Sep 262011
Talk Bowling – Episode #97
Question from Sean D: Hey guys, first I would like to say that I have recently come across your site and its great to see that there is a place to get the kind of advice you guys are giving to people. With that said I have a question. How do I begin to build an effective arsenal? I have a bunch of bowling balls in my closet, but I’m not really sure if I have any “drivers" in there(stealing the golf bag analogy). I feel like I have an" iron" or two and a few “putters". Most of the balls I wind up with are hand-me-downs but I really want to get a couple of new pieces of my own. Right now I have the first black widow, an ultimate inferno, blue elite alien, virtual gravity, avalanche, c-system 4.5 and a mission. The only balls I got new are the first 3 and I only really use the first two. All the others I have either not thrown or have been unimpressed by them. Some of that may be my fault since I usually just plug the thumb on the hand-me-downs and just bowl over the original layout, but I really feel like I don’t have very many options on some league nights since I only bring and use my widow and inferno. Where do I go from here? Do I invest in redrilling some of those balls I have and get new stuff, or just scrap the stuff in my closet and start fresh? Thanks. Sean D.
A – Well there’s a lot to discuss here. Let’s start with the golf analogy. While it is a very good one, you have to be careful to not take it too literally. Yes, everyone hits their driver further than there 5 iron (hopefully). However, in bowling the “driver” could very different for each person. Actually your “driver” could be different bowling balls depending on the lane conditions. Long story short, there isn’t a single best answer. Many people are going to say your Virtual Gravity is the best “driver” out there.
That being said, unless the people you received the hand-me-downs from have the same Positive Axis Point (PAP) as you, the ball will roll differently than what the drilling was meant for.
Arsenals can vary depending on your goals. Are you just bowling league? Then you may only have one arsenal. Are you going to bowl tournaments? You may have different arsenals based on the expected lane conditions. Or you can just take all of your bowling balls to every tournament, which may be overkill.
My suggestion, make sure the layouts and your bowling balls match to your game. If not, plug and redrill. It looks like all of your bowling balls are very aggressive. You may want to consider some more mid range for when the lanes are drier, or the lanes break down. Consider some of these: Brunswick Slingshot, Roto Grip Bandit, Brunswick Lethal Revolver, Some of the Tropical Storms, DV8 Misfit.
How to contact us
Email us questions@talkbowling.com, Leave a comment on TalkBowling.com, On Twitter we are @TalkBowling
Sponsor:
This episode is brought to you by Elite Bowling. bowlingball.com is proud to now carry Elite, Rev and Yellow Jacket brands offering all of their equipment to our bowlers. Elite offers high quality, high performance equipment and now at some new lower prices. Check out our complete selection of Elite equipment and coming soon we will have ball reaction videos for each ball in their line. Elite is currently running a special and you can receive a free hat and t shirt with the purchase of any high performance bowling ball. See site for details.
Last Week’s Question of the Week:
Q – When did the first syndicated bowling show appear on television?
A – The first syndicated bowling show was “Championship Bowling" which ran for 22 seasons beginning in 1954.
Question of the Week:
Q – Where was the oldest bowling alley in the world discovered and when was it built?
A – Watch the next episode for the answer
Contest reminder:
bowlingball.com gives away a brand new bowling ball every week of the year. 52 weeks, 52 winners. All you have to do is signup for our contest weekly.
Also every month we give away 2 bowling balls on BowlingBoards.com. Come join the community of bowlers there, discuss equipment, lane conditions, tips, techniques, and more. Every post you make is an entry into a drawing for a brand new bowling ball.
Closing:
Please remember that bowlingball.com is free shipping on every item, every day. No hidden handling fees, no packaging fees, no added insurance fees. The price shown is the price you pay at checkout. No Surprises.
Question from Sean D: Hey guys, first I would like to say that I have recently come across your site and its great to see that there is a place to get the kind of advice you guys are giving to people. With that said I have a question. How do I begin to build an effective arsenal? I have a bunch of bowling balls in my closet, but I’m not really sure if I have any “drivers" in there(stealing the golf bag analogy). I feel like I have an" iron" or two and a few “putters". Most of the balls I wind up with are hand-me-downs but I really want to get a couple of new pieces of my own. Right now I have the first black widow, an ultimate inferno, blue elite alien, virtual gravity, avalanche, c-system 4.5 and a mission. The only balls I got new are the first 3 and I only really use the first two. All the others I have either not thrown or have been unimpressed by them. Some of that may be my fault since I usually just plug the thumb on the hand-me-downs and just bowl over the original layout, but I really feel like I don’t have very many options on some league nights since I only bring and use my widow and inferno. Where do I go from here? Do I invest in redrilling some of those balls I have and get new stuff, or just scrap the stuff in my closet and start fresh? Thanks. Sean D.
A – Well there’s a lot to discuss here. Let’s start with the golf analogy. While it is a very good one, you have to be careful to not take it too literally. Yes, everyone hits their driver further than there 5 iron (hopefully). However, in bowling the “driver” could very different for each person. Actually your “driver” could be different bowling balls depending on the lane conditions. Long story short, there isn’t a single best answer. Many people are going to say your Virtual Gravity is the best “driver” out there.
That being said, unless the people you received the hand-me-downs from have the same Positive Axis Point (PAP) as you, the ball will roll differently than what the drilling was meant for.
Arsenals can vary depending on your goals. Are you just bowling league? Then you may only have one arsenal. Are you going to bowl tournaments? You may have different arsenals based on the expected lane conditions. Or you can just take all of your bowling balls to every tournament, which may be overkill.
My suggestion, make sure the layouts and your bowling balls match to your game. If not, plug and redrill. It looks like all of your bowling balls are very aggressive. You may want to consider some more mid range for when the lanes are drier, or the lanes break down. Consider some of these: Brunswick Slingshot, Roto Grip Bandit, Brunswick Lethal Revolver, Some of the Tropical Storms, DV8 Misfit.
How to contact us
Email us questions@talkbowling.com, Leave a comment on TalkBowling.com, On Twitter we are @TalkBowling
Sponsor:
This episode is brought to you by Elite Bowling. bowlingball.com is proud to now carry Elite, Rev and Yellow Jacket brands offering all of their equipment to our bowlers. Elite offers high quality, high performance equipment and now at some new lower prices. Check out our complete selection of Elite equipment and coming soon we will have ball reaction videos for each ball in their line. Elite is currently running a special and you can receive a free hat and t shirt with the purchase of any high performance bowling ball. See site for details.
Last Week’s Question of the Week:
Q – When did the first syndicated bowling show appear on television?
A – The first syndicated bowling show was “Championship Bowling" which ran for 22 seasons beginning in 1954.
Question of the Week:
Q – Where was the oldest bowling alley in the world discovered and when was it built?
A – Watch the next episode for the answer
Contest reminder:
bowlingball.com gives away a brand new bowling ball every week of the year. 52 weeks, 52 winners. All you have to do is signup for our contest weekly.
Also every month we give away 2 bowling balls on BowlingBoards.com. Come join the community of bowlers there, discuss equipment, lane conditions, tips, techniques, and more. Every post you make is an entry into a drawing for a brand new bowling ball.
Closing:
Please remember that bowlingball.com is free shipping on every item, every day. No hidden handling fees, no packaging fees, no added insurance fees. The price shown is the price you pay at checkout. No Surprises.
5 Responses to “Talk Bowling #97 – Building an Arsenal of Bowling Balls”
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I am looking for some advice with building a bowling ball arsenal. I bowl 2 times a week and wanted to start bowling some local tournaments this fall. So I am looking for imformation on types of balls and layouts, any advice would be helpful.
Bowmanave,
Without knowing your game, there are difficulties in advising anyone on building an arsenal. However, we recommend you invest some time and read from literally hundreds of articles on bowling balls and articles relating to arsenal development, coverstock classifications, etc. You can read these articles absolutely free of charge 24 hours a day by clicking on the "BowlVersity" button on our home page at bowlingball.com.
By doing some research yourself and not relying totally on opinions of others, you can narrow down the type of bowling balls which might best suit your needs. Things to consider first are lane conditions, and we have many articles discussing lane conditions, ball surface strategies, manufacturer recommendations for drilling layout options, etc.
Kindly allow me to recommend (in the dark – without knowing your rev rate, axis tilt, launch velocity, and overall skill level) that you build an arsenal first with a ball which gives you a very smooth glide on the front end of the lane and a very controllable motion in the mid lane and on the back ends. 90% of all bowlers need control versus skid/flip balls or early hook balls. Then get one ball for extremely heavy oil conditions, and one for dry or medium/dry lanes. Owning a plastic ball for spares is not a bad idea either.
Next, read articles on our site about adjusting the surface textures for the balls you select and on your existing equipment. On the home page of our site, is a button labeled "Drilling Layouts". Once you choose a new bowling ball, click on that button and then on the manufacturer of the ball or balls you are purchasing and the various layout options will be provided to help you make a decision. Of course, consult with your chosen pro shop professional to make final decisions together.
Let me help you get started with a few links to articles which might be helpful in building your arsenal:
http://www.bowlingball.com/BowlVersity/solid-reac… http://www.bowlingball.com/BowlVersity/solid-reac… http://www.bowlingball.com/BowlVersity/bowling-ba… http://www.bowlingball.com/BowlVersity/how-to-get… http://www.bowlingball.com/BowlVersity/how-bowlin… http://www.bowlingball.com/BowlVersity/the-import… http://www.bowlingball.com/BowlVersity/how-to-fin…
These should get you started. Simply click on one link and read the article, then click on another and read that article, and so forth.
Please do not rely on others telling you entirely what to do – study information on your own, learn as much as you can about bowling balls, lane conditions, adjustments on the lanes, and so on. Reading these free articles can go a long way to getting you mentally prepared to bowl tournaments. We hope these articles help. Working with a professional bowling coach is also a good idea to tune your game for high levels of competition. Best of luck to you!!
What do you currently have in your arsenal?
i bowl with the storm nano pearl what would be another good ball to follow up with that because the oil pattern i bowl on starts out heavy but breaks down really fast?
Phillip,
Something like the Storm Frantic would be a great ball to step down to once the lanes start to break down.
http://www.bowlingball.com/products/bowling-balls…