PhoneUser123

Well bowling alley lanes are generally either wooden or synthetic. With wood lanes, the oil generally breaks down quicker than on synthetic. Wood lanes also are more likely to have slight bumps and imperfections. But the main difference between the lanes that you go bowl on a friday night and the lanes that Belmo goes bowling on for a tournament is the oil conditions.

Tournaments typically lay down different oil patterns for every different event, sometimes different oil patterns for different steps in the tournament. What that means is that areas of the lanes have more or less oil. When there is less oil, typically the ball is going to grab the lane earlier and hook sooner. Where as heavy oil, the ball skids down, and generally doesn't hook as much.

The biggest thing about bowling at tournament level conditions (sport shots) is that with every shot, the oil pattern is changed by the ball. So, after every shot the oil is changed, which causes the bowler to make a blind adjustment. This is where the challenge comes at high level bowling. The ability to predict and read the lanes on past shots. Bowling is the only sport that I can think of where you're playing on an invisible field.

Generally when you check into the tournament they give you the oil pattern at that time. Though, I have bowled in a few, where no one knew the pattern. That was fun!

Hey what's up Belmo,

So, I'm eighteen years old, and I've been bowling since I as soon as I could walk, it feels like. I underwent labrum reconstruction surgery three weeks ago, and I won't be able to bowl until August. When I stopped bowling in December, due to the pain in my shoulder, I felt like I was at the top of my game. I was bowling 20-25 games a week, and my mental game, and knowledge of the sport was at an all time high.

I guess my question is, how do I bounce back from this injury? And have you ever had to go through any injury like this, and how did you push through?

Thanks for making a bunch of ole' farts uncomfortable about the evolution of bowling!