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Author Topic: Ball Suggestion For Newbees  (Read 2241 times)

Rstout

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Ball Suggestion For Newbees
« on: March 08, 2007, 04:48:17 AM »
Hi All,
Well I have been bowling since I was 8 and some 40 years later I find myself looking to introduce the game to my son (13) and girlfriend. Hammer has always matched well to my game and so naturally I'm looking to choose a ball from their lineup. However which one, what type of drill and what weight? I look forward to drawing on the opinions of the forum (instead of just one proshop) as I'm sure others have gone through this same process.
Thanks to all the members who contribute on a regular basis (like chitown) to make this forum a success. The advice to buy the Black Widow and how to drill the ball (contrary to how the proshop wanted to drill it) was spot on. I bowled a personal best on my Thursday Scratch Trio a few weeks ago (258 253 259 234) 770 for three games and 1004 for four. The next balls on my wish list are the No Mercy, Pain and Doom.
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Lightning1

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Re: Ball Suggestion For Newbees
« Reply #1 on: March 08, 2007, 01:24:00 PM »
Ball to go with for beginners

Vibe Blue (or Purple) - alot stronger than advertised, but can be tamed for dry lanes
Any spare ball (Tuff) - I have alot of problems picking the 10 pin up with a Vibe (better with my BW)

If they play up the arrows, the Vibe can be used on all oil conditions, if the kids will be swinging the ball out, then you might need something stronger for oily conditions

As far as layout, have no clue...Best to find a better proshop in your area to get them started....You may find that you'll have to adjust the layout as they get more comfortable and get their own style.

My oldest kid is 12 and I just bought him his first Vibe...I will probably be getting it re-drilled to fit his bowling within the next month.  They change alot in the beginning.

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insidedrive

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Re: Ball Suggestion For Newbees
« Reply #2 on: March 08, 2007, 02:43:03 PM »
this depends I think on the kind of style you want to teach your son.  If he has the potential to be a cranker then I would go with something geared towards that style.  To be honest th black widow is possibly the most versatile ball I have used or seen.  Yes it is high ebd and expensive but it will give your son the ability to bowl on any condition. other than that a pain or a doom is a great ball to enter the game with.
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themagician

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Re: Ball Suggestion For Newbees
« Reply #3 on: March 08, 2007, 02:59:21 PM »
quote:
this depends I think on the kind of style you want to teach your son.  If he has the potential to be a cranker then I would go with something geared towards that style.  To be honest the black widow is possibly the most versatile ball I have used or seen.  Yes it is high end and expensive but it will give your son the ability to bowl on any condition. other than that a pain or a doom is a great ball to enter the game with.



I would highly suggest not going with what he says. The widow is versatile but most of it is the bowler. As a beginner the Vibe series from hammer, the Tropical Storm Series from Storm, the Tornado Series by Ebonite and the Power Grooves by Brunswick are all great choices.

THe Power Groove's and Vibe's have been my pro shops favorites as they tend to be aggressive enough to stay in use over time rather than be the beginner ball that gets replace soon.

IMO get the vibe if your about hammer otherwise talk to a pro shop operator, and do not worry about the layout at this stage, let the show owner do this for now.
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Just another aspiring junior bowler who hasn't hit full stride yet.

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azguy

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Re: Ball Suggestion For Newbees
« Reply #4 on: March 08, 2007, 04:30:58 PM »
Get him a Vibe, I'd suggest a Purple one. Drill it , after talking to your pro shop folks. If you cam to my shop, I'd watch him, make a suggestion and find out what HE wants the ball to do. (as well as you, since you will be helping him). But online suggestions are not worth much for that, IMO. Sorry.
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HammerHombre

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Re: Ball Suggestion For Newbees
« Reply #5 on: March 09, 2007, 07:32:09 AM »
I agree with the suggestion for Vibe (Blue or Purple, either is a good starting point).  Also, the Pure may be a good suggestion as well.

For the starting weight, I have always used the theory for first time bowlers that 10% of the body weight is a good starting point.  However, with bowling centers having such a large quantity of house balls, your son and girlfriend can probably go to a bowling center and find a weight that feels comfortable to them.  Of course, making sure their hand fits decent is important.  If the hand does not fit well, a ball weight may not be determined correctly.  Take this for what its worth.

Good Luck!  Let us know the results and progress.

Chris
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Chris Heringer
Cincinnati, Ohio
Hammer Amateur Staff Member
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chitown

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Re: Ball Suggestion For Newbees
« Reply #6 on: March 09, 2007, 07:44:40 AM »
I would suggest a BLUE VIBE or DOOM for your sons first ball.  These balls are great in performance and price.  Since he's 13 years old I would suggest a ball weight of 13 lbs or 14 lbs.  

I would suggest the same bowling balls for your girlfriend.  The BLUE VIBE and DOOM are hard to beat when it comes to performance and price.  In fact, I personally feel the DOOM is THE BEST reactive pearl bowling ball made.  It's hit and carry is 2nd to none, except for maybe the NO MERCY.

Let us know what ball you decide.

I had my first finger tip bowling ball when I was 12 years old.  It was a black Ebonite ball that was 13lbs.  It was hard for to roll at first but got used to the finger tip grip.  You may want to start your boy out with a finger tip grip.  This is a great age for him to start with this type of grip.
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HAMMER NO MERCY is Un-freaking real!  Using this ball is like cheating!

Edited on 3/9/2007 8:44 AM

Edited on 3/9/2007 8:46 AM
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dizzyfugu

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Re: Ball Suggestion For Newbees
« Reply #7 on: March 09, 2007, 08:01:59 AM »
I'd also second a "simple" ball with a symmetrical core. The Doom should be a very good fir for a beginner, anything one could ask for, and the Blue Vibe is also a close alternative, I second chitown. Very versatile pieces, easy to control and with enough room to develop a personal style.

I'd stay away from high end stuff and asymmetrical cores (nodding towards magicmike). To exploit such a ball's potential, you should IMHO have a stable game and a driller who can set ball up for you. Nothing for a beginner. Otherwise, it is wasted money.

After all, it is the bowler who scores, not the ball. Both should match.
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DizzyFugu - Reporting from Germany
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Kahimi Karie, 'Good morning world'
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DizzyFugu ~ Reporting from Germany

phoenixheat

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Re: Ball Suggestion For Newbees
« Reply #8 on: March 09, 2007, 04:53:01 PM »
I have a Blue Vibe and I love it.  Also maybe look at the Brunswick BVP lineup...
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*** KEEP YOUR THUMB IN THE HOLE!***
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Rstout

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Re: Ball Suggestion For Newbees
« Reply #9 on: March 09, 2007, 10:59:03 PM »
Thanks to everyone who responded with all the good advice. I will be ordering a couple of Vibes along with a No Mercy for myself. I was on the fence about the drill for my son. But thinking back I think I was about 13 when I switched from conventional to fingertip grip with a Columbia Yellow Dot. Yes it was a bleeder and if you know what what means it dates both of us.
   Thanks,
          Rich
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chitown

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Re: Ball Suggestion For Newbees
« Reply #10 on: March 09, 2007, 11:44:02 PM »
It's best to start them young with the finger tip grip.  I really feel 13 years old is a great age for that.  It also get's then to hook the ball easier and may allow them to be more interested in the game.

The NO MERCY is a great choice.  I have 2 of them and it has become my favorite ball.  I can use it on everything but light oil and dry.  The cover responds well to changes.  I really like this ball at 2000 grit abralon.  

Just make sure your driller uses your pap for the layout.  I use the #6 layout on both of my NM's. I just changed the cover to seperate the reactions between them.  I'm thinking of picking up a 3rd and putting a control layout on it.

Just make sure he sues your pap.  One the #1 aggressive layout the picture shows the pin next to the ring finger.  However if you read the description it says to have the pin 4" to 5" from the bowlers pap. the pin next to the ring is not always going to be 4" to 5" from every bowlers pap.  For some it will put pin to close to there pap.  This will not give the bowler what they want in terms of ball reaction.

I know of two guys that had the pin next to the ring.  Well after measuring the pin to pap it came out a lot shorter than what they thought.  The guy on my league had his pin 2" from pap.  He didn't know much about layouts.  So we had the driller who's on our league check his pap.  This is not the driller who drilled his ball.  After finding his pap, the driller measured his NO MERCY.  He found that the pin was 2" from his pap.  What a huge mistake.  No wonder his NO MERCY was not hooking a lot.  The other guy I know said his pin ended up being like 3.5" from his pap.  Well this ball is very strong.  putting the pin in the strong position like 3.5" from pap is going to make this ball flare way too early and puke on the backend.  It's going to burn all it's energy in the mid-lane.  The cover and core is just too strong for a pin position like that.

Now if your driller follows the drill sheet description, you should get an awesome reaction out of the NO MERCY.
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HAMMER NO MERCY is Un-freaking real!  Using this ball is like cheating!
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