Bowling and fishing have much in common to me...I love the drinking beer part and don't really give a shit about the rest.

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Oh lord, it's hard to be humble, when you're perfect in every way. I can't wait to look in the mirror, 'cause I get better looking each day. To know me is to love me, I must be a hell of a man. Oh lord, it's hard to be humble, but I'm doin' the best that I can.

Yup, pretty much. Most balls that aren't plastic pretty much have some sort of counterweight. There are so many different types of counterweight setups too. Certain balls have a different set up, so if you wanted a ball that had a nasty hook right at the end, there would be a certain counterweight set up for that. There's pretty much a ball for every kind of style you'd want to throw. Just gotta do your research. Some balls are made for oily conditions while others don't fare so well. That's why the pros have so many different types of bowling balls.
Of course the result is not all in the ball, the approach has to compliment it as well.

and like Alex said, your fingerholes need to be drilled in a certain place in order to get certain results.

I could seriously talk about bowling forever, not a lot of people understand how complicated it really is. There are so many small little precise things that have to be just right.


and talking about the bowling alley thing, some day I really hope to manage my own. However because of the expenses I'm gonna have to find a very well paying job out of college to start saving up some major dough. But owning a bowling alley has always been a dream of mine.

Me too haha, though I probably don't know as much as you

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

interesting...maybe i will go again, and ask the guy at counter if he could show me a counterweighted ball on the public racks that could help me with those hook shots....b/c last time i went there was almost no curve on the ball at all....of course that could have been me too

_________________
"It is more about them than it is about the team...Cannot play with them, cannot win with them, cannot coach with them. Can't do it. I want winners. I want people that want to win." - Mike Singletary

Tyler Myers - Future captain of the Buffalo Sabres, and future Norris Trophy Winner

Manning the machine gun on the Tyler Myers Bandwagon - just in case any teams have an idea of prying him away from us (3 GM's shot already)

Connolly/Roy - 2 goals in the last 47 playoff games

I had a crap night tonight...kinda.

107 - 201 - 194 series. I was like 3/20 on spares or something horrible.

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

haha well of course there are other factors that can cause a ball not to hook as much.

If the lanes are oily, some balls, especially heavily used alley balls, won't budge through the oil.

Secondly, it could be hand position. Balls have to be thrown properly, which is why the placement of your fingerholes is very important when bowling balls get drilled. The way the ball comes out of your hand pretty much determines it all, because the hook is going to depend really on the rotation of which the ball is rolling. It gets pretty technical.

The key is to stay under the ball and follow through, so when you finish, your throwing hand kinda points up to the ceiling.

You're not going to find a "counterweighted" ball on the public racks unless they don't clean out abandoned balls....every house ball's weight is dead-center and round.

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grrr...if i only made as much money as jochen hect i could have my own alley built at my house.....then i would have a custom ball made, and have a pro come give me lessons till i was hookin' that ball like crazy....

guess i have to start working as hard as jochen to make the big bucks

_________________
"It is more about them than it is about the team...Cannot play with them, cannot win with them, cannot coach with them. Can't do it. I want winners. I want people that want to win." - Mike Singletary

Tyler Myers - Future captain of the Buffalo Sabres, and future Norris Trophy Winner

Manning the machine gun on the Tyler Myers Bandwagon - just in case any teams have an idea of prying him away from us (3 GM's shot already)

Connolly/Roy - 2 goals in the last 47 playoff games

you don't really need to get a custom ball made. I don't know where you're from exactly, but around Buffalo, in North Tonawanda, there's a store called the National Bowling Store, they might have other locations too but im not sure. But they have like people who used to bowl Pro working in there, and they really know their stuff. I went in there to get a new ball before my senior year of HS and they told me that my previous bowling ball wasn't drilled properly and stuff. They really knew what they were talking about. They have a whole bunch of equipment to choose from, from balls to bags and other accessories.
I told them what kind of things I wanted in a ball and they showed me some that would give me exactly what I was looking for. I choose my ball and they drilled it for me right there and everything, and I fell in love with that ball very quickly.

and even if you don't have a National Bowling Store around, ask around at your local Pro Shop in an alley or something. There are some balls out there made for giant ass sharp hooks, other balls have more of gentle hook.
There's pretty much a ball out there for every kind of shot one might wanna throw. You can research around or ask someone.

Yeah, I've never heard of getting a custom ball made. Even the pros use some variation of an already produced ball.

There are balls for almost everything, it gets customized by drilling.

I've always gotten my stuff at the Pro Shop at Lancaster. Not a big place, but they can order anything they don't have in stock.

I don't have an expensive ball (about $110 or so) but it suits my needs fine. I need to get better skill-wise before I get another ball...the ball doesn't make all the difference.

agree 100%, while it makes life a lot easier if you have a ball that does some of the work on its own, and fingerholes drilled properly, what really makes the difference is you.
It's better to have your own ball, whether it be a cheap or expensive one, because you should know what your ball is going to do so you can determine 1) where to throw the ball 2) where to stand when you start your approach.

I personally do a five step approach. my balls got a pretty decent hook so i hit between boards 5 and 10 for my strike mark(in between the first and second arrows) and I actually stand middle left when I start. Granted I do everything properly in my approach, then my ball should hit my mark and then hook into the pocket. Depending on the lane conditions you may have to move your feet a couple boards to adjust. If it's dryer, your ball will hook more so you should move left. If it's oily and your ball isn't hooking as much then you should move right.

And other than feet position and such, like i posted earlier, hand position is key. If you don't come out of the ball correctly, it doesn't matter how good your ball is, it won't produce like you want it to.

and spare tips for some people who don't already know.
if you got your consistent strike mark down for the night, you just keep hitting that mark and only move your feet for the spares.
For every pin left of the head pin you move 3 boards to the right. So if you want to hit the 2 pin, you'd move 3 boards right, for the 4 pin you'd move 6 boards and for 7 pin you'd move 9 boards. Then just hit your strike mark and if you hit it properly your ball should pick up the spare for you. Then for the pins on the opposite side you do the same thing but move left instead. so the 3 pin would be 3 boards left, 6 pin would be 6 boards left, and 10 pin would be 9 boards left.

do your approach right, hit your mark, then let your ball do the work

Bowling balls aren't that expensive. The ball I had drilled a while ago was around $100. Depending on what type of shot you want to throw it will be more or less. Typically a more reactive surface producing a bigger hook is more expensive.

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

Hmm, five step approach? Where do you start from? I learned to do a four step approach - I start from the second set of dots. It's more like a three-and-a-half step approach, though, as the first step is very short.

A five step approach would seem weird as you're finishing on the same foot you started on. Being right handed, I naturally want to step right first but need to finish on my left. I start at the middle dot for the strike ball, and try to put the ball down between the first and second arrows on the right.

But I'm not really a good enough bowler to comment too much.

I have switched from four to five almost back to four again. my coach was bipolar sometimes.

In my five step, I stand on the second set of dots myself I'm pretty sure. My first step is actually a slide of my left foot forward and then on my next step with my right foot I start pushing the ball forward. At the finsih, I end up on my left foot with my right foot sliding behind me

hmmm..when i played i must have had a 7 step approach or something....i was starting as far back as i could...right at the edge...i think i was also really trying to chuck the ball down the alley

_________________
"It is more about them than it is about the team...Cannot play with them, cannot win with them, cannot coach with them. Can't do it. I want winners. I want people that want to win." - Mike Singletary

Tyler Myers - Future captain of the Buffalo Sabres, and future Norris Trophy Winner

Manning the machine gun on the Tyler Myers Bandwagon - just in case any teams have an idea of prying him away from us (3 GM's shot already)

Connolly/Roy - 2 goals in the last 47 playoff games

[quote="motzie12ak"]
You start pushing the ball forward on the first step of the right foot? Or do you mean the second to last step, which would make more sense?

I draw the ball back during the first and second steps, and start pushing it forward on the third step for a release on the beginning of the fourth.

I start pushing the ball forward on the first step of the right foot right after my starting left foot slide. The pushing it out right there helps me get a more natural swing so I'm not forcing it, and it also helps me get more leverage on the ball when i reach my release point.

sounds like my brother. He stands back far, then runs up to the line and chucks it.

I start on the close dots, four steps, backswing on the second I think.

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

that sounds like me...i think i went over the line like about 9x in two games
that didn't help my score much

_________________
"It is more about them than it is about the team...Cannot play with them, cannot win with them, cannot coach with them. Can't do it. I want winners. I want people that want to win." - Mike Singletary

Tyler Myers - Future captain of the Buffalo Sabres, and future Norris Trophy Winner

Manning the machine gun on the Tyler Myers Bandwagon - just in case any teams have an idea of prying him away from us (3 GM's shot already)

Connolly/Roy - 2 goals in the last 47 playoff games