Is that ball speed at your release or towards the pins? That makes a huge difference.
What kind of ball are you using and how heavy is it? Is your ball roll more end over end or does it have a degree of axis rotation to help the ball change directions once it reaches the breakpoint? I ask because I have a guy on my team that has ball speed around 12.5 - 13.5 (more at the pins) and he shot 259 second game and 630 series last night and earlier in the year shot 300 in a different league. He is using a 14# Zen because the oil volume the first 25-30 feet is fairly heavy and he has a decent amount of axis tilt which promotes push. If you are using a ball that rolls too quickly and doesnt have enough pop on the backend, it wont have the energy to hit and drive through the pins. Truthfully 14mph is not that slow if we are talking about ball speed at the pins. So, what ball are you using, what kind of ball roll do you have, and where is that ball speed recorded?
Thanks all for the input and suggestions!
My ball speed is measured down lane where the cameras are located. As for what ball I am using, that's hard to tell. I use a little bit of everything. I will say this however, I tend to get a lot of 7 pins in a Bowl America house in VA, whose lanes always seem to develop over/under characteristics as the night goes on. In that house I use a 716C, a Bonus solid, Bonus pearl, a Vapor Zone hybrid, Paradox Black and a Katana Dragon on occasion.
I also will change release depending on how my leaves present themselves as the night goes on. I am distinctly rev dominant versus speed dominant.
On the fresh I tend do go up the back of the ball to start and then add rotation as I see fit.
I've had the most success using the Paradox Black with surface to eliminate the problem. Trouble is.....I tend to tear up the pattern and hurt my teammates when I use it.
When I play down and in, I tend to lean on the ball a little more and rarely have this issue. It's when I move in deeper to 3rd and 4th arrow and become a true stroker that I develop the 7 pin issue.
[/quote]
Good info that makes what your issue is more clear. So your ball speed at release is closer to 16mph. So ball speed is not the root cause for your 7 pins. It is proper entry angle. Sounds like the issue is that you dont have a ball that will go sideways on the backend when you have to move deeper and need that extra entry angle to drive through the pins. I am not familiar with the Katana Dragon but most everything else is more designed for control. Chances are the balls you have for playing inside are rolling a little too quick and therefore coming into the pocket too flat. You are missing that ball like a Wolverine, Spectre, RST-X2, or anything else with a mid to high RG and higher differential to help cover some boards on the backend of the lane. The only guys that can really get away with ball like the Vapor Zone and Bonus line from deeper angles are heavy handed guys (rev rate over 400) that can help make the ball change direction. Since you do not have that kind of rev rate, you need a ball to help do the work for you. Be willing to bet on half pocket hits your ball hits the pins and deflects towards the 9 pin due to loss of energy instead of driving through towards the 8 pin. IMO...you just need something with a little more flip on the backend.