Hey Travis, there are a lot of questions here but I’ll try and address everything I can.

15 vs 14 lbs carry can be different in a few ways - it’s all dependent on the bowler though. Is it guaranteed that your revs change significantly with the change in weight? No, I don’t believe so, but from what I can gather anecdotally it seems that people find their rev rate does increase by a small percentage with the slight drop in weight. As far as the scientific aspect in relation to better carry one way or another, there’s a fantastic book called ‘bowling beyond the basics’ that dives incredibly deep into this very topic. If you’re really curious about that topic I’d absolutely recommend that book. In regards to layout, I personally wouldn’t change anything unless you’re after the same exact ball motion between two balls. Lets say you have a 14lb & 15 lb hyroad, the 15lb will have a negligibly higher rg but a significantly higher diff. It should have the same general shape ball to ball, but if you were after the closest ball motion you could get between the two, you could talk to your PSO and he could likely tweak the angles to give you something that lowers the diff a bit in the 15 to better match your 14.

This is all to say, you’re newer to the sport, sounds like you’re grinding hard and doing well.

My biggest advice to you is: experiment with what what works for you. Keep an open mind on concepts you learn about, there is SO much info on bowling out there, some outdated, most of it’s great, and a small percentage just flat out wrong. Find what clicks and makes sense to you. And while you’re grinding this hard at this stage, make sure you’re checking in with some coaches and building a good foundation for your future. And of course above all else, keep it fun.

Good luck 🤘🏻

Drill ‘er up! They’re meant to see some lane time imo.

9/ is a good frame, keep telling yourself that.

It depends on what kind of 10 pin you’re noticing. Be vigilant of how your ball is going through the pocket and off of the pin deck. The key to carrying better lies in knowing how your ball is finishing.

Sounds fun! A short and a long… without knowing too much about your arsenal or experience on sport shots:

- Surface is your friend with flatter patterns like these.

- Going to want a “slow” ball for Boardwalk. I have a short pin, early rolling Clone for stuff like this that I really like. Urethane and/or something with a pretty aggressive cover, lower RG Asym. Start right and see if the gutter hooks, move in accordingly but keep your angles in front of you.

- Probably a “quicker” asym to start on the Eiffel Tower, something that has a sharper and later shape. Still want to have your angles in front of you but I’ve only had success on Eiffel playing pretty far left to start. Really depends on the house and who you’re bowling with. If this shot gets broken down well, it can play a little softer, but it’s been a nightmare for me in the past before realizing just how far left I needed to stand/target.

- Make your spares!

-If things go sideways, look around at who’s having success, try their lines, move your feet and stay vigilant with ball motion.

- oh and, fun! Have some of that if you’re able.

Good luck!

Nice set Aiden!

Let’s gooooooo! Sounds like all of that practice with an older ball really dialed you in, nice taking advantage of the new equipment. Hopefully many more to come 🤘🏻

John Battista - For me, it all starts with a thumb insert that fits the current size of the oval part of my thumb first and foremost. If I can get my thumb in and out without too much friction on the sides, then I start working on the tape part. If you google “layered/tapered bowling tape for thumb insert” you should find some results. The idea being you’re trying to fill the gap that the tip of your thumb creates.

Re: building tape up to press back of the nail/front of the thumb, I don’t really think about building it up and forcing any sort of “pressing” feeling. It’s really just as simple as: can I comfortably fit my very relaxed thumb in here and will the ball sort of hold onto my hand instead of the other way around? Then, what happens if I add one more piece of tape? Find that point where one more piece is too much and then figure out whether you can get out of it using what’s in there or you really do need to take the piece out. It was very uncomfortable and a bit scary at first, thumb felt so tight that I was going to go down the lane with the ball. But once I got my taper right, it all started to click a bit better.

There’s going to be a very slight natural grip pressure no matter what from my experience. It’s all about trying to dial that down to the absolute bare minimum.

I’m sure there will be lots of great advice that pours in here, but just wanted to chime in to say I feel your pain! I’ve only just recently gotten a very decent feel consistently, and it’s taken A LOT of trial and error. I’m sure there’s still plenty left for me to learn as well.

The big things that helped me:

1. TAPE. Play around with tape. All kinds. The kind your put on the back of your thumb, the kinds you put in the ball, taper methods, different textures, brands, etc. I posted a video on this on the FB group a while back, and at the time it was the best I knew. I’ve changed and updated so much since. But this has been the single most effective tool for me, without a doubt. If you have questions, ask. When I get the time I plan on updating the video I made.

2. JoPo (or other) switch grips. Once you find the thumb/method that fits you best on any given day or time, it’s a game changer to have that feel in the rest of your arsenal. Understanding that your thumb fit can change constantly, Day to day, hour to hour, etc is also helpful.

3. At home practice. For 2025, I said, I’m rolling at least one ball, every day. Doesn’t matter if it’s on the lanes or in my office, one time or 250 times. Get my hand in a ball and roll it.

4. PSO. You need a good one. And if you have a good one and your fit hasn’t been checked in a while, go get it checked. My span and pitches changed quite a bit from my last fit. I’ve never come out of the ball cleaner than I have in the past 3-4 months after visiting a new and highly recommended PSO who changed my span and pitches.

5. In person coaching. Coach Daniel and this group are immensely valuable, I love being a part of everything they have going on here. But if you are serious about getting better, you need to find a 1 on 1, in person coaching situation, especially if you’ve never done so.

As you can imagine, all of those things take time. So give yourself time to figure out what works for you to find your feel. Everyone is different, all of the best nuggets I’ve tried, tweaked, and implemented have been borrowed from all over the place.

Good luck!

Bill O’Neill