Expert: - 10/4/2009

Question
With all the new technology available in bowling balls, Does finger/thumb and side weight combinations have any effect on the performance of a ball? If so, how can they be used and in what proportions?
Thanks

Answer
Jan,
The research I've seen and experiments I've done, reflects that weight imbalances effect the ball very minimally, providing less that 5% of the balls reaction in a modern bowling ball, way to little for the average player to worry about. The USBC is planning to eliminate the finger/thumb requirements, if the rumors can be believed.

Now, weightblocks of 7 plus pounds will influence a ball way more than an ounce here or there. But, in a standard three piece ball with very little core influence, imbalances of side weight or finger or thumb weight did influence a ball, years ago, on way less oil than is applied to lanes these days. So, if you have a spare ball or dry lane three piece ball that is thrown on very dry lanes, being aware of the imbalances is a good thing IF you are a very consistent high end player.

Imbalances can benefit you in the above scenario, but they'd have to reflect your rev rate, ball speed, tilt and axis rotation. For a ball that wouldn't be utilized much (a tournament dry lane ball for example), surface, speed, rotation, tilt and rev rate will dictate where the ball starts to read the lane. There are so many things to take into consideration that even the perfect set-up, on a slightly goofy broken down lane might kill you. I've yet to spend much time working on the perfect combo, even for me, preferring to use as much ball as possible on any given lane. Slight imbalance changes (the 5%) doesn't impact ball reaction and carry like the right ball (75-80%). Thank for your question.