Im reading up on two bowling balls, the rival and BWV, one of which im considering on buying, and a lot of people are saying that the rival is strong in the midlane and i'm not exactly sure what that means. If someone could explain this to me I would be very appreciative.

Oh an are the rival and BWV the same kinda of balls? from what i can see from videos and reading they both are longer balls that hook later, hopefully i'm right

The Rival is a different type of ball than the venom, the rival is a solid and the venom is a pearl. The Rival will start hooking and reacting to friction quicker than the venom, that is what is meant by stronger mid lane reaction. That being said the venom will store more energy for the back end than the rival and have a sharper hook pattern, but the rival will handle more oil.

What type of lane conditions do you want the ball for? If you want the ball for wood lanes I would go with the venom, if you want the ball for fresh oil on synthetic lanes I would go with the rival.

1. how do i know what type of lanes im bowling on, just ask the alley?

2. which would be a better compliment to my BWP, the rival or venom? or maybe you have a different suggestion?

Ask the center what their typical condition is, and when they condition. As far as complimenting the BWP, the Rival will be far more different from the ball you already have. The Venom and Pearl are not that different at all.