If you have been bowling for quite a while now and have reached a level beyond beginners in skill and practice, you need to step up your bowling ball game. We are talking about using reactive resin bowling balls to get strikes and spares.
You might wonder what a reactive resin bowling ball is and how it mainly works; If that is the case, you are in the right place. Well, that is precisely what I am here to tell you.
This article will talk about reactive resin bowling balls, when to use them, the hybrid reactive version of these balls, codes on reactive bowling balls, and how to clean them. So, make sure you read this article till the end and increase your bowling knowledge.
What are Reactive Resin Bowling Balls?
Reactive resin is a type of bowling ball that is less durable, rougher, and typically better at absorbing lane oil. The bowling ball inside is the same; the only difference is in the coverstock.
The coverstock is the outer layer of the bowling ball that is meant to roll when you throw the bowling ball onto the lane. This coverstock is made of reactive resin material in reactive bowling balls.
Reactive bowling balls are not a piece of cake. Everyone cannot control them because of their rougher texture and difficult motion on the lane’s surface.
These bowling balls offer a lot of friction and soak up the lane oil, which causes them to be great at providing hook potential. Of course, you need to make sure you utilize this hook potential to score strikes perfectly. But for that, you need to be familiar with the art of hooking and spinning the bowling ball.
This is precisely why intermediate and professional bowlers choose to bowl with reactive resin bowling balls while beginners and casual bowlers end up using a simpler bowling ball like urethane or a polyester ball mostly.
When to use Reactive Resin Bowling Balls?
Reactive resin bowling balls are very niche when it comes to usage if I’m perfectly candid. You cannot use reactive resin bowling balls all the time. They are not as simple as plastic bowling balls.
Thinking about using a reactive ball yourself; Well, just for you, I have made a list of use cases where reactive resin bowling balls would come in handy the most. So let’s take a look.
If you are a professional
The reactive resin needs a professional bowler to use bowling balls. It is tough to control due to the excessive friction it provides, so if you know how to use a hook ball and work with lane conditions, reactive resin is the way to go.
You need significant Hook potential
In comparison to other bowling balls, reactive resin offers a lot of friction, greater pin action, and hooking potential. So, if you are thinking of taking a shot that needs tremendous hook potential throughout the throw, you need to use a reactive resin bowling ball.
Want to Score a Strike in a pocket
Strikes are most effectively scored when the ball is hooked into a pocket. So if you’re thinking of getting the ball into the 1,3 or 1,2 pockets, you need to use a reactive resin ball that will spin and get into the pocket you’re thinking of throwing it in.
There is a lot of oil on the lane surface
At times, operators can err when it comes to lane surface oiling. If there is a lot of oil on the lane, you cannot do much with regular balls; they are going to skid. But a reactive resin ball absorbs oil, which is why it is the ideal ball to use if you are bowling on an excessively oily lane.
What are Hybrid Reactive Bowling Balls?
If you are unfamiliar with the reactive resin bowling ball family, there are many reactive resin bowling balls. The best of the lot and the one most recently invented is the hybrid reactive bowling ball.
The Hybrid reactive bowling ball coverstock has both the benefits of a simple shiny reactive coverstock and the pearl reactive coverstock, which gives advanced bowlers many options to tackle uncertain lane conditions that might be presented to them.
With the help of the Shiny Reactive ability of the Hybrid ball, the bowling ball comes with a decent skid distance for lightly and medium oiled lanes and, at the same time, retains the ability to quickly react to a mid-lane or back-end motion.
Pair that with the ability of a pearl coverstock to work amazingly with high friction portions of an oiled lane, and you have got the perfect killer combination of advantages that you need to deal with varying lane conditions. This is why, in contrast to simple reactive resin balls, Hybrid reactive bowling balls are more preferred.
Codes on Hybrid Reactive Bowling Balls
A lot of bowlers are not familiar with the concept of codes of Hybrid reactive bowling balls. Well, that is simply because of how advanced a bowler’s skill level needs to be to understand the science behind those mystery letters on the bowling ball.
Codes are a system of letters, numbers, and characters engraved onto the bowling ball’s surface to provide information to the bowler about the bowling ball in secretive form. A lot of big companies nowadays do this.
These codes are simple instructions that can help the bowler understand the specialty of the bowling ball and how to use the bowling ball on specific lanes effectively. It can take time for you to get familiar with codes, but once you do, you will be able to utilize balls much better.
Benefits of a Reactive Resin Bowling Ball
Suppose you are finally thinking of bringing a reactive resin bowling ball to your arsenal of bowling balls. In that case, there are a few advantages and benefits of using a reactive resin bowling ball that you need to know about. Let us take a look at them.
Great Hook Potential
Hooking is an integral part of bowling. Spinning the ball at an angle to bring it back into the pins is an art, and not everyone can do it. However, with the help of a reactive resin bowling ball, due to excessive friction, the hook becomes relatively easy to deliver.
Better for Scoring Strikes
You might be able to score a strike once or twice with a straight throw and a plastic ball, but when it comes to consistent strikes and turkeys, what you need is a ball that can get into a pocket every single time, and that is what reactive resin bowling ball is known for.
Great for skill-enhancing
As a beginner, hooking is not something you know right away. If you want to succeed and become a better overall bowler, you can do that with the help of practicing to hook with a reactive resin bowling ball. It will surely be able to bring out your skills and get advanced in the sport of bowling.
Cleaning a Reactive Resin Bowling Ball
Some people think bowling a strike is the hardest part of bowling; they have not ever cleaned a dirty bowling ball. However, if you also face difficulties cleaning your reactive resin bowling ball, I have got just the proper step-by-step process you need to follow to make the process super-easy and quick.
- Like always, first you’re going to gather all your equipment for the cleaning process that includes; microfiber cloth, your bowling ball, a tub of hot water, and a polish spray.
- Take your microfiber cloth and rub the bowling ball with it. Ensure any external gunk or dirt is removed using the piece of cloth from the bowling ball completely.
- After that, you will take the bowling ball and place it into the hot water bath on the side. We know that reactive bowling balls absorb oil, so placing them in a hot water bath is suitable for the ball.
- Once the bowling ball has been soaking for a while, pull it out and rub it with a clean cloth again. Now you are going to put the shining polish on the bowling ball.
- After that, you will let the bowling ball dry so it can be restored as a gleaming and amazing bowling ball. And then you can play with it, and it will be as good as new.
Conclusion
Reactive resin bowling balls are super-cool. They undoubtedly require skill to be used properly, but once you get a hold of them, you will not be able to let go. That is for sure. We discussed in this article when to use reactive resin bowling balls and how to clean them, among other things.
These balls are a little less durable than plastic balls, so that is something to look out for. I hope you learned a lot from this article and will implement this knowledge in the bowling alley. Have a great time whenever you’re bowling!
