The only time I've bowled on it was subbing in a 4 game scratch doubles summer league and shot 813/1050+ with my Brunswick Absolute Nirvana. If I remember correctly, I started at 10-5 and just kept moving my feet left with the same target of 5 at the breakpoint

If it really plays how you said you need to figure out how far right you can get the ball with something that is smoother so small misses left dont go through the nose

On reverse blocks, I used to go with a totally benign ball.....basically a weak piece that does little or nothing and then play the middle with a lot of hand!

I would also play out at 5 with a very  strong piece, if there was an out of bounds, and let the ball fall into the pocket area.

Using the weaker piece gave me more control however!

Why is it that anytime there’s no swing or hold it’s a “reverse block”?

Why is it that anytime there’s no swing or hold it’s a “reverse block”?

Because for some people it's hard to imagine that from 10 right isn't in play. Them 10 to 1 ratios ruin ya!

In terms of what I've bowled on, last time I bowled on something similar, from 10 right was 45 feet of oil, and the middle was like 25. Don't remember the ratios, but really, when you get left of 10 and your ball hooks before the arrows, it doesn't matter much. I had to be soft handed with some decent surface and play up 8, and thread the needle. Only time I've ever bowled to Valpo to bowl one of Shaun's tournaments and I almost made the cut shooting 470.

Bourbon St is a 6:1 ratio pattern - it is far from a reverse block.  It's also not an easy house shot.  After bowling on it twice in the last month, my opinion is that it's the perfect gateway to tougher/flatter patterns.  I like the challenge of it.  It's still very easy to shoot par but you have to work for anything over 230.  Overall, I believe this is the type of pattern that those who are frustrated with the current high scoring environment would love to have as the THS... 

Anyway, if you are able to move your feet, change your launch angles, and have faith that you can score doing something different than what you do on the normal house shot, you will score.  Bourbon St is very hittable.  You just have to be open to trying something outside your normal comfort zone.

For heaven's sake, ease up on the guy. Reverse block is just a generic term indicating a general lack of oil in the middle, which is reversed from the typical house shot, where there's more oil in the middle... Jeez.

For heaven's sake, ease up on the guy. Reverse block is just a generic term indicating a general lack of oil in the middle, which is reversed from the typical house shot, where there's more oil in the middle... Jeez.

While there is plenty of snark and attitude, most of the posters on this website are about educating the masses about bowling.  Calling a 6:1 shot a reverse block is just ignorant.  A 6:1 shot still has a puddle in the middle - there's just less of a wall than there usually is.  To say anything else is just flat out wrong.  Why is it wrong to call that out?  Can it be called out with less attitude?  Sure, but where's the fun in that?