For all the time I've been bowling, it's either been Storm or Brunswick (and a few Lane 1 balls here and there). Swore I'd never throw Ebonite, Hammer, etc. Recently though, Ebonite and Hammer have put out some very impressive balls. Haven't seen him in a while, but I know Jeff Ussery, and he knows his stuff, so I've tried to pay attention. My driller also predominantly throws Ebonite, and he's been an immeasurable source of help. After seeing Jeff's videos, seeing a friend throw the ball, and hearing my driller's recommendations (not necessarily in that order, lol), I decided to have him punch up an RXS300.
Keep in mind also that I've had some major fit problems which I've been working on extensively with my driller (Brian Zachary of In the Zone Pro Shop at the Topeka, KS location). The first ball I had him drill (which was also the first ball I hadn't drilled myself in almost 4 years) was a Red Zone. Jesse James (owner of the three IZPS pro shops, and a friend and former teammate of Jeff's at KU) picked the layout, and nailed it, couldn't have been happier with the ball. My fit on that was 4 5/8ths x 4 11/16ths with 0 forward/reverse and 3/8ths right/left on the fingers, and 1/16th reverse in the thumb, I believe. Once Brian had a chance to watch me more, he began to get some ideas about what was wrong with my swing. I do all kinds of funky things with my arm. Chicken wing, kinda flap my wrist, etc. I brought in a tape of how I used to throw the ball when I was throwing it clean as opposed to how I throw it now, because I've struggled quite a bit with my swing and release. Within 10 minutes, he had it narrowed down to my span.
He measured, and he got 4 1/2 x 4 5/8ths on the span. We put that on a ball, and it felt so much better. Well, long story short, once I got used to it, something still felt off. I'd also been having reaction problems, and that was combining with my fit issues to make for an ugly night here or there, especially when I'm tired (which is quite a bit due to my busy schedule). The problem was there and needed to be fixed, fatigue or not, so we did a more in depth fit to put on the RXS300. Here's what we came up with:
4 3/8ths x 4 7/16ths, 3/8ths left/right, and 1/4th REV in the fingers, and 1/16th FWD in the thumb. After a few shots trying to train myself how to hold the ball and throw it correctly, I found that I could shape my form a lot easier. I was able to keep my arm straighter and take a lot of the extra motion out. I was able to keep my wrist cupped, and my thumb relaxed and still hang onto and then let go of the ball (most of the time on the latter anyway, lol) and ended up with a much smoother shot, and found a lot better control. I was able to make smaller adjustments like angle of rotation, rev rate, and speed, where I used to have a lot more trouble with it. Also . . I was able to play straight up 2nd arrow at a house where I haven't gotten right of 3rd arrow at in a LONG time.
Ok, about the ball! An absolute mammoth difference in reaction from Brunswick. First thing I noticed is that I got an extra 3-5 feet of push. It revved smoothly without jumping, and delivered a very clean, smooth, and strong backend. We drilled it 5x5, with a half ounce weighthole just below my grip midline on my vertical axis line, I believe. The lanes were pretty well destroyed. There was a high school meet and then a couple hours of open play on the lanes before I got to them. I did throw a game in my street shoes earlier in the day when I got the ball drilled, and it seemed more angular, but still gave me that extra length. The lanes are normally notoriously dry. Short light oil. Not quite plastic ball dry, a Power Groove could be played inside 4th arrow pretty easily (Jesse starts with a Hyjinx at 5th arrow every week . .). The problem that I've always gotten from Brunswick stuff is that it starts moving the second it senses friction and burns too much energy too quickly, so the ball is either overhooking or not making it back and hitting flat. Part of it I'm sure was due to my fit problems, but I couldn't throw it hard and hit up on it at the same time, which was what the shot required. With the RXS, I'm getting a smoother read, an extra couple feet of length, and a lot more controllable backend, even in the mess I was bowling on. When I hung up or didn't get into it enough, it let me know just how messed up the lanes were, and really drove home how important it is and how much it helps to be able to throw the ball cleanly, it helps the ball ignore so many small problems in the shot. Granted the ball is drilled weaker and has a lot higher grit surface than most of my Brunswick stuff, but I know enough to know that I'll never get a reaction out of a Brunswick ball like I am out of the RXS.
Overall, I'm just shocked and impressed. I've got something much more comfortable to throw and a reaction that will let my accuracy start shining through. I can't wait to throw it at the other house I bowl at, heavier, flatter, longer oil, but with strong backends. I'm already excited about drilling up something to compliment it. Thinking an Angular One . . .
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Overdose, lethal metal level in my blood, it freely flows, embrace the pain, crush the suffering and cleanse it with the river surging through your veins.
