BallReviews
General Category => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: Snakster on October 15, 2014, 09:30:36 AM
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My son does tournaments almost every weekend (PJBT). The next two weekends, I noticed are going to be on short patterns; Los Angeles this weekend and Cheetah the following weekend.
He just moved up to 14# last week and his current arsenal does not contain a short oil ball per se. So I'm looking to get some thoughts on what we may want to try to adjust to match up with short (absent of adding another ball).
In the bag:
Ruckus Feud
Rude Dude
QZ2 (blue one)
Tribal
Because he has two three ball bags we bring, he is also keeping his 13# Super Natural in there for now (sixth spot is spare ball). Certainly the Super Natural might be the obvious answer, but this is a kid who just moved up and may not want to go "backwards"; at least mentally. I suspect he would not give it a fair shake unless he was completely forced to.
I should mention that short patterns have been his nemesis.
Bonus question:
looking forward, if he adds a short oil ball, any thoughts? Staying Motiv would be ideal. I guess a Tank wouldn't be a bad idea, but he is not a big fan of urethane in general. Never has patience for them. Apex? Something older that I could keep on the lookout for?
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You might be able to get away with the Feud for one reason. Off the end of the pattern, it would burn up. Ideally, on the shorter patterns, if he likes to keep the ball in front of him, a urethane would be ideal. If he doesn't like the Tank, then in the Motiv family, the Apex would work, with it's lower diff. If you lay that core down and lay it out with maybe a 2.5 inch pin to pap, I think it would be what you're looking for.
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The Tank is definitely good for short patterns. And it is pretty similar to the Super Natural. Also, believe it or not, but the Arctic Sniper is also nice. The Tank provides more length and more backend, but the Sniper will get into a smoother, early roll - more like traditional urethanes. You just have to make sure you let it roll or it won't work. With both, I find that I usually need to be pretty flush or light if I want to carry the corner pins.
As was suggested, the Apex is definitely a great option. A little more forgiveness than the Tank on outside misses, but if you pull it and the hold isn't there, you could be in trouble. That said, if he doesn't like urethane, the Apex is the way to go. He could start with that and stay more to the outside. The Tribal would be good if he has to get deeper and swing it out.
I also tried my teammate/pro shop guy's Rude Dude last night after league. Those lanes hook a lot to begin with and this was on the burn. I know he drilled it for length and less hook (luckily most of our specs match up), but I was impressed with how straight I was able to play. My Motiv stuff requires getting deeper and sending it out - usually with speed. I threw DV8 for a little while before throwing mostly Motiv now, and I did find most of their stuff to be a lot more arcing than Motiv balls. So he may find that the Rude Dude also works.
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Thanks both. That was very helpful. He may be eyeballing an apex anyway, so it wouldn't be a tough sell. He may also be looking to add something in between the motives and the DV8s. Thinking octane or sigma sting (my vote)
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From what I've seen, Sigma Sting has benchmark all over it. Octane is all backend.
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Plastic, urethane, or weak reactives tend to be the first things people think of when trying to combat short oil, but that's not always ideal. In fact, one of my friends, who is head and shoulders better than I will ever be, often uses some of his most aggressive equipment on shorter patterns like Cheetah. The reason is to control the backend. Short patterns give a ton of time for the ball to make it back to the pocket. As such, you don't want a ball that goes long and reacts strong off the friction because then you're going to have the ball coming off the pattern sideways. Using a stronger ball will allow the move to be smoother and more controllable off of the break point while still maintaining hitting power. Now, as things transition, maybe you move to something that retains energy a little bit better, but, in the beginning, don't be afraid to play straighter with a stronger ball. You may be surprised how well that works for him.
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Plastic, urethane, or weak reactives tend to be the first things people think of when trying to combat short oil, but that's not always ideal. In fact, one of my friends, who is head and shoulders better than I will ever be, often uses some of his most aggressive equipment on shorter patterns like Cheetah. The reason is to control the backend. Short patterns give a ton of time for the ball to make it back to the pocket. As such, you don't want a ball that goes long and reacts strong off the friction because then you're going to have the ball coming off the pattern sideways. Using a stronger ball will allow the move to be smoother and more controllable off of the break point while still maintaining hitting power. Now, as things transition, maybe you move to something that retains energy a little bit better, but, in the beginning, don't be afraid to play straighter with a stronger ball. You may be surprised how well that works for him.
+1
My favorite ball for short oil has been an IQ Tour Solid. It does not go sideways once it hits the dry and is the general definition of smooth.
Also, for proof at the upper levels of bowling, Sean Rash shot 300 on TV on Wolf (32 ft pattern) with a Melee Cross - a smooth solid similar in shape and hook as the IQ Tour Solid.
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My suggestion would be some balls that are a little more rolly, You want the ball to be very controllable. That's why urethane and older balls work well along with very aggressive stuff. They are usually smother and more controllable in the back part of the lane. Aside from a specific ball because it depends on his speed, rev rate, axis rotation, tilt and how he sees the lane he should be using some sort of surface. Most people don't use enough surface on these shorter patterns. By using surface you allow the ball to blend out the pattern and allow the ball to be more controllable. I see it way to often around Florida with the younger bowlers. They see short and reach for long and angular stuff which isn't the best idea for these patterns.
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Just to add about the issue of the Apex, realize there are 3 types of Ascent bowling balls. There is a solid (MOTIVator-Z - discontinued), pearl (just called the Ascent - MOTIVator-Z) and the Ascent Apex (Fusion XL - less aggressive version of the Fusion pearl on the Primal Rage). The Apex is somewhat stronger than the original Ascents.
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Just to add about the issue of the Apex, realize there are 3 types of Ascent bowling balls. There is a solid (MOTIVator-Z - discontinued), pearl (just called the Ascent - MOTIVator-Z) and the Ascent Apex (Fusion XL - less aggressive version of the Fusion pearl on the Primal Rage). The Apex is somewhat stronger than the original Ascents.
The Apex is a WHOLE lot stronger than the regular Ascents. I tried one last nights in warm-ups and put it away after 3 balls. If I have to start league standing at 35, it's gonna be a looong night. (Of course, out-of-the-box,mine looks like 2000 or 3000 grit DULL. After I apply some polish, it may yet be usable on a house shot.)
For short oil, I'd suggest either the (discontinued) Orange Recon, a solid, or the also discontinued Ascent solid.
(Note: "short oil" says nothing about how much oil is applied, only the length to which it is applied. A urethane could be a necessity if it's light and short.)
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Just to add about the issue of the Apex, realize there are 3 types of Ascent bowling balls. There is a solid (MOTIVator-Z - discontinued), pearl (just called the Ascent - MOTIVator-Z) and the Ascent Apex (Fusion XL - less aggressive version of the Fusion pearl on the Primal Rage). The Apex is somewhat stronger than the original Ascents.
The Apex is a WHOLE lot stronger than the regular Ascents. I tried one last nights in warm-ups and put it away after 3 balls. If I have to start league standing at 35, it's gonna be a looong night. (Of course, out-of-the-box,mine looks like 2000 or 3000 grit DULL. After I apply some polish, it may yet be usable on a house shot.)
For short oil, I'd suggest either the (discontinued) Orange Recon, a solid, or the also discontinued Ascent solid.
(Note: "short oil" says nothing about how much oil is applied, only the length to which it is applied. A urethane could be a necessity if it's light and short.)
Agree. I didn't want to make a suggestion as to which ball to use. There are a lot of opinions when it comes to how to attack short oil. Just wanted to differentiate between the balls since they have similar names.
My wife has an Orange Recon and a urethane Sniper. I can see the Orange Recon being of some use on short, but unless you have a ton of hand, the new urethane Sniper is all but useless on almost any shot. Super weak core and super weak urethane. There are better options out there other than the new Sniper.
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my number one piece of advice for short oil is SURFACE IS YOUR FRIEND. i dont know how many times ive seen guys with the right ball in their hands but the surface and or layout just kills it for them. contrary to popular belief you want early heavy rolling balls rather than lengthy balls. like what was said before 2" layouts are great, pin in palm layouts are good. take the surface down, decrease axis rotation get the ball to roll early and minimize its ability to hook downlane because that where you get in trouble
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My wife has an Orange Recon and a urethane Sniper. I can see the Orange Recon being of some use on short, but unless you have a ton of hand, the new urethane Sniper is all but useless on almost any shot. Super weak core and super weak urethane. There are better options out there other than the new Sniper.
I have an Orange Recon also - a real love/hate relationship.
I suspect the Snipe ris best as a spare ball. When I said urethane, I was thinking of balls like the Blue Hammer and the Avalanche Urethane and the Desperado, possibly the Supernatural but with its shine, I'm not so sure .
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Great info, thanks everyone. He had an orange recon at lower weight, same story though. Would be difficult to get him to backslide weight. Ideally I would love to find another orange recon or apex solid. But they are not exactly growing on trees these days. That said, maybe we bring his 13 recon just in case as a plan C. I'll add some surface to it before the weekend.
I would definitely like to convince him to add a tank or pitch black or blue hammer. But he needs to buy in mentally. Having it in his bag doesn't help if it never comes out.
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I like surface when playing out and on shorter patterns.. I like to use my Reax at 500 grit... Get the ball to burn off some energy and "roll out" allowing me to control the back of the lane a little easier.. If I get something that is shiny and I miss in a half a board, it likes to go sideways on me.. Then when the heads start to go a little then I can go to something weaker and shiny to stay in the same area.
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I like surface when playing out and on shorter patterns.. I like to use my Reax at 500 grit... Get the ball to burn off some energy and "roll out" allowing me to control the back of the lane a little easier.. If I get something that is shiny and I miss in a half a board, it likes to go sideways on me.. Then when the heads start to go a little then I can go to something weaker and shiny to stay in the same area.
Same here, for patterns like Wolf and Cheetah, I want something that will bleed off a little energy before hitting the friction, at least for the first game. Then as the oil pushs down a little the shot will open up some and become quite high scoring usually. Let your opponents use the hard to control shiny stuff early and push that oil down for you to exploit later in the block.