Expert: Russ King - 7/25/2007

Question
QUESTION: I am 14 and have been bowling for about 2-3 months now with an Ebonite Tornado. I'm right handed and I don't know what layout I have but my pin is about an inch to the right and a 1/4 of an inch down of my ring finger hole.  I believe I have a stroker style as I come from the 1st dot on the right and have a slow arc to the pocket with medium-slow revs and medium-slow ball speed (how much oil is on the lane dictates how hard throw usually). I hit the pocket frequently but leave a lot of pins in the back row (I mainly get 6-10's, 5's, or 8's).  I usually pick up my spares and I'm pretty accurate.  

I want to start striking more and have been looking around the internet at different layouts and balls.  The lane I bowl at has medium-heavy oil conditions and I was looking at a Hammer Raw Hammer Anger but am really not sure if this is a good choice for me and I have know idea about ball layouts and such.  What I want the ball to do is hook a little later than it does now and have a stronger move into the pocket.  My ball right now starts hooking about halfway down the lane and I want to go a little farther.  I need some advice on what ball to get and what layout to get.  Can you help me with this?

ANSWER:  FIRST , There are many tornados. I need to know what the color is with  any other names on the ball.I also need to know if you have a conventional grip (fingers into the second joint) or fingertip ( fingers into just the first joint.
 As a stroker , your power is accuracy so I would not go right now with a soft hooking over reactive ball. Maybe later on when you get real accurate, you can go soft.They do exactly & add way more what you do to the ball. If you miss your mark by one board, the hooking ball misses the pin by X 3 by what you missed your mark by.

If your bowling with a conventional grip, the first move would be plugging & redrilling the tornado.If you are throwing fingertip , I suggest having the Pro Shop slightly dull up the surface of the ball (as long as the ball is a urethane or reactive resin). This acts like big truck tires in snow.You get better grip on the oil.
THE MORE INFO YOU GIVE ME , THE BETTER I CAN NARROW DOWN THE PROBLEM.

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

QUESTION: My Tornado is a Black/Red/Orange and I have fingertip grips with no thumb slug.  As for having my Pro Shop resurface it, exactly what grade of sandpaper should I have them use?  And is the layout my ball has now the best for me?  Thanks for the answer and hope I get a response to this one soon.

Answer
Your Tornado is a shiny reactive for light oil conditions.Since you are a stroker type bowler, dulling up the reactive surface might work well. There are many grades of sandpaper 500,600,800,1000,1200,1500,2000,2500 up to shiny gloss.Try 1500 at first. That will get you more without extreme.Then go from there. If you want more hook, go with 1000 less go with 2000.This will give you a tast of more hook/drive without getting a new ball. Once you decide what grit you like on the surface, you can get back with me on how it worked & I can make a better suggestion on what you need.
 When you try the new surface on the ball,bowl one game as the ball is now then dull it up then bowl another game on the same lane so you can see the difference.You wont get a whole lot out of the tornado because it is a harder undr reactive but, you will get a tast of different reactions. Give it a chance so you can get a better understanding of what you need