Ball Drilling
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I got some thoughts to share after reading some posts regarding ball drillers that simply amazed me. To me, the bowling business in Singapore is stil very immature. Sometimes when i am bowling at certein bowling centres, i will notice some bowlers that wan to improve their game by purchasing a personal ball, so i will see them walk into the pro shop and buy a ball which they like or can afford, very often a tornado. I will often wonder in my mind that it never come across these customer's mind if the ball driller is really good enough anot.
Technology in bowling nowadays is really amazing, with new balls like XXXcel, The One Hammer Hawk and so many others. now ball drilling is not just about drilling 3 holes in the ball. Why do you think you are paying $300 plus for a high end ball?? First of all the technology of the ball makes it good, the core, the coverstock etc. but many of you dun realise that in order for the ball to perform, your ball driller need to know how to map the ball correctly!!!! The fact is very clear, most ball drillers and pro shops in singapore are not up to the mark!! Alot of them are not even qualified ball drillers. This is partly due to the education level of these ball drillers. How do you expect a primary school educated person with lousy english to be able to understand terms like Radius of Gyration, Mass Bias, coeff of friction, differential, positive axis point and many many more?? and mind you, these terms are all related to good ball mapping.
I know some of you feel very passionate about your own ball driller, but i really dun see why ball drilling cannot be discussed openly. Unless you dun really care about what you are paying for. I see many people with 3 or 4 high end balls that are drilled all the same way, ie the pin and pap remains the same!!! that is really a waste of your money.
So i do advise new bowlers, dun go to a pro shop and buy a ball just because you think the ball is cheaper there or because the guy inside looks charismatic. Make sure the guy really know his knowledge about balls really well. Otherwise you are not getting your money worth. Ask him a few simple questions, like how the mass bias position affects ball reaction, how the balance hole position affects the tie line of your tracks, and frankly, if you already have an existing ball and he doesnt even ask to see the ball tracks of the ball, he definitely is not a good ball driller. -
Very good points are raised here. I will agree that a mojority of drillers locally are not up to scratch. And often they will not be able to extract the most out of a ball.
Fortunately, though. There are a handful who know what they are doing. And are very happy to discuss ball drilling technicalities and dynamics with you. Ultimately, its what make you comfortable - some bowlers are happy in the light of their own ignorance and do not want a driller who will speak in ball jargon; whilst others (such as myself) will entertain only a driller who can discuss drilling layouts in detail before implementing any of them.
I would like to highlight that: a lot of bowlers in Singapore are of the what-I-don't-know-can't-hurt-me variety. It is due to this fact that I wouldn't really blame the drillers. I have known a few good drillers who have left the business/struggling to get by because the supply outstrips the demand.
So, food for thought.
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Glad to hear that i am not the only one that feels that way. And whether you like it anot, most pro shops are really not professional as they should be!! That is a very different scenario like the US where the pro shops are really very qualified in terms of ball knowledge and stuff, and not just behave like "durian sellers' as some pro shops in singapore do. Telling you this ball good, that ball good, but when you ask them "why good?" they come up with some stupid answers.Originally posted by harmzuay:Very good points are raised here. I will agree that a mojority of drillers locally are not up to scratch. And often they will not be able to extract the most out of a ball.
Fortunately, though. There are a handful who know what they are doing. And are very happy to discuss ball drilling technicalities and dynamics with you. Ultimately, its what make you comfortable - some bowlers are happy in the light of their own ignorance and do not want a driller who will speak in ball jargon; whilst others (such as myself) will entertain only a driller who can discuss drilling layouts in detail before implementing any of them.
I would like to highlight that: a lot of bowlers in Singapore are of the what-I-don't-know-can't-hurt-me variety. It is due to this fact that I wouldn't really blame the drillers. I have known a few good drillers who have left the business/struggling to get by because the supply outstrips the demand.
So, food for thought.
Unfortunately in singapore there is not much choice and bowlers are really at the mercy of these pro shops. I ever went to this famous pro shop at marina south to hunt for a pealised ball (wich is meant for lane heads break down), so when i went in, the guy inside apparently only knows 2 types of ball (shiny and bull) when the fact is there are so many kinds(particle, pearlised, reactive, polyester, particle-pearl...), and mind you, a pearlised ball can be dull!!! So i was looking at this particular ball and ask the guy about the core and stuff, and guess wat he reply? he say"wat you wan is just for the ball to hook less, so the core does not matter". After hearing this i really dunno whether i should luff or i shiould be furious!! i din say i din want the ball to hook, i say i wanted the ball to clear the dry heads, conserving energy and then snap in at the back end!! how unfortunate, and this is suppose to be one of the most popular pro shop in singapore!! -
Sometimes, it can't be helped.
The majority of bowlers are just casual bowlers and don't really do much research into the finer details such as RG, Differential and all that jazz. Hence they can't challenge what ball drillers say, but instead take it as gospel. "What he says sure correct lah, he ball driller you know".
Furthermore, I sit in pro shops lounging around, and most people walk to get either the prettiest ball, or "uncle, which one hooks most"....... or most commonly "Uncle drill max hook".
So sometimes drillers aren't "pushed" to really know their stuff to an deeper extent. As long as they just learn to punch 3 holes in a ball in the stacked leverage position is enough for many consumers. -
Hey Prata!
Long time no see (literally).
Man, you still bowling? I can hardly find the company or make the time to. Regrettable.or most commonly "Uncle drill max hook".
Did you really hear that? Damn... I'd struggle to contain my laughter if I heard that exact phrase used.
Or, "Uncle, I want to bowl on Lane 14, but strike on Lane 13." (Right-handed) -
anyone interested to play in Yishun League?
looking for 160 players -
160??! Good luck man!!Originally posted by jameskoh:anyone interested to play in Yishun League?
looking for 160 players
On a side note bro, better create a new thread for it too.
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Hey Harmzuay, same same! Me hardly bowl nowadays as well. Just lurk in the forums once in a while.. heh
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not 160 players
is a avg 160 player -
ya thats true, i stil remember when i just pick up bowling, i also choose the ball that i think looks good. But after many times of ball purchase and pro shop hopping, i get to know the real stuff about bowling. i just think it is unfortunate for bowlers wanabe to just go into the shop and be at the mercy of the ball driller, when some of these drillers are not pro at all. So actually we really need to push for higher standards for these drillers, it will not be very pleasant if the level of expertise remains this lowOriginally posted by prataman:Sometimes, it can't be helped.
The majority of bowlers are just casual bowlers and don't really do much research into the finer details such as RG, Differential and all that jazz. Hence they can't challenge what ball drillers say, but instead take it as gospel. "What he says sure correct lah, he ball driller you know".
Furthermore, I sit in pro shops lounging around, and most people walk to get either the prettiest ball, or "uncle, which one hooks most"....... or most commonly "Uncle drill max hook".
So sometimes drillers aren't "pushed" to really know their stuff to an deeper extent. As long as they just learn to punch 3 holes in a ball in the stacked leverage position is enough for many consumers. -
this is a nice jokeOriginally posted by harmzuay:Or, "Uncle, I want to bowl on Lane 14, but strike on Lane 13." (Right-handed)
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Ya man...
I wanna bowl on lane 36 & strike pins in lane 1!! Yeah
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so does anyone has any good pro shop that is good in drilling to recommend??
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i'm a casual bowler... beginner in the ways of hook...
this may be off topic..
had an old ball from somewhere, it served me well but it was replugged many times as the previous owner kept redrilling until he probably got frustrated and it became mine..
so i got a new ball... and the fella at the pro shop said i should get a bottle of stuff to spray and clean the ball everytime i'm finished using the ball...
well, the first time using that ball, it bit like nobody's business... extreme right arrow, and it ended up in the left gutter... spooked the heck outta me coz the old ball never hooked that much...
so i adjusted and started off left, let it go right and the hook left again.. got kinda used to it by the end of the 8 games i bowled that day...
went home, cleaned the ball with the spray as instructed...
however, the next week, the ball did not even hook... could see the ball rotating like mad but it never went into that axis... it just kept going straight... it wasn't the lane coz with the old ball, it bit and hooked too...
question is: did i just screw up my new ball with the spray? if so, can i get another spray-cleaner thing or do i go attempt to wash my new ball?
sorry for the long story.. need help
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I'm not experienced in bowling.. but the spray normally just clean the oil away. Polish is another thing.
But I guess the big difference is due to the amount of oil on two different days not becos of the spray.
But you said that you got ur old ball to compare. So, I'm guessing that the balls got something to do with it too.
Maybe your old ball has less hook potential than ur new, but reacts better on oily lanes. And on dry lanes, your new ball just go crazy becos it hooks more, but sucks on oily lanes? -
could be.. i've tried out the new ball on several occasions already.. stopped using the spray..
it's kinda erratic now.. hooks sometimes, and doesn't hook sometimes..
i think i've wasted my money coz the old ball is very consistent -
hee.. some balls need to be "seasoned" to get it to be consistent.. some will be more consistent when its more dull ..
is ur new ball with high glossy polish? cos the polish does make things harder sometimes.. -
very shiny..
maybe i should have gotten the dull one... it wasn't as pretty
the guy at the pro shop said they are about the same in terms of behaviour by a casual hook bowler.. so i went for the prettier ball
will continue to bowl with it.. "break it in" or something... and stop wiping it down with the spray too...
the old ball has this wear mark around it.. where the ball rotates..
sometimes i wonder if i should go back to spinning...Originally posted by Chris10:hee.. some balls need to be "seasoned" to get it to be consistent.. some will be more consistent when its more dull ..
is ur new ball with high glossy polish? cos the polish does make things harder sometimes.. -
dull balls are more for oily lanes actually..
it really depends on wat kind of lanes u playing.. I believed that ur new ball will have its own advantage or strength.. got to find them lor..
maybe u are too used to ur old ball, thats why..
just need to get the hang of the new ball and i believe it will kick A ss too!
can i know what ball you bought? -
it says "Diesel Big Block" or something like that..
and maybe what you said is true... the balls are drilled the same but the thumbhole of the new ball is a lot smaller than the old ball..
and after a few games, when the thumb sorta "expands" a little, the new ball seems to get stuck a lot.. fluffed a lot of deliveries like that
should go tape the thumb or something in future
p.s. it looks like this:
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I think its a hammer ball.. is it a high performance ball?
I'm not too sure with hammers balls.. but for brunswick, with the high polish, i think its meant to go long..
you can read more about ur ball at http://www.ballreviews.com/Reviews/Reviews.asp?ManufacterID=18&BallID=534
you can know the strength from there.. -
oh ya.. about the thumb thing.. i think u should go back to the shop and tell them about this problem.. maybe the person will make it bigger..
thumb get struck will make ur game really bad.. cos clean thumb release is most impt.. -
yeah.. see how after i tape up my thumb...
recently got transferred, so don't have time to regularly go bowling.. things may change once i get settled in at the new place
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you can try interactive bowling at ground floor of kim seng plaza, but must call him first, cos he is very busy one, usually have endless ball waiting for him to drill, or away for coaching. The next that u can consider is walter at superbowl marina. but he quite attitude sometimes, see people one.Originally posted by Chris10:so does anyone has any good pro shop that is good in drilling to recommend?? -
firstly you should read wat is written on the bottle of spray, it should write wat is contained inside the bottle, usually is ball cleaner. if it says "polish" then you bought the wrong spray. if it did not write anything, dump the spray cos god knows wat is inside. then buy a proper ball cleaner from pro shops, like energizer cleaner from ebonite, or cleaners from storm, more trusted name.Originally posted by the Bear:i'm a casual bowler... beginner in the ways of hook...
this may be off topic..
had an old ball from somewhere, it served me well but it was replugged many times as the previous owner kept redrilling until he probably got frustrated and it became mine..
so i got a new ball... and the fella at the pro shop said i should get a bottle of stuff to spray and clean the ball everytime i'm finished using the ball...
well, the first time using that ball, it bit like nobody's business... extreme right arrow, and it ended up in the left gutter... spooked the heck outta me coz the old ball never hooked that much...
so i adjusted and started off left, let it go right and the hook left again.. got kinda used to it by the end of the 8 games i bowled that day...
went home, cleaned the ball with the spray as instructed...
however, the next week, the ball did not even hook... could see the ball rotating like mad but it never went into that axis... it just kept going straight... it wasn't the lane coz with the old ball, it bit and hooked too...
question is: did i just screw up my new ball with the spray? if so, can i get another spray-cleaner thing or do i go attempt to wash my new ball?
sorry for the long story.. need help
next regarding your question on ball's erratic behavior, well, if ur ball release is constant, then wat is affecting the behavior of your ball will be the oil pattern, i.e long oil or short oil, heads break down, amount and type of oil the bowling centre used etc, the ball may hook from left to right and back to pocket again on a dry lane, but when using the same ball on a oil flooded lane, the ball may just skid all the way down straight without hooking. you just have to understand that ball hooks only when it finds friction! -
dun rush into asking the ball driller to make your thumb hole bigger, this is a very common problem when people buy new ball, they will tend to squeeze their thumb during ball delivery, which causes friction, and the end result is the thumb swell and get stuck. so try to practice confidence with your ball, dun grip or squeeze your thumb too tightly, relax your thumb. alternatively you can use high latex tape to tape the top half of your thumb(the side with thumbnail). Do not tape the whole thumb!!! that is not recommended. it will reduce friction and hence prevent swelling.Originally posted by Chris10:oh ya.. about the thumb thing.. i think u should go back to the shop and tell them about this problem.. maybe the person will make it bigger..
thumb get struck will make ur game really bad.. cos clean thumb release is most impt..
the reason we should not open the hole too big is this, when the hole gets bigger, we tend to grip even tighter for fear of dropping the ball, it will cause further swelling and in no time u will have to enlarge your thumb hole again