Hi All,
It has been a little while, but I have ten or so minutes to spare for a question or two.
I am at the end of my first 12 months back in bowling and I am planning my bowling goals for next year.
One of the goals I set myself for this year was coming to grips with the ball technology. In 24 years away it had changed a lot. I have developed a drilling package that is very different from what I started with 12 months ago, gone up in weight and back down again. Chose to go lighter and be more accurate rather than stay up in weight and splay the ball around my target. Sure the 15’s hit harder than the 14’s but if I leave easier spares with the 14's I will be in front by having less opens. Yes, too much thought there.
What are your thought on your kit choices.
1: for me the grip on every ball has to be the same.
2: I like having two of the same ball in my bag, for example if I could I would have all the same range and model in my bag if possible.
My reason for this is that I will change the drilling layout and adjust the surface for the ball shape I am after and the differences are subtle. As I am still learning I have found this easy to choose when to change balls. The wrong ball choice is also more subtle.
3: I don’t believe in buying different balls then drilling them all the same. I see a lot of people do this.
Now I have heard the argument that the ball surface accounts for the majority of the performance. That is valid to a point. That point for me is up to the first time you change the ball surface out of the box.
I have seen all of the microscopic pictures showing the surface structure and the peaks and valley the manufacturers talk about. But surely the first time I throw that ball on the spinner and hit it with a sanding pad I am changing the ball surface and flattening that surface out to the grit surface I choose.
Yes, not all reactive balls are the same but is the new stuff that much better than some of the older stock of maybe two years ago. When you look at the Columbia and Brunswick range, some of the new balls use a proven core from model Y and add a proven cover stock from ball X and call it new.
What do you do with your kit, how do you build a four bag kit for tournament play?
Do you choose a different ball layout and add the surface to suit, or do you drill them all the same and se the surface to make a difference as the priority?
Do you look at the RG values and core shape to give the roll you want then add the surface tweaks to match?
Thanks for reading and I look forward to reading some thoughts and strategies.
It has been a little while, but I have ten or so minutes to spare for a question or two.
I am at the end of my first 12 months back in bowling and I am planning my bowling goals for next year.
One of the goals I set myself for this year was coming to grips with the ball technology. In 24 years away it had changed a lot. I have developed a drilling package that is very different from what I started with 12 months ago, gone up in weight and back down again. Chose to go lighter and be more accurate rather than stay up in weight and splay the ball around my target. Sure the 15’s hit harder than the 14’s but if I leave easier spares with the 14's I will be in front by having less opens. Yes, too much thought there.
What are your thought on your kit choices.
1: for me the grip on every ball has to be the same.
2: I like having two of the same ball in my bag, for example if I could I would have all the same range and model in my bag if possible.
My reason for this is that I will change the drilling layout and adjust the surface for the ball shape I am after and the differences are subtle. As I am still learning I have found this easy to choose when to change balls. The wrong ball choice is also more subtle.
3: I don’t believe in buying different balls then drilling them all the same. I see a lot of people do this.
Now I have heard the argument that the ball surface accounts for the majority of the performance. That is valid to a point. That point for me is up to the first time you change the ball surface out of the box.
I have seen all of the microscopic pictures showing the surface structure and the peaks and valley the manufacturers talk about. But surely the first time I throw that ball on the spinner and hit it with a sanding pad I am changing the ball surface and flattening that surface out to the grit surface I choose.
Yes, not all reactive balls are the same but is the new stuff that much better than some of the older stock of maybe two years ago. When you look at the Columbia and Brunswick range, some of the new balls use a proven core from model Y and add a proven cover stock from ball X and call it new.
What do you do with your kit, how do you build a four bag kit for tournament play?
Do you choose a different ball layout and add the surface to suit, or do you drill them all the same and se the surface to make a difference as the priority?
Do you look at the RG values and core shape to give the roll you want then add the surface tweaks to match?
Thanks for reading and I look forward to reading some thoughts and strategies.
The trouble with big surface is that it can't be accelerated like smooth surface can (tractor tyre vs. road tyre or even racing slick), unless you can generate unholy ball speed with big hand. (I've seen Belmo throw a sanded Virtual Gravity bouncing it beyond the speed of sound off the dusty outer boards of Orange. It's ear-piercingly redonkulous!)
