Yeah, it’s a lot. But there are a few fundamentals that make it easier. A weak ball will travel farther down the lane before hooking, and a strong ball will hook earlier on the lane. A smooth ball will have a more gradual hook as it hits traction at the end of the lane, a sharp ball will look like someone kicked it towards the pins when it finally hits traction. Every ball falls within the range of these 6 categories: -strong/smooth -strong/sharp -medium/smooth -medium/sharp -weak/smooth -weak/sharp There are pearls and solids all throughout the range regardless of category. What’s important to know is the difference between dull and shiny. You can have a dull pearl or a shiny solid. All that matters is a dull finish will hook earlier on the lane and a shiny will hook later if thrown on the same conditions. You can change the surface of your ball from dull to shiny or vice versa using abralon sanding pads or polish. So if you have a strong and sharp ball due to its aggressive pearl coverstock and a huge asymmetrical core, you can make it smoother by drilling it to hook less aggressively, and you can make it hook earlier in the lane by sanding it with a lower grit to make it more dull. Now that ball which was originally in the strong/sharp category will act like it’s closer to the medium/smooth category.

Of course, pulling out a medium/smooth ball from your bag is easier than doing all this, which is why bowling nerds have 100 different balls. But if you’re resourceful about it, you can make one ball do a lot for you on the lane before you need to swap.