While aggressiveness and crazy hooks are all the range in modern bowling, there is definitely still a place for bowlers who predicate accuracy over angularity. That’s where strokers come in, finessing their shots with utmost precision in hopes of repeating the same winning shot over and over again.
When looking for the best bowling ball for a stroker, rev rate means much less than a ball which is primed for a smooth ride down the lane and through the pins. The following list of the top 6 bowling balls for a stroker will give you a fantastic array of balls which balance control and innate strength to give strokers an added bit of oomph.
With the right one in your bag, you’re likely to see some major increases in your strike counts.
Top 6 Bowling Balls for a Stroker
1) Ebonite Verdict Pearl
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For strokers who want a ball that will offer impressive mid-lane reactivity without needing a ton of torque behind it, the Ebonite Verdict Pearl is a great option. In addition, the Ebonite Verdict Pearl offers a sneaky big back end reaction which seemingly comes out of nowhere. It’s a great mixture of built-in firepower and predictable efficacy on the lanes.
Pros:
Offers impressive angularity off the spot without sacrificing lane length or control. You’ll get more entry angle possibilities as a stroker than you will with the vast majority of high-performance balls.
Justice core design zips through densely oiled fronts with ease before leading into some fantastic fireworks on the back end.
Strokers love this ball’s versatility. You can get it extremely angular, or you can keep it smooth and long to groove it into the pin pocket.
Cons:
This ball may have too much angularity and motion for strokers who want rounded hooks and less jutting off the spot.
Can get submerged and lose its charms when faced with longer and deeper oil patterns.
2) Storm Marvel Pearl
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There are very few (if any) pearl reactive bowling balls on the market which balance total hook potential and overall smoothness like the Storm Marvel Pearl. The ball’s pearlized cover stock is primed for energy storage, giving the ball a powerful back-end boom even with the smoothest of stroker releases.
Pros:
The amount of total hook in the Storm Marvel Pearl is sincerely impressive, but it’s this ball’s overall smoothness in delivering such hooks which makes it a dream ball for a stroker.
The ball’s symmetrical core perfectly counterbalances the aggressive R2X Pearl Reactive cover stock to add invaluable lane length.
This ball has one of the biggest back-end reactions of any pearlized ball we’ve played with. No matter how smooth your release, you’re going to hear a boom upon pin impact.
Cons:
If you’re not steady enough to tame this ball’s wilder impulses, it will end up being a struggle to keep controlled. Only the smoothest and most confidence releases need apply.
This ball loses its touch in drier oil conditions or when regular oil patterns start to break down. Keep a backup strike ball for these cases.
3) Motiv Forza GT
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The Motiv Forza GT is known for striking a wondrous balance between impressive control and innate strength. Strokers will love how long this ball goes and how consistent it is when it comes to its down-lane reactivity and recovery. They’ll also love how hard this ball hits without needing a ton of revs to do its work for it.
Pros:
The ball’s meticulously crafted hybrid cover stock provides fantastic traction in medium and medium-heavy oil conditions, keeping the ball long and on track to the pin pocket.
The Motiv Forza GT has extraordinary hitting power even for those who are not speed-dominant bowlers. This ball hammers the pins with a different sound!
The continuation of this ball through the pins is impressive and easy to replicate over and over with a smooth stroker throwing motion. This is true no matter what the oil conditions!
Cons:
There is a bit of a sacrifice of angularity for this ball’s overall lane length and ease of control. If you need to open up your angles a bit, you may want to look elsewhere.
The ball’s box finish needs to be resurfaced to tackle drier and heavier oil conditions while getting the length you need as a stroker.
4) Storm Pitch Blue
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Sporting a high RG and low differential thanks to the same Capacitor core design from the beloved Storm Pitch Black, the Storm Pitch Blue simply controls the lane! Offering a bit more length and a bit more angularity on the back end than the Pitch Black, this urethane beast offers some impressive firepower for a ball so easy to finesse.
Pros:
If you’re a stroker looking for a perfect dry lane bowling ball, the Storm Pitch Blue is made to do much more with very little oil to be had.
The Storm Pitch Blue offers massive hitting power and an impressive back-end reaction which belies just how easy this ball is to control down the lane.
If you’re looking for a straighter delivery to go along with your smooth release, this ball is right up your alley.
Cons:
The urethane cover stock isn’t meant for complex oil patterns or heavier oil densities. This ball is made for dry and medium-dry conditions.
The Storm Pitch Blue is all about taking a direct path to the pin pocket. You’re not going to get the angularity and creativity off the spot that other balls on this list provide.
5) DV8 Pitbull Growl
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For those strokers who don’t want to give up on total hook potential and firepower, the DV8 Pitbull Growl is a fantastic investment. This ball’s extremely powerful Pitbull Low RG Asymmetric weight block gets underneath the pins and creates some impressive pin carry with even the smoothest of releases behind it.
Pros:
This ball is primed for fresh oil conditions. It zips through the fronts, storing energy for a back-end reaction worth writing home about!
If you want to toy around with your hook potential without having to put a lot of revs into your ball, you’re going to love playing with the DV8 Pitbull Growl.
For being as reactive as this ball is, the DV8 Pitbull Growl offers fantastic lane length and is easy to control in the deepest of oil.
Cons:
The less oil on the lanes, the less effective the DV8 Pitbull Growl will be. Keep this ball in the bag for drier oil conditions. Bag it up when medium oil patterns start to deplete.
Some strokers will complain about this ball’s predilection for getting angular and angular often. You can tame it and use it to your advantage with a smooth release, but it takes some work.
6) Ebonite Game Breaker 3
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The strongest ball yet in Ebonite’s beloved Game Breaker series, the Ebonite Game Breaker 3 offers one of the most predictable and powerful ball motions we’ve seen. While the hook potential is there in the deepest of oil conditions, the Ebonite Game Breaker 3 really shines for strokers by offering otherworldly continuation no matter how complex the oil patterns get on the lanes.
Pros:
This ball offers a very strong mid-lane read and a smooth down-lane motion which will reward strokers for consistent and easy deliveries.
This ball is made for bowlers with lower rev rates. It does so much with so little revs, offering fantastic hitting power while staying on the lane long and strong.
If you’re looking to completely control the breakpoint in the most demanding of oil conditions, you have a friend in the Ebonite Game Breaker 3.
Cons:
This ball loses a lot of its mojo and lane length on shorter oil patterns and in drier oil conditions. Keep it bagged when the lane conditions start to deplete.
If you’re looking for a ball to open up your entry angles, you may be disappointed with the overarching consistency of the Ebonite Game Breaker 3.
FAQs
What is a stroker in bowling?
A stroker is a bowler who releases their ball with a distinct smoothness and a lack of self-manufactured resistance. Strokers are usually lower-rev bowlers who tend to post overall rev rates of under 300 revolutions per minute (rpm). Rather than relying on brute force to topple pins, strokers usually look for a consistent release predicated on precision both in form and ball placement.
The most effective strokers square their shoulders to the lane during their approach and implement a back swing which tends to land on the moderate side of things. While they may not get the most angularity and down-lane motion out of their throws, strokers are usually more concerned with pinpoint accuracy and finessing their way to strikes and spares.
What are the pros & cons of a smooth release in bowling?
A smooth release isn’t for every bowler, but it definitely can benefit those lower-rev bowlers who don’t possess the sheer force and physicality needed to completely bludgeon the pins with overwhelming power. A smooth release can help a bowler fine tune things to an extremely finite degree, slotting the ball into the pin pocket efficaciously and with remarkable consistency.
If your bowling game is less predicated on opening up your entry angles and total hook, a smooth release could very well be right up your alley. Predictability is a huge benefit of a smooth release and could prove huge for increasing scores if a bowler has previously been struggling with finding their overall mark.
What can be seen as the strength of a smooth release in bowling can also be seen as a huge detriment for others. Higher-rev bowlers will have their breakpoint sharpness and back-end reactions muted by a smoother release. The volatility necessary to get sharpness off the spot and open up creative pin entry angles just isn’t feasible with a consistent smooth release.
Bowlers who are speed-dominant and are all about going long and strong will struggle to get such results with a smooth release. The finesse and predictability of a smooth releases comes with a sacrifice of angularity and pure firepower at the back end. If those are essentials of your game and what helps you increase your strike count, you’re better off with a different style of release.
What are the different styles of bowling?
There are three general styles of bowling and bowlers – crankers, strokers, and tweeners.
Crankers cup their wrists for added torque and usually clock in with extremely rev rates of 350 rpm or more. Crankers usually generate a ton of speed with their throws partially in thanks to an arm swing which ranges from medium to very high. Right-handed crankers usually stand to the far left and throw towards the opposite side, going gutter to gutter before unleashing seriously powerful pin impact.
Strokers use the aforementioned smooth throwing style with little to no cupping of the wrists. When at their best, strokers’ deliveries take on a seemingly effortless quality which belies the concentration necessary. Usually clocking in with low to medium rev rates, strokers square their shoulders and predicate accuracy over violence.
Tweeners are hybrid-style bowlers who attempt to take aspects of both crankers and strokers’ styles and tweak them to align with their own personal strengths. Usually tweeners have higher arm swings than strokers but lower than that of a cranker. Also, tweeners often cup their wrists just enough to increase rev rates into the medium to moderately high bracket.
What is a power stroker in bowling?
A power stroker is actually more of a tweener than a stroker, all things considered. Power strokers utilize high back swings to generate more speed than that of an actual stroker. Furthermore, power strokers keep their shoulders open on their deliveries to add sharpness and firepower to their hook shots.
Usually clocking with ball rev rates in the range of 300 to 370, power strokers align most with classic strokers when it comes to an emphasis on a smooth, repeatable delivery. Power strokers must be immensely finite with their focus as accuracy is what keeps their shots on the lane and slotted in towards the pin pocket.
Concluding Thoughts
A stroker’s best friend is a bowling ball with enough innate predictability to allow them to carbon copy their smooth release over and over without the ball fighting them the whole way. Any ball which is less worried about violent overall motion and more worried about accuracy could potentially be a fantastic get for a stroker.
The six bowling balls listed above are the cream of crop when it comes to what a stroker should be carrying in their bag. If you start your serious stroker journey with one of these balls in hand, you’re going to see some amazing increases to your marks and your overall scores.
