Bowling Ball Maintenance Goods & Bads

        Bowling ball maintenance is a crucial part of making your bowling ball investment last longer.  Bowling balls need proper maintenance to perform at their highest level so to speak.  They are made to absorb the oil on the lane to create friction on the lane surface.  In essence friction equals hook.  Over time that oil absorption in the coverstock of the bowling ball negates overall reaction.  As with almost anything there are correct ways to maintain your bowling ball and a lot of bad ways to do it.  Below are some good and bad ways to maintain your bowling ball.

        The Good:
1.  Routinely cleaning your bowling ball after each use is important to extending the life of the ball.  Each time you throw the ball it picks up oil from the lane, not to mention residue from the pinsetters or the ball lift at the approach.  Commercial bowling products are available for purchase at your local center or you may use a non abrasive product. 

2.  Who would have ever thought your bowling ball would need a bath?  Well it does work pretty well in getting oil out of the ball.  The best method is to fill a 5 gallon bucket with hot tap water (not boiling) about 3/4 of the way up.  Place the ball in the bucket for about a half an hour along with a few drops of dish liquid.  You will see a film rising to the top of the bucket (this being the oil), after the 30 minutes take the ball out and wipe it down with a clean towel.  You may repeat this a couple of times using clean water each time until there is not any residue.  Hot water baths are a good method of keeping the coverstock fresh and maintaining your ball reaction.

3.  Bowling ball resurfacing is another inexpensive way to keep your bowling ball surface clean.  Resurfacing should be done by your local pro shop.  Basically the ball will be sanded at different grits of a sand paper alternative call abralon.  This sanding will open up the pours of the bowling ball.  After several steps of sanding your ball will be almost looking new and reacting better.

      The Bad:

1.  The Oven Method:  Unless you are utilizing a pro shop for this process, I would strongly suggest not putting your bowling ball in a home oven.  One major reason not to use this method is heat control.  If you put one of these balls in the oven at 150 degrees for an hour, don't be surprised if it splits into two pieces as it cools. Thermal stress is not good for balls. If the ball gets too hot it can crack, and even if it does not appear to have a crack on the outside surface the heat can cause many small, unseen stress fractures in the material that weaken it.  Another concern stems from the materials balls are made of. There are all sorts of chemicals in the balls, and many of them are not fit for human consumption. Putting a ball into an oven that is used to prepare food is a bad idea. 

2.  Cold Weather:  Bowling ball coverstocks should be at room temperature, while they are ok in your trunk or garage for short periods of time, I wouldn't let them stay out in the cold for too long.  As the temperature changes the coverstock will expand and contract putting stress on the ball.  If the ball is left at extreme temperatures for too long it will most likely crack or may cause damage to the core of the bowling ball which is the balls motor.

3.  Leaving a bowling ball let's say in your closet for a long period of time is also a bad idea even at room temperature.  Mostly due to the porosity of the bowling ball, along with the different shaped weight blocks in each bowling ball.  Another theory of leaving the ball sitting in one place is the weight sitting on that one spot will cause damage to the ball and cause it to crack.  The lesson here is if you're done using a bowling ball try to donate it or sell it to someone who can use it.


These are just a few good and bad ideas for maintaining your bowling ball.  Before trying anything new be sure to check with your local pro shop before you ruin your investment.

2003 ABC Masters

Ever since I started bowling my dream was to be a professional bowler.  I remember watching the PBA Tour on Saturday mornings at my grandmother’s house then going bowling and trying to emulate the styles I saw on the telecast.  My chance came to go out and compete with these guys that I idolized in my younger years in 2003.  At the age of 23 I qualified for the ABC Masters by winning the All Events title in the RI State Tournament.  While my confidence was high realistically in the back of my mind I didn’t know if I could compete at that level. 

Before heading out on this journey I practiced almost every day.  With the help of my step dad we were able to put a lane condition out that would force me to be accurate and repeat shots in order to score.  Along with some new equipment comped to me I was ready to be on television and win the $100,000 1^st place prize.  Boy was I in for a surprise.

We arrived in Reno, Nevada and headed over to the National Bowling Stadium.  The first day there was a practice session available to all of the tournament bowlers.  We headed over to get a feel for what I was up against.  It was a phenomenal spectacle.  You had 100’s of players, ball reps, and fans.   The practice session went pretty good and that night they held a special pre event sweeper for all of the tournament bowlers.  I was on a pair with another young guy from Alaska who threw the ball great.  He was a 21 year old fire baller named Sean Rash, who is now a 4-time PBA winner along with finishing 7^th in his first PBA event at guess where?  The 2003 ABC Masters.  I didn’t bowl well at all in the sweeper and in the back of my mind I wasn’t looking forward to the first day of qualifying.

Day one qualifying started with a meeting in the squad room to go over rules, lane courtesy, etc.  I was nervous but excited to get out there and compete.  Walking down the center isle with all of the top amateurs and professionals was a feeling I’ll never forget.  I started out slowly day one and after 5 games of qualifying I was in 133^rd place out of about 525 players with a score of about even on the day +/- 200.  The good news was I was only about 25 pins out of the cut line and I was feeling more and more comfortable as the day went on.

Day two qualifying started the same as day one, not that great.   I was able to get lined in and keep myself in the cut (the top 135 players) and almost in the top 64.  With a 2^nd round 1050 I was tied for 68^th place making the first cut and guaranteeing myself a check.  At this time my excitement was pretty high, being within 10 pins of making the top 64 players which would be the next cut line after day 3.  Off to Brew Brothers for some dinner and a little celebratory dinner.

Day three started out pretty good as I was able to get lined up quicker than the previous two days.  After 2 games I was right where I needed to be, although I wasn’t climbing the leader board near Walter Ray (who was leading the event) I was right around 50^th place and well with in the cut line.  Games 3&4 didn’t go so well, I had lost just about 60 pins by shooting back to back 170’s.  At this point I had fallen from the top 64 to about 80^th place.  The last game had no real relevance unless of course I could find some lightning in a bottle and shoot about 280.  Well that didn’t happen and I finished with a 15 game total of 2986 (199 avg) for the tournament and a finish of 102^nd place and a $1000 paycheck.

After the completion of the tournament we sat down and figured out what my earning potential could be if I went our on tour.  The numbers just didn’t add up with out significant financial backing, I would be at a loss each time out.  This tournament didn’t cost me anything so I did make the full prize check, but if I wasn’t sponsored so to speak for this event I would have been in the hole about $700.  Now this was a PBA Major tournament, putting that into perspective if I placed 102^nd place in a major golf tournament I would have made tens of thousands of dollars with a comparable sized field of players.  This tournament was a big learning experience both from the skill level and financial thought of being a PBA Professional.  An experience like no other in my bowling career and one I would definitely consider in the future.

Equipment: Pin Up vs. Pin Down

Important definitions used is this blog. 

                PAP (positive axis point) - The point on the pocket side of the ball that is at the end of the bowler's axis of rotation upon delivery.

                Midlane - This is the middle part of the lane past the heads (1st 20 feet of the lane) and before the backends (last 20 feet of the lane).

The pin in a bowling ball (the colored ½” plug) signifies the center of the core.  Besides surface texture it is the single most important factor in determining ball reaction.  The distance the pin is from the PAP determines the amount of track flare and energy released which in turn determines how much total hook there is.

Pin Up refers to the pin being located above the fingers holes on your bowling ball.(see picture below for example)  The pin could be located above either finger, between the fingers, or anywhere above a line drawn from the top of your finger holes.  Depending on your PAP, a pin up drilling can mean a multitude of things.  A bowling ball drilled with the pin above the middle finger will react differently than a ball drilled with the pin above the ring finger.  Pin up ball drilling will in essence get the ball further down the lane before making its hook motion.  This can be enhanced by the distance the pin is above the fingers (the higher up the longer).  Most of the ball’s energy will be stored for the midlane and backend of the lane.  

 Pin Down refers to just the opposite of Pin Up.  The pin would be located anywhere below the finger holes.(see picture example below)  Pin down bowling balls will tend to start up or get into a roll faster.  Pin down drillings can be useful when attacking a longer oilier lane condition where you want the ball to read the lane the soonest.  The downfall to this is the ball uses most of its energy in the front portion of the lane and may lose carry potential. 

When building your bowling ball arsenal it is always a good idea to have at least one pin-up and at least one pin-down drilled bowling ball.  Even better would be to have multiple pin-ups/pin-downs with different surface textures.  In my current arsenal I have 2 pin-ups and 2 pin-downs, with one of each at a duller texture and one of each at a shiny texture.  With these options there isn’t a lot of conditions I wouldn’t be able to tackle.  

Example of a Pin Up Drilling

Example of a Pin Down Drilling

The Value of Coaching

                 Athletes in no matter what sport need to be coached in some regard.  Whether your name is Michael Jordan, Joe Montana, or Willie Mays having a coach is imperative to being successful.  Bowling is no different from any other sport.  We are not robots, we are humans who sometimes just need a push in the right direction. 

Although the game of bowling is very easy to do, it takes years of practice and training to get good at it.  And even when you become good there’s always something that can make you better.  That’s where coaching comes in, a bowling coach can see things while you’re bowling that you can’t feel your doing.  There are so many intrical parts of the bowling game that no one can battle them alone.

A coach can help you set realistic goals to achieve in a certain period of time.  These goals can be very simple, whether it is to make more spares or to be more consistent from game to game.  Spare shooting in my mind is the most important thing people lack when it comes to becoming a better bowler.  If you were to break down the numbers each missed spare opportunity is costing your score 10-11 pins depending on each scenario.  The good news is spare shooting is one of the easiest things to fix.  There are many different methods to spare shooting, it will take some work and some help from a coach, but in the end you’ll be on your way to your next bowling goal. 

Consistency in your game is a little more complicated.  There could be a lot of different things happening to you during the course of your bowling series.  One critical aspect to consistency is having the right equipment to tackle the lanes.  Having bowling balls that not only fit your hand correctly, are drilled correctly, and have the right surface texture on them, is key to your success on the lanes.  One of the truest statements I’ve heard about coaching is this; “You can’t out coach a bad fit”.  A coach can look over your equipment and tell you if your bowling balls are going to work for you. 

So now that you’re ready to find the coach for you, how do you do it?  If you’re a local to Alley Katz, Dave Marsh is a Bronze Level USBC certified bowling coach who also has been a physical education teacher for 30 years.  Dave hosts free coaching sessions usually once per month.  He is also available for private or group lessons by contacting him at dmarsh22@yahoo.com.  For bowlers not in our area the USBC website bowl.com keyword coaching is a great way to start. 

Equipment: Bowling vs. Golf

Bowling vs. Golf

I get asked quite a bit why I have/buy so many bowling balls.  There are a few reasons for my buying tendencies.  First and foremost, I love bowling and I’m always looking for a way to get better at it.  I started bowling at a young age (8) and got hooked.  I remember when I was younger, I used to get out of school on Friday and head right to the local center.  From Friday at 3pm till Sunday evening I’d be on those lanes just throwing balls, trying different things, competing against my friends, and sometimes dripping blood into my thumbholes.  If I were to guess, about 100 games a weekend was the regular for me and my passion.   I could probably write a novel on all of my experiences in this game, but for now I’ll keep it short for this edition

The second reason for having all of these balls is simple; I need to have my bases covered.  Bowling in that regard is just like Golf.  Do you go to play golf with no putter, 7 iron, or wedge?  Although I have done that, success is pretty far away when you limit your shot possibilities.  Bowling balls are just like your club set, while you can have a basic 3 ball arsenal (one dull, one shiny, and maybe a spare ball) PBA players generally travel with 25-30 balls each week.  Now granted these guys are making their living at this game, but I believe to truly enjoy this game you need to have the right tools to succeed in it.  With all of the outside variables (especially living in the northeast) the lanes aren’t going to play the same each week.  Just to name a few you have weather (it was 70 yesterday and 50 today), some lanes get more play than others (meaning they wear differently), and you have different bowlers you bowl against each week (people throwing the ball in different places will affect your “shot”).  With that being said wouldn’t it serve you better to have a couple of different ways to attack those pins?

This is where I would start in building my arsenal:

1.       Dull or Matte surface ball for nights your just not making it to the pocket

2.       Shiny or Polished surface ball for when the lanes start to break down or when the lanes just seem to be hooking more than normal.

3.       Spare Ball or Another Shiny ball drilled weaker than the previous one. 

Just these 3 balls will give you a step system to your bowling.  Some nights you may use all 3 of them and other nights maybe just one, but you’ll have your bases covered for maximum success.