There's WHAT on the lane? Have you ever noticed the slippery stuff on your ball after it comes back through the ball return? That's oil. And no, it doesn't go inside your car. So, what exactly is an oil pattern? We've established the fact there is oil on the lane, but how does it get there? Each center has a "lane machine" that is used to put the oil on the lane. The center mechanic programs a specific pattern into the machine, telling it how much oil to put down and where to put it. Oil isn't spread evenly across the lane. Typically, there is much more oil in the middle of the lane than on the outside. This allows more "hook" from the outside part of the lane to the pocket. The Rule of 31 How much of the lane oil covers really matters. The longer the pattern, the less your ball can hook. Knowing the pattern distance can help determine where the ball needs to be when it reacts toward the pocket. Follow these rules to help get lined up on short or long oil patterns. - Know the oil pattern length. - Subtract the number 31 from the length of the oil pattern i.e. 41ft – 31 = 10. Use the result as the target board for where your ball needs to be when it breaks toward the pocket (in this case, the 10 Board). Types of Oil Patterns During league play, you bowl on a typical "house pattern" designed to give you a larger margin of error. Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) tournaments use a "sport pattern" and the margin of error is very small, which means the pros must hit the correct target each time in order to strike consistently. During league, do you ever miss your target by five boards left or right but still strike? Of course you do, you're not E.A.R.L.! The reason you still strike is that there is a lot of oil in the middle part of the lane and very little on the outside part. If you are a right-handed bowler and miss your mark to the left, the extra oil toward the middle of the lane helps the ball hold position and not hook too much. If you miss to the right, there is less oil and the ball hooks more, allowing it to get back to the pocket. However, on a Sport pattern, the oil is distributed more evenly across the lane. If a right-hander misses to the left, the ball will hook just as much. There is much more oil on the outside part of the lane, too, so an errant shot to the right might even slide into the gutter! Now that you know a little bit more about oil patterns, try to concentrate on it a little more the next time you bowl.Summing it up, make sure to use your practice time wisely to find out exactly where the oil is before you begin your league or tournament session. If you can master this, you’re well on your way to being one of the elite in bowling. I'm trying make a simple pdf sheet with some basic info on reading lane graphs and pattern info. to add to my BOWLING STUFF This is what I got so far. Lane Graph & Oil Pattern Information Some of the main things to look at on the oil pattern sheet are the Pattern Length, Total Volume of Oil, the 2 to 2 loads and the Ratios. Pattern Length: The length of the pattern tells you where your ball should exit the pattern to give you the best reaction to consistently hit the pocket. Typically the longer the pattern the closer to the headpin you have to play. A rule of thumb is as the oil goes longer, the exit and break points move inside. Volume of Oil: A general guideline from Kegel is: Also the lane type and where the oil is applied will affect how the ball reacts. A ball will hook more on wood lanes than synthetics using the same volume of oil. The 2 to 2 loads: You want to check the total number of 2-2 loads (forward and reverse). The 2 to 2 loads refer to the oil being applied from the 2nd board on the left to the 2nd board on the right. What your looking for is how much oil is near the gutter. Because the more oil near the gutter, the less friction or “free hook” there will be. The Ratio: The “Longitude Ratio” is the front to back taper. Lower front to back ratios usually are more difficult, higher front to back ratios help the ball slow down. Forward Oil: Some starting place references: Mo's Breakpoint Formula: Example: Kegel East Street pattern 38' Guru's Breakpoint Formula: Example: Kegel East Street pattern 38' Slowinski's Exit Point formula: What is a Unit of Oil? Example: a piece of typing paper is about 400 units thick. Now the numbers can vary with different patterns, but here are some comparisons: The volume of oil for the average house shot has about 18-20 milliliters of oil, a average sport shot can be about 25-26 milliliters. (But not limited to this) A typical house shot has a ratio of say 10:1, A sport shot has a ratio of 3:1 or less. The typical house shot has maybe 2-3 loads on the outside, where as a shot like the USBC Open Championships have around 6 loads. What is the standard house shot oil pattern?It typically is more than 3:1, meaning there is three times more oil in the center of the lane than there is on the outside. However, it is not uncommon to find some house shots where the ratio is 6:1.
What is the longest PBA oil pattern?Introduced by the PBA May 7, 2013.. Badger (52-feet) is the longest PBA animal oil pattern be prepared to play straight keeping your break point closer to the pocket.. Bear (40-feet) a flat pattern that has been characterized as the most difficult test in professional bowling with a flat 1 to 1 side-to-side oil ratio.. What oil pattern does bowlero use?All bowlers will be required to attend the Practice Session. The oil pattern to be used will be a modified “house shot”. The oil pattern used for the Tournament Practice Session will be the oil pattern used for Tournament play.
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