Building An Effective Arsenal

bowlingball.com Staff Writer, Cortez Schenck

Published: 7/27/2022


How does one create an effective arsenal? The trick to this question is building an arsenal that has dimension and covers everything you may encounter at tournaments and other events. It's not ideal to have an arsenal with multiple balls that are similar. Instead, you want every ball to be much different from the other. I'd recommend starting with a solid six-ball arsenal. I think it's easiest to work from the top of the bag to the bottom of the bag. I'll have my six-ball arsenal at the bottom of this article so you can compare and reference it.

To start, you should always have a stronger ball for heavy oil; ideally, this would be a solid asymmetric bowling ball. I usually prefer a solid, but a hybrid or pearl can suffice if it has some surface and is not too shiny. Next, I recommend having a benchmark solid bowling ball in your bag. This ball will most likely be a duller symmetrical solid bowling ball that is smooth and controllable. That now leaves four bowling balls. Next, I recommend having a stronger pearl bowling ball. This ball can be either asymmetrical or symmetrical. Whatever you feel would be best for you. Ideally, this ball will have some polish to help it get down the lane a little when the lanes break down but will still have some kick to it down the lane. Your fourth ball in your arsenal should then be your weakest and cleanest bowling ball.

When I say clean, I mean that this ball should get down the lane very easily. It should be for when the lanes break down and they are hooking a tremendous amount. This ball will only come out of your bag when the lanes are burnt up. Something that is polished, pearl, and symmetrical would be best here. Usually, this type of bowling ball is in the lower to medium performance class. For the fifth ball, I always recommend having a urethane ball in today's environment. Urethane is so prominent in today's game that nearly everyone should have one in their bag. This ball could be of rare use to some bowlers but should be used on shorter patterns or when the pattern feels like it is very flat. Flat patterns mean there isn't much room on the lane, and the ball reaction is very touchy. Urethane is helpful in this instance because it helps give a controllable reaction and smooths out the ball motion.

The last ball should either be your spare ball or your favorite ball in your bag. If you need a plastic ball to shoot spares, then I definitely recommend always having a spare ball in your bag since spares are one of the most important parts of bowling. If you can shoot your spares with a reactive ball, or urethane ball, then I suggest bringing your favorite ball with you. It's always nice to have "old reliable"; in your bag that you can always count on.

My arsenal:

Reality

IQ Tour

Zen

Hyroad Pearl

Pitch Black

Rubicon UC3