It's Never Anything Big

The beauty of a blog is that I can do whatever I want on here and nobody can do anything about it.  I mean, you can choose not to read what I write, but I’ll never know the difference and sometimes it is cathartic to simply write what is on your heart and put it out there for everyone to see.  That’s what I’m going to do today.  Maybe this isn’t a MOTIV-centric post on the MOTIV blog, but you’ll allow me just one.

Today my college alumni magazine for this quarter of the year came to my sister-in-law’s house today (we went to the same college).  There’s an article in there about my bowling and the work I do with Motiv.  This article caused me to take some time to reflect on my last 14 months. 

Just over a year ago I was jobless, frustrated, living far from where I had spent my first 29 years of life and feeling pretty sorry for myself.  I joked with people that the masters degree I had finished before moving with my wife to Northeast Ohio was a masters in unemployment.  There’s a little bit of truth in a joke, though.  Honestly, there wasn’t a lot of light at the end of the tunnel.  The best job offer I had was not in an area where I had studied in school and not an area where I had any passion.  Still, it was a job, so I felt obligated to seriously consider taking it.

Life was bleak and seemed to just be getting worse.  My dad told me every time I called to him crying that it would “work out.”  I told him every time things this bad don’t just fall into place like that.

Then, just when everything seemed to be terrible, I got a call saying that Motiv was going to register to be on the PBA National tour and that they needed someone to represent them out there along with handling some other tasks throughout the year.  Oh, and by the way, they wanted to know if I’d be interested. 

Since that phone call everything has “worked out.”  Not once has my dad pulled me aside to say, “I told you so,” but I suppose that he didn’t tell me what he told me so that he could one day remind me he was right. 

In the last year I have acquired what can only be described as one of my dream jobs, won a PBA Regional title, qualified through every Tournament Qualifying Round that has been held for two seasons, assembled a brilliant staff of outstanding bowlers, and been given creative influence in the product development of a bowling ball company’s product line.  I don’t say this to brag; I promise.  I am simply in awe of what has happened around me over the span of one year. 

 However, I would be remiss if I did not tie this to bowling in some way.  So, this perspective really encapsulates my World Series of Bowling experience for the 2011 season.  Honestly, I can’t express the disappointment that I felt for the first four days of the tournament.  There was something fundamentally wrong with my game and I put forth the worst four days of competitive bowling I have experienced in my entire life.  However, thanks to Virginia Norton, we made one small change to the shape of my pushaway and I managed to make the cut at the Carmen Salvino tournament. 

I don’t know if there is one lesson to be learned here.  Honestly, I don’t know why I felt compelled to share this besides to say this; in life, in bowling, in virtually anything, hope is really never lost.  There’s always tomorrow.  For me it was not really even something big, just one little phone call, a single coaching tip, that turned everything around on a dime.  My coach, Jeff Anderson, always tells me when I'm lost in my game, "It's never anything big, things are never as bad as you think they are."  He's talking about bowling, but he could be talking about life just as easily.

I feel incredibly blessed to be where I am today.  Thank you, Motiv for providing me with an opportunity to do what I love and get paid for it.  Thank you Shannon, you are an incredible support when I was a miserable sack without a job and now, as I am gone for weeks on end.  Thanks to Mom and Dad who always share wisdom and comfort even when I don’t want to hear it. 

Meet The Team

This summer has been an incredible journey for me as the Motiv Staff Manager.  Obviously, I am always working on filling the Motiv staff.  However, the summer of 2011 was particularly eventful, as I started the search for a PBA National Tour Staff Team.

At Motiv, we pride ourselves on having a staff that is well liked, respected, and modern.  Obviously, that was my goal for the national tour team as well.  We set out to build a staff that reflects the priorities of the brand, could compete at the highest level, and would support one another as a team.  Gradually, the team began to take shape.  The problem was, I couldn’t tell people about it.  It was so painful! 

The first player we locked down was Patrick Girard.  Though we already had a relationship with Patrick, we finally signed official paperwork this summer to add him to the staff.  Patrick is a Canadian bowling superstar.  A member of the Canadian national team, Patrick has been exempt on the PBA tour and made multiple television finals Last year Patrick had strong showings at the US Open and the Shark Championship.   

The next cog that fell into place was Lee Vanderhoef.  “Vandy,” as they call him, is an eleven time PBA Regional champion who has decided to make a run at the PBA National tour.  Lee is a huge fan of the Sigma Tour.  In fact, his first night of league as a member of the staff he shot 879 with his ST!  Lee has top ten finishes on the national tour and is now primed for his big run out there.

Shortly after Lee signed documents I got a call from a player already on the staff saying that he had decided to bowl the entire tour season.  Team USA member, three time collegiate national champion, and Insidebowling.com open winner Jake Peters threw his hat into the ring as well.  Fresh out of college, Jake is already my pick for rookie of the year.  His mental game is outstanding and his physical game is just as solid. 

Next came one of, if not the very biggest free agent signing of the PBA off season.  Motiv signed 2010-2011 PBA National Tour Rookie of the Year and Chameleon Champion, Scott Norton to an exclusive staff contract.  Scott, a Team USA member, collegiate superstar, and exempt bowler was a big enough acquisition to put Motiv on the radar for anyone who follows professional bowling. 

At this point, the staff looked pretty solid for the next season.  Motiv had signed some established pros along with some prospects.  However, there was one more opportunity remaining in the form of a major champion.  Just a few weeks ago I called John Nolen, USBC Masters and PBA Regional Players Invitational Champion, to simply chat for a while.  John had mentioned earlier that he did not plan on bowling on tour this season.  However, in our conversation I got the distinct impression that he was getting the itch to compete.  Within a week John was signed up to be one of Motiv’s poster boys. 

In the span of just a few months Motiv had gone from a company with virtually no representation on the PBA national tour to marching into the World Series 2011 with a team. 

Of course, what does every professional sports team do before the start of the season?  In my next blog post I will discuss how Team Motiv prepared together for the PBA National Tour season.

The House of Pain

Welcome to the House of Pain, ladies and gentlemen.  Please secure all loose items and buckle your safety belts as your ride for the next few days will undoubtedly be turbulent.  There will be emergencies; save yourself and just try not to perish.

Nestled behind a strip mall in Fort Wayne, Indiana hides a bowling center named Georgetown Bowl.  However, those in the know refer to it as, “the House of Pain.”  Scores are low…always.  During the tournament bowlers can be heard saying things like, “these pins weigh seven pounds!” and “nice oil pattern!” or “where is the oil?”  Add to all of this that the pairs all play different from one another and you have an incredibly difficult scoring environment.

The oil pattern for this year’s tournament was Chameleon.  The pattern accented the difficulties presented by the high friction wood lanes.  Chameleon is a strip oil pattern, leaving large areas of the lane unplayable.  Players were forced to throw the ball hard and straight with slow response (but clean) equipment or incredibly slowly and hook the lane with moderately fast response balls.

As a lefty, I could not move into the middle of the lane.  I have to find lay down oil and moving in will not allow that on this oil and pattern combination.  Essentially, the only option was to play outside, around the first arrow, throwing the ball firmly.  The ball choice varied depending on the lane.  All equipment was drilled with the pin 6 inches or more from the axis; one was pin up and the other pin down. 

Once again, I started on an end pair.  Once again, this pair was tighter than any other pair in the center.  I was forced to start the tournament further left than I prefer; laying the ball down on the first board.  When there is not free hook on the gutter that is not a wise place to play.  For eight frames I was able to grind a clean game at a 190 pace.  However, in the ninth frame I dumped one in the channel and did not convert the spare.  The result was a 178 game that was a 205 with any kind of mark (I struck out in the tenth).

For the next five games I played them as simply and intelligently as I possibly could.  My only opens were two pocket 7-10 splits.  In games two through six I went 36 over with a low game of 197.  However, the pain was coming!  On the next pair my first shot hooked immediately and went Brooklyn.  The next shot I moved three and went Brooklyn again.  Again, I moved three and went through the face.  Finally, I went another five boards and managed to hit the pocket.  Aside from a split when the ball went through the face, I stayed clean and managed a 187. 

Though that game dropped me from 4^th on the squad to 7^th, I was still in good shape for the finals.  I thought the worst was behind me.  Oh, how wrong I was!  Game seven was truly what the House of Pain is all about.  I threw the ball well, but was absolutely stuck in jail.  The ball hooked at my feet inside and too much down lane if I played out.  In hindsight, I should have thrown a very smooth rolling ball and stayed out of trouble.  Alas, I did not and I shot 157. 

The final game I shot a solid 205.  However, that was not strong enough to make the finals or even get a check.  This happens from time to time.  Unfortunately, the House of Pain got the best of me for one game.  Of course, the house of pain only needs one game.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!

There are some great feelings in life that you never want to become passé.  I am talking about those things that you absolutely love doing and maybe never thought you would get to do.  For me some of these things are; hanging out with my wife whom I love very much, traveling to new places, and (though it sounds weird) bowling on Sundays.  Obviously, the first in the list wins by a long shot. However, for those who love bowling, competing in the finals of a PBA regional event is an incredible experience.

As a result of the incredible strength of the field in Coldwater, 32 bowlers qualified to bowl on Sunday.  Of course, when the field has over 40 PBA Regional champions, 21 current or former exempt players, and 13 National tour champions, 32 to the finals seems reasonable. 

The format favored those who qualified well, as pins carried over.  We bowled 4 games, cutting the bottom eight followed by three cutting the bottom eight, two cutting the bottom eight, and two cutting the bottom four.  Going into Sunday I was in 10^th despite leading my squad because the bowlers on C squad broke the pattern down wisely and capitalized on the mistakes of previous squads.  This meant I just needed to bowl smart to make the first two cuts.

During the first squad I used a pin up sigma with more surface than Saturday.  As the pattern was run more, the areas that hooked began to hook more while the areas where there was hang hooked less.  This created a pronounced cliff between the hang and the hook.  I typically combat this with smooth rolling balls and surface.  Such a ball blends the severe wet dry far better than anything else.  However, I used a pin up ball to give a fast response as the backends were very tight.  I shot a four game total of 798 and maintained the same position through the first four game squad.

The biggest curveball of the day was that the lanes were not being re-oiled until the top four stepladder.  As a result, I chose to reset the surface on my equipment between rounds.  Everything was taken one step shinier than it had been.  For example, the ball that was 500 went to 1000, the ball at 1000 went to 1500, and the ball at 1500 went to 2000 between rounds.

The next round was three games.  During the practice session I tried a pin down Sigma Tour.  While it did not recover as well as its pin up counterpart, the pin down allowed me to play straighter and keep the ball in play.  On low scoring patterns, the most important task is simply keeping the ball in play.  This three game block went incredibly well with a 202, 227, and 267.  I moved up from tenth place to third. 

Bowling is a fickle game, though, and a good look can go away in the blink of an eye.  This is exactly what happened to me.  The first game of the third round I bowled on a pair that (somehow) Rhino and I had not touched yet.  It was completely fresh and I had no read on it.  Unfortunately, I never figured out this pair.  If I tried to square up on the lane, the ball read early and split.  If I tried to go around it, the ball never got started.  In hind sight, I should have switched from the Sigma to the Raptor.  While it would have been hard to keep on line, at least it would have hooked every time I threw it.  This game was my only really terrible game of the weekend and was in the 150’s. 

Going into the final game of the round of 16, I knew that I had to shoot around 200 to make the next cut.  Unfortunately, I was back on the dreaded end pair (where I started the tournament).  I was clean for the first nine frames, and was pacing a decent 200 game.  Then, I missed a 2-4 in the tenth.  It was incredibly embarrassing and frustrating.   My spares had been so good all weekend and I had been clutch every time I needed a strike all to get to this point and miss an incredibly easy spare.

Ultimately, however, I was pleased with the weekend.  Even easy spares were made difficult on this pattern.  A ninth place finish had to suffice.  This weekend was a barometer of how my off-season work has gone.  It seems, based on this performance on a pattern that has consistently befuddled me that things are progressing nicely.

It's Good to be Shallow?

Lanes 15 and 16?  REALLY?  The end pair?  Are you kidding me?  Of all the starting pairs, I drew the end pair! 

Pla Mor lanes in Coldwater, Ohio is a 16 wood lane center.  While the lanes are immaculate, after years of use, lane topography issues are bound to occur.  In this particular center the last pair plays nothing like the rest of the center.  While that is frustrating and a unique hurdle in a tournament, it is particularly difficult when it is your starting pair.  Essentially, you get 15 minutes of practice prior to the tournament beginning and, for me; it was going to be on a pair that would tell me nothing about the tournament pattern.

On the starting pair I had an excellent look with my strongest Raptor.  The ball was set to 1000 grit by hand with a 55 x 4 x 45 and a P2 hole.  This ball has been too early and strong for any pattern it has encountered.  However, for the ultra tight end pair, it was ideal.  My first game score as a solid 215 playing 8 to 5.

However, even with a substantial move on my first shot in the second game, I went Broooklyn on lane one.  UNBELIEVEABLE!!!  Thank goodness I got some pins on the last pair, because it looks like I am going to need them.  The danger on these patterns comes with changing zones.  When you move your feet and ball path more than one or two boards you encounter an entirely new aspect of the pattern.  This pair forced me to jump two zones and ten boards to the middle of the lane.  The result was the best 211 game I have EVER thrown. 

Game three was more of the same.  My ball wanted to read early and lay off down lane.  Instead of thinking critically and changing balls I just told myself that the pattern was hard and made spares for a 180 game.  This was, ultimately, a terrible decision.   

No matter what you are bowling on, if you throw a shot 70% or better, it should get 9 or at least leave a makeable 8 count.  The point on a sport shot is not to throw a ton of strikes.  LEAVE MAKEABLE SPARES!!! The difference between a good bowler and a great bowler is the ability to leave makeable spares on difficult patterns.

I was not following this rule during games two and three and my coach, Jeff Anderson, called me on it.   As always, he told me to shell down, simplify, and figure out how to play shallow angles.  Look at the best players on tour; the guys who knock them down year after year.  What do they have in common?  They play shallow angles almost all of the time. 

As a result, I took out a pin up Sigma Tour with a 1000 grit surface and went back to the exact zone that I played on the first pair.  At least I knew that this was a playable zone of the lane.  It turned out that this was the right move.  While I did not knock them down at a scorching pace, every game was over 190 for the final 5 games.  I averaged 210 for the final five and led the squad. 

Though it was a grind, I was happy to know that I would be bowling on Sunday.  Bowling on Sundays is an absolute blast. 

The Best Laid Plans… – Coldwater, OH Part 3

Following a deliberate practice session the brain must stay active, creating a game plan.  I had 21 hours to come up with my plan for attacking the pattern.  This had to include the knowledge from other players, characteristics of the center, how I expected the pattern to play, who I was following, and what A squad did.

Based on the observations of other lefties (we DO work together…we have to) and my own perception, it seemed that the pattern would likely play somewhere between 3 and 8 down lane with the lay down being somewhere around 3 to 10.

 I would not encounter another lefty until game 4, and then another starting with game 6.  The first lefty was going to throw surface to my left (as always) and the other was going to throw shiny stuff to my right (as always).  The key to knowing this is always to enable those bowlers to make the pattern easier, not harder.  For the pair that the straight lefty broke down, I would throw a faster response ball and move in just a bit, banking it off of his burn.  Once I encountered both the most important factor was never crossing their paths twice.  My hope was to be able to use the path of shiny equipment to create a “shim” and the dull to create a tiny bump spot.  Again, I would likely use a ball with a faster response time than I did on the fresh.

On Saturday morning the first squad was interesting, to say the least.  Unlike the righties, who have to watch everyone, I only watch a handful of players.  This particular morning, Ryan Ciminelli and Rhino Page were the only left handed players I needed to watch. 

Rhino had a phenomenal morning, leading qualifying.  However, Rhino has a bag of tricks that no other lefties possess.  On Saturday, Rhino played between the 4 board and 9 board all day.  He used a pearl resin ball with an incredibly weak layout, spinning the ball and often lofting it when encountering the lay down of the right handed players.  Essentially, Rhino created a shim with his release and the layout of the ball.  While he could not really miss toward the gutter, he could miss right a great deal. 

On the other end of the spectrum, Mr. Ciminelli had a very difficult day.  While Ryan is undoubtedly one of the best left handed bowlers in the world, we all struggle from time to time.  Essentially, Ryan had a great deal of difficulty getting the ball to read the pattern.  The stronger equipment would read the pattern way too early and weaker equipment would not move until it fell off of the back of the deck. 

Given these observations, I decided to take only Raptors and Sigma Tours to the lanes for my squad.  On the fresh the plan was to use strong, slow response equipment and transition to faster response balls.  Furthermore, while I had thought that outside the first arrow would be ideal, based on Rhino’s performance I decided to first look between the first and second arrows.  Basically, I knew that I could not create his hold with spin, so I needed to create it with speed and angle through the front of the lane. 

Of course, all of these observations relied upon the pattern being consistent and the bowler executing good shots.

Take it With a Grain of Salt – Coldwater, OH Part 2

Trusting a PBA practice session is a lot like trusting the customer who tells you that “the check is in the mail.”  You know that it’s not true even though it makes you feel a little better in the moment.  However, the moment that customer leaves you just know that you’ve been fed a lie. 

This is a note to everyone considering bowling a PBA event; the pattern on the lane is not the reason to go to the practice session.  Many high level pros do not participate in practice sessions because they know that the pattern on Friday is seldom what is on the lanes on Saturday and/or Sunday.  They have been tricked by the pattern before and gotten burnt.  However, do not fall into that trap as a new player.  Go to the practice session!  Get the experience!  Just make sure that you don’t make up your mind about how to play the lanes on Saturday based on Friday evening.

I maintain that a practice session is a vital aspect of the tournament process.  A responsible and astute bowler can learn a lot in a practice session, even if the pattern is obviously different.  First of all, the approaches in a bowling center WILL be consistent barring intense climate change.  Familiarize yourself with your environment.  If there are lanes against the wall or with unique tendencies, get to know the topography of the center.  Furthermore, a lot can be learned about lane play without ever seeing the actual pattern.  A clever player can surmise if a portion of the center hooks more, earlier, later, etc. by bowling on anything.

Furthermore, practice on a competitive pattern with the people against whom you will be competing is incredibly valuable.  Ultimately, it is not a house shot and it is two hours to learn and watch others.  I have learned as much about the game during practice sessions from intelligent pros as I have anywhere.

The pattern was the Tournament of Champions pattern, but on wood with extra oil in the first 15 feet to help it hold up to the traffic.  The result was a great deal of sensitivity in the pattern.  Speed, trajectory through the front of the lane, accuracy, and playing the right zone were all vital.  This does not mean that a pattern is unplayable.  However, the player absolutely must be deliberate about selecting a ball that will minimize the inconsistencies in the pattern, utilize his or her strengths, and be aware of what other players are doing to the pattern (for better or for worse).

Because of the surface, I needed a ball that would clear the heads, but was strong enough to make it “up the hill” at the end of the pattern.  It could not be so strong as to make me open my angles, as that would lead to splits, but needed to create either a board of hold or a board of hook if I missed.  The solution was either a Raptor drilled 70 x 30 @ 2 ½ that would clear the front and tumble at the pocket or one of my Sigma Tours.  The Raptor and my pin up Sigma (60 x 40 @ 5) created a bit of hook if I missed away.  The pin down Sigma (40 x 60 @ 5 with a P2 hole) created a bit of hold.  I had a great look on the gutter with all three, but for some reason, the shot did not hold up very well when I threw the Sigma on it.  Obviously, the surface on the Sigma coupled with the surface of the lane was creating problems. 

During a two hour practice session I am always convinced my look is great for a while and that it is terrible for a while.  Unfortunately, this practice session ended just as I convinced myself that my ball reaction was not so good.  This pattern, as always, was a riddle that I had less than 24 hours to solve.

Could this week BEE any worse? – Coldwater, OH Part 1

Last weekend was the “best regional in the nation.”  Brian Kretzer and the Hartings family host a regional tournament that is nothing short of incredible.  It is nearly a week long event and it consumes the small community in which it takes place.  There are golf tournaments, softball games, putting competitions, cornhole tournaments, and, by the way, a bowling tournament.

For those of you who are my friends on Facebook, you know that last week was crazy.  On Wednesday afternoon I was stung by a bee while mowing the yard.  That’s not a huge deal even though I’m allergic.  Earlier this season I as stung and was still able to bowl.  The problem was that I got stung on the LEFT HAND!!! 

I did EVERYTHING right!  Immediately, I ran inside, scraped out the stinger, and started treating the sting.  Part of that treatment is a shot from my Epipen.  Even still, by the next morning my hand was so swollen that I could not bend my fingers.  On Thursday morning I called the region manager and told him that I would likely not be bowling.  It seemed like a no brainer as my hand looked like a baseball glove. 

However, when I woke up on Friday I decided that I would contact my friend Dr. Mathison.  The doctor and I used to bowl league together and he is still a great friend of mine.  He told me that I would not do any further damage to my hand by bowling.  Doc also told me to add Pepcid to my regimen of allergy medicine and ice.  So, I went downstairs, stuffed my hand into a ball (it didn’t quite fit), and decided to go bowl. 

On the drive to Coldwater, which is about 4 hours, I got some Pepcid and kept the digits on ice.  After a couple of hours I decided to switch out my ice bags and what I saw was absolutely shocking.  My hand was easily half the size that it had been when I got in the car.  Obviously, there were still issues with the hand all weekend.  The main issues were stiffness and a slight lack of dexterity.  However, those things can be overcome. 

Of course, now the issue at hand (pardon the terrible pun) was that I was entering the strongest regional tournament in existence with a slight handicap and no practice in four days.  While many players can get by on talent, I typically practice for 2 hours on Mondays and Wednesdays to prepare.  Nevertheless, I was at the bowling center, in my name shirt, and the region director was at the microphone.  “PBA Central Region Bowlers, your lanes are now on for your two hours of practice at the PBA Central Region 4^th annual Lefeld Implement Classic.”

Well…here we go!

Motiv Balls and the Friction/Transition Spectrum

It is now time to select what ball or balls you need in order to succeed this season.  You know what shape the ball must make, how it is going to make it and when to use each ball.  All that is left is deciding which fits your game best.  Below is my personal assessment of what ball I choose for each of these patterns.  Obviously, you and your ball driller may disagree.

I recommend finding where you are on the spectrum and filling in with five balls that will each serve a unique purpose in your bag.  Obviously, for you many of those slots are likely already filled.  As a bowler with fairly well matched ball speed and rev rate I need a moderate response ball for light, medium, and heavy oil along with a slow response ball for medium oil and a fast response ball for medium oil as my core equipment.  Determine where you are on the spectrum and fill in your arsenal.  If you would like to know my opinion or help from Justin please feel free to ask.

Slow Response/Low Friction Production

For this pattern and surface I always use an original QZ2.  Most bowlers tend to go with the Recon.  However, I believe that the Recon is a much faster responding ball.  For dry lanes and touchy backends or simply a fresh but dry pattern, I suggest the QZ2 with a weak layout.  The QZ2 is great when you need a dry lane ball and have to play shallow (straight) angles.

Slow Response/Moderate Friction Production

The Motiv Primal TV4 is perhaps the best ball for very slow response along with moderate friction production.  This makes the Primal a great choice for going straight on a typical house shot for a player whose rev rate and ball speed match.  However, it is also a great ball for rev dominant players as it will blend the pattern sufficiently.

Slow Response/High Friction Production

The first asymmetric ball ever released by Motiv is still quite useful for some of the trickiest patterns.  When a smooth, but strong ball is needed, the Motiv Cruel C51 is the answer.  Shallow angles on high volume are the wheelhouse for this particular ball.

Moderate Response/Low Friction Production

Depending on where you want to be in this portion of the spectrum, you may want a QZ2 and you may want a QZ2 Backdraft.  The Backdraft creates more friction and is a hybrid.  The Backdraft would likely create more friction than the bowler would want on a dry pattern.  However, with slightly weaker layout than the original QZ2, it should be fine.

Moderate Response/Moderate Friction Production

This is the spot where the Sigma Tour is absolutely unstoppable.  The ST is tailor made for moderate to moderate fast response and moderate to moderate high friction production.  This is why I say that 99 percent of bowlers can use this ball, with minor tweaks, on 80 percent of patterns.  A moderate response, moderate friction producing ball is useful on most patterns you will ever encounter. 

However, the QZ2 Backdraft can also be tuned to this particular spot on the spectrum as well.  The Backdraft is definitely slower response than the Sigma, but can be tuned to respond more quickly with layout and surface preparation.  Also, the QZ2 Backdraft is the choice if money is an issue.

Moderate Response/High Friction Production

The Motiv Raptor P7 is great for any high friction production needs.  However, it would need a tricky layout in order to use it when slow response is necessary.  It is just safer to stick with the Cruel in those situations.  With a slow response layout and a slight surface change to 1500 or 1000 grit, the Raptor is ready for high friction production and moderate response.

Fast Response/Low Friction Production

Without a doubt, the Motiv Recon RX1 Pearl is the answer for fast response on hooking lanes.  The Recon is clean through the front of the lane and angular enough in its quick response to allow for deeper angles on dry lanes.

Fast Response/Moderate Friction Production

Currently, the best option for fast response on medium lanes is the Sigma Tour.  With a skid/flip layout and box finish, the ST will glide through the front and provide that fast response necessary for hammering the long patterns and transition that demand these angles. 

Fast Response/High Friction Production

The Motiv Raptor is the best ball on the planet for fast response on oily lanes.  This ball clears the fronts with ease, but because of its astounding differential and amazing formula 7 shell, it is able to make the corner even on the tightest of lanes. 

At this point, you should be adequately prepared to walk into your pro shop and knowledgeably make a decision regarding what you need to succeed in the coming year.  Good luck and high scores!

More Silverware than a Wedding Registry

This idea was briefly introduced in the previous post, “You can’t eat soup with a knife.”  We are now going to dive deeply into this subject of choosing what ball to use and when.  Now that we know what shape the ball needs to make on the lane and what factors influence how a ball rolls on that lane, we are ready to learn when to use a specific piece.  We need forks, spoons, and knives!

Categorizing Bowling Balls Given the two primary determining factors of ball motion, let’s discuss briefly how to categorize the equipment.  Essentially, all balls fall on a spectrum from producing little friction to a great deal.  Likewise, a bowling ball can respond to friction very slowly to very quickly.  The surface texture and layout chosen by you and your ball driller will help to manipulate and customize this to fit your game.

What part of the spectrum do you need?  Not all bowlers need to cover the entirety of the spectrum from low friction to high and from slow response to fast. A player that is incredibly rev dominant will not need a ball that creates a great deal of friction or even a ball that responds to friction quickly.  The ratio of revolutions to ball speed is so lopsided toward the revolutions that their game will create the friction on its own and the low ball speed will allow time for a slower response ball to respond.  Conversely, a speed dominant player does not need balls that produce very little hook or respond slowly as their game will not allow these balls to “square” themselves to the pocket. 

Another contributing factor to deciding what you need is determining how diverse the patterns and surfaces upon which you will be bowling are. If you are bowling on very similar patterns and surfaces, not as much equipment is needed to fill out an arsenal as if you are bowling tournaments on competitive patterns and varied surfaces.

Before deciding what your ideal arsenal is, you need to determine where you are on the spectrum with your coach and pro shop operator.  Axis tilt, axis rotation, ball speed, and rev rate will all influence this greatly. 

When to Use a Ball: Now that you know the shape that you need and where on the spectrum you need to fill holes, let’s briefly discuss when to use specific pieces of equipment. 

Fresh Oil/Wet-Dry

On fresh oil and wet/dry patterns the ideal ball to use is a ball that is slower response.  This will minimize the drastic transition that many people see.  Ideally, the bowler will play as shallow angles as possible on this pattern.  Of course, looking at successful bowlers on the highest level, shallow angles are always the most prudent decision, but that is a discussion for another day.  The slow response ball selected needs to simply create the right amount of friction for the ball to stay on line in the front of the lane and roll through the pins continuously.

The Burn!

Bowlers either cherish or lament bowling on a burnt pattern and this is mostly due to the equipment they have in their bag and the method by which they choose to attack a lane naturally.  However, everyone can succeed on the burn if they are deliberate about how they do it. 

On a transitioned pattern, there is often too little oil in the front of the lane to get a bowling ball to glide through it while going straight.  The result is that the bowler is forced to the left.  However, a plus to this is that there is often a “burn spot” down lane at which the bowler can deliver the ball. 

Throwing a slow response ball on this kind of pattern is murder.  The ball, depending on the amount of friction it produces, may make it through the front of the lane, but it will respond so slowly that it will not continue through the pins.  The result is often washouts, 2-4-8-10’s, and nasty splits because of the over/under reaction. 

A ball for this pattern will be matched in the amount of friction necessary, first of all.  Most bowlers know how much friction a ball needs to create on a pattern intrinsically.  However, the ball for this pattern will respond on the fast side of their specific spectrum.  What this means is, the ball for this pattern will be the fastest response in your bag in order to give a smooth hook with continuation.

The balls ideal for this situation are the balls often marketed as “skid/flip” bowling balls.  Of course, they are not going to make a smooth motion on many patterns.  However, given the transition of the pattern and the steeper angles necessary for playing inside, they will make a smooth motion on the lane.

Everything Else

Those are the times to use the opposite ends of your spectrum.  However, you will likely spend most of your bowling on the stuff in the middle.  For these patterns, simply stick with balls in the middle of your spectrum.

Tomorrow we will finish this series by discussing Motiv Bowling balls and where they fit on the spectrum.

The Magic Potion for Ideal Ball Motion

Always Be Smooth

Smooth ball reaction is good ball reaction.  That is the long and the short of it.  However, as we have already discussed, you can’t produce that same motion on all patterns using one ball.  There are three key components that I like my bowlers to keep an eye on when they are looking for this ideal ball motion. 

Get Online!  The first is that the ball can stay on line.  A ball that creates too much friction will read the lane early and will not stay on line toward its target.  Furthermore, a ball that does not create enough friction will “back up” through the front of the lane and not stay on line toward its target.  Mo Pinel uses the term “skid” for this component of ball motion.  I prefer to narrow it down to staying on line simply because it is a bit more specific. 

Sometimes keying in on this component is as simple as shining or scuffing a ball to give it the right kind of contact on the lane.  However, sometimes this means changing to a ball with a different shell.  The bowler must be mindful of what his or her ball is doing all the way through the lane, including what it does prior to when it “hooks.”

Smooth It Out Next, the bowler has to keep an eye on the motion that the ball makes down lane.  This is absolutely crucial to making a pattern play as easy as possible.  A jerky ball reaction will exaggerate the changes in the pattern, resulting in some ugly splits and designer spares to convert. 

Again, the brilliant Mo refers to this stage in ball motion as the hook stage.  However, any kind of change in direction can be qualified as “hook” and that concerns me.  What we want to see is a smooth motion that begins, ideally, a touch before the end of the pattern.  If a bowler relies on the end of the pattern for the hook, they will often experience over/under.

To Be Continued Rather than simply labeling this stage as the “roll” stage, I choose to refer to it as the “continue” stage.  The ball “rolls” all the way down the lane.  To label a phase as simply “roll” is so vague; I question whether people understand the goal.   What we want is the ball making a smooth motion at the end of the pattern and continuing through the pins.

Continuation through the pins is a difficult concept to grasp, but is every bit as important as the other aspects of ball motion.  A ball that continues to hook smoothly through the pins will leave, at best, nine pins for right handed bowlers.  Conversely, a ball that hooks smoothly, but appears to straighten out or bounce off of the pins is going to leave a lot of back row spares as well.

In order for the ball to continue through the pins, the ball needs to have very little axis tilt and rotation.  What this means is that you will see your ball get into a heavy, end over end roll through the pins.  Furthermore, the rev rate of the ball is at its highest at this point.  Obviously, those two factors go hand in hand. 

I would like to add at this point that none of what I am saying is original.  Just as every batting coach in the major leagues is teaching the exact same thing, but using different verbiage, I am simply reciting exactly what good coaches have for years in my own language.  I would like to say a special thank you to Mo Pinel, Brad Angelo, and Rick Benoit who have articulated ball motion so eloquently to me at different points in my life. 

A ball that has been kept on line through the front of the pattern, rolled smoothly at the breakpoint, and continued through the pins will strike far more often than any other combination of motions.  Next, we need to take a look at the balls in the Motiv bowling ball line and determine how to outfit a bowler with a sound, well rounded arsenal to produce this on line, smooth, continuous motion.

You can’t eat soup with a knife!

A major hang up that most bowlers have is that they fall in love with one type of ball, whatever that type may be, and they fill their bag with slightly different versions of that one ball.  This would be the equivalent of sitting down to dinner with four knives at a meal and expecting to eat all of your courses. It just doesn’t work!

Recently, one of my closest friends had a very rough outing at a tournament.  This tournament was on long oil and high volume.  In this bowler’s bag were quite a few bowling balls; or so it seemed.  Upon further analysis, he had 3 moderate response bowling balls with antiquated coverstocks that could only produce a small amount of friction.  Along with those three he had a spare ball and eight slow response balls varying in friction production from low to moderate.

Obviously, my friend was not equipped for a tournament pattern that demanded a ball that created a great deal of friction and responded to the pattern quickly.  The results, as I already stated, were not good.  The problem, however, was that he blamed himself.  Rule #1: You cannot out bowl bad ball reaction!!!  The balls in his bag intensified the difficulties presented naturally by the pattern. 

A bowler looking to be competitive on a variety of patterns absolutely must be deliberate about filling his or her bowling bag with a diverse selection of balls.  What this means is that the bowler needs balls that utilize both of the variables involved in creating ball motion; production of friction and speed of transition.  My friend had only balls that created varied amounts of friction, but the same speed of transition.  Ultimately, that is a recipe for intense disaster or success and nothing in between. 

Back to Basics

For the purposes of creating a well rounded collection of bowling balls there are a few ball motion basics that absolutely must be observed.  Although ball motion is a hot term in the industry right now, it is incredibly vague what people mean when they talk about it.  Furthermore, it is one of the most misunderstood aspects of the game.

First, what is good ball motion?  That may sound like a trick question.  However, it is my belief, and based on conversations with many competitive bowlers, a common belief that there is one type of ball motion that is far better than all others.  SMOOTH ball motion is by far the most productive ball motion. 

Why, then, are there so many different types of bowling balls?  Shouldn’t everyone just make one type of ball?  These are the responses that I always get when explaining this concept to bowlers.  Of course, the answer is a resounding no. 

The variables the ball encounters while bowling are far too vast for one ball to conquer them all.  These hundreds of balls being released every season by bowling ball manufacturers are all attempts at producing smooth ball reactions on the maximum number of patterns.

Creating this smooth ball reaction on many patterns is a daunting task.  However, it is really quite simple to understand if we look at it in as basic a fashion as we possibly can.  Given that, we will be simplifying ball motion to its absolute core; the two factors in creating smooth reaction.

Factor #1

Friction Production: The first basic factor in understanding ball reaction how much friction a ball will create.  This is the simpler of the two aspects, and is easily observed.  Most bowlers already look at patterns from left to right. Friction production is primarily going to influence the left to right hook.  A ball that creates more friction will have more hook potential on most patterns. 

Factor #2

Response Time:  While friction production primarily determines how much a ball hooks, response time primarily determines the shape.  When a ball responds, it can do so quickly (making a hockey stick type shape) or slowly (more like a banana).  Also, this is the more difficult aspect of ball motion to understand, as it has more to do with the motion from the front to the back of the lane.  This second factor is of the utmost importance because it is the most often overlooked.

It’s Not Always as it Seems

Something to note at this point is that both factors influence the front to back motion of a ball on the lane and the left to right. I am simply attempting to simplify the concepts. A ball that creates very little friction, but responds very quickly will hook more left to right than a ball that creates a great deal of friction, but responds slowly on many dry lane conditions.  This is simply because of energy retention that results from the low friction production.  The occurrence of a Recon hooking more than a Cruel frustrates and baffles many league bowlers.  This phenomenon explains such an issue.  The Recon retains its energy and the Cruel, on dry lanes, uses it up too quickly for the bowler to recognize the hook.

Next, we’ll discuss why these two factors are so important and why you have to understand both to grasp proper ball motion.

A Deadly Arsenal

One of the most common questions that I encounter from competitive bowlers trying to improve their game is “what ball do I need?”  Often, finding an answer to that question is more difficult than it sounds.  So, considering the time of the year and the beginning of the new bowling season, this seemed like an opportune time to discuss how a bowler should fill his or her bowling bag.

Over the next few days I will be posting, in phases, some aspects of how I understand ball motion and combating different patterns.  In the end, hopefully you will have found some assistance in attacking difficult patterns as well as deciding what Motiv bowling balls to put in your bag for next season.

First, we are going to discuss the absolute basics of ball motion, boiling it down to the bare essentials.  Following that is an article on the importance of having a diverse selection of bowling balls.  Third is a more detailed analysis of how to analyze whether your ball is doing what it should on the lane. Following that will be a description of when to use balls that make specific shapes and how to fill out an arsenal.  I am currently completing the final portion, but as it looks I will be posting one piece per day for at least the next five days.

Finally, as always, make sure that you are having your speed, axis tilt, axis rotation, and general game prior to choosing a new ball as well. The topics being discussed here are simply the basics that are not specific to any one person’s game.

It’s been a while…

I apologize for the delay.  Pulling double duty out here is quite the task.  My day begins hours before the first squad.  I have to make sure that all of the Motiv bowlers are equipped for the upcoming squad.  Once they are good to go I take care of myself.  This involves finishing balls that I had drilled on the truck the night before, setting surfaces, and other shop duties.

During the day if I’m not bowling I scout lanes for bowlers, adjust surfaces, and provide ideas for layouts and lane play.  Most days begin before 8 am and end just before midnight.  Still, what a great life taking care of bowlers and being around the best in the game!

The Earl Anthony tournament in California was a mixed bag on a personal level.  The good news was that I have never bowled that poorly and gotten paid.  The bad news is I’ve never bowled that poorly and gotten paid.  For those of you who saw the TV show it was clear that the left side of the lane was pretty nice this week.  It’s a lefty’s job to stay sharp so that when we have a chance we can pounce on it and make it count.  I managed to mess my game up enough on the bad weeks that I couldn’t capitalize on it on the good week.

Still, there was a lot of good this week.  Anytime you make it through the tqr it is a great thing.  I was able to learn a great deal and I learned a bit more about the Motiv product line.  For a year and a half I had heard people talk about how much they loved the SR2 and never understood it.  This week I drilled one weaker than any I had drilled before and WOW!  What a great ball. 

Winning Them Over

Just like in the bowling industry nationwide, my job is to win bowlers over to the Motiv Nation.  The difference is, I’m dealing with an audience of less than 100. 

Each week is a new challenge.  This week is a major.  Major patterns are easily the most difficult of the lot.  Imagine the over/under you see in league exaggerated and flipped so that the hook is inside and the hang is outside.  That is the Tournament of Champions pattern.  Of course, it should be that way if the top prize is to be one quarter of a million dollars. 

Furthermore, the bowlers are spending half of their qualifying on fresh oil and the other half on leftovers from the previous squad.  As a result, there are two difficult patterns we that must be tamed.  On the fresh oil there is a huge hang spot with a playable area just inside of it.  This is not really a hook spot is the issue; it’s just an area with less hang.  Higher rev players can play further into the spot than lower rev.  Therefore, there is an interesting situation occurring.  Higher rev players can be further from the pocket while lower rev players must be closer.   

The dry is easier for many of the bowlers as long as the heads don’t get too burnt and they keep up with the transition.  Higher rev players are dominating this week because they can throw their ball over or through the dry in the front of the lane and get the ball to recover from places further down lane than other players.  This is, in many ways, like the World Series of Bowling on the burn squads. 

Given this pattern, I have been dealing a lot with the Thrust core the last few days.  The TR2 appears to be the ball of choice for Motiv players on the fresh while the Primal is a great option for the burn.  The next ball in line is the SR2.  Because this is such a versatile ball, we see it used on both squads.  In fact, there is a very well known player using two different SR2’s; one on the fresh and the other on the burn.  However, there is one PBA hall of famer who chose to use the Cruel on the fresh to play in the out of bounds. 

The PBA National tour is being won over one big M at a time and it is a lot of fun to watch.  Hopefully we can get one of these beasts on soon!