I have been actively bowling again for the past 3 years. Two years ago I purchased the Hammer Plague. I throw about 14 mph and I'm right handed. I start off hitting the pocket hard and getting great pin action. By middle to end of the second game I have trouble keeping the ball on the right side of the lane. I joined a ball league this summer and I am getting a new ball. I want something for when the lanes break down so that I can keep the ball in the pocket. I like the hammer line but I'm not apposed to switching it up. Any advice on a ball that will help my game? 

Thank you SVstar34. I will look into the Viral now.

A great ball to look at which is similar to the Viral is the Motiv Venom Panic.  That ball has a pearl cover, proven Gear Core which suits many styles very well and it will get down the lane cleaner but not be so skid/flip that it becomes unpredictable.

One huge thing I like about Motiv is the cover durability.  Having now thrown a few balls from them for a full season, I was surprised at how little oil they soak up.  They keep the reaction longer compared to anything I've thrown from Storm/Roto Grip or any Ebonite brand (Hammer included).  Definitely worth looking into.

You might also look at the Motiv TAG. I looked at both it and the Panic and chose the TAG because it has a bit more differential than the Panic and my style needs that bit of extra differential. Even though the TAG says "light oil", it works good on medium oil with a cover adjustment.

Either ball, Panic or TAG are great balls plus as Tommy said about the covers, they soak up very little oil and are easily adjustable.

Quote from: jkirkerx on May 25, 2015, 08:10:59 PM

The Motiv balls are really good, but I don't see them as a compliment to your skill and where you like to play on the right.

You should really have your pro shop operator watch and suggest or confirm a ball for you.

Uhhh ... I throw Motiv balls and I play mostly on the right without any problems doing so ...

Same here.  I can easily play up the boards or hook it with Motiv and have never had an issue with it.  On the other hand, anything I've thrown from EBI (Hammer included) didn't match up the best with my specific game.  But, I'm not going to say you can't use a ball from any brand a specific way. 

A perfect example of how straight you can go with Motiv is Jake Peters and Michael Haugen Jr, who both won the first 2 titles on Badger throwing it very straight. 

Another example is Angela Wilt, who did many videos for Motiv when she was on staff.  She plays straight and outside, and the equipment worked well.
https://www.youtube.com/user/MOTIVGIRL1/videos