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This Ball |
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| Bowling
Ball Selecting |
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The advantage
of owning your own ball.
Having a personal ball means you can have it drilled to fit your
hands. Proper ball fit feels more comfortable, causes less fatigue
of the hand and arm, and lessens the chance of injury through pulled
muscles, tendinitis, blisters, deep calluses and so on. If the ball
is comfortable to the feel and can be held securely (without effort)
during the delivery, it is possible to develop a natural, consistent
and well-timed delivery.
Choosing the right ball can pay big
dividends.
If you bowl a couple of times per month or throw the ball pretty
straight, we suggest going with a plastic(polyester) or urethane
ball. This line of balls are considered straight balls because they
pretty much go where you send them. Pro bowlers also uses these
for shooting spares. If this matches your style of bowling, then
click here to check out the balls
we have selected just for your style. When you get there, don't
be confused by all the different designs, they all function the
same way.
You are not limited to just polyester or urethane balls. You can
opt for lower end reactive balls as well. They provide greater hitting
power and are more controllable. Our mid-range
balls are great for occassional or beginner bowlers who desire
a little more hook.
We also offer a line of performance balls for bowlers who bowl a
fair amount, can get some hook on a ball and realize how to use
it to their advantage. If this matches your style of bowling, then
check out our performance balls.
Why are there Straight balls
and Hook balls?
Selecting the proper ball weight.
The weight of the ball should be roughly ten percent of your body
weight. Another good rule to go by is to choose a ball that is one
to two pounds heavier than the house ball you are bowling with.
The reason being is that the grip on the house ball is incorrect
and a custom fit ball will feel much lighter because it will be
easier to hold on to.
The four types balls.
Four types of balls are available on the market today: plastic(polyester),
urethane, reactive, and particle. Each uses a different production
technology. Understanding what each one does will help you choose
the right ball.
To help you find that ideal ball, we offer Advance
Ball Search. You can perform searches like—show me only
14 lb. reactive balls under $75 by Brunswick and it must be polished.
Plastic(polyester):
The type ball that most recreational bowlers will recognize
is the polyester bowling ball, which is commonly referred
to as a "plastic" bowling ball. Polyester bowling
balls have been available since the 1960s. They have a
low cost compared to the other types of bowling balls
and they are very durable, which is why they are used
as "house" balls on the racks of most bowling
centers. The durability comes from the hard, low friction
nature of the polyester cover. This low friction nature
causes the "plastic" ball to skid more and maintain
a straighter trajectory. "Plastic" balls are
primarily used by beginning bowlers; however, many experienced
and professional bowlers use them for spare shots and
for very dry lane conditions.
Urethane: In the
late 1970s, bowling manufacturers experimented with coverstocks
softer than polyester in order to create more hook potential.
The result of these experiments was a polyurethane coverstock,
or urethane for short. Urethane has a higher friction
surface than polyester, so it will hook more. It can be
easily sanded or polished to control its hook potential.
Urethane is the preferred coverstock for beginning hook
bowlers. It is also the dry lane choice for many experienced
bowlers.
Reactive Resin:
In the early 1990s, ball manufacturer started adding resin
particles to their urethane coverstocks. The resin made
the ball tackier than plain urethane which increased its
hook potential. A side effect of the resin is that it
makes the ball hydroplane on the oil more than plain urethane.
The combination of the increased skid on oil and stronger
hooking ability on dry boards gives the resin ball a bigger
backend reaction for more striking power than prior ball
types. Reactive resin is the primary coverstock for most
experienced bowlers on most lane conditions.
Particle: Experienced
bowlers preferred the smooth reaction and controllability
of urethane, but they could not refuse the power provided
by reactive resin balls. The ball manufacturers response
to this situation was to add textured particles such as
ceramics and glass to the resin enhanced polyurethane
balls. The added texture gave the ball more grip in the
oil for a smooth, controllable hook style, while maintaining
the powerful backend of reactive resin. The hook potential
for most particle bowling balls is higher than all of
the other types of coverstocks. This extremely high hook
potential means that most particle balls are for use on
oily lane conditions only. However, ball makers are constantly
tinkering with the quantity and size of the particles
used, so particle balls are becoming more versatile across
many types of lane conditioning.
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