Expert: Russ King - 12/11/2007

Question
QUESTION: I'm a very competitive beginner with a very unorthodox style.

Info:
I'm a righty 2 fingered bowler (middle/ring) because of surgically repaired thumb (college baseball injury).
I typically start on the far left of the approach and throw the ball between the 2nd and 3rd arrow on the right.  I've been called a cranker with a skid/snap type of throw.

My question is... what type of ball would be best for my style???  For the most part I've been averaging around 150-160 with a plastic house ball.  I leave a TUN of 10 pins and some of the local bowlers tell me it's not me, it's the ball.  Please advise.

ANSWER:  For a semi beginner in your situation, I would get a Urethane ball. A Urethane is the most versatile ball out there.It is a good ball to start with & gain experiences moving around with different shots.You can ultra shine the surface for length or dull up for hooking power.Your pro Shop will have a ball spinner for this.A Urethane is also a lot more inexpensive than a reactive at $300 +.I like the Brunswick Groove line for this. They also have Reactives that are good for beginners for a controlled hook.

Right now, I would concentrate on a new ball,grip & learning/developing your style.The adjustments come later.

A GOOD ball driller can/maybe drill(DEPENDING ON THE SEVERITY OF THE INJURY) a thumb hole that you can use. I have drilled many people with injured/torn up hands that they never thought they could bowl with.It may take some experimenting for every injury is different BUT CAN BE DONE!!!!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: My father has a brand new "Hammer Raw Anger" that has never been used/drilled and a older "Columbia 300 The Beast".  I've done some research on both balls and everything I read say that they both a pretty good balls (although I have no idea what the specs mean. ie RG rating, ect) Should I commandeer these free balls? Would they be good for my style or are they to advanced? Obviously using anything other than a house ball will help my game... I guess most players purchase balls that fit their style... but could I tweak my style to fit the type of ball I'm going to use... or is that just the Polish blood in me???

Thanks for the advice.

Answer
FIRST, MAKE THE BALL FIT YOUR STYLE!!! NOT YOU FIT THE BALLS.

I would mess with the beast first. Once you feel the balls grip feels just right, then you can take your father out to eat & tell him you want his hammer also.

Since your just starting out, I would not be too concerned about the tech. aspect of the ball.Just have the driller drill it with no weights & pin at 1:30(clock time) right next to your ring finger.

ALWAYS EXPERIMENT ON USED EQUIPMENT TO GET IT RIGHT. PLUGGING USED BALLS UP ONCE AGAIN TO TWEAK A GRIP WON'T HURT IT. THEN DRILL THE BEST GRIP INTO THE NEW ONE FOR BEST RESULTS.

OH YA, GET READY FOR A HOOK!!!!