Oiling Patterns...

[phaggy]

Hey all,

I was just wondering what the general obsession with finding out what a pattern before a tournament seems to be. I mean I know that we live in a technological age now-a-days where you can find everything you want on the internet, but personally I think it is a little unfair to be told of the condition before you go. Thats what training sessions are for I would have guessed, to get you ready for any type of condition that they put in front of you.

I was always of the opinion that 5 balls were usually a benchmark of what you should try to take to a tournament, 1 for heavy oil, 2 or 3 for medium oil, 1 for dry lanes and sparing. One of these balls should be your go-to or favorite ball (pref one of the medium oil balls), as in the first ball you pick up in practice. From there you will be able to decide on what need to use, also from having been in state teams before, during nationals your only allowed to have a maximum or 6 balls normally anyway.

I dont want to compare to other sports, but usually it happens anyway, this is just my general thoughts and queries into bowling and why people seem to be obsessed with knowing everything. I know that I sound old-school with this, but I would rather take my own arsenal of gear and figure it out when I get there instead of trying to work it out before I go away. I just dont see why we should get told beforehand, I feel that it takes the mind game away from bowling too much and tries to put more of an emphasis on the physical game which is not what bowling is about. Bowling to me is all about who can work it out the quickest and prosper from there.

Just my 2 cents worth and queries.

Phillip Fagg

 

[Ubby]

Completely agree.
Surely there is more merit to be awarded to a player for working out a condition + scoring higher, quicker than anyone else than there is to having a field of players knowing how to score right from the word go.

 

[bluey]

When flying interstate it is useless taking a ball for every condition. There is no unfair advantage if the information is available to everyone. I took 3 balls to Cairns earlier on this year and found that before practice finished l already ruled out one of them. (Virtual Energy hooked to much) I have several balls that go longer and would have liked to have had one however excess baggage becomes an issue. Knowing the condition to me is about taking the balls that are most likely to be compatable and leaving the others at home. Just cause you know the pattern doesn't mean you can score on it.

 

[AdrianS]

God i get the ****s up when i read threads about this. Between kids that know nothing(really, NOTHING!!!), techs that know even less and people that call in from all distances on here(and they really know whats going on, or they're going to ring AMF) Or those guys that get on here and go "the condition wasnt that bad, it played like a sport shot" when they dont know how a sport shot would play anyhow

There is nothing that makes me more wild than that, how about no one says anything about the lanes play for the rest of the year ANYWHERE!!! Maybe even no sport shots anywhere, just turn up and bowl on the 'fresh' or the leftovers of the leauge before. Done!!!

 

[Ubby]

God i get the ****s up when i read threads about this. Between kids that know nothing(really, NOTHING!!!)



I hope that isnt a stab at myself an phillip, honestly, I know we are only young comparatively speaking, but my father is one of the highest level coaches in the country and phil is my cousin who learnt alot of what he knows from said coach, in his earlier days of course.

Between us, we know ALOT about everything to do with the sport.
More than alot of older generations would know.

 

[Ubby]

God i get the ****s up when i read threads about this. Between kids that know nothing(really, NOTHING!!!)



I hope that isnt a stab at myself an phillip, honestly, I know we are only young comparatively speaking, but my father is one of the highest level coaches in the country and phil is my cousin who learnt alot of what he knows from said coach, in his earlier days of course.

Between us, we know ALOT about everything to do with the sport.
More than alot of older generations would know.
Id love for it to not be announced what sort of pattern was being laid, as I said before, theres more merit to working out a condition and being able to play it better than everyone else, quicker, than there is in having an even playing field where everyone knows exactly what gear they need and exactly where they need to play.


In other news, please delete previous post of mine, it wasnt meant to go through but for some reason it happened etc etc.
Cheers.

 

[phaggy]

I am not fully sure what Adrian is saying, whether it be a shot at the bowlers who complain or at the people making the query in this thread, if it is at me it is a little over the top.

Thank you Adam for sticking up for me, having been pretty much born in a bowling alley and having a family with more than 50 yrs experience in the sport, along with having worked closely with machinery and oil patterns in the centre my family owned as well as being a member of various state teams, i have been in a bowling centre of some sort for on average 2-3 times a week in my 23 yrs. You would think that I would have some sort on knowledge of the game.

I didnt want to compare sports but I think I may have to, to some extent. Its hard to compare sports with bowling, but in terms of individuality I will choose golf. In golf you know you have equipment that you have to use, the same as bowling. You know what the course layout is, but you dont know what the conditions are going to be. Just think of bowling as being an indoor golf. You need the equipment, you know the layout of the lanes but lets make sure you have to think by not telling you what the condition is going to be...

The only negative I see about this is actually becoming non-negotiable now and that was the weight factor in air travel. Slowly TBA or AMF, has made deals with airlines so that bowlers can start to be seen as the sportspeople we actually are.

All I am trying to say, is in the end the cream will always rise to the top anyway and the ones who can work things out the quickest are the ones that work the hardest anyway, but by releasing the patterns 2-3 weeks or so beforehand the only thing we are creating is mindless drones who cant think for themselves when it comes to the crunch.

 

[AdrianS]

Now thats what im getting at, no offense to you 2 guys Phil!!!!

 

[phaggy]

I didnt think you were Adrian, I just thought I would try and explain it more clearly for everyone else lol

 

[bluey]

Now thats what im getting at, no offense to you 2 guys Phil!!!!

So obviously l'm the dumb child Adrian?

 

[AdrianS]

Well look at your last line Paul, then check back with me. As long as you learned something at the time is all that matters

 

[bluey]

Well look at your last line Paul, then check back with me. As long as you learned something at the time is all that matters

I'm a bit confused, is it unreasonable for me to want to rule out certain balls BEFORE l get on a plane? I did learn something about bowling in Cairns but it was an expensive lesson.

 

[bluey]

When flying interstate it is useless taking a ball for every condition. There is no unfair advantage if the information is available to everyone. I took 3 balls to Cairns earlier on this year and found that before practice finished l already ruled out one of them. (Virtual Energy hooked to much) I have several balls that go longer and would have liked to have had one however excess baggage becomes an issue. Knowing the condition to me is about taking the balls that are most likely to be compatable and leaving the others at home. Just cause you know the pattern doesn't mean you can score on it.

Are you saying l simply should have adjusted better?

 

[willey]

There you go Phaggy, you answered your own Question! In Golf you have 14 Golf Clubs for all the Different Shots that you could be required to play. In Bowling you cannot take 14 Bowling Balls with you, for all the differing Conditions you may have to Play.

 

[Phluff]

I don't see the problem in releasing information on a pattern prior to an event. This will allow those travelling from interstate to at least narrow down the ball selection before they leave.

The prior knowledge of what a pattern looks like on paper means nothing however if you've never played at that centre before and don't know about in house conditions; lane surface, topography, humidity etc. As was seen at a recent tournament, what the paper says and how the lanes played were quite different.

 

[jimcross]

Between us, we know ALOT about everything to do with the sport.
More than alot of older generations would know.[/QUOTE]

I'm one of those older generations, and I've decided that I'm really lucky. I can't read oil patterns. I look at them and they mean ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to me.

By the way - I don't want anyone to try to explain them to me. I'm happy in my ignorance. I'm lucky in other ways. I don't have lots of balls to choose from. When ( and if ) I get fit enough to bowl in tournaments again, I'll do what I've always done - I'll drive there - even if it's a long way - and take whatever I want with me.

 

[jason_doust]

...but by releasing the patterns 2-3 weeks or so beforehand the only thing we are creating is mindless drones who cant think for themselves when it comes to the crunch.

Oh puhleease...

Maybe if I threw two boards of hook and the difference between my hook piece and my straight piece wasn't much, this might, with a bit of imagination (or delusion) be true. But it's not, even if I threw two boards of hook.

Surface determines 65%+ of ball reaction. Knowing the pattern in advance gives you a clue to surface prep and pin placements, which are also very important to backend shape.

Bowling is like golf. And beginner sets of clubs have 5-6 sticks in them.

Anyway, if only the locals know the pattern (as they always do), isn't that an unfair advantage?

Cheers,
Jason

 

[da_cowman]

Knowing the oil pattern doesn't mean you know how to play the lanes. Just like knowing the lay out of the Golf Course doesn't mean you'll go round in the fewest shots. There's still the ability to repeat shots. Reading the constant transition that is happening after every shot. Knowing the oil pattern is only helpful for about 2 games, then you may as well throw it out.

Cow

 

[da_cowman]

But, it does give you a starting point. No point taking 360 grit surface if there's only 10 ml of oil. Just like there's no point taking a driver if you're only playing Par 3's.

I guess what I'm saying is. They are handy to know, and fun to look at. But should be mostly taken with a grain of salt.

Cow

 

[jason_doust]

Good point Cow. As Chris Barnes says "Play the pattern on the lanes, not the one they posted on the wall." But at least with prior knowledge of the pattern, everyone's got a yardstick to begin narrowing down the possibilities. Especially if you're familiar with the house.

You need information to make informed decisions. Anything less is guesswork.