Top Tips – May 2012 – Tournament Arsenal

I will be taking four balls to the USBC Open Championships, and could use some advice on which types of balls I should choose
Mike Dias Answers...
FOR STARTERS, if you are accustomed to using a ball that goes straighter for your spares, I would definitely bring it with you. Apart from that, the first ball you should consider taking is the ball you will want to use to begin your team competition. I would use a solid reactive for that purpose. Since the host facility features a new surface, the back-end reaction will be very strong at the start of that event. You will need this ball to have some surface (1000 -2000 grit for most) to control the back-end motion. As the shot breaks down and transitions during the late first game into the second game of team play, you will need a ball to give you more length and slightly stronger back-end motion. A hybrid or strong pearl with a layout that will “read” the mid lane would be a good choice once the front of the lane starts to hook earlier.
In doubles and singles, you will be 1-3 arrows inside of where you played the lanes for the team event. So you will want to have a ball that will get farther down the lane than the second ball in your arsenal, with a strong-arcing back-end motion.
If you choose not to bring a “spare ball,” then your fourth ball would be one that is less aggressive than the first three. Another consideration is that you can visit one of the pro shops on site to use less aggressive surfaces for doubles and singles, and thus be able to use more of your equipment in all three events.
Mike Jasnau Answers...
A GOOD STARTING point would be to gather as much information as possible about the condition on which you’ll be competing. The Open Championships pattern is posted on the internet, and you can usually find many posts from other bowlers about the condition.
Factor in your personal game. If your ball speed is on the higher end and/or your rev rate is on the lower end, you would usually benefit from using more aggressive equipment along with more solid coverstocks. If your ball speed is slower and/or your rev rate high, then it could be in your best interest to stay with less aggressive equipment… possibly pearlized coverstocks.
Eliminate the balls in your arsenal that you don’t think will work. The information you gather about the pattern will be helpful in this process. Also consider your squad times. Are you going to be bowling on the fresh condition for your doubles and singles, or are those events going to be a condition that is hooking more to start with? Also, since the number of balls you’re taking is limited, I suggest eliminating the extremes in your arsenal. With limited space, you don’t want to take a ball that has only a 10 percent chance of working great.
Solid coverstocks, tamer drillings and more surface come into play to create a more arcing/smoother hooking motion and keep you out of trouble. Always be sure to have pads so you can adjust your ball surfaces prior to your events. Altering the surface can really help expand your limited arsenal and provide you with many different ball reactions.
Mike Dias is a PBA Senior Tour and Regional champion, and a USBC Silver level coach with more than 30 years of coaching experience with players of all levels. He is a member of the Colorado State Hall of Fame, and an IBPSIA certified pro shop professional.
Mike Jasnau is a USBC Silver level coach who has been a CATS instructor at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno for 14 years. A PBA champion, he is a member of the Storm instructional staff, and has had more than 8,000 video analysis lessons. Contact him at: bowlbetter@hotmailcom.