Bowling - and new balls.

Damn it! I clicked on the thread looking for a great opportunity to use the "that's what she said" line, but you didn't provide any! Damn you DD!

 

A couple of my buddies just joined our first bowling league, tomorrow will be our 3rd match.

My buddy has a hook ball and I've tried it a couple times and it's pretty sweet. I wanna get one but not sure how much I actually wanna spend on one.

 

I once bowled a 234... then never again. I average around the 150's as well. But whatever.. it's better to look good than to do good. I put some style in it

 

never been bowling.

 

Swoly hasn't posted yet

 

I joined a league once a few years back. I got my average to about 190 after about 8 weeks. Bowling, however, is much more fun when you suck or drunk or both so I quit.

 

accuracy is MUCH MUCH more important than speed an weight.

that said, all three of mine are 16 and I only throw at about 16mph

but sometimes, its sweet to be able to holdup the hand and say SCOREBOARD








just got this in, decided not to go with gold for now since the prices are obscene atm. I'll save the gold for the multi-game ring soon to come.

Im on break from league this summer, first break I have had in about 5 years.

 

I used those 16 lbs red balls at UH when I scored my high 234.. and that's with the 2-finger-thumb-out style too. Imagine what I can do when I do it the right way

Btw, how much were those balls?

 

You shoudl be able to go with a mid-level ball for now.

start out with one that is about 120-150, a good pro shop guy(I heartily recommend Randy down at Alpha Bowl in CL) will be able to guide you to a good ball drilling combination.

All three of mine are 200+ a piece, but then Im fairly advanced.

 

I took bowling as a phys ed in college. I throw a pretty decent "suitcase" ball and average around 160.

 

I wonder, will he laugh at me if I say I wanna keep my 2-finger style? I don't really need my thumb when I bowl anyways.

I saw the ones at the UC go as low as $80, but then again that was a while ago.

But I'm more concerned with buying new shoes... I guess I care more about how I look when I bowl, than how I do
My crappy Academy's bowling shoes weren't cutting it, plus every other guy has a pair. So, not cool.

 

you know the expression you get what you pay for?

WHen you nail the pocket and leave 5-10s or 8-10s, that is from using a cheap ball. The better balls are more expensive because the cores are designed to deliver maximum power at the point of impact and have shells made of materials to better grab the lane thru oil.

a mid-level ball will allow you to experiment and find your best style for the game you want to play, then you can get a better one if you decide you need the extra features the expensive balls have.

Otherwise you just end up wasting your money on something you didnt really need.

Now, on shoes, this isnt the ancient days, there are many companies that make fairly stylish shoes, but honestly style isnt what you shoudl be looking at.
The quality of the sliding sole will help keep you from injuring yourself from sticking or excessive sliding, either one is just as bad. A good proshop will be able to help you decide what looks good and works good as well.

Lots of people use the "two-fingered style" but it requires ALOT of work to be accurate with it, and also if you never learn anything but cranking the ball with two fingers you will never be able to shoot spares...spare shooting is just as important as learning to strike.....you will rarely strike every times, and if you cant pick up the spares your game will remain under 150.

If you were asking me as a coach do I recommend the two finger style, I would answer no....but you gotta do what you want, just recognize that the recommended way is there for a reason, it works and has always worked.

 

This is my ball.


I got my ball after a fun 4 or 5 team league with a few of my buddies just so we could get a free ball at the end of it. Now, I'm guilty of two finger bowling, mostly because I am an extremely weak guy (working on that, got some weight sets today-another story), so doing it "the right way" with three fingers is difficult for me until I get stronger.

Wish I could get out to the lanes more often this summer on dollar nights but I think my friends think it's too nerdy. And really, what's the fun in going alone?

 

Damn when I'm back in Houston we should have a CF bowling night or something. I used to go bowling at least 4-5 times a week at the UC, playing an average of 3 games each time.

Maybe it's just me being a nood, I don't really feel the shoes make any difference. My roommate and I saw a guy chalk the bottom of his shoes a bit (from the pool area) and he was sliding on one foot as he threw the ball. It looked awesome. Not so easy when I tried it tho. We were tripping all over the lanes. kind of embarrassing in front of the ladies that were there.

 

this is my main ball, works great in most lane conditions, hits like a tank, shot my 300 with it (thanks Dak )




and my secondary one for nights when the first one isnt working right(or very oily lanes)



this is the ball I use for dry lanes(light oil)




on the subject of shoes, let me reiterate....those academy ones are just fine until the sole starts peeling back and you fall on your face or wrench a tendon if it happens during your approach. Ive seen it happen too many times.
You can get decent bowling shoes for aroudn 50 bucks at a proshop or online, the extra initial outlay is worth it.

 

That is only slightly illegal during competition. You are in effect putting pool chalk on the approach and endangering the health of other bowlers.

The slide, or lack thereof, is a VERY important part of the approach and delivery, serious bowlers will object VEHEMENTLY about someone doing something liek that on their shared approach.

If you dont listen to another thing I say for the rest of the year, listen to me when I tell you that the shoes are a very important part of attempting to throw a hook, the timing of the ball delivery and your feet arriving at the line is without a doubt one of the most important parts of becoming a good bowler....and the shoes are part of what makes it possible.

Otherwise we would be bowling in tennis shoes

 

Man, the first time I tried some cheapo Academy shoes, I slid on my ass. Luckily I was in lane 32 and it was afternoon so not that many people noticed except for my friends. Since then it's been all right, but I'll definitely try to invest in better shoes for the future.

Wish I could bowl as well as some of you. My high was 189 (shoulda broken 200 but I dicked around the last frame because I thought I had it in the bag, I can't count). But I'm a measly 135-140 average.