Welcome everybody, thanks for joining us. Today I want to do something a little different. I want to focus on developing an arsenal with a one brand focus. Don’t forget if you like our content, please subscribe, hit the notifications bell and check us out on socials.

So let’s say you’re a huge Motiv fan and only want Motiv balls exclusively in your bag. How do you set up your arsenal? What options do we have? What is my personal favorites?

Well I’m gonna take you through my thought process. I’ll remind you all of my arsenal building methodology and then let’s look at the Motiv balls available, where they fit, and what I like.

First of all, let’s talk about the basics of the TamerBowling arsenal building technique. I use a basic quadrant setup which essentially places balls according to strength and reaction shape. So you have Strong Defined which is the ball for highest volumes when you need the core to make a more defined shape. I tend to fit surfaced asyms in there because the cores tend to stand up and are want to force stabilization. Then you have Strong Control where it’s similar in terms of surface strength but the reaction shape is a little rounder and more control like a surfaced symmetric. As you go down in volume, you drop into Mid Defined. So now it’s less volume handling but you still want a core that wants to stand up on its own. Many times these are shiny asyms but not exclusively. Then you go to Mid Control. This tends to be where benchmark balls sit but again not exclusively. Medium volume handling. Smoother ball reaction shape. That tends to make for the most versatile shape. Finally you have Mid Late. Now you have a lower volume ball that can generate higher angle downlane. That’s your breakdown ball or late in the block.

Here’s what the current Motiv lineup looks like:

That’s 16 balls to make a 5 ball bag plus spare ball for a total of 6. Can it get any harder? Well I guess if your a Brunswick brands or Storm Products fan but anyway.

Strong Defined:
OK, let’s start here. This is possibly the easiest one of all. The Jackal Ambush and Jackal Ghost fit there. The Ghost is still one of the best Motiv balls ever made, is very reliable and versatile. The minor knock would be that it really isn’t the strongest Strong Defined ball for me but it works for all but highest volume patterns. However, if you have a higher rev rate, it’s probably more than enough.

Strong Control:
I find this one a little tricky in the Motiv lineup for a few reasons. First, what fits there? Forge Ember, Primal Shock, Venom Shock. Maybe even the Carbide Tank fits here as well. I feel the Forge Ember is the most square fit in this category. It’s the strongest and smoothest of the bunch. Tricky part is The Forge Ember for me is not my personal favorite. I preferred the original Forge to be honest. The other thing is that the Shocks work best for me with some surface and when they have say 2000, they fit in strong side for me. However, the Venom is quite angular for me and not always the shape I want in a control category. Primal is so close to the Venom, the story is almost the same.

Mid Defined:
Motiv has 3 balls that fit here in my opinion. The Mythic Jackal, Sky Raptor, and Ripcord Launch. The all are a bit on the stronger side for shiny balls. All cores want to right themselves so you get a more defined response from the core. I would say the Mythic is the roundest looking but still angular. The Sky Raptor is the hardest to stand up so really feels like hook/stop with a forward roll. The Ripcord Launch kind of splits the difference.

Mid Control:
The balls I feel fit in here are the Black Venom, Coral Venom, then possibly the Carbide Tank and the Venom Shock. The most square fit is the Black Venom followed by the Coral Venom. To me, they seem to offer the best balance of length and shape I like to see in the middle of the bag so to speak. Venom Shock as mentioned is an interesting option. It’s a little angular for a square fit into the Mid Control. WIth some surface, it’s also too strong for mid control. But it’s so good so has to be in the bag doesn’t it?? We’ll come back to that. Then the Carbide Tank. Shape wise, it’s control for sure. It just straddles the line between Strong Control and Mid Control so again not a square fit.

Mid Late:
Finally, the remaining balls fit in this category,. Those are the Pride Empire, Fatal Venom, Supra Rally, and Top Thrill. The interesting thing is you have somewhat unique shapes between these balls. Pride Empire is a pretty flippy ball as is the Supra Rally. They are maybe a touch stronger than Mid Late but can fit fine. The Fatal is definitely in the lower end of the bag in terms of volume handling but it is way smoother downlane which gives it somewhat a different use case. The Top Thrill is square in this category.

OK, now that you know where they fit, what are example bags?

Bag 1:
This would be my personal bag.
Strong Defined: Jackal Ghost
Strong Control: Carbide Tank
Mid Defined: Sky Raptor
Mid Control: Black Venom
Mid Late: Top Thrill
Wild Card: Venom Shock

I would say I’m firm on the Jackal Ghost, Carbide Tank, Black Venom, and Venom Shock. The other slots are less definitive. But this is likely what I would put together for my game.

Here’s how they play out. Say there is decent volume to start out on fresh and I want some angle downlane, I’m starting with the Ghost. When the Ghost starts to read early but I still want some angle, I may drop the the Venom Shock. If it turns out I needed a lot more length early in the set but I wanted to open up the angles, I’d pull out the Sky Raptor. If it’s later in the set and Sky or Venom is too much, then it’s probably time for the Top Thrill.
Alternative situation would be I’m starting out on a fresh sport shot and I need to keep my angles tight but still dealing with some volume. I’m starting with the Carbide Tank. If I need to stay in that area but need less read, I’m switching to the Black Venom. If the fronts go away and I need to edge in still early in the block, it’s probably the Jackal Ghost. Once it starts to break down, further, I may wind up in the Venom Shock.

Bag 2:
Let’s talk alternatives. Obviously there are several combinations with 16 balls but I’ll give you a few to chew on.
Strong Defined: Jackal Ghost
Strong Control: Forge Ember
Mid Defined: Sky Raptor
Mid Control: Coral Venom
Mid Late: Pride Empire
Wild Card: Carbide Tank

Bag 3:
Strong Defined: Jackal Ambush
Strong Control: Primal Shock
Mid Defined: Mythic Jackal
Mid Control: Venom Shock
Mid Late: Fatal Venom
Wild Card: Carbide Tank

Beyond this, you can mix and match to your liking. I try to create a bag where there is a clear and understandable transition.

Hopefully this helps out you Motiv fans out there. If you’d like us to do something similar for another brand, let us know in the comments below. Good Luck and Good Bowling!