Happy release day for the Motiv Hydra! The Hydra is marked as a light oil ball and I feel Motiv made a great addition to their lineup. I drilled mine pin above the bridge with the cg kicked out. I used my Hydra on three different occasions to get a good idea of what this ball can really do.
Review:
Session 1 was on a fresh heavier oil pair. Although this wasn’t the ideal scenario to use a “light oil†ball, the Hydra made a violent move once it saw friction and I was surprised of how well it drove through the pins. I was tempted to hit it with a 2000 pad, but I wanted to keep it at box to test on other conditions first.
The second session was during an 8-gamer doubles tournament. I started the block with my Primal Rage LE and Villain. When both started to read the lanes early, I switched to the Hydra and was able to stay in the track. While everyone was playing the deep inside line, the Hydra got through the fronts and stored its energy for the backend. The Hydra definitely saved me here and kept us in play to cash. I moved maybe 2-3 boards over the final 3 games.
My third session was practice on a pair left over from the night before. There was a good amount of carry down, but it didn’t seem to bother one bit. Misses left would hold, misses right would come back and still hit pocket. It’s a perfect fit when the Primal Rage LE is too much ball.
Summary:
I feel there is a time and place for every ball, but the ones that stay in my bag are the ones I can use in multiple scenarios. The Hydra is one of those balls. I don’t have a lot of tilt, but this ball still makes a nice turn in the backend and allows me to play different angles when my other equipment is just a touch too strong. With a little surface adjustment, I see this ball reading sooner, but still getting down the lane with ease. It’s a perfect 1-2 punch with the Primal Rage LE or Villain.
Adam Yoshii
MOTIV Bowling Staffer
Just Bowling Pro Shop
