Featured Bowling Ball Reviews
Track Lx10
Track's third entry into the "L" class of balls designed for low rev bowlers is the Lx10. This release pairs the Face asymmetrical core with Track's sanded QR-6 Solid coverstock. This is Cranker’s favorite release out of the three "L" series balls. By leaps and bounds, the Face core has been his favorite in the trilogy, so he was excited to have this ball in his hands on our heavy... [Read More]
Track Mx05
The Track Mx05 is the third installment in Track's "M" series of balls designed for medium rev rate bowlers. It is also the third ball since the start of the new naming system that uses the Modified Kinetic weight block. This ball's polished pearl coverstock glides through the front of the lane, revs up strong in the midlane, and then makes a big move at the back part of the... [Read More]
Lane Masters Yeah Baby
The Lane Masters Yeah Baby uses the same shaped Impact core that was used in the ball with the same name some years ago. This modern version has a slightly lower RG and slightly lower differential. The big difference between the old Yeah Baby and this new one is the change in coverstock. This new release uses the Evolution XT solid reactive coverstock instead of the Diamond Particle shell that... [Read More]
Ebonite Code of Honor
Ebonite’s first high performance release of 2015 is the Code of Honor. This ball uses the same CB-2 asymmetrical core design that was in the Pivot, Pivot Point, and Honor. The Code of Honor uses a solid version of the RCS 5.0 coverstock that comes out of the box at a 3000 Abralon finish. This is a strong and absorbent coverstock that provides plenty of hook in the oil. The... [Read More]
DV8 Thug Unruly
The DV8 Thug Unruly is the second release from DV8 that uses the Thug Low RG core design. This time, this low RG, high differential core is paired with the new Class 13G Reactive Solid coverstock, which for us is easily the most aggressive coverstock used on any DV8 ball. This coverstock comes out of the box at a very rough 2000 SiaAir finish The Thug Unruly created plenty of... [Read More]
DV8 Diva Divine
The DV8 Diva Divine is the third release with the Diva name on the outside and the Diva core in the inside. This purple and pink pill is the first Diva ball that does not come polished out of the box and it easily has the most amount of total hook of the three. The Diva Divine's strong hooking motion was devastating on our medium test pattern. All three testers... [Read More]
Columbia 300 Deep Freeze
The Columbia 300 Deep Freeze is the latest release in Columbia's entry-level performance line. It uses a proven older coverstock that comes out of the box with final finishing steps of 4000 Abralon and Powerhouse Factory Finish Polish. The Deep Freeze's core design is a modified version of the Messenger core that was used in the previous Freeze releases. While the shape of this weight block is the same, the... [Read More]
Roto Grip Hyper Cell Skid
The Roto Grip Hyper Cell Skid uses the Nucleus core that was used most recently in the Hyper Cell and previously in the original Cell and Cell Pearl. This coverstock is an updated 73 MH pearl that for us provided more total hook than any previous polished Roto Grip release. We used the Hyper Cell Skid with great success on our medium test pattern. As the name suggests, the Skid... [Read More]
Roto Grip Unhinged
The Roto Grip Unhinged is the latest release from Roto Grip in the HP3 line. This ball uses the same Late Roll 69 core as the Hysteria. This time, this weight block is surrounded by the 60M pearl cover that comes out of the box at a 1500 grit polished finish. This change in coverstock allows the Unhinged to have more length, back end, and total hook than the Hysteria.... [Read More]
900 Global Respect
The 900 Global Respect takes the Tetra core that was in the Moxie and surrounds it with the new 79 Alert Hybrid coverstock. This new coverstock comes out of the box with a 1500 grit polished surface finish. The Respect was best for our testers on our medium test pattern. It floated through the front of the lane without showing any signs of trying to hook too early. When it... [Read More]
The BTM Archive – Featured Content
Take Charge with Technology – Part 1
It is an amazing time to be a bowler. New high-tech bowling balls are introduced each month. Bowling shoes with interchangeable soles and heels are commonplace. Everywhere you look you see mobile devices. While many bowlers use them to check email, update Facebook, tweet, text, or play games, these gadgets are capable of more –... [Read More]
Seniors on Steroid Balls
Bowling can be a challenge for seniors, particularly those of us who remember what it was like prior to the “modern” game of steroidal bowling balls, synthetic lanes, and walled up house shots. Between all of the changes that the sport has gone through and all of the changes our bodies have gone through, going... [Read More]
Reaching a Higher Level
To continue our understanding of how sport science can help bowlers reach a higher performance level, I share insight into biofeedback as a training tool. For peak performance, a bowler must be able to control physical response to a stressful situation. An individual will be destined for under-performance without a proactive response to an inability... [Read More]
Starting From the Ground Up – Part 3
The term hand-eye coordination is defined as “the ability to coordinate vision with fine motor skills.” Since bowling is a precision sport, everything a bowler does is to promote successfully knocking down pins by coordinating movements to direct the ball toward a target, or more accurately, along a target path. With the big muscle groupings... [Read More]
The Art of Unlearning
It has been four hundred years since Sir Francis Bacon wrote that “knowledge is power,” yet it has never been truer than it is today. It has always been difficult to gain knowledge as learning often entails unlearning beliefs. Unlearning is hard. In the past, it has even been dangerous. In 1633, Galileo was imprisoned... [Read More]
Seven Misconceptions
One day a few weeks ago, I was watching a couple of league bowlers practicing before league. One of the bowlers bowled one game with a plastic Taboo Spare Ball. He bowled a 240 game. This indicated to me that the lanes were pretty dry, allowing enough friction for the plastic ball with its dynamic... [Read More]
The Non-Physical / Non-Mental Game
I competed in a local tournament recently which always draws a strong field with a wide variety of styles and techniques. After I was knocked out, I sat with a young two-handed player with truly BHAG’s (Big Hairy Audacious Goals). Our conversation covered a wide range of bowling topics including ball surface, lane surface, drilling/layout... [Read More]
Recognizing and Producing the Matching Up Process
You’ve heard people talk about not being matched up; that’s why they lost or didn’t score well or whatever. They are very likely telling the truth. Matching up is paramount to success in bowling. It's the transference of energy from you to the ball to the pins - matching your rev rate and speed to... [Read More]
