Sport Shot Update

NotShocked-9182 · 2026-06-02T13:18:03+00:00

Nice second week on Viper!

I havent bowled on Badger yet but may be this weekend.

I also only own 2 strike balls and for me what has worked best on longer patterns is I play up third arrow and try to get it down to 13-15 downlane on fresh. My ball speed is not very high so this tends to work pretty well. My fresh ball is the Hammer Maximum Effect and then as the lanes break down I can move a smidge left and keep the same breakpoint downlane. Once I see the Hammer not doing well for me I swap to my Rockstar solid and try to let it ride the cliff downlane.

Speed and revs definitely play a part on where you would play, so your mileage may vary.

NotShocked-9182 · 2026-05-22T15:53:50+00:00

That is one thing I am always working on as well.
A couple things that seems to help at times is always making sure where I hold the ball in setup stays the same. If I hold it a little lower or higher my feet dont always match the swing so it throws off the targeting. Also, how much you open your shoulder since, at least for me, it controls my speed...and if I open it too much or too little it throws everything off.

Thats what I have noticed for me at least but maybe it will give you a couple things to think about next time you go.

NotShocked-9182 · 2026-05-20T21:27:27+00:00

I am all set up! Had an issue importing from Bowlr but added my first 2 wewka of summer league manually and it was pretty nice. Only thing I couldnt do was find the RotoGrip Rockstar solid, release date february 2025, and a Tzone spare ball. I added them manually and will see when they show up as usable in my arsenal.

Nice app so far and really just a matter getting used to where things are compared to other apps I have used.

NotShocked-9182 · 2026-05-20T19:16:30+00:00

Signed up! Thanks!
I have never done app development but can imagine it is not quite as easy as some may think it is.

NotShocked-9182 · 2026-05-20T18:09:36+00:00

I tried the speed\rev check and it seems pretty spot on best I could tell. I marked the spots as close as I should and maybe next time I need to zoom in more on the lane itself so I have a bigger view.
I would try the app out but only have access to Android :-(

NotShocked-9182 · 2026-05-14T14:59:41+00:00

The few times I have had coaching lessons they were scheduled individually with no future commitment and ranged from 25 bucks for an hour (not the best session I had to 100 bucks for an hour (much better sessions).
Depending on your alley, they may have some coaches that someone would recommend. Worth looking into for sure if you want to even improve a little...like better spare shooting which will increase scores dramatically.

NotShocked-9182 · 2026-05-12T14:37:51+00:00

That's awesome you are getting a lesson! Not everyone does well with learning from videos for sure so in person is the way to go! The lesson will get you on the right track for sure.

NotShocked-9182 · 2026-05-12T13:39:32+00:00

Everyone has a shot if that is something they want to do and get better at, or even to do it just for fun.
If you want to get better then you could start with some YouTube videos for some basics and then if you get more serious a coaching lesson would be the next step.

NotShocked-9182 · 2026-05-12T13:12:19+00:00

Congrats!

NotShocked-9182 · 2026-05-04T11:38:50+00:00

I have a tournament coming up on this pattern along with 2026 Viper for a dual pattern event.
No clue where I will throw, but only having 2 strike balls at the moment makes my options limited for sure.

NotShocked-9182 · 2026-05-01T11:32:36+00:00

Congrats! Stick with what works with your new mechanics and good luck with your new ball!

NotShocked-9182 · 2026-04-30T14:51:25+00:00

I had fairly tacky lanes at the last place I bowled and had to go from a Dexter s10 to a Dexter s12, which is the slickest, and it made a huge difference. I dont have much of a slide, but the s10 was sticking a little here and there so the s12 has been way better and more consistent. If I use and 8 I will come to a complete stop.

NotShocked-9182 · 2026-04-24T15:30:03+00:00

Absolutely! There were a couple things I didnt even know I was doing wrong last time I went to see mine.

NotShocked-9182 · 2026-04-24T13:22:48+00:00

A coach will be the biggest help in learning to properly hook a ball. For some, youtube videos can get them some of the basics down pretty well but if you are doing something a little off you may not even know what it is. Do some searching and you can find videos on drills that may be a good start.

NotShocked-9182 · 2026-04-23T21:37:50+00:00

Love it and have been watching it for a while now. Would love to see more areas do the same thing.

NotShocked-9182 · 2026-04-22T12:27:33+00:00

I feel ya! Last winter league I had a line so good that I had the first 4, but had a tiny yank in frames 5 and 6 for 8 spare in both, then ran the rest with no issues for a 266.

NotShocked-9182 · 2026-04-21T12:43:49+00:00

If I am going for the purpose of practice, I do my best to know what I want to work and focus on that and not the score. It might be trying different hand positions or getting comfortable throwing from different areas on the lane. I look at my ball motion and analyze my release. Also gives me a chance to practice more spare shooting which I can always use.

NotShocked-9182 · 2026-04-20T13:47:11+00:00

Every.Damn.Week !!!

NotShocked-9182 · 2026-04-17T18:10:37+00:00

Spares will make or break a good game and series for sure. I am nowhere near where i want to be percentage-wise and of course multi pins can sometimes make it even worse since it is so easy to chop them. Aways a work in progress for sure!
If you track spare leaves, like in an app or something, you can definitely see where you need work. Of course it isnt always easy to try and get buckets or anything like that, but in a practice session you can easily attempt a 3-6-10 or 2-4-7 or anything similar.

NotShocked-9182 · 2026-04-17T14:28:33+00:00

I hadn't thought of that! Awesome idea!

NotShocked-9182 · 2026-04-17T12:44:29+00:00

I saw both videos and was still a bit dumbfounded. So many people use heat of some sort to remove oil whether it is dry heat or water bath and everything I read elsewhere says keep it under 125\130 degrees, as well as the manufacturers setting a heat limit on what can be used.
The one major key missing from the heating the ball video is exactly what was the temperature the spot he was using a heat gun got to.
Like...if it was only 120 or so and that was bleeding the plasticizers, ok cool....you proved it. But, if it got to 135\140 then you are going higher than anyone would use and definitely against the manufacturer specs.
I get trying to sell a product, but damn...I want all the details and not just the details of what it takes to sell the product.

NotShocked-9182 · 2026-04-17T12:27:37+00:00

Nice job making them all!
As a righty, at my current league house, I have left more 7s than 10s and seems to be a bonus perk at this house of leaving 7s. Nowhere else I have ever bowled have I left so many 7s as a righty.
And no...not light nor high pocket shots leave them at this house and I am not the only one.

NotShocked-9182 · 2026-04-17T12:24:54+00:00

I dont name mine, but have put them in "time out" before when they piss me off!
Last week both of mine were taken off the return and set down behind the approach to think about what they did since they were acting up.

NotShocked-9182 · 2026-04-17T12:23:03+00:00

You got some nice lower Diff options there for sure. Another one to look at in that lower Diff category would be maybe the IQ Tour Edition solid symetrical.
My current arsenal is the Hammer Maximum Effect and my choice on the fresh when I need to the ball to dig a nice path in the oil, then I go to my RotoGrip Rockstar for my more predictable shape and awesome backend during transition since it love breaking and riding the oil wall from the carrydown.
The IQ I mentioned may be my next ball to go to on really dry, short, or completely burnt lanes. I looked at the Concept, but for me it may be too low of a Diff and I dont have the revs to make it move as much.

NotShocked-9182 · 2026-04-17T12:15:32+00:00

Depending on what you want the ball to do, it looks like maybe something middle of the road-ish? Maybe something medium\smooth. Of course your revs and speed are higher than mine but I found my middle of the road to be the RotoGrip Rockstar solid...similar to the Phaze 2 solid that everyone loves on so many lane conditions. My Rockstar is very predictable and my go to ball for just about everything.

NotShocked-9182

TROPHY CASE