I have used the 'wipe ball or not' system for years. Depending on the lane conditions, leave it on to go longer, wipe to go earlier. Looking forward to the 'science' of wiping vid.

This timing of this discussion is perfect. Last Friday afternoon, I'm bowling my regular league. I've found my Black Widow Urethane is far more consistent than my reactive balls in this particular house compared to my other balls. The way the Urethane is laid out, the oil rings have some decent spacing so they aren't on top of each other. For whatever reason, this week, I didn't wipe off my ball for the entire three-game series. It was the first week, we were establishing averages, so I thought I'd try something different. What I did notice is that I didn't have to change my shot until the middle of the third game. The breakpoint was holding, and I was still getting the same kind of roll into the pin deck. In previous weeks, when I wiped my ball after every shot, I found myself having to move left or right at least three times during the series to find fresh oil. Based on what you're saying, because of my ball's flare and the oil that's still on the ball, the ball is reading earlier slower and the transition is degrading slower, if that makes any sense. I really have to try out this theory with my Web and Cherry Vibe tonight. The Web has similar flare to the Urethane, but the Cherry Vibe doesn't. Food for thought, J.R. Thank you kindly...

Will try it today in a local league torunament... Believe this can make the difference for U/O reaction. Update: played my best line ever (277), no cleaning the ball at all! This is a huge paradigm shift for me; Thanks for the tip!!!

@onealoubre99

2 жыл бұрын

He just let the cat out the bag. Nice

I tried this on league this past Wednesday 6/22/22 and it really did make a diff. Not cleaning off the oil seemed to really help my scores. 221, 190, & 254. Thanks JR for the discussion.

As a two hander I have tried this before, and It is harder because when my non-bowling hand is on the ball it tends to slip off the ball during my backswing because the oil makes it so that i cant hold on to the ball properly. When I bowl now I wear a grip glove on my non-bowling hand so I can do this. I've also thought about this for a long time, and I agree 100% with you.

Seems to make sense, but I would be hesitant due to the long term maintenance ramifications when all that oil soaks in. And as far as "not everybody has the luxury of drilling new balls", I would think that's about 99% of us.

@Really-cq2uw

4 ай бұрын

Doesn’t make sense. Your ball sits in the rack until your next turn, with oil on it. You wipe it off, then roll it 15 seconds later and get oil on it again, then it sits until your next shot.

You may very well be onto something here. I've experienced this myself as well. There's been so many nights in league where my shot is reacting differently down lane. I wipe my ball off after every single throw. I honestly feel like I have to wipe it off after every shot. I feel like it would make more sense for me to bowl in my socks without my bowling shoes on then it would be for me to go a few shots without wiping the oil off my ball. Long story short on nights where I'm struggling there's been several times I end up getting frustrated. When I get frustrated I start to no longer care about my pre-shot routine. I suddenly won't care to wipe the oil off my ball, and I suddenly don't care about my approach or backswing being perfect. I basically just pick up my ball and immediately start walking up the approach and throw my ball. Often times when I do this I suddenly start striking over and over and over. Never sure why, I always assumed it was just because I was eliminating many of the mental aspects of the game. Instead of worrying about my approach, my slide, my backswing, etc. I just throw the ball the way I know how and it does exactly what I want it to do. But perhaps it has nothing to do with any of that, and it's actually just because I stopped wiping the oil off my ball during these times that I'm enraged. Well aw' be damned!

This makes total sense to me. I also think, what you wipe your ball with has an effect too . I was getting a better reaction when I was using a shop towel. I bought a balling ball shammy and now I'm bowling like I have no clue what i am doing.

This makes perfect sense to me. The ball track at the (dry) back end of the lane is not going to be oily until you smear oil into it using a towel, so I can see how this might cause the ball to hook in the front and labor on the back end. I am definitely going to try this on my weds league. Thanks for the tip!

This exact thing you mentioned happened to me tonight in league. I was using my Widow Purple Urethane. In warm up it was striking, but as players with resin broke it down in warm up my Purple started reading the lane so early I got trapped in over/under. If I missed outside the ball died out instantly and never came back, but if I missed inside it never hooked. Totally extreme blocked house shot. I shot 148. In Game 3 I decided to stop wiping the ball and let the oil build up on it. Now the ball cleared the fronts and was getting up the lane and driving hard. Shot 254!

As an older player who is just coming back to the game after 30+ years away I’ve wondered about not wiping the reactive , back in the day when urethane was the only thing I would’ve never dreamed about not wiping my ball pre shot every time , but with todays covers your observation makes perfect sense , and I’m gonna implement it , now…. What to do pre shot instead of that ???

I'm two-handed so wiping it off is important so I don't have slippery hands. I'm practicing tonight so I'm going to play around with where to wipe to see if my ball motion is affected.

I've been saying this to guys in my league for awhile before even seeing your video. They thought I was crazy, but the ball reaction was so much more consistent. I'm convinced we're smearing the oil on the ball and hence why we miss right and won't hook like previous shots.

I never wiped my ball off, I felt it read the lane better with the oil left on the ball, sort of thought like it meshed better with the lane itself. Watched other players wipe there ball off after every shot and didn't have as good of a reaction as I did, just my thought on it thanks for bringing that subject up appreciate it.

You don't need my validation but I do appreciate the thought you are putting behind these things. I have bowled for around 40 years. Over that time I have thought many things about wiping vs not wiping balls. Back in the urethane days. I never wiped my ball. Oil volumes and oil types weren't quite as durable causing much less carry down/ push than we see in the modern game. I felt that wiping the ball in those times was removing oil from play. Most of the time since it was "short oil" that was not a desirable thing to do. As the game moved to resin I continued to never wipe my balls for the same reasons. I found generally that it was similar in that I was still removing oil rather than seeing a consistency from wiping consistently. Now that we've progressed to more modern oil types as well as much more complex oil patterns and those patterns being truly designed mostly for the resin equipment. I found that I really needed to wipe urethane (and microcell) equipment to try to ensure consistent reaction/carry (entry angles) and to keep the reaction for the longest amount of time. I still do not wipe resin equipment unless it is just soaked and I can not get anything to wrinkle. I don't find it advantageous for me or to provide a 'consistent' reaction. So for me it is wipe urethane, microcell and plastic (yes I have used plastic to throw strikes for 300/800) leave resin alone unless in a flood. Just thought I'd add my 2 cents.

I don't wipe my ball when I am bowling on a short pattern or when there is an excessive amount of hook. In this case I keep the oil to help limit the reaction especially as the pattern breaks down. Other times I wipe my ball after every shot as many others do. I am going to try this next time I play. If I master it, I think it is a great tool to have with you for when you need to control the ball's reaction at the end of the pattern.

@bballwithaustin

2 жыл бұрын

Thinking the same thing, but my only question I ask my self is.. If it starts to hook to much, do I consider wiping it or change balls?

Something I have always been told, when bowling: if it works for you, do it! If not wiping your reactives off between shots works for you, that's not crazy, that's strategy.

I completely agree. I think the oil absorbing rate on these balls are so high you don't need to wipe the oil back onto the ball

Man!?!?i haven’t used my towel a few games and definitely noticed that and the way i approach my shot and I noticed when i did wipe. Trying it tonight at league 🤞🏾

Agree 💯, you're correct about sanding back half of rings, I did it, it worked !!! What you're saying about oil on first rings helping to get thru fronts also works. I don't wipe ball anymore, either, had same experience you had practicing then bowling competitive!!! ( They can't sell pads/ towels if people don't wipe!!!) Good video, you gave away a valuable tip !!

Absolutely noticed the same over/under (particularly with the Reality) reaction and I wipe every shot. This is definitely a thing!

I’ve often bought about this myself. Think about the amount of FLARE on the ball and consistency….think about it… less track=less oil being “picked up” on each revolution. MORE track=more oil being picked up because it’s rolling over a different part of the ball on each rev I truly believe LESS track will lead to less oil being “picked up” and, ultimately, a more consistent roll and less moving left on the lane. More accuracy. Less movement and adjustments. K.I.S.S (Keep It Simple Silly) I applaud your videos J.R. I love watching and listening to your out loud thoughts. You aren’t afraid to say “I messed up” and that’s what makes you a better bowler. We are all human and WE MESS UP! You admit it and then try to correct on them. That is bowling to me. Thank you and Merry Christmas buddy!!!

Makes sense to me. Definitely going to give it a try. Thanks

JR, you’re not talking crazy because I noticed the exact same thing with ball reactions, and for the most part I don’t wipe my equipment off until I’m finished for the day. I too experimented with wiping/not wiping and I found a lot more consistency in my ball reactions. But credit where credit is due. Johnny Petraglia, Jr. once told me that he rarely, if ever, wipes the oil off. I didn’t pick up on it then, but I see why now.

This is a thought I’ve had as a pretty inexperienced bowler, but someone who approaches things more analytically. I noticed some throws weren’t nearly the same after wiping my ball and eventually it just looked like oil was where my ball didn’t roll at all down the lane, so I just thought I smeared it but I still do it sometimes to try to change

i couldn't agree more. i quit wiping my balls off 5 years ago because i too thought all i was doing was smearing the oil around. i went from a 200 average bowler to a 220 average bowler and the only change was not wiping my ball off between shots. so nice to hear your confirmation of what i believe also.

Billy and I could literally test this tomorrow! I’m gonna try the not wiping reactive off too since it’s summer leagues nows the time to experiment.

I have bowled forever and my preshot routine of wiping the ball comes from my urethane days. We are bowling on a 35 ft pattern this summer so I will definitely give this a try. I'll will continue to watch videos please update your success after your next tourney.

Wow I never thought of this. It makes total sense. I’m gonna test this out tomorrow night in league play

It makes sense to leave the oil on the ball if you're wanting it to hook less, but at the same time you're creating an inconsistent ball reaction that will continue to change the more oil you leave on the ball. Personally I'd rather incorporate wiping the ball into my routine and know my ball reaction will be consistent. If the ball hooks too much then I just need to move in a little.

you are absolutely positively NOT crazy! i've been seeing the same thing for years. if reactive balls take oil off the heads, and they do, then who who wants the heads to go away faster by having a wiped ball go down there every time???? so now it's a double whammy.....you have a wiped ball trying to get through ever-drying heads shot after shot. no wonder ball reaction changes so fast. leaving that residual oil on the ball is exactly what you need!! good stuff.

It really does make sense!!! Thanks!

As a 2 hand bowler my flare lines end up resting where I place my thumb, to my surprise it really throws my shot off horribly..even if you don't have a thumb hole it's extremely important to have it on a proper spot for accuracy/speed

It took me a long time to understand your reasoning and then it made me realize that you may be right

You also mentioned in your 'has league bowling ruined perception...' video about the blue oil helping to see what's going on to a degree. Well, watching Tommy Jones here recently using his Black Widow Ghost (which is basically a white ball for any that may not be familiar with that ball), you can really see where the ball has soaked up the blue oil. I think this is probably one of the best examples of track flare for the novice to know where the oil is going on the ball and how the ball tracks down the lane. Yes, the first few flare rings are really thick with oil and the last few are just a tinge blue, tapering off as the ball flares going down the lane. But what really amazes me is that the ball consistently flares over the exact same spots because as much as he's thrown that ball on blue oil, the flare rings have that distinct blue/white/blue/white/etc. pattern across the surface. I also notice that TJ doesn't wipe either.

Well JR I tested the no wipe theory and it definitely allows my ball to clear the front easy and seems to smooth the midlane reaction and the ball is more alive through the pins. My scores in pot games have been insane good. My shammy is living in my backpack now thanks

JR, I was wondering that myself when I was bowling in league. And now you say this it makes total sense to me. So if you’re crazy then I am also!!! LOL

I thought it was just me! I totally agree! I rarely wipe my balls off while bowling and they seem to perform better for me. I never said anything about it because I thought sometimes maybe it was just in my head.

I'll experiment with this tonight at league, wipe the ball first game and don't on second game, you pretty much described what I see most weeks.

Hi JR Raymond, after reviewing your video clip, I decided to put your theory to practice. I usually clean my ball after every frame. Last night at league I played 3 games on a 41ft pattern with a Phase 4 without wiping the ball. I shot 234 220 and 248 I found that the ball motion down the lane into the pins was pretty consistent. However I did focus more on my rhythm and tempo, staying behind the ball and in the shot.

Can't wait for the comparison video!! Do it now!! please!!!!!

It makes sense to me. I stopped wiping my ball off two seasons ago just because I lost a couple of pads. Now that you mention your theory I have noticed more consistency in my ball reaction.

I’ve been going back and forth on this with my game tbh. Especially at one specific house I bowl in locally where my consistency has been all over the place and can’t figure out what the issue is or could be. It seemed like with my pearls especially that it was looking a bit better at times when not wiping off the ball. I’ll be looking at this more and more going forward to see if that’s been the issue for me or not.

I just started bowling and have a polyurethane ball. After a few shots the ball started slipping out of my hand and even just gliding without any spin. I started wiping the ball almost every time and could feel the difference in the grip. My shots were much better.

This helped me, I practiced wiping and couldn't string strikes, then I thought about what you said in this video and I didn't wipe on my last game and strung 7 together and went 240

It makes sense, because we are told the lane oil gives us the skid. So, leave it on the ball and the drag down won't be as big a factor. I have notice Pete Weber not wiping his ball off at times.

I stopped wiping my reactive and did notice more consistency. Thank you

Hi, it is funny I was at the bowling alley yesterday and just spraying some shots down without wiping the ball and I happen to notice a big difference for holding the line a lot better so I got a feeling you are right

Great advice as usual.

Seriously the only thing that is affecting consistency is being consistent in what ever you do you will adapt and to what ever you do as long as you are consistently doing the same things

Using an Alpha Crux in league tonight did as you suggested and did not wipe oil off the ball , shot 220 game 2 with an open in the 10th, Thanks JR for this great tip,

I had never given this much thought. I know I wipe down my ball due to habit. Also to keep my right hand clean, for consistant feel in the ball. That is what we did in the 80s when I was a Jr bowler. Like you, I also seldom wipe down the ball during warmups unless there is a very heavy volume of oil returning on the ball.

I;m new to bowling and when I go to league I use my low end beginner hooking ball (ebonite turbo/R) I don't have a shammy or anything, I just leave it as is and I've never noticed a change in how the ball goes down the lane.

Does this include the big black smudges that seem like they come from machinery rather than the lane oil? I typically wipe off the area that my hand is touching the ball to feel a secure skin contact to compliment my finger grip.

Fascinating, trying this tonight in our 4 game doubles league, the lanes are always stripped/oiled about 20 mins before we start. I carry a big clean towel to every outing, and wipe before every strike shot. Mostly bowl with just two balls (!QTS / NP), don't have any urethane. Really intrigued to see if I notice any difference. Will report back if I do. =)

@PjMargraff6bowler

2 жыл бұрын

How'd you end up? Did u play without wiping the ball(s)?

I have never wiped my ball off between shots. Research this - grab it as it comes back up the ball return and wipe the track right after the current frame rather than wiping right before you throw. Reverse the flow and let the oil dry out as it sits.

Regardless of if you sound crazy or not, it's definitely a factor that could influence ball reaction. Maybe it's something you do depending on what your ball is doing, and it could be another factor that allows you to change that ball reaction. Whatever the case may be, it seems worthwhile to test it out and see what happens.

@BlaineDEEJEE1

2 жыл бұрын

I agree Folks. Many times, there isn’t any oil to wipe off. I agree with JR and some of the others. Prefer NOT to wipe ball off. Just another routine/variable that could limit normal routine. One less step to do before the striking begins….

Honestly, I don't think you're crazy. I rarely wipe mine off during competition. I may wipe it off before matchplay or at the end of the night, but never during play. I think it's over hyped in my opinion. People say to do it for consistency or to "extend the life of the ball", but I think it's just as consistent, just with oil visibly on it and most bowlers don't use the same ball for more than a couple years anyways. Pete never wiped his ball down either.

@scottweiderman9286

2 жыл бұрын

to be fair, pete was known to drill a new ball every flight in important tournaments, so the dude isn't ever throwing anything but new equipment.

@nickwood2225

2 жыл бұрын

@@scottweiderman9286 You made my point, which I already said. Most bowlers, especially on the tour, drill new balls every year if not before each big tournament now days, which would make ball wiping useless pretty much. You can watch the Brad and Kyle channel and they and everyone else in the house are drilling balls all the time. Out with the old, in with the new.

@penknight8532

2 жыл бұрын

@@nickwood2225 They do that because the PBA provides it to them for free. If I could get free drilled balls every time I would do it too!

@nickwood2225

2 жыл бұрын

@@penknight8532 No shit, and most regular people drill and get a new ball every year or every other year anyways, so either way, it doesn't matter.

@fukRiaa

2 жыл бұрын

@@penknight8532 PBA doesn't provide it for free but generally their ball sponsors do.

I agree, but would it be better to use the automatic ball testing machine, as it throws the perfect release everytime? Just a thought.

You r not crazy at all, in fact you are dead on. I haven't bowled in a good while, but I wanted oil on my reactives so I could easily get my reactives to the break point. I'm north of you in Flint, really loved your center!

I only wipe my ball off when the lanes are very wet. I'm not at a level to notice it but my mind thinks like yours was in this video so in dry conditions I try to leave as much oil on my ball as possible.

Think it's situationally dependent. There are times where you want your ball to dig in and start hooking earlier, and any extra oil on your cover is going to hinder that, so wipe it down. On the other hand if you are fighting early hook and it is difficult to get it to the ideal downlane break point, then having some extra oil on your cover would help your ball go longer and make your shot easier. I think its a good thing to be conscious of.

@chriskelly509

2 жыл бұрын

That's how I bowl.

I've thought about this before. Whether wiping it off is doing anything other than just spreading it, also noticing that if I look at my ball immediately after a shot (i.e. in the 10th), compared to when I look at it when my next turn is up, it always looks like there's less oil on it in the latter case. It can only be going one place I suppose. Simply saving me money on not having to buy microfiber towels as often, and saving them for actual cleaning of a ball at the end of a session, would be enough to get me to try this

@chrisleeleslie

2 жыл бұрын

Depends on what you wipe it with. That storm premier shammy seems to absorb a lot better than any regular leather shammy or microfiber towel that I've ever used. Also the CTD BAM pad is amazing as well.

Haven't wiped my reactive balls since this video. It's made using them much more consistent

If you wipe the ball, you are also wiping it into the flares that don't have oil on them taming the backend reaction vs not wiping the ball.

My thought has always been, with so many things that could affect a bowling shot why not try to keep one thing consistent... the ball.

Most AMF centers have a ball wipe on the down sweep ramp by the machine, so it gets wiped without you knowing.

I wish you posted this before my 8 game tournament yesterday. Lol.

You are absolutely correct, I stop wiping the ball off after first game and now after watching this video I'm not wiping my stronger balls at all!!!

I havent bowled in years and want to go try this now.

I have never wiped my ball during league play. This was never for a reason. Just laziness. But I like the premise of not wiping the oil off for a consistent pattern.

Of course if you leave the oil in the first flares it will help it go through the heads better. But that applies if the heads are not fresh, and/or others are playing your line. It would help a lot to not wipe the oil on dry conditions and fried heads for sure. As for the why the ball goes longer after 10 shots when you wipe it . It's not that the oil got smeared all over the place and clogged the pores. If that were the case, balls would need de-oiling after a couple of games. The ball goes longer as you play because it lane shines. Now if it was very shiny to begin with, then i don't think you will notice much difference.

Interesting, you kinda touched on it, but another way to look at it is that, the ball is removing the oil from the lane, so wiping the ball will continually dry that same line on the lane, if you are throwing accurately. So if you don't wipe, then the oil from that line is still on the ball so it's still the "same" oil condition on every throw

Spot on

That’s exactly what Pete Weber said years ago about why he doesn’t wipe his ball ever.

I've noticed more over under since I started wiping my ball off never considered I could be effecting the motion by spreading the oil around and onto the flare

Interesting. Would love to see your results on that test.

Wiping the ball off with a shammy after each shot has, more than anything else, simply become a ritual in my preshot routine. Whether it really makes a difference in ball reaction? Really don't know?

I do it as a pre shot routine.

That’s crazy yu noticed it cus I noticed this yesterday morning ! Crazy timing

Was planning to try this in my next tournament. Just curious abt not wiping oil off balls with a low flare layout though? I certainly get the theory for balls with more flare.

I think your on to something here I'm trying this on my next league night

Walter Ray never wipes his ball off at all.... or so I remember. You don't sound crazy at all. I agree with it 100%!

On wolf I’d use an old towel on my purple hammer. Didn’t use a shammy like I’d normally do.

I agree, ive seen this so much with many of my kids I coach while in practice and in competition.. I don't go this way with MY OPINION as I'm not 100% sure.. I teach what I know...glad you are talking about this.. let's see the numbers🤣

What do you think about the Axiom Pearl bowling ball.? How often should I get my ball professionally cleaned?

JR. After you are done bowling what do you do to clean your bowling balls? Do you use cleaning wipes immediately after and prior to putting into your bag? I currently have a Black Widow Ghost; Hy-Road and a Plastic Columbia for spares. Still thinking about adding a purple urethaine hammer to my arsenal.

There is a video out there somewhere where Pete Weber was getting all bothered by Belmo cause Belmo would pick up his ball and shammy, wipe off the oil, then throw the shammy down back on the ball rack on top of Pete's ball. Maybe that's what Pete figured out too....more consistent ball reaction. Afterall, he's a pretty low/med rev guy so he needs all the help he can get through the front so his backend is sharper, unlike Belmo. Also, if the shammy sits on just one spot, that could possibly cause inconsistent ball reaction cause the ball rolls over dry/oil/dry/oil/dry/etc on the ball until it gets past those first few flare rings. I've always wiped the oil off my ball for the reasons you mentioned but also to keep my index finger out of the initial flare rings cause it's slippery and messes with my release (go figure) but I may try just wiping a small spot where my finger sits and not wipe the rest of the ball to see what happens.

@Ftybr57

Ай бұрын

What did you even say in this manifesto?

@WoodrowBoudreaux

Ай бұрын

Something relevant to the video

JR - you are absolutely right - you may be crazy. You seem to make sense and it all sounds very reasonable, especially the part about the "front" flare rings and the "back" flare rings. But - - - we've been wiping our balls forever, right? I'd be really interested to hear you and Ron Hickland discuss this.

@JGumaJ

2 жыл бұрын

I would like to hear this conversation too. Especially since Ron just released a new towel designed to get more oil off the ball instead of smearing it around.

I’m going to try that in league tomorrow!

In before USBC requires players to clean their bowling balls between games...

I have to agree it does sound weird. I have had the same experience and I am left handed. I have bowled better without wiping my equipment off every shot. My average is 215-220. This something that I have been thinking about for the last week.

love this video.

I can definitely say that your right. I bowl 3 games on Thursday mornings with my grandpa and shot 681 without wiping my ball down once. Then went home and resurfaced all of my equipment. Later that night I bowled league and used my Altered Reality since I bowled so well with it earlier that day. I changed the surface from a 2000 polished to 4k fast and noticed that my ball was really inconsistent. But as I kept throwing the ball it eventually started to smooth out and hook more where I wanted it to. And again, I went the whole night not wiping my equipment off. On the other hand though there have been times where I wiped my stuff down before I threw a ball and didn’t notice anything drastic. I guess wiping you ball down after every shot depends on what the lane conditions are like too?

I THINK YOU RIGHT . CAUSE WHEN I DONT WIPE MY REACTIVE BALL. IT SEEM TO HAVE A SMOOTH CONSTITENCE REACTION. IN EVERY SHOT, NOT MORE EXTEME REACTION IN THE BACK END.

I’m going to try this(not wiping my ball) in league tonight and let you know

I often chosen whether or not to wipe the ball in order to try and make it read earlier or later. What I cannot account for, and would love to use a bowling machine some time to try it, is if there is something else going on because I expect something different and I do something else subconsciously. I don’t know how I could confirm it any way other than a bowling machine though.

Makes sense, the ball can only soak in so much oil. After it fills in, consistent shot.

Great video J.r something to think 🤔

The guy that drilled my ball told me the same thing not to wipe ball between shots when ask should I towel off and said no just clean ball after league no need to towel off