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"I thought that the further the mb from your track, until you reach the midpoint between your track and your axis, the stronger the downlane reaction?????"

I saw this in a post in the Track section. Is this correct?

That thought process is old technology.

Follow up by reading this...

http://www.morichbowling.com/Drilling/DualAngleSeminar/DualAngleSeminar.htm

good luck and good bowling.

Thanks, I appreciate it.

Old technology, maybe. Still does not answer the question. Is it correct. Based on what I have seen and experienced, it is correct.

Those that can do. Those that can't complain. Pimpin ain't easy, but it's mandatory.

Most things we like, we don't need. Most things we need, we don't like. Don't confuse your likes with your needs.

I too would like to understand the "old technology" answer a bit better. I've always hated asym, and this answer may help. From the way I see it, if I were to measure halfway from my track to my axis (I assume we are talking VAL in this case), the MB would end up in my thumb. Also, I've heard several say that in order for me to cure my inability to make any asym turn, I need to move the MB way out to the VAL. These statements seem to be in conflict with the original answer. Can someone explain?

Thanks in advance

Steve

Signature? I dont need no stinking signature...

(I think this is what the "old technology" is suppose to be.)

Mass Bias Position

by Jeff Piroozshad

from here

http://www.bowlingfans.com/jeff/ballreactionbasics.html

As I've said, I see the mass bias as controlling the reaction on the backend of the lane. More specifically, it controls the SHAPE of the hook. This is different than the amount of hook, which is nothing more than total boards covered. Total boards of hook is more dictated by the flare potential the ball has combined with how much energy the ball has retained and how much energy the ball has already used. Energy retention is affected by factors such as surface preparation, amount of oil, ball speed, revolutions, rev rate, axis of rotation and axis tilt.

The mass bias of a bowling ball basically tells you in which direction the mass of the ball is biased towards (whoa, I'm sure THAT helped). This is different than the center of gravity of the ball. On balls that do not have symmetrical cores (Ebonite has a lot of these lately), or balls that are symmetrical in shape but not in density, where one side of the core is denser than the other (Storm likes to do this), it tells you where the heavier, denser, more massive (pick your favorite adjective) part of the core is.

What does this mean? I have no idea. However, I can tell you what happens when you put the mass bias marking in different places and how it will affect your ball reaction. There are four basic locations you can put the mass bias on a bowling ball:

On your track

On your Vertical Axis Line (VAL)

Halfway between the track and the VAL

Past your VAL

On your track

This mass bias location, also referred to as a "1:30" drilling because the pin will end up at approximately a 1:30 clock position to the center of gravity (the CG being the center of the clock) will make the ball have an ARC reaction on the backend of the lane. The reaction will not be very snappy and will generally be smooth.

This also tends to be a good drill pattern for large, smooth, sweeping hook balls but only because the pin position usually ends up in a high flare potential position, not because of the location of the mass bias. If you put the pin on your axis and the MB on your track, you will not get a very large hooking bowling ball because of the very low flare potential that comes with that pin position.

On your VAL

Ok, first...what the heck is the Vertical Axis Line? It is very simple. The Vertical Axis Line is a vertical line that goes through your Positive Axis Point. For instance, my PAP is 5 3/4" right and 7/16" up. The line you use to go "up" would be the vertical axis line...just extend the line about 6 or 7 inches in the down direction and you can use it for mass bias location.

When you put the MB on the VAL, the ball reaction shape will be forward roll. When you want the ball to straighten out on the backend, this is the drill pattern that people go for. It is also called a "10:30" drill pattern because the pin will end up being located at a 10:30 position from the CG. I tend to use this drill pattern when I play outside the second arrow. I figure from there, the ball has enough entry angle as it is, so I don't want any more "sharpness" on the backend than necessary. This helps the ball straighten out and the entry angle is not too sharp.

Halfway between the track and the VAL

For all you brave souls (and those of you who want to see their balls do tricks), this is the "major flip" MB location. When control on the backend isn't so important and you want to maximize your entry angle and power transferred to the pins, this is the way to go. This also is a great MB location for playing the extreme inside angles like 5th arrow and deeper. From that far inside, you'll need as much entry angle as you can generate to get the ball to turn the corner, hit the pocket, and still have enough energy left to kick the corner pins out. When the lanes fry out, this is a great option if you would rather move deeper into the oil with an aggressive ball instead of staying outside with a mellower bowling ball.

As with all previous sections, you can also tweak the reaction by placing the mass bias between two of the locations described above to create a combination of the two.

Past your Vertical Axis Line

If you put the mass bias past your VAL, the ball will rev up a lot and very early. Some manufacturers' drill instructions say that this is for "maximum revolutions" or "earlier hook" but it's all about the core being able to rev up harder and faster. This layout is great for flooded heads and also for soft handed people who cannot get the ball to rev up enough to make a move to the pocket. This also helps low-track players (spinners) as well.

One note about the mass bias - On asymmetric core bowling balls, the mass bias is marked on the ball. Each company does this in different ways. Storm uses an "MC2" while Ebonite uses a little picture of a bomb. They are not difficult to find when they are marked. However, balls with symmetric cores do not have a marked mass bias. These balls still have a mass bias, but it will not be as strong with respect to reaction effect.

To find the mass bias in non-marked balls, draw a line starting at the pin in the direction of the CG. Draw the line through the CG. Once you get to 6 3/4" from the pin, stop. This is the mass bias point. It is helpful to weigh the ball on a dodo scale before you do this because the CG is often marked inaccurately on bowling balls.

Another note about the mass bias - Similar to pin placement, one shouldn't refer to MB placement as a distance from the thumbhole because bowlers have different tracks, PAP's, etc. This reasoning is the same as the note at the end of the pin placement section above.

Edited by Aloarjr810 on 1/22/2011 at 6:48 AM

Great information, Aloarjr810. Thanks.

Yea, but is it accurate? At least I think that is the question.

duvallite wrote on 1/24/2011 4:08 PM:
Great information, Aloarjr810. Thanks.

Those that can do. Those that can't complain. Pimpin ain't easy, but it's mandatory.

Most things we like, we don't need. Most things we need, we don't like. Don't confuse your likes with your needs.

Well, it looks like there is still some debate regarding this. I'll have to do some more digging to see what the consensus is.

The description given is a little simplistic, and it only in a round about way shows the importance the distance of the MB from the axis. However, it is basically correct in my opinion. As others have stated, MB placement "shapes" the reaction. The midway point between the track and the axis is generally considered the "strongest" placement with closer to the axis giving an earlier roll, further away from the axis later roll.

With all that being said, I have read over and use the dual angle layout and find it easy to understand and reproduce from ball to ball. It allows you to better fine tune the reaction .

Hope this is helpful to you.

BallReviews

General Category => Drilling & Layouts => Topic started by: duvallite on January 19, 2011, 03:25:06 PM