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Author Topic: PBA Regional  (Read 1640 times)

c-evert

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PBA Regional
« on: September 19, 2007, 06:35:38 AM »
I plan on bowling in my first PBA regional tournament on the cheetah pattern.  Do I need a ball that will cut thru the 35 feet of oil, or can I play down and in or will I need to play inside?  I really don't know what to expect for this and was just wondering if anyone had any pointers on bowling on this pattern, and what type of equipment I might need?  Currently I have a rock solid plastic for corner pins and single pin spares, I have an ebonite Crossfire, which I am able to play down and in and inside if necessary. Will this be enough?

Brad
Indiana

 

shelley

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Re: PBA Regional
« Reply #1 on: September 19, 2007, 02:44:27 PM »
35' is pretty short, and my limited experience with the Cheetah pattern (on halfway-decent synthetics) is that it's not as much about whether you play inside or outside but keeping that breakpoint in the right place.  It can be real over/under: there's bounce like on a house shot but as short as the pattern is, it'll tend to over-react if you get it to the outside too far.  Tug it and it never turns.

Next to keeping your breakpoint in the right spot, you have to control the ball's reaction when it hits the dry.  Some like to use dull balls to burn up energy so they don't over-react.  I hear Sean Rash, who has as much hand as anybody, used a polished Mammoth on the Cheetah pattern.  The abundance of particles helped smooth out the breakpoint.

The Cheetah pattern is shorter than the rest but it has the highest volume of oil, so be prepared for carrydown and for the backends to get spotty.  Again, being able to get to the correct breakpoint and controlling the reaction off of it is key.

I'm not a PBA member and my only experience with those patterns is in a summer PBA league.  Take what I said with a grain of salt, but that's kind of what I saw when I bowled on it.

Is a Crossfire and plastic ball enough?  In the right hands, probably.  Are those hands attached to your body or Norm Duke's?

Best of luck.  Let us know how you did.

SH

Edited on 9/19/2007 2:45 PM

Dan Belcher

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Re: PBA Regional
« Reply #2 on: September 19, 2007, 02:55:09 PM »
Here's the lowdown on how the Cheetah GENERALLY plays, but not always!!! (your mileage may vary -- it all depends on what surface you're bowling on, what kind of oil they use, how much of it they lay down, the weather that day, who you're crossing against, if a butterfly in Timbuktu flaps its wings, etc.)...

The earlier your ball hooks, the further right it needs to get at the breakpoint to maintain the best entry angle into the pocket.  Therefore, on a 35 foot pattern, the best way to get good entry angle is to play as close to the gutter as possible.  Considering the higher volume of oil, and considering the driest part of the lane by far IS the 1-2-3 board area, you aren't likely to have much luck swinging it out to the spot and really coming around the ball.  More than likely, you'll need to stand pretty far right and play it fairly straight up the gutter, rolling it up the back of the ball to avoid having the ball jump off the spot when it finds friction.  What kind of ball surface you'll want on this pattern really depends on personal preference--some people like a ball with some surface (not too much though!) to even out the over/under, some people want something pearl to get down the lane and come up hard on the back.  As the lanes break down and the oil carries down further, you may need to start playing the lanes differently.

That being said, if playing it straight up the gutter isn't working, don't be afraid to try something different.  The lane conditions may require you to play a little deeper (in which case, the Cheetah can become a fairly difficult pattern!).  It's all about finding what works best with your game.

DON DRAPER

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Re: PBA Regional
« Reply #3 on: September 19, 2007, 04:17:41 PM »
i've bowled on the cheetah pattern a handful of times and there are several things to consider:

1)your breakpoint will need to be outside the first arrow. the cheetah pattern is the shortest pattern in length( 35' ) but has the most oil by volume.

2)the type of lanes that are being used and the topography of those lanes will make a big difference. wood lanes will usually hook more than synthetics, amf hpl synthetics will usually hook more than brunswick anvilane.

3)don't be afraid to use surface on the ball if that's what it takes. a dull or smoothsanded reactive or particle ball may provide a more even reation than a dart & dive with a highly polished ball.

4)carrydown will occur and can be an asset if can use it as hold. i like to play straight down the 3 board. this gives me two boards to miss to the right and the carrydown may build some hold at the 5-6 board.

CPA

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Re: PBA Regional
« Reply #4 on: September 19, 2007, 04:24:36 PM »
The lane surface, i.e. old wood surface or new synthetic makes a huge difference.  Generally speaking, the breakpoint needs to be around the 1-2-3 board.  People will try to swing the ball to that breakpoint, but that usually doesn't work.  The straighter you can go through the front part of the lane, the better.

wulfpackbwlr

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Re: PBA Regional
« Reply #5 on: September 21, 2007, 11:17:18 AM »
Must agree myself with what everyone has said so far as well.  I have no regional experience either but am bowling in a PBA experience league as well.  Ball should hook pretty hard once you get 3 and out.  Hope you dont mind seeing half your ball in the gutter.  In league the break down has been very minor so playing either straight up 3 or maybe a bump from 5-3 has been successful.  Be careful if you try to swing it.  I've seen some great bowlers throw gutters a good bit on this pattern.  I've also bowled on Cheetah during practice for our collegiate team.  Having 6 righties playing the lanes in the same area broke down the outside quick.  It would still hook but I found myself having to change to a more aggressive ball or making sure I got it out to about 1 since no one was going that far out.  Good luck and let us know how it goes.
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