yah you're right about the mental game, when I'm rolling it out there and hoping it carrys and doesn't punch the head I have no confidence on what's gonna happen. I never seem to have a problem hitting light unless I'm off the mark 2+ boards. I feel the lanes are tight, maybe I'm over reving the ball like I normally do at my main flood house.

I just got my stimulus check last week, so I'm trying to do HW on what two balls I want to order. I need a heavy oil ball for when they open the flood gates at my main house. Debating on what to do for a med oil ball. I have a No Mercy but the thumb cracked over the weekend while in my trunk. My Trama ER is a great handmedown free ball with cracks forming around the front finger holes. Great ball, had my best scores with it, but it's life might be coming to an end with those cracks. I plan to join a scratch league next winter at another new house, so I want a better bag to go in there with. That house is simular to the one I'm struggling with now.

On my short list
Storm Dimension (heavy)
BW Bite (Heavy)
Storm Jolt Partical (med)
Rota Grip Mystic (med)

Also thinking of getting 2 of the Dimensions or Bites and polish up one for a longer shot.

You would be better off learning to alter your axis rotation, if the ball is over/undering on you like that, the best thing you can do is reduce your side rotation and go more up the back of the ball to get the ball to read the lane sooner and not snap as hard on the back and lose a little more energy that way you don't leave so many back row pins.

As far as new balls go I would buy one heavy oil ball like the dimension, then buy two midrange balls like the mystic and drill one pin over the fingers and one pin under the fingers. polish the pin over the fingers ball and keep the pin under the fingers around 2000 dull, this will give you two different reactions on medium heavy to medium light oil, on which you are most likely to need two different reactions.

In heavy oil you have one basic reaction, the ball will go long and either snap hard or battle carry down to the pocket and two different balls will not help here, you will need to learn to alter your release and speed and you can do that with one ball.

The only time you will need two different reactions on a heavy oil ball is when you see heavy oil on two different lengths, otherwise you will have two balls sitting in your bag that you can't use because there isn't enough oil.

well I'm only thinking of getting two balls. But you bring up another option of getting two med balls and drill those different to get a better spread of lane conditions. If I do that I still have to fill in a Heavy oil problem. Do you know of anyone that has sanded the pearl off a Gforce EVO or the Storm Trama ER to 1000-2000 grit for the heavy oil nights I'd be happy to do that and order two mystics. I see lots of oil about once a month so far in both leagues.

I'm gonna head out with the guys on Friday for practice, I tend to have a hand tilt inwards abou 20-25* when I start my back swing, I'll try to not tilt it in so much to see if I can get it to slide more up front and not so snappy in the back.

Don't buy a Pearl anything and sand it and expect it to act like a dull ball. Ball companies have spent millions of dollars deciding what cover should go with what core etc....... Do not try to make opposites work.

If you don't see heavy oil too often then takeing the Trauma to 1000 or so should be fine. But these days, balls have a short life span and your Trauma can be considered a senior citizen.

But one the best pieces of advise I ever got from a higher average bowler was to get two of the same ball and drill them up differently. For example, one for lengtht and one for arc and control. Then of course you'd need to bowl with both and get very comfortable with how many boards different they were in reaction, so that when you go from ball to ball its not a guess. And I guess that's what I can best emphasize....."changing balls is not a guess", or act of desperation.

Erin

My trauma er is now a dry lane ball. It doesn't handle high viscosity oil very well, if your place uses the modern lane oils then sanding it will not help much unless you go to 360 or 180 grit.

I didn't say you wouldn't need a new heavy oil ball I just said you would only need one of them. You would be better off buying a heavy oil ball if you have a need for one and use your others to fill in the medium conditions and replace them with other medium oil balls as needed.

This is perfect advice. Having 2 balls that have the same amount of hook but on different parts of the lane is great to have. Right now my Paradigm and my Speical Agent hook the same amount, just at different spots on the lane. I did this years ago when Track came out with the Flare. First one, I drilled it for late reaction. Second one for nice even arc. I loved both of those balls.

If I had the $ right now, I would do the same thing with a Cell. I already have one that is early/arcing. I would love to have one for late movement.

What's the difference between 2 of the same ball drilled differently or a dull and polished version of the same ball?

I thought the cover finish would do this as well?

It will make a difference in where the balls hooks. Say 2000 polish as opposed to 2000 abralon. But, there will be more of a significant difference if you have them drilled differently.

I have seen people with a Fury (dull) and a polished Fury, drilled the same. Their thought is that there is a difference in length that they looked for.

Isn't there a polished Cell now that accomplishes the same?

I saw recently that the Roto-Grip guy (roger?) said there will not be a polished Cell...

I have seen this a lot of places - why would they release a polished Cell, when you can polish it yourself? Or do people mean pearl?