WHEN TO SWITCH OUT OF URETHANE?! | Managing Transition

Urethane can make you feel invincible when it's working and you're putting up high scores during a block. Sometimes those fortunes never last and you find yourself starting to struggle as the lanes break down and transition. Your ball may start hooking at the arrows and hitting flat. You move in and then you leave a 2-8-10 split or bucket. You scratch your head in disgust. All those dreams of hoisting the trophy and claiming victory seem lost now...
WHEN IS IT TIME TO SWITCH OUT OF URETHANE?
Let's see how the adjustments go and what works best!
Questions? Comments? Ideas for another scenario? Post them below!
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#Bowling #BowlingTips #ManagingTransition

[@MikeDCWeld]

When your only tool is a Hammer, every pin looks like a nail.

[@user-gt1wr1vh3i]

Thanks for the tip video Mr. Brunsnick. I used urethane in the early 90's, then stopped when resin technology started to come into play. I picked up a Pitch Black about a year ago, mainly to replace my spare ball, but to also use it as my strike ball when it is needed. I will start with urethane on the fresh, but then I will move out of it after I notice the action isn't the same. By that time, I would have strung about 5-6 strikes, which gives me more confidence and a looser arm swing for reactive. The trick is making the move BEFORE leaving a couple of splits. 😊

[@skategeezer1810]

That used to be the house shot length. I remember bowling on 24 ft during the short oil Era. Long oil was a 40-foot shot. How times have changed.

[@nordattack]

Great video Nick. Thanks again for teaching us how to use urethane. You have not exhausted your urethane teaching, please keep it coming! Can you please show us how to use different urethane balls, and how to build a proper urethane arsenal? You talked about when to get out of urethane, but would simply going to a different type of urethane ball let you stay put and still carry?

[@brunsnick]

I sure can try.

[@bowling-practicehub5455]

Looked like the envy tour had too much precession burned off by the time it got to the “break point.” So rolling too forward as it faces up to the pocket. I was thinking a small increase to axis rotation with that slower ball. So it would match up to a bit steeper entry angle as it starts making the move.

[@SirJoelsuf1]

If you start with thane, you usually need to end with it. Because not only are you dealing with completely different layouts, you'll also be dealing with a whole new coverstock if you go UP to resin. If anything, it's ideal to ball DOWN to thane. And that's only if you have the RPM rate to warrant it.

[@jimk9290]

Very good explanation of exactly what options exist related to the transition when using urethane to start. This is one of the most controversial and confusing areas of lane play. You have the general "rule" of using a different ball when the down lane miss room shrinks. With urethane and tough patterns, then you see the heads burn up, as you mentioned regarding the problem with urethane reading too early. Also, the down lane reaction gets unpredictable, and carry is a problem. Sometimes bowlers bring out their plastic spare balls and really mess things up in an attempt to get some kind of look at the pocket. I am going to experiment with a weak cover polished pearl with a smaller symmetrical core, using my Track Heat Lava drilled pin down. The experiment will be to apply Creating the Difference TruCut Gloss to this ball, and see if it can play closer to the urethane line. That would be a pleasant development. It could even be an interesting experiment to take a big core with a low intermediate differential (Radical ZigZag with the low intermediate differential drilling) and apply TruCut Gloss to that surface, in an attempt to have better continuation through the carry-down.

[@HeroPotatoDB]

Thanks for the awesome video again, no I don’t believe you will beat urethane to death, it’s just that awesome of a ball and people just don’t want to see it that way🤣

[@jeffreyherman5301]

It's definitely an educated guess on when to get out of urethane and what reactive to go to. I think the pear black hammer may be a nice bridge between the purple and reactive. Definitely would like to see that video when you are authorized to release. Let's see if the wolf pattern is easier to navigate when going from purple pearl urethane- black pearl urethane - envy tour? I know this cycle would be in play for usbc amateur/college competition and weekend sports tournaments where short patterns are used.

[@joehoenig7596]

Great vid, Nick and thank you! At this point, especially for non-PBA bowlers, there are quite a few urethane and urethane-esque balls available, let alone vintage stuff from eBay, for example. 17:42 Could you please do a follow-up vid, showcasing whether a weaker urethane, such as a Wine Rhino or an old Karma (I'd say Mix but that's Storm and you can't throw that), or an overseas Red Pearl urethane Hammer,could work from further outside, after the Purple. Or, what about a much stronger urethane from inside, such as the Hammer Black Widow Pink, or the overseas Black Widow Black. You mentioned that moving inside isn't a viable move with urethane, but could it possibly be, if a much stronger urethane ball was used, instead of the Purple?

[@bgoggin88]

Questions... 1. Why not just play for the Brooklyn? I rather shoot at 5 pins than corner pins 2. What about a weaker urethane? 3. What about only wiping half of the oil off the urethane to help it get down the lane?

[@brunsnick]

1. Not a reliable way to strike. 2. Could work, something with less surface you can stay straighter. 3. That’s not repeatable. Sometimes no oil will be on the ball. Then what?

[@bgoggin88]

@brunsnick good point about the ball return taking the oil off. I wonder if hammer will release any weaker urethane black pearl hammers in the future maybe around March 🤔 Might make a nice combo set!

[@jvmiller1995]

No one should try to take Brooklyn. They are lucky strokes and really looked down on as just that to people who understand the game. The pocket is the only play for striking consistently. Learning to match our ball speed and revs to the lane condition as well as using the right ball is the challenge of the game. Having a well balanced arsenal and understanding how they react from each other is a must when playing sport shots.

[@MrZzstop]

Very informative, thanks. I learned a lot on how to tackle short patterns. Will you be doing a video on how to attack long oil?

[@brunsnick]

Sure can!

[@TheBigfoot1999]

Could you do a video on changing ball speed? I've lost ball speed since I've gone over age 50 several years ago. Plus I know being able to change speeds would be great. I've seen several videos on it, but they just don't seem to do it well.

[@brunsnick]

Sure. I’ll try.

[@jvmiller1995]

More speed you can step further back on the approach and take a larger final step. The opposite to slow the ball. The other way is to lower your ball when you start your stance and you will naturally shorten your back swing and slow the ball. Raise it higher on approach and it will do the opposite. Myself I prefer the first option because our legs are really what gives us the power through the ball. But some older folks may not have as good balance as they once did and the latter may be easier. I am not a pro but I have had a few perfect games in my life and have spent many of years studying it. I too have lost a lot of speed in the last year but it is do to a new hip a year ago that just did not heal perfectly. Man it sucks to get old.

[@TheBigfoot1999]

@@jvmiller1995 I've done these things, but it really messes with my timing.

[@jvmiller1995]

​@@TheBigfoot1999 Being versital and able to adjust is the name of the game. That is what seperate good and great bowlers. Yon Go can also go from a 4 step to a 5. Brad and kyle show how to do this with out affecting your timing. Basically you step back 8-10 inches then a small step with the slide foot then as you step to the other foot you start your ball motion and swing.

[@TheBigfoot1999]

@@jvmiller1995 I've gone back and forth between 4 and 5 steps my whole bowling life. I did recently go back to 5 again, but still not seeing much of a speed gain. I used to be at least 18 to 18.5 off of my hand, but can't seem to get much above 17 anymore.

[@Phillip_Viera]

Hey Nick, often times when I’m bowling, I find that one of the most difficult things for me to adjust (and probably one of the more important ones) is my speed. What are your personal body cues that allow you to bring your ball speed up or down?

[@brunsnick]

I do it mostly with legs accelerating to the line. I try not to muscle the swing to do it.

[@joshtherrien4076]

The answer is always the purple Hammer! Heads dry, loft with the purple hammer.. too much carry down slower ball speed with the purple hammer! Again Nick the answer is ALWAYS The purple hammer!!!🔨

[@sayian02]

last week in my sport league i was supposed to bowl on shark but the lane mechanic missed the memo and put down cheetah instead...very much missed my purple that night. but I was able to find some good areas with my scorpion

[@brunsnick]

What a shock that must have been throwing the first shot. 🤣

[@outlawjn]

I've just started bowling after several years (10 or more) away from the sport... I always wanted a hammer as a kid in the 80's. I got back into bowling just last month and bought a Nu Blue. Love the ball. First time out avg 206. I have since bought the Black Widow Hybrid 2.0. I cannot get a feel for that ball. Super inconsistent with it. From what I've seen the Hybrid needs to be thrown cross lane which I'm not comfortable doing just yet. I've always been more of a down the line shooter. Is there any advice for when to throw the Hybrid vs the Nu Blue on a house shot league pattern? Any chance of a video comparing those two for newbies. Thank you for the videos sir.

[@brunsnick]

It’ll probably be easy to start with NU Blue and then start moving in a little at a time with Black Widow. 👍🏻

[@dejabowler873]

I want to see you do a video of NOT using urethane on short oil I want to see what other options are out there

[@christophersayre9821]

What about trying the NU with surface instead of the Envy Tour?

[@brunsnick]

Sure. Could work.

[@Frostecy]

What about left handers.....Do you really need to get out of Urethane?

[@user-gt1wr1vh3i]

I am a 1 handed lefty who uses urethane. How long you stay in it depends on how much volume your house has laid down and how many folks are using the left side. I bowl with a righty, backup bowler, so there are at least 2 of us using the left side. My league is about 25% using the left side. I throw 375 revs and 16-18mph on the monitor, so the oil tends to evaporate quickly. I can definitely stay in urethane for a game before switching to reactive and moving right, throwing further left. For tournaments, I am usually the only lefty on the pair, but I usually scout my future lanes to see if there are any lefties ahead of me to see how they are playing the lanes so I don't need to waste any shots figuring it out.

[@batl_born702]

Personally, I think think the Hazmat would’ve been better in that situation if you had it sanded to 500. I personally have a big solid asym with a 2” pin and the core laid on its side in my bag for that exact situation.

[@noahpennington9861]

I agree with you on the surface on a reactive, though I might think the Envy Tour could’ve done with just a bit more surface. It was striking, but it just looked like it was pushing a little too far downlane. If it were to start up a little earlier, I think the Envy Tour would’ve been perfect. I don’t have anything short pin yet, but I like using a big dull asym for after urethane transition as well.

[@batl_born702]

@@noahpennington9861 surface is definitely the answer either way. A fresh purple hammer would also be an option. I think switching to a double cross could have worked also. The flare on that ball tends to give it a little more pop down lane. I usually have that and 2 purples with me for short patterns. I usually use the DC first and switch to the PH when it starts to get a little jumpy off the spot. Knowing that it has that tendency, combined with seeing the PH get kind of lazy, that would definitely be running through my mind. My thought process would be fresh PH first, if that doesn’t work, DC, then short pin reactive. It all depends on the situation though.

[@joehoenig7596]

Hi Nick...what is your opinion about switching from urethane to the Hammer NU, and using the similar shape to not need to drastically move inside of the carrydown?

[@brunsnick]

I like it. The NU will give just a few more feet of length when you need it so you should be able to stay in the same zone.

[@joehoenig7596]

@@brunsnick thank you, but if I create my own urethane carry down with the Purple or Black, will the NU still be a viable resin ball to switch to, or would I need something significantly stronger?

[@brunsnick]

@@joehoenig7596 should be fine if you want to stay in the same zone. 👍🏻

[@hfdsso14]

What thumb insert do you use?

[@brunsnick]

Ultimate Thumb 👍🏻

[@fatcatsquekyyy7752]

Unrelated, sort of, I find it interesting they wanted to make 2 balls to "replace" the purple hammer. I think it odd they made a weaker resin surface first instead of the 78 hardness, wouldve been "better" the other way around

[@brunsnick]

Options are always best.

[@paulmistretta5764]

Ok , let me go the other way, when do you switch to that type of ball? I'm using a IQ ruby tour Pearl to start when would i move out of that?

[@brunsnick]

Can’t help you there sorry. There’s another videos about managing transition you might want to watch instead.

[@tebibyte2357]

Does the NU blue do this as well?

[@brunsnick]

It has similar characteristics yes.

[@AndrewWarrenPatriotsfan]

I'm not going to lie, I have thought about the Envy Tour as my next ball just in case if I need resin ball for emergency situations. Normally, I stick with urethane especially if it's a short patterns. If I get a pattern that is longer, is it possible to go resin to start?

[@brunsnick]

Absolutely. Because you may have to move pretty far in to start depending on the length of the pattern.

[@AndrewWarrenPatriotsfan]

@@brunsnick Thanks for the advice. BTW what are your thoughts on Hammer's Black Widow 3.0, Black Hammer Urethane 78D, and Scorpion Low Flare? Are we going to see ball reviews for all 3 of them?

[@brunsnick]

@@AndrewWarrenPatriotsfan yes. BW3.0 is up, the rest will follow soon. 👍🏻

[@jamesbelshe6452]

Random question about urethane balls. But say have two different ones like purple hammer and pink widow one has wide flare and other has close flare would the wide flare urethane (pink widow) cause less carry down than the close flaring purple.

[@brunsnick]

Not necessarily. It could be a little less but likely not measurable. Worth a look though.

[@jamesbelshe6452]

@@brunsnick would love to see video to compare if there is a difference in carry down. Might be able to stay with the wide flaring longer in blocks if it does in fact cause less carry down.

[@brunsnick]

@@jamesbelshe6452 would have to have a tech run tapes on the lanes after x amount of shots.

[@dbbfishing2528]

Would you still recommend getting a Purple?

[@brunsnick]

Yes, it should be in every tournament player’s bag.

[@dbbfishing2528]

Ok thanks. I got the Blue on your review and love it so I’ll get a purple as well

[@jonasergo2821]

Ik gooi nog enkel met de urethane de motiv primal blijft verlopig in de zak

[@bgoggin88]

Think this video is for me. I just threw my Purple Daddy in league for the first time tonight. 539 series, not bad for the first time throwing it. So no, it doesn't shape like a plastic ball like I wanted, but it is a lot smoother and more controllable than reactive. I need to see what's in this video and decide what to do because I was struggling by game 3. Maybe I need a weaker urethane to compliment the Purple?

[@daviddeiss7907]

This video is for a short oil sport pattern not a league house shot. Nobody needs to be throwing urethane on house shots

[@nordattack]

@@daviddeiss7907 We do need to and love doing it. 😜

[@joshg218]

Is Phil going to chase you to switch next? AA.. now RR.. are you next?

[@brunsnick]

Nah. I haven’t switched ever in my bowling career. 😎

[@ObjectiveEthics]

Great video. Really enjoyed your 2023 content and I learned a lot from watching your videos. 2024 is going to be just as good 👍

[@aydengianes2515]

Switch to resin IL Switch to a rubber and throw it in the burn😂😂

[@Perry2186]

other traffic on the lane?? he must not no Southpaws exist

[@cardinalcopium5088]

Switch? Start with urethane.

[@brunsnick]

I did. That’s the entire basis of this video.

[@cardinalcopium5088]

@@brunsnick Reading is hard. Watching is harder.

[@brunsnick]

Commenting? Super easy 🤣

[@cardinalcopium5088]

@@brunsnick Correct.

[@just_ducky_acres7561]

LOL; half the bowlers use house balls in my league. you think all people have the mindset/money to have an arsenal of balls. What planet are you living on?

[@brunsnick]

Earth.