowing you limitations. For instance. My house shot is a med heavy 40 ft top hat pattern that breaks down quickly. I can only chase in so far then i have to ball down. If i use anything with a cover on it with my revs and my heavy forward roll i shred the heads by middle of first game. Any right hander with hand is starting 4 th arrow and has already migrated 5 boards by end of first so by second game if i chase in i am crossing them and my ball hooks earlier or has nothing left when it gets to pocket. so i isially shell down to get push. my speed limits me feom going in too i can get it to pocket but ill plack 7s all day long. gotta know your ability and that will help you make you decision. only diff between a really good bowler and a great bowler is knowledge of ones game and how to adjust.
Doesn't sound like med-heavy to me.
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Last time I bowled on a house shot that got broken down was a tournament-I'm a jr bowler and in my league there are 3 people to a team and most throw plastic so I don't really have to worry about much but carry down-but I was able to start with a Hy-Road solid, which rolls up pretty much earliest for me, and when that got to be to early I was able to ball up to a crux for more backend and move in, I shot 278 that game which is the game that put me into the cut for that tournament. I made about 4 switches that entire tournament, after the crux, a crux pearl and then a sky rocket after that. I've only been bowling competitively for about a year now and I'm finding it much better to make fewer ball changes and try to stick with the same thing and chase oil until flat tens occur(on a good ball off my hand). Switching can get way to confusing and just put you into a bad spot more often than not, at least for me. As for a league house shots, I can't say much as I don't bowl with people that will really break down the pattern to an extent of me really having to move/switch