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?

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. 

From what I've seen, Sigma Sting has benchmark all over it. Octane is all backend.

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.

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.

Quote from: spmcgivern on October 15, 2014, 04:04:50 PM

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.

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 .

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.