This may help you....I hope
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.
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AZ Guy aka: R & L Bowlers Pro
rlbowlerspro@cox.net
www.rlbowlerspro.comSleep is over rated.
