Originally posted by [L]inG_eR
Questions
(1) hOw to choose a good, nice pair of shoes ?
(2)how to see the differences between the making of the lanes
?
(3)A spinner will have their thumb disfigure while a hooker( some
of u dun get the wrong idea) easily get their wrist sprain ?
i suddenly can't get any idea wat i want to ask. i will post more..
hehehe
Btw izzit possible to have a bowling ball specially make?
examplehaving some cartoons on it ??
1-shoes
As you probably know by now, there are so many different types of
shoes. this largely depends on what kind of bowler you are and how
often you bowl and if you bowl at more than one centre. And of
course how rich you are.
There are bowling shoes which have a sliding sole for both, left
and right side. I recommend that you choose one with only one side
for sliding. If you are a leftie, then you slide with your right
foot. If you are a rightie, you slide with your left foot. Of
course there are un-recommended exceptions to this rule.
You would also want to know if the shoe has interchangeable sliding
soles. There more interchangeable they are, the more kinds of lane
approaches you will be able to better adapt to. Some lane
approaches let you slide more. Some less. I will further elaborate
on this later on. In the mean-time I would recomend only three
brands. This is for durability and interchangeability
reasons.
They are the SST series from Dexter(SST 4,5,6 are interchangaeble),
the Kangaroo Series by ABS(these are me personal favourite). And
the linds XXx-tra series( these used to be a favourite among
spinners and ladies). Each Shoe has its strong point. But there is
only one thing I do not like about ABS. Their non-sliding shoe is
not as good as Dexters. Dexters has the best non-sliding shoe,
because of the traction. ABS is the most interchangeable. Linds is
the softest and lightest shoe, pretty durable too.
So read through what I've typed, tell me what you want your shoe to
be able to do and what for, and I'll help you draw a
conclusion.
2) Lane Types.
There are generally 2 types. Synthetic and Wooden. Wooden being the
original and traditional lane type, ie. Victor's Superbowl, Plaza
Bowling Centre, Bukit Panjang Superbowl, Marina South Superbowl,
Singapore Swimming Club, Serangoon Gardens Country Club, NSRCC,
Marina Square Superbowl, to name a few. The other type would be
Synthetic. This basically is a wooden lane with a plastic covering
over it. There are 2 "generations" of the Synthetic Lane. One is
the older one, ie at Keppel Club, Classic Bowl, Raffles Marina Club
and Star Bowl Kim Seng, to name another few. The newer ones are the
best, ie. Cathay Cineleisure, Cathay Safra Yishun, Cathay Safra
Tampines, etc to name a few.
The difference is that wooden is harder to maintain. As the Surface
on top is wood, which is soft, is more subjectable to wear and
tear. Synthetic lanes on the other hand have a plastic covering
on-top which is acts a protectve covering to reduce wear and tear
tremendously. The 1st generation of synthetic lanes have more parts
to it, thus making the lane less consistant. The 2nd generation is
the most consistant, as it is made up of only three main parts of
lane.
As for the approach, usually the synthethic type are not as
slippery as the wooden ones. This is mainly due to the
characteristics of wood and plastic and what humidity does to their
surfaces. Sanded wood is smoother and less tackier than buffed
plastic. Synthetic lanes are wooden lanes with a plastic piece on
top. Preferably there should be synthetic lanes with wooden
approaches.Hehe.
3) Custom-made Bowling Balls
Yes there are custom-made everything. We can make clear-balls with
anything in it, from teddy bears to a monster, which anyone can
order. They are made in mainly Korea, Japan, Taiwan and China.
Korea is cheaper though. We can also print pictures on the ball an
cover it up with a clear covering to protect the picture. This is
the Vis-A-Ball technology from Brunswick. Or you can get an
engraver to engrave anything from your name to a dragon on the
ball. Of course it will be mono-tone, but its the most
affordable.
Also, there are factories in Korea, Japan, Taiwan and China which
will make anything from bags to shoes to guards to shirts to socks
to whatever you want. They will have whatever design you want. Even
your own name for the brand. They are definitely cheaper, but you
will need to order in bulk.
Linds (a shoe Company) will custom make shoes for you. This is
their latest selling tactic. I think it will cost you slightly more
per piece than if you order from Korea, but at least you can order
a piece and not in bulk.........
Anyway, hope this helps and sorry for the long, long, long
message.....CHEERS! 
