bowlers?

[klob-]

any1 else around here into bowling?

i just finished a winter league a few weeks ago. finished up with a 183 average. just started a summer no-tap league. first night i shot a 716 so i am starting with a 238 avg. my ball just works a lot better on these lanes. i threw 10 strikes each of the first 2 games (on 2 or 3 of them being no taps). right now i am throwing this: http://www.hammerbowling.com/retired_balls/detail.php?PRKey=12
its fairly new, ive had it for almost 2 years now. i am thinking about getting a new ball for my next winter league though. http://www.bowling.com/products/hammer-black-widow.htm i've been looking around on a couple of different sites and reading the reviews, and pretty much everybody is saying this ball is just sick. does any1 else out there have it or know some1 who does?

[tice]

im taking bowling next semester

[ass*assassin]

I am part-owner of a 24-lane bowling alley.. and was a pro on the junior circuit for 9 years.. military bowling champ a few times too.. :) and yes, i got my 300 rings too.. and a few others.

i have always loved hammer equipment, followed by columbia.. they were two of my sponsors.. i also used to use the resin LT-48's.. and the originals years ago.. nice equipment..

the equipment is nice, but you gotta get it drilled for the lane conditions that you expect to bowl on.. plus, how you throw.. full-roller, 3/4 roller (like me), full crank..whatever.. i would recommend going to a real pro to get some equipment drilled.. someone that knows what he is doing will insist on watching you throw your ball first.. then measure you..and then ask you about the lanes you are going to throw on.. these all factor into how you are going to get your ball drilled.. pin out, pin in.. where the weight block is positioned will give you how your ball is going to run on down the lanes..

hook hard, hook late, roll long, etc.. if you got more information like i am pointing out, then i can help you a bit more..

[Vr_]

i bowl but no leagues. im pretty good (sub 200 av) but i have the weirdest style of bowling.
i use the 8-10lb balls and i dont use all 3 holes. insted i put my middle finger in the thumb hole and use my thumb and pointer fingers as my aim. So im basically palming the bowling ball with my middle finger so it wont drop when im going into my motion.
im sure people know what im talking about... cept they usualy use the 6lb balls and launch them down the lane.


im trying to learn the right way though. i get pretty competitive when i bowl but when ppl see my use 8-10lb with just one finger im sure they dont take it too serious =(
until i start hitting the strikes and them not picking up their spairs is when they take me seriously. lolz

[klob-]

I am part-owner of a 24-lane bowling alley.. and was a pro on the junior circuit for 9 years.. military bowling champ a few times too.. :) and yes, i got my 300 rings too.. and a few others.

i have always loved hammer equipment, followed by columbia.. they were two of my sponsors.. i also used to use the resin LT-48's.. and the originals years ago.. nice equipment..

the equipment is nice, but you gotta get it drilled for the lane conditions that you expect to bowl on.. plus, how you throw.. full-roller, 3/4 roller (like me), full crank..whatever.. i would recommend going to a real pro to get some equipment drilled.. someone that knows what he is doing will insist on watching you throw your ball first.. then measure you..and then ask you about the lanes you are going to throw on.. these all factor into how you are going to get your ball drilled.. pin out, pin in.. where the weight block is positioned will give you how your ball is going to run on down the lanes..

hook hard, hook late, roll long, etc.. if you got more information like i am pointing out, then i can help you a bit more..

yea i got a guy who averaged 236 in my winter league that just finished (not the no tap league). my cousin is in that league with me and he just got a new ball at the start of last year. the 236 guy drilled his ball for him, and he bowls 3 300's this year with it (never had one before). he also just drilled my roomates ball for him, but he is new to throwing a hook and i am teaching him.
and yea, i love hammers. the big blue is my 2nd one. in terms of my bowling style, if the lanes are oiled heavily, i start out all the way at the right and throw it slow straight up the second arrow. as the lanes dry up, i move more towards center and put a little more speed behind it.

[Stiffy]

I bowled for San Diego State for a few years and lots of local San Diego Tournaments until i tore cartilage in my wrist. I can still average 200+ but my wrist cant take a league anymore :(

[mulisha]

I bowled for San Diego State for a few years and lots of local San Diego Tournaments until i tore cartilage in my wrist. I can still average 200+ but my wrist cant take a league anymore :(

We all know why your wrist can't handle it anymore.

[VisioN]

i was into bowling when i was around 13-14 and loved it. i just recently got back into it at the end of this semester and joined a summer league. i guess i'm still fairly new to the game for the most part and average around 131 with a high of 189 but i keep trying to get better and love the game. i watch bowling videos and read up on it all the time. i roll with a black/red cherry tropical storm (http://www.stormbowling.com/products/balls/ball.asp?ballid=209) and throw a small hook with it. the house i go to gives everyone that joins a league a card that lets everyone in the leagues bowl 3 free games a day. the particular league i'm in gives you a ball or bag of up to a $200 dollar value at the end of the league. not bad for $15 a week.

klob? what kind of ball are you looking for? how much hook are you wanting? have you ever heard of the ball called fury? it looks very well designed and people seem to have good results with it. it seems to have a good late hook like you have with the big blue pearl. here are a couple of videos: http://youtube.com/watch?v=f1V5XX4LmZM&mode=related&search= and http://youtube.com/watch?v=GL4DjdjX4DM

[unfy]

Man I went bowling like a few weeks back, I was so bad, it was pathetic.

[Thrash]

Well we were both pretty drunk Unfy.

[klob-]

well right now i throw pretty much up and in and average about 185. my cousin and his best friend are in my league and are both averaging around 215right now and they both throw inside out. my cousin has 2 or 3 300's (all this year) and his friend has i think 5 or 6 (averages 1 a year). so i want to try to throw a deep inside-out line like they do, so i am looking for a ball with a lot of hook. i was looking on hammers website earlier and looking at the specs on all of their balls, and it said the No Mercy's hook on a scale of 1-30 is a 30.

[Stiffy]

Dont rely on inside out too much because if you go to any other houses or tournys with a different pattern you can get fucked. They laid some shitty patterns here in San Diego and straight up and in works best cuz you more or less avoid the oil. I guess from bowling in college and tournys no two lanes were the same and im glad i can do both, so dont get too far away from up and in.

[Stiffy]

btw...im a storm guy. Buy storm! :D

[Vr_]

i wish when they do cosmic bowling the paterns will glow.
i have bad night vision/dark vision =\

[klob-]

i did have a storm2 for awhile. it was decent, i just liked my hammers better.

[VisioN]

i used to like cosmic bowling until i realized i needed to start using the arrows to aim my ball, and i can't see the arrows at the cosmic bowling because its too dark :(

[klob-]

yea i have that same problem. that and the fact that no midnight bowling ive ever gone too have they ever oiled the lanes. so usually im not getting it out far enough since i cant see the arrows, but its taking off on me too since they are so dry.

[b-buddy]

i have like a 104 average

i love bowling

[VisioN]

yeah they usually get very dry as the day goes on it seems. anyway that no mercy ball you were talking about seems to get pretty good reviews as well. however it has came out a while ago. if you are going with that i would wait for the updated version which comes out next month and claims to have a better hook on it as well with a violent hook reactive coverstock.

there is a scale that is supposed to measure how good a ball hooks that is called the perfect scale. plastic balls being at 5 with no hook, going all the way up to 300 which no ball has reached yet. the highest perfect scale on a ball recorded is the fury i was talking about earlier with a 222.8. the older no mercy has a 205.6, and the newer no mercy will have a 207.8.

here are some links(they also have reviews, you may have already discovered this site):

older no mercy: http://www.bowlingball.com/Bowling-Ball-4917/hammer-no-mercy.html

newer no mercy: http://www.bowlingball.com/Bowling-Ball-5268/hammer-no-mercy-beat-n.html

fury: http://www.bowlingball.com/Bowling-Ball-5029/brunswick-fury.html

those are just the balls that are relavent to what we've been talking about. you should check out other balls on there too to see if you like anything else.

the big blue pearl is also on here(most balls are) http://www.bowlingball.com/Bowling-Ball-1849/hammer-big-blue-pearl.html
it has a perfect scale of 170.0 so the other 3 balls listed above will probably hook quite a bit more than what you're used to

as far as black widows they will hook just a little bit more than what you're use to because the perfect scales aren't that much higher than the big blue pearl. there are 2 of them on this site, one of them being an older version and one being released in just a few days.

old black widow: http://www.bowlingball.com/Bowling-Ball-4444/hammer-black-widow.html with a 198.8 on the perfect scale

newer black widow: http://www.bowlingball.com/Bowling-Ball-5267/hammer-black-widow-pearl.html with a 199.9 on the perfect scale

[Badswell]

i've been carrying a 185-200 average for a while here and recent have switched over to an Ebonite Total NV at the end of the fall.

http://www.ebonite.com/products/detail.php?PRKey=272

Definately different but having a lot of fun with it.

[sc`]

I average like 140 or so, but I can't get into a sport that you have to pay every time to play.

[VisioN]

yeah bowling is pretty expensive, but its so much fun to me. the league i'm in for the summer isn't that bad though. you get to bowl 3 free games a day so i've been taking advantage of that.

as far as balls goes one of the people in our league got a black widow just a few days ago and that thing blows the pins up hard when it hits the pocket right. our league also offers a ball of our choice at the end of it and the black widow is probably the best available to choose from so i think i'm actually going to go with one myself.

total NV seems like a pretty sweet ball badswell.

[unfy]

i have like a 104 average

i love bowling

lol last time i had a score similar to that, although now I realize it was kinda late so the lane was probably dry, and I kept over-spinning the bitch

[ZeusofIowa]

I've been a frequent recreation bowler, but I average about 176-180/game with my high of 266. I don't use my thumb when I bowl... Tried to start using it,but have alot of trouble.. Anybody else not use their thumb?

[unfy]

I don't use my thumb, mainly because I don't have my own ball which is drilled right, and because bowling alley balls have tiny holes and too close together for me.

[bbbd]

I throw this http://www.stormbowling.com/products/balls/archive-ball.asp?ballid=144

got me a 300 with it, and another 300 but it was in a 9-9-8-7 pin tourney and I was the 8 pin man. I did have 10 real strikes in that game so hey.

I pull about a 190 avg before I get drunk. I haven't bowled league in about 4 years I just go about once a week to Quartermania.

Pay 6 bucks, and the games are free and beer is a quarter. Goes on for about 2 and a half hours. so you got 4 people you get in 3-4 games. it's a pretty good deal.

The other ball I use is my favorite it's a Brunswick Combat zone. I've had it since like 98-99. Guy I bought it from bowled a couple 300's with it. It will hook a shit load if you need it to. I can't find shit on the web about it anymore. Just some guys angelfire bowlingball review site. http://www.angelfire.com/il/A300bowlingballs/#comb My highest game with this ball is only a 254, but I have the most fun throwing the shit outta it.

Bowling will always be fun no matter what. My back could hurt like a mother fucker from work, and I'd still go bowling if someone asked me. I went bowling once with a walking cast on and a broken ankle. Kinda sucked cause it was my slide foot, but I still had fun.

[N.O.T.O.R.I.O.U.S.]

i have like a 104 average

i love bowling

You suck...

[shooterstour]

I usually bowl in 2 leagues in the winter and tournaments every weekend. In the summer I usually bowl 2 short leagues, but I'm taking this summer off. I average about 205+ in the winter and in the scratch league I'm bowling in this summer I'm averaging around 235. I went to the national bowling tournament in reno this year and did alright. I won about 2600$ in brackets and averaged around 190 on some of the toughest lane conditions out there. In one of the side tournaments with a mixed sport/flat oil pattern I shot 789... started with a 289 left a 9 pin on my eleventh ball. I only throw ebonite balls. A local pro and his buddy are on the ebonite staff so he gets me everything I need. I have thousands of dollars invested into bowling. I defintely do not recommend buying bowling balls of the internet due to the majority of the sites sell balls that are defected in some way and cannot be sold in a pro shop. I also throw the total NV and pearlized smash time now. I probably have 20-30 bowling balls at my disposal at any given time. To answer your question on the black widow.. I've rolled it, liked it , hated it and gave it back.:) I do not recommend spending that type of money on a bowling ball if you are just starting out when there are other balls with a cheaper price tag that will do what you need it too; however, if you have money to blow buy it.

[Phazex3375]

bowled varsity in high school lol. and no tap is dumb.

[Redneck]

If the place has a bar or I can sneak a flask in, I'm game.

[ZeusofIowa]

I throw this http://www.stormbowling.com/products/balls/archive-ball.asp?ballid=144

got me a 300 with it, and another 300 but it was in a 9-9-8-7 pin tourney and I was the 8 pin man. I did have 10 real strikes in that game so hey.

I pull about a 190 avg before I get drunk. I haven't bowled league in about 4 years I just go about once a week to Quartermania.

Pay 6 bucks, and the games are free and beer is a quarter. Goes on for about 2 and a half hours. so you got 4 people you get in 3-4 games. it's a pretty good deal.

The other ball I use is my favorite it's a Brunswick Combat zone. I've had it since like 98-99. Guy I bought it from bowled a couple 300's with it. It will hook a shit load if you need it to. I can't find shit on the web about it anymore. Just some guys angelfire bowlingball review site. http://www.angelfire.com/il/A300bowlingballs/#comb My highest game with this ball is only a 254, but I have the most fun throwing the shit outta it.

Bowling will always be fun no matter what. My back could hurt like a mother fucker from work, and I'd still go bowling if someone asked me. I went bowling once with a walking cast on and a broken ankle. Kinda sucked cause it was my slide foot, but I still had fun.

weird, bbd you live in des moines? Have the ex tat same deal at the bowling alley I go to... $6 cover with 50 cent games and beer.

[VisioN]

shooter... hows the total NV working for you? i hear it has good length with a strong backend that smashes the pins hard when it hits the pocket high or low flush most of the time with good carry. i've been considering getting one. also, how fast does it soak up oil? do you have to give it a bath or bake it a lot?

[|2on]

i was actually gonna make a thread about this the other day but i thought no one would read it and it would just get filtered into the abyss of the catacombs.

I have a storm big hit, pretty decent beginners ball. I don't know what to classify the way i bowl as, i don't know what the difference is between a cranker and all that other shit, i want to get better because my average is like 140, with a really bad start at the beginning of my league. We're now 4 weeks in and last week i bowled better.

Anyone got a site or something that tells you what a cranker is and all that jazz, i've looked online but haven't really found anything that looks like what i do.

I started off on dry lanes just bowling with friends every week or so, but once i moved to league it took me a little while to get used to actually bowling on oiled lanes. Anyways.....


I have a storm big hit, it doesn't hook as much as i want it to at all, but recently (the past 2 weeks) I've been doing exceptionally well with it, I was looking at getting a new ball, and the difference between the ball i have, and the ball i was going to get (Brunswick radical inferno) is huge, i don't know if this would help, or hinder my game. Any input would be really helpful. This is the first serious league I've bowled in ever, but I've always liked bowling. I'm looking to improve but i don't know how...

I kinda bowl the way you would bowl if you were palming the ball... i know it isn't the conventional way, but i've learned to adapt... I just want to be able to put the massive hook on my ball that i see everyone else do at my league..

my ball now just hooks very gradually, i don't know if that's me, or the ball.... i have a lot of rpms on my ball because of the way i throw it, but it just doesn't catch, if i throw it too fast it'll slide right down the lane and go to the right of the pocket every time...

any tips or anything?

[VisioN]

i was actually gonna make a thread about this the other day but i thought no one would read it and it would just get filtered into the abyss of the catacombs.

I have a storm big hit, pretty decent beginners ball. I don't know what to classify the way i bowl as, i don't know what the difference is between a cranker and all that other shit, i want to get better because my average is like 140, with a really bad start at the beginning of my league. We're now 4 weeks in and last week i bowled better.

Anyone got a site or something that tells you what a cranker is and all that jazz, i've looked online but haven't really found anything that looks like what i do.

I started off on dry lanes just bowling with friends every week or so, but once i moved to league it took me a little while to get used to actually bowling on oiled lanes. Anyways.....


I have a storm big hit, it doesn't hook as much as i want it to at all, but recently (the past 2 weeks) I've been doing exceptionally well with it, I was looking at getting a new ball, and the difference between the ball i have, and the ball i was going to get (Brunswick radical inferno) is huge, i don't know if this would help, or hinder my game. Any input would be really helpful. This is the first serious league I've bowled in ever, but I've always liked bowling. I'm looking to improve but i don't know how...

I kinda bowl the way you would bowl if you were palming the ball... i know it isn't the conventional way, but i've learned to adapt... I just want to be able to put the massive hook on my ball that i see everyone else do at my league..

my ball now just hooks very gradually, i don't know if that's me, or the ball.... i have a lot of rpms on my ball because of the way i throw it, but it just doesn't catch, if i throw it too fast it'll slide right down the lane and go to the right of the pocket every time...

any tips or anything?

i'm fairly new to bowling myself so take my advice with a grain of salt, however i have done a LOT of research the past few days on very many different aspects of the game, such as balls, lane conditions, releases, and other things of that nature.

right off the bat i'll tell you dont just eyeball a ball you want. get a ball that does something you want it to do. personally, i want a ball that has a lot of length (meaning it goes down the lane fairly straight) and has a good backend (meaning it hooks at the end of the lane into the pins, preferably the pocket). to find the right ball for you, you either have to do your own research online, or talk to your local pro shop guys and see what they say. sometimes the pro shop guys are actually nice enough to watch you bowl and see if they can figure out something that best suits you.

i'm also going to tell you that you should do what works best for you, but at the same time you should grip the ball with all 3 fingers in the holes. if you have your own ball and it was drilled for your hand this shouldn't be a problem. this is a proper grip and will only help your game. if you're really serious about getting better and you get a new ball, i would strongly consider a finger tip grip and not the normal conventional grip.

you don't need a massive hook to strike. however it is good to hook the ball because the entry of angle will have a greater chance of striking than a normal straight ball, but nothing massive is needed to bowl good. but if thats what you wanna do and thats your style, then go for it. which by the way if you want a massive hook then i'm not so sure the radical inferno would be the best choice.

i'm not quite sure on this just yet, but as far as i've read a cranker is someone who put a lot of speed on the ball and a lot of revs, and someone who likes to cover more of the boards (meaning they release it from the very left dot and throw it down and across the lane to the right side if they are right handed and it comes back into the pocket with the hook)

as far as your storm big hit goes and the reason to why it isn't hooking is most likely one of two reasons, or maybe both. the storm big hit isn't made for heavier oil conditions and will have trouble with a certain amount of oil. its only made for drier and maybe lightly medium conditions. some balls just handle oil really bad and are only made for dry conditions.

the other reason could be because your ball has soaked up too much oil and you need to clean it out. if you have used your ball for 50+ games there is a good chance that the cover has soaked up quite a bit of oil. if your ball is a particle or reactive resin ball which i'm willing to bet that it is because its a storm, then over time they will soak up oil into the coverstock, especially if its really soft. to get it out, you have to give it bath with really hot water and some dawn. if thats really the problem i could explain how to do it in further detail. most pro shop also have a special oven designed to fix problems like that usually for a fee. unfortunately almost all reactive resin/particle balls will do this, its just a matter of how fast they do it. a lot of people call these balls sponges because they soak in so much oil.

hope this helps. sorry if its too long. i really like to talk bowling!

[bbbd]

Naw Zeus I live in Cedar Falls, but I've been to several other towns in Iowa that also have that deal too. Maybe it's an Iowa thing I don't know, but it's fun as hell.

[ass*assassin]

Too many rookies equate a big hook with a big average or scoring big.. two of my 300's were bowled using white dots and basically throwing the ball down the 10 board..

don't get sucked into this misconception.. i can make any bowling ball hook out of the house.. the trick is, getting the ball to be controllable, to where i know where it's going all the time.. too many new players have lost the art of 'shot making'.. that is, improvising a shot when the lanes break down..

[shooterstour]

the total envy is a good ball but it all depends on how its drilled and setup. I have mine drilled to go super long because i tend to keep a lot of hand behind the ball and get more end over end roll since the houses i tend to bowl in are dryer.. as to hitting the pocket it really all depends. I tend to leave 9 pins in houses that are dry with it hitting with too much drive, but on a shot with more oil light hits carry. I would not consider myself a cranker by any means.. thats not saying i cannot, i just dont control a huge hook as well as i can something a slight bit straighter. I would recommend anyone who is getting into bowling seriously, to try to throw different lines because when i went to reno on a very tough condition( even compared to PBA shots) the only way i could score was to move more inside or take a ton of ball speed off and play down the boards.

side note: the ball is pearlized so it normally wont soak oil as bad as duller balls but i would recommend cleaning it every so often.

[|2on]

i'm fairly new to bowling myself so take my advice with a grain of salt, however i have done a LOT of research the past few days on very many different aspects of the game, such as balls, lane conditions, releases, and other things of that nature.

right off the bat i'll tell you dont just eyeball a ball you want. get a ball that does something you want it to do. personally, i want a ball that has a lot of length (meaning it goes down the lane fairly straight) and has a good backend (meaning it hooks at the end of the lane into the pins, preferably the pocket). to find the right ball for you, you either have to do your own research online, or talk to your local pro shop guys and see what they say. sometimes the pro shop guys are actually nice enough to watch you bowl and see if they can figure out something that best suits you.

i'm also going to tell you that you should do what works best for you, but at the same time you should grip the ball with all 3 fingers in the holes. if you have your own ball and it was drilled for your hand this shouldn't be a problem. this is a proper grip and will only help your game. if you're really serious about getting better and you get a new ball, i would strongly consider a finger tip grip and not the normal conventional grip.

you don't need a massive hook to strike. however it is good to hook the ball because the entry of angle will have a greater chance of striking than a normal straight ball, but nothing massive is needed to bowl good. but if thats what you wanna do and thats your style, then go for it. which by the way if you want a massive hook then i'm not so sure the radical inferno would be the best choice.

i'm not quite sure on this just yet, but as far as i've read a cranker is someone who put a lot of speed on the ball and a lot of revs, and someone who likes to cover more of the boards (meaning they release it from the very left dot and throw it down and across the lane to the right side if they are right handed and it comes back into the pocket with the hook)

as far as your storm big hit goes and the reason to why it isn't hooking is most likely one of two reasons, or maybe both. the storm big hit isn't made for heavier oil conditions and will have trouble with a certain amount of oil. its only made for drier and maybe lightly medium conditions. some balls just handle oil really bad and are only made for dry conditions.

the other reason could be because your ball has soaked up too much oil and you need to clean it out. if you have used your ball for 50+ games there is a good chance that the cover has soaked up quite a bit of oil. if your ball is a particle or reactive resin ball which i'm willing to bet that it is because its a storm, then over time they will soak up oil into the coverstock, especially if its really soft. to get it out, you have to give it bath with really hot water and some dawn. if thats really the problem i could explain how to do it in further detail. most pro shop also have a special oven designed to fix problems like that usually for a fee. unfortunately almost all reactive resin/particle balls will do this, its just a matter of how fast they do it. a lot of people call these balls sponges because they soak in so much oil.

hope this helps. sorry if its too long. i really like to talk bowling!


yeah h'm looking for a ball with heavy back end, because i want to go with a different approach. Its hard to explain but i have two approaches i use, the first of which that i use with my big hit storm is. My ball has such a gradual hook that i have to give it a lot of revs... Yes you're right my ball does not like heavy oil, on dry lanes i throw it with a lot of speed, and i get a lot of pin action, I want to continue doing that but i can't with this ball.

I do use all the finger holes, but i throw it like i am palming it... its really hard to explain.... i have a fingertip grip that i got drilled when i first got the ball.

if that's true about a cranker, then i'm a cranker, though i have recently changed my line to go more straight down most of the lane and come in on the pins, only because my ball does not like so much oil. On dry lanes i line up on the farthest left dot, go all the way to the right gutter, and come back in, my ball just won't do it if theres any oil on the lanes lol.


yes i would really like to know how to bath my ball, it would probably help a ton because my ball is about a year old, but I've bowled for the past year almost every week... so i should probably do this.

I wish i could try a ball out before i buy it, because i know what i want it to do, i just can't really explain it. Youtube videos of the ball just don't cut it for me, that's why ive been so wary to buy a new ball, i don't want to buy one and then bowl shitty with it...


hope this helps. sorry if its too long. i really like to talk bowling!

hhahaha me too, my league is tonight and i usually bowl before hand with my friends... but they have to work today... so I'm disappointed.... :\

my average in the league is a 140, but that's because the first 3 weeks were basically the first time I've ever bowled on freshly oiled lanes... now that i'm getting used to them i'm doing much better. Last week i bowled a 206 first game, a 171,then a 198 not fantastic but still a good amount better than my average. The other team was pissed... they thought we were sandbagging because all of our averages were really low, so we got 70 pins... We still beat em scratch every game because just like me my teammates don't bowl on oiled lanes ever, and we're just getting used to em. its pretty fun.

[VisioN]

yeah h'm looking for a ball with heavy back end, because i want to go with a different approach. Its hard to explain but i have two approaches i use, the first of which that i use with my big hit storm is. My ball has such a gradual hook that i have to give it a lot of revs... Yes you're right my ball does not like heavy oil, on dry lanes i throw it with a lot of speed, and i get a lot of pin action, I want to continue doing that but i can't with this ball.

I do use all the finger holes, but i throw it like i am palming it... its really hard to explain.... i have a fingertip grip that i got drilled when i first got the ball.

if that's true about a cranker, then i'm a cranker, though i have recently changed my line to go more straight down most of the lane and come in on the pins, only because my ball does not like so much oil. On dry lanes i line up on the farthest left dot, go all the way to the right gutter, and come back in, my ball just won't do it if theres any oil on the lanes lol.


yes i would really like to know how to bath my ball, it would probably help a ton because my ball is about a year old, but I've bowled for the past year almost every week... so i should probably do this.

I wish i could try a ball out before i buy it, because i know what i want it to do, i just can't really explain it. Youtube videos of the ball just don't cut it for me, that's why ive been so wary to buy a new ball, i don't want to buy one and then bowl shitty with it...




hhahaha me too, my league is tonight and i usually bowl before hand with my friends... but they have to work today... so I'm disappointed.... :\

my average in the league is a 140, but that's because the first 3 weeks were basically the first time I've ever bowled on freshly oiled lanes... now that i'm getting used to them i'm doing much better. Last week i bowled a 206 first game, a 171,then a 198 not fantastic but still a good amount better than my average. The other team was pissed... they thought we were sandbagging because all of our averages were really low, so we got 70 pins... We still beat em scratch every game because just like me my teammates don't bowl on oiled lanes ever, and we're just getting used to em. its pretty fun.

here is a link on directions on how to give your ball a bath (its a PDF): http://bayarea-bowlers.org/10pin/equipment_care/ball_rejuvenation.pdf
its probably a little time consuming but i bet it will help bring your ball back to life especially if you keep doing cycles until you see no more oil seeping out of it. if you find out you have a plastic or polyester ball (which i'm pretty sure the storm big hit isn't) then DON'T use this.

i would definately suggest learning how to play different lines to the pocket and not use the same one every time. when i first started i tried using the same one every time and it just didn't work out the best sometimes. sometimes the lane condition will require you to change your line to be able to do anything. i know at practice this past sunday i couldn't figure out the line for the life of me and could never hit the pocket consistant like i usually can. i hope i get that condition more so i can get better at it.

i wish i could try out the balls before i bought them too. i had a really hard time deciding what ball i wanted for a long time but after doing 3 days of research i think i finally decided on the total NV. if you're a cranker and really want a good backend high performance ball i would suggest the fury made by brunswick. there are some videos of it on youtube, but you're right they don't cut it. i wish i could find someone at my alley that had the ball to watch them bowl with it.

i still haven't quite reached my 200 yet but i should have hit it a couple times already. i'm pretty inconsistant with a lot of my game (mainly spares and i don't get good pin reaction and carry for strikes) but i've have got a lot better since my league started and can hit the pocket fairly consistant. being consistant is a real big part to be a good bowler. my ball seems to deflect the pins on a good pocket shot a lot of the time and will leave pins in the middle. which i guess is a big reason why i'm getting a new ball, plus i don't have a finger tip grip on it. i also need to go up in weight on my ball as well, which i think will help.

hey, if they can't bowl with you, then you can always go by yourself :)
i do it all the time and actually enjoy the time to myself. i can concentrate on getting better a lot easier and usually bowl better by myself.

P.S. - tell me how the bath goes if you decide to do it.

[shooterstour]

i dont recommend baking your balls yourself.. because for one you can't take the temp past about 90-100 degrees and not worry about anything going wrong if you are thinking of doing it.

Viz.. you can throw 2 strikes and the rest spares and shoot 200 :P

[VisioN]

yeah i wouldn't recommend baking one yourself either, but giving it a bath is not a problem and will have the same effect.

i'm always 1 or 2 spares off. i'm pretty surprised i can throw 160+ pretty often and haven't had a 200 yet. every game i've bowled has had a least 1 open frame :(

[|2on]

well tonight i bowled a 192, a 190, and 165... some shitty breaks with splits otherwise i would have broken 200 the first two games.


our team is first place, we're 16-4 and i'm the best bowler on the team... dunno how that happens but i'll take it... Next week we bowl the team under us for winner of the first half, they are 12-8 so we have a 4 game cushion. As long as we don't get swept with an 0-4 we'll be in the rolloff at the end of the league. its just a short 12 week league... only 8 teams in it lol...

anyone else in any leagues right now? how are yall doin?

[ass*assassin]

yeah i wouldn't recommend baking one yourself either, but giving it a bath is not a problem and will have the same effect.

i'm always 1 or 2 spares off. i'm pretty surprised i can throw 160+ pretty often and haven't had a 200 yet. every game i've bowled has had a least 1 open frame :(

baking the bowling ball? Ain't done that, however, i did wet sand one once in the commode in vegas once.. yeah, put some wet sandpaper in the commode and put my bowling ball in the water, and sanded away!!!! had my ball hooking like no ones business...

put one ball in my car in the vegas sun once and let it 'bake' that way.. softened it right up.. :)

[VisioN]

baking the bowling ball? Ain't done that, however, i did wet sand one once in the commode in vegas once.. yeah, put some wet sandpaper in the commode and put my bowling ball in the water, and sanded away!!!! had my ball hooking like no ones business...

put one ball in my car in the vegas sun once and let it 'bake' that way.. softened it right up.. :)

yeah, baking it or giving it a bath will bring your ball back to life after it soaks up so much oil it doesn't react like it should. sanding it won't take the oil out, but depending on what way you sand/polish it it can change the reaction of the ball, such as the backend, the length, the arc, and things of the nature.

well tonight i bowled a 192, a 190, and 165... some shitty breaks with splits otherwise i would have broken 200 the first two games.


our team is first place, we're 16-4 and i'm the best bowler on the team... dunno how that happens but i'll take it... Next week we bowl the team under us for winner of the first half, they are 12-8 so we have a 4 game cushion. As long as we don't get swept with an 0-4 we'll be in the rolloff at the end of the league. its just a short 12 week league... only 8 teams in it lol...

anyone else in any leagues right now? how are yall doin?

yeah i'm in a 18 week summer league. there are only 4 teams in it and none of the teams are filled all the way up. the other guy on my team averages a 215 and we're in 2nd place. however no one is really paying attention to that and we're just having fun. i think most of the people in this league if not all are playing for the new ball because we get a ball of our choice at the end of the league and aren't really concerned about the rankings. on a different note is your name josh?

[|2on]

yeah i'm in a 18 week summer league. there are only 4 teams in it and none of the teams are filled all the way up. the other guy on my team averages a 215 and we're in 2nd place. however no one is really paying attention to that and we're just having fun. i think most of the people in this league if not all are playing for the new ball because we get a ball of our choice at the end of the league and aren't really concerned about the rankings. on a different note is your name josh?


i don't think that we get anything for this league... i think we might get money per win, and we get money if we win the championship, i would totally do one for a new ball lol.

hmm actually my name is abnormally simple... it's Ron lol.

[shooterstour]

i took the summer off for leagues, i subbed for a friend in a scratch league where you bowl 4 games. I shot 205 268 256 and 236. I'm bowling this sunday in a tournament though. I think it's 45$ to get in and first place pays about 500$

[s1nger1]

I use to bowl alot. I went to all kinds of tourney and won all kinds of money. I averaged anywhere from 190-225 depending on what the pattern was like. Surgery to repair knee issues soon hope to be out there soon. I have had 10 + 300's and 4 800's. Haven't missed it in the last few years. I was majorly burned out due to touney traveling.

[VisioN]

finally hit a 200 game today with a 216. its about time! too bad it wasn't in league play though :(

[ass*assassin]

bowling ball sites;

http://www.bowlingballreviews.com/
http://www.bowlingballinfo.com/
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Best-Bowling-Balls-/-How-to-Know-What-You-Are-Looking-For&id=343629
http://www.worldwidebowlingsupply.com/
http://www.brunswickbowling.com/consumer_products
http://www.bowlingfans.com/

lots of reading here.. and, i was a pro on the mini-tour (northwestern area) for 9 years.. 2 years military world champ at bowling and all-navy/all-military teams too.. (got me outta a lot of work!! ) i got three uncles who were/are pros, my mother was one of the first women pro's and even my little sister is a pro in my family.. she is now on the womens regional tour in the mid-west.. and i am her coach whenever i get a chance.. lost part of my leg due to military stuff, but i still give it a go..

[Magus]

guys i just wanted to post here that i bowled a perfect game in wii bowling last night, not having played in like 2 months.

[VisioN]

bowling ball sites;

http://www.bowlingballreviews.com/
http://www.bowlingballinfo.com/
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Best-Bowling-Balls-/-How-to-Know-What-You-Are-Looking-For&id=343629
http://www.worldwidebowlingsupply.com/
http://www.brunswickbowling.com/consumer_products
http://www.bowlingfans.com/

lots of reading here.. and, i was a pro on the mini-tour (northwestern area) for 9 years.. 2 years military world champ at bowling and all-navy/all-military teams too.. (got me outta a lot of work!! ) i got three uncles who were/are pros, my mother was one of the first women pro's and even my little sister is a pro in my family.. she is now on the womens regional tour in the mid-west.. and i am her coach whenever i get a chance.. lost part of my leg due to military stuff, but i still give it a go..

thats pretty sweet... if only my mom liked to bowl... lol