Been struggling all season with changed house shot, and tonight learned from fellow bowler that the shot is 40 feet [of oil] compared  to 38 feet for most house shots?

I don't know if any of that is true (that 38 is the norm or that the shot at this house is now 40), but presuming it is... am hoping I can use this knowledge to my advantage in determining best ball to at least start with in next week's roll-off for the championship.

Is understood that there are a zillion variables to consider, but I'll describe my delivery type and maybe someone can give me an opinion base don that.

Have relatively low revs, but decent speed, and normally prefer aggressive balls with a skid-flip type reaction. This year, though, nothing seemed to work consistently (not that I am THAT consistent anyway) and until now, had no idea exactly what the pattern was or what part of it I was trying to overcome.

And not expecting anyone to say used ball such and such and it will be magic---or that I will.  Just hoping for a little guidance on what TYPE ball would be best for relatively normal house pattern, but with an additional 2 feet of oil.

Not looking to buy a new ball right now, either, and have 30+ balls of various types and vintages.  But maybe someone can suggest that a weaker skid-flip or more aggressive arcing ball, or pin-up vs pin down would be more effective.

Thanks.

what balls gave you your best look? what balls did you not have success with? cover's,cover prep,cores,layouts? what's your A game? do you have a B game and maybe even a C game?

Am trying to reply to all 3 of the responses so far as best I can:

Am right-handed and generally throw between 1st and 2nd arrow.  Mostly a down and in motion (lack of revs), but lately have been standing left of the center of the lane and rolling out to around 5th-8th board (just estimating... as I am not what you'd consider a precision bowler). 

It's not so much the motion of the balls or how much or how little they're moving. It's a matter of unpredictability.  The point at which the ball is coming out of it's skid and starting it's roll (if it even IS rolling  is what's frustrating.

Cannot string anything together.  Sometimes is a carry issue, but mostly its the unpredictability of WHEN the ball will change direction. Will throw 2 or 3 beautiful shots right to the pocket and then suddenly I am way over or under on the next one.

Last night used a Storm Sky-Rocket, and resisted changing as I had bowled out of my mind with it the week before on the same lanes, although it was only practice. 

Have also used Track Paradox, and various older balls: Hammer Anger (so far the best reaction, but was small sample size), Storm Xtreme, Track 607A, Track Solution, Hammer Legacy (black), and a whole bunch more that I can't remember at the moment.

Not sure what you mean by A,B, & C games, but if it's what I consider an good, bad, and terrible game (or excellent, average, and below average, for THIS season (which is an aberration---I hope---and about as awful as I've ever had) would be:

A -- 220+
B -- 185 to 200
C -- less than 180

Current average is horrific 171, whereas my average at other houses is about 187-192, and until the shot changed at this house was about the same.  But the averages don't tell the whole story.  My high games were much higher and much more frequent.  This year has been more about averting a disastrous showing than achieving the highest highs.

And yet...  somehow...  my team can take the championship in a week  I'd like to be the star, but will settle for not dragging us down.

So I have nothing to lose by trying something different...just not too radically so.

Thanks in advance if I don't get a chance to reply to all responses.

How did the Paradox react?

Knowing the pattern is 2 feet longer will not help you in the least if you've been fighting it all season long.  It's all about the actual ball reaction, if you're fighting reading ball reaction, numbers on a sheet of paper won't help you, especially if it's just a house shot.  The "rule of 31" is like the pirates' code, it's more like a guideline than actual rules.  I'm not a fan of bowling math anyway, bowling isn't conducted on a sheet of paper.  In my opinion you're focusing on all the wrong things.  Bowling is a game of transition, bowling math will only marginally help you figure out where to start, but by game 2, lanes have changed, and if you have trouble reading ball reaction, you won't know where or how to move. 

I just think you need to spend some time practicing.  Throw the ball, any ball, watch what it does, and adjust until the pins fall down.  Take another ball, do the same thing.  If you have lower revs and higher speed, it's likely that you encounter carrydown before you see track burn.  Two options there are move right or slow your speed down.  Watch what your ball does as it goes down the lane, watch how it enters the pocket, watch what the pins are doing, that will tell you what to do.  Try to make it all as common sense as possible, start with ball reaction first before you start looking at patterns and layouts and ball choices.  Once you understand ball reaction, you'll better understand what equipment choices you need to make.  Skid/flip reactions may be part of the problem, they tend to enhance wet/dry, and house shots are about as wet/dry as you're going to get.  Sometimes house shots are harder to read than sport patterns because first they're counter-intuitive, and second the wet/dry line or "cliff" is so steep or so fine.  On house shots, the full volume typically isn't that far away from a whole lot of dry boards.  Flatter patterns are blended better, and it's easy to understand.  Miss right, not getting back, miss left, hooking too much, and on some house patterns it's the opposite.  Forget the bowling math, most of the people that use it don't know what they're doing anyway, that's why they put such a big emphasis on it.

Well said, I see many bowlers' with the very issues that you described, and when you try to educate them, their have the 'Dear in s headlights' look and/or  think that you have no clue what your talking about. 

Moving forwards or backwards on the approach does nothing but lengthen or shorten your steps, it's an adjustment to timing or tempo.  If you back up a foot on the approach, you're not going to end up a foot further back from the line unless you really concentrate on it, just like if you normally end up 6 inches from the line, if you move up a foot, you're not going to end up sliding over the line by 6 inches . .  Also, if the pattern is 40 feet long, you don't lengthen or shorten it by however far backwards or forwards you move.  If you move back a foot, it doesn't shorten the pattern to 39 feet.  Lol few things drive me crazier than hearing stuff like, "well I was leaving the 10 pin so I backed up 6 inches on the approach and that made the ball move just enough earlier to kick it out."  So you made the pattern 6 inches shorter by moving back 6 inches on the approach, and you're so accurate with everything else that 6 inches, a move that represents a change of 8/10ths of a single percent of the total length of the lane, was what made the difference in you carrying the 10?  Interesting . .  Moving up or back DOES change a few things, it's just not what anyone seems to think haha. 

Snappy balls look more impressive when you get them in the right spot, but rolly smoother reactions keep the ball in play easier.  Yeah flat 10s suck, but if you're good at picking them up, it's ok, and I'm not a big fan of seeing an "S" up on the board.  Only numbers should go up on the scoreboard, when letters start showing up, then you're in trouble lol. 

There's also a whole lot of 5 board talk in there . . if 5 board is where all the friction is at, I'd have a hard time believing you can comfortably play down 5 board but at the same time be able to get reaction and recovery from the same spot when you're playing deeper.  If I'm playing say 3rd arrow, 5-7 is usually where my breakpoint target is to get the ball to to finish on the backend, but if I'm playing straight, there's zero way in hell I'm playing straight up 5, ball starts hooking when it hits the lane.  Have to play at least 8-10 to get the ball down the lane without basically just having to chuck it down there.  What it really sounds like is that you're putting yourself in some of the most mentally uncomfortable situations possible.  Playing straight up 5 is not a comfortable line on a house shot.  Playing super deep and "hoping" the ball makes it back is also not comfortably on a house shot and any time you have to hurl or chuck the ball down the lane, that's not good either.  Instead of being able to relax and deliver an actual bowling shot, you're putting yourself in a lot of situations where you have to try to force reaction out of the ball by significantly altering your physical game or delivery.  You should instead try to find the most comfortable spot to play.  It sounds like you're just making it way too hard on yourself and that's likely the reason your average is down.  Patterns and balls and surfaces and layouts aren't going to do you a bit of good if you are always worried about your ball reaction. 

1) Unless the bowler who told you this has an affiliation with the center, i wouldn't put much stock into what they have to say about it.

2) If you're having issues with unpredictability, then angular balls such as some of the ones you listed aren't going to be the best for what you are bowling on. You're going to want to look in the lower-mid line solids and mid-upper line hybrids. (impulse solid, gauntlet, heat extreme) those types are going to give you a more predictable read. The problem with the more angular types is that they pick up the over/under. The more predictable ones are going to fight it a little more and not over react a ton.

3) if in fact the pattern is longer (depending on who you're getting the info from) move your breakpoint 1-2 boards to the left to keep it more in play.

Even on a longer house shot, getting to the pocket shouldn't be very difficult, carry may be a little tougher.