POSITIVE ACCESS POINT
by John Baker Sr.
Don’t take your Ball to the Beach!
One of the most significant parts of today’s bowling is often the least appreciated and most obscure, sanding the ball. It is a presition tool that can make or break the turnover and angle of your ball to the pocket. Sanding disks and pads come in different variety, grits and styles. Lets first take a look at the different pads and what they do to the surface of your ball. Most of it comes down to whatever they are using in the pro-shop. Unless you ask, you probably won’t notice the difference. Global has a line called NEAT and usually have a good price. Abrolon has pads and are widely used because they have the least amount of variances in the way they sand. They are made of Silicon Carbide and are sifted to ensure consistency. Brunswick puts out a pad called Sia Air. These pads are made of Aluminum Oxide and are designed to last longer than Abralon pads and tend to less expensive . The Abralon and Sia Air have been reported to sand approximately the same . If you have concerns ask someone you trust and see what they prefer.
What is a grit, its not a corn product, its the difference in sand particle size and polishing ability. 4000 is a high polish which makes the ball smooth and go longer. “ Taking it down “ means lowering the shine on the ball or scuffing up the surface, thereby giving it more texture which allows your ball to grip the lane a little more . The higher the number the less friction your ball will have. The lower the number the more friction your ball will have, which effects the balls reaction and will make the ball less shiny, such as 1500′ or ‘1000’. If your new to wanting to try a sand, talk to your pro shop and let them know what and how your ball is reacting and what you want it to do. You may not need to sand, you might need a re-drill.
If you are however familiar with sanding up or down, you may also choose to put a time (in seconds) on how long you want your ball run. For instance, typical house shot and my usual and favorite (JET) house ball. However my ball was hooking just a little late, changing speed and position didn’t help. The factory settings put it at 4,000 out of the box, using a abrolon pad of 1,000 grit, I polished the ball (by hand) for less than 10 seconds. This method only scuff the surface and doesn’t take the ball all the way down to 1000. I was able to turn the ball over just enough to stop coming in late to the pocket and it lasted just long enough for the lanes to break down a bit and keep my strikes going. So Its up to you to use these hints and information to your advantage. Remember when in doubt ASK someone, you may be surprised at what your average bowler knows.
