PRO TIPS: Choosing equipment to fit your game

This article is focusing on trying to match up your bowling equipment for your game and how you play the lanes. All good bowlers must learn enough about their own game to know what equipment will allow them to play their own game. If you are a down and in player (more direct) in most situations you want to use equipment that will not force you to cross more boards than you are comfortable with. On the other hand you don’t want to select a ball shell so weak it does not pick up a roll soon enough. If you are a power player and you have a tendency to make your mistakes to the right you need to use a ball that will give you a little area to the right and not force you to point it up to the pocket. Be careful not to choose too big a ball or too much surface, cause it will force you to stand very deep and have to cover a lot more boards. Below are some examples of different balls. There are so many balls on the market today that there is no way to mention all of them. 

Balls with strong coverstock

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1. Rock On (Columbia 300) 
2. Monster (Brunswick) 
3. Vortex II (Ebonite) 
4. Trauma ER Recovery (Storm)
5. Heat II (Track)

Balls with medium coverstock
1. Gold Messenger (Columbia 300)
2. Command arc (Brunswick)
3. Violet 3D (Faball/Ebonite)
4. Erasit (Storm)

Balls with weak coverstock
1. Scout (Columbia 300)
2. Groove (Brunswick)
3. Nail (Faball/Ebonite)
4. Too Hot & El Nino Wrath (Storm)

In competition try to play your A-game. Don’t assume you can play the lanes the same way as someone else who has a very different game than you. If you are more effective the more to the right you play try to use bowling products that will let you stay in that area of the lane for a longer period of time before you are forced to move inside. The more you have to move inside and set the ball down in more oil the more you will have to use a strong enough ball that will recover (hook back), or more surface. 

All things considered you must pay a lot of attention to the lanes because they rapidly change because of the new aggressive cover stocks made today and you may need to switch to a weaker shell as the league night goes on. There are many times when a bowler who hooks the ball more will choose a stronger ball than a straighter bowler because they need to get much deeper and be assured that the bowling ball will recover. Try to stick to your A-game and learn to choose the right equipment for your style of play. In future articles I will cover some ball layout suggestions. 

Follow the links for additional Pro Tips:

How to stay calm under pressure

Learning how to grind IT out

Breaking out of a Slump

Top Five Grossing Football Movies

Super Bowl Sunday is bittersweet. It is always a great reason to spend the day with family and friends, but it also means the end of the NFL season. And since the college season ended a couple of weeks ago with another Championship for Alabama, what the heck are we supposed to watch? You watch football movies because until the NCAA tournament, ‘fake’ football is more entertaining than basketball. Be sure to check out the top five grossing football movies, including some of my favorites, to tie you over until March Madness!

Cover of The Blind Side

      1. “The Blind Side” (2009) is based on the story of Michael “Big Mike” Oher, played by Quinton Aaron earned $255,959,475. Originally a homeless boy, Big Mike becomes an All American football player and first round NFL draft pick with the help of a caring family. “The Blind Side” also starred Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw.

      2. “The Waterboy” (1998) casted Adam Sandler as main character Bobby Boucher, a water boy for a college football team. Boucher moved from the sidelines to the field when his coach discovered his talent for tackling people larger than him! “The Waterboy” cast included Kathy Bates and Henry Winkler which grossed $161,491,646.

      3. “The Longest Yard” (2005) remake is about a long ago football star who lands in prison and is given the task of creating a team of convicts to face-off against the prison guards. Adam Sandler, Chris Rock and Burt Reynolds were cast in the film that made $158,119,460.

      4. “Remember the Titans” (2000) featured Denzel Washington as Coach Herman Boone, the newly selected African-American coach of T.C. Williams High School. The film based on a true story takes you through the ups and downs of the team’s first season as a racially integrated group.  Will Patton and Wood Harris also starred in “Remember the Titans” which earned $115,654,751.

      5. “Any Given Sunday” (1999) grossed $75,530,832 with a popular cast including Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz and Dennis Quaid. In “Any Given Sunday,” a third-string quarterback has a series of outstanding performances when he replaces an injured all-star. His performances makes the aging coach realize it’s time to reassess his game plan and outlook on life all while struggling with the pressure of winning from the team’s new owner.

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