Storm Fast Pitch Review
While no longer in production, the Storm Fast Pitch remains a solid entry-level urethane option on the used market for bowlers looking to step up from polyester without overwhelming hook potential. Its controllable nature and affordable secondhand pricing make it an attractive choice for developing fundamentals.
Yeah, baby. Hey everyone, welcome back to JR Pro Shop Vids. Today we're going to take a look at the brand new Storm Fast Pitch. So, the new Fast Pitch features the Control XL cover stock and the Tour Block core. Now, the Tour Block core was also found in the Fever Pit. So, all we've done is wrap that in a new cover
stock. So, we're going to compare against the pitch black today cuz both of these are true urethane. The pitch purple had a bit of a reactive blend in it. We didn't think that would be a fair comparison for this video. So, even though these are both urethane, the new cover stock on the fast pitch, we expect it to be a little bit further down the lane and a little bit more continuous through the pin deck and possibly hook a little bit more as well. So, the oil pattern that we've chosen for these is 36 ft. It's Pegasus. We chose this pattern because typically urethane looks really good on shorter patterns and not so good on medium to longer patterns. So that's enough for me, Mr. Urethane.
Let's send it to Jung on the lens. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Jungle's back. Fast pitch time. So, as Barker said in the shop, he thinks this one's going to hook a little bit more continuously down lane versus the pitch black. So, uh, let's throw this first.
[Music] That was sweet. Stood on 22 there. Aimed at 12 at the arrows and hopefully get that ball out to three or four at the break point. Came screaming back. Shred the rack. Okay, let's throw the pitch black on the exact same line. [Music]
Missed a hair inside there, but as you can see, it barely picked up at all. Pitch black was brought back to box just before we started. Last pitch right out of the box. just has a couple frames on it for me warming up. That's it. So, let's try and slow this down and see if we can get the hook. [Music] That felt really good off the hand. Same line as the fast pitch. Left the 28 just hooks a little bit less and a little flatter off the spot down. All right,
let's shred the rack again with that fast pitch. [Music] Missed a hair inside on that one, too. And you can see how much more continuous it is than the pitch black. Pins are already fallen. [Music] Really good shot there. Switch his own
pocket with the pitch black. That was three boards right of the fast pitch. So, let's go one and one more. See if we can. [Music] Okay, so that's the right line with the pitch black. Seeing four boards of difference between the fast pitch and the pitch black. I have actually have a ton of games on this pitch black. That's the beauty about urethane, you know, they don't wear out. Use it forever. No pitch purple here cuz honestly, it's not true urethane. It is a blend of reactive
and urethane. So, it's just going to hook too hard on the back end. We already know. Let's give a better look to the fast pitch. All right. Same line. Let's watch it go through the face. Very predictable. Such a nice early even hook. Just like the pitch black, but you're getting four boards more hook. Uh, Zach, same. So, cousin says, "Looks like the Conucks colors." Yeah. Blue and green. Yeah. Yeah, baby. Let's move back to where I was when I struck and let's
let's pound town another one. [Music] Obviously pulled that one directly through the face. Five count. When I pulled the pitch black though, it kind of held it line a bit better. So the fast pitch definitely has more continuation down like 36 ft pegs this year. So you want the break point to be around five. So let's actually get this up to five. [Music]
[Music] The racks are always off here. I'm kidding. The racks are perfect. Ball's too small. So, we all know Jung's favorite ball, Mr. Idol. Let me know your favorite ball down in the comments. Sure, we'll see some interesting balls down in the in the comments. [Music] Woo. So, have you seen the six ways from Storm about the fast pitch? Six
different angles. Let's try and do it. So, we did three left there. Flushed it. Let's go three more and uh slow the speed down here. [Music] Getting a little light. Let's go. Three more. Slow it down even more. [Music] Got it again. Three more. Let's go. Mega
slow hook. Quite honestly, when I saw the six waves from storm, I thought it was a bunch of hoie. Cuz how can a urethane ball do that? But uh it's not hoie. [Music] Not hoie. Okay, I think I got one more slow mega hook in me. [Music]
Wow. All right, let's go the other way. Just for reference. Still the pitch black on the same line there. [Music] It didn't even try to hook. I threw those two pretty similarly. Storm six ways. Not a bunch of hoie. Let's go the other way. Started on 22. Let's go. Five right amp. [Music]
Heat. Heat. [Music]
Heat. [Music] [Music]
Hey, hey, hey. [Music] You suck.
Honestly, can't believe I hooked from there. Let's go back to this job. You going to ask me a question or what? Yeah, at some point. All right, we're back from the lanes. Jordan just threw the brand new fast pitch. What are your initial thoughts? This ball actually hooks quite a bit. Yeah, no kidding. But it's nice and round like a true urethane. Starts up early, very smooth and continuous, but definitely out hooks the pitch black by four to five boards easy. So, we saw you play all different parts of the lane. You're playing the ditch. You're lofting the gutter. Is it too much hook for urethane? Actually, I don't think so. It's just very continuous down lane, right? It
doesn't have that sharp motion like a reactive would on a shorter pattern. Definitely starts up nice and early, but it's actually nice and continuous. Goes through the pins really well, even when you're swinging it a little bit on the short. So, we saw in the previous video where you threw the pitch purple, it was really, really sharp down lane. This one looked a little bit more controllable. Is this what you thought the pitch purple was going to be? Yeah, exactly. Thought the pitch purple was going to be just a tiny step up from the pitch black and a little bit more down lane and continuous, but it hit the corner way too hard for me. The fast pitch here, this is exactly what I wanted. Now I can bring two urethanes to
a tournament on a short pattern and be really confident that I can find something. So would you say this fits right in between those two balls? The pitch black and the pitch purple. Yeah. Uh for me the pitch purple's already been retired. So fast pitch definitely fits right in between the two. Pitch purple, like I said, very hard off the corner down lane. Fast pitch is early and very smooth but continuous. So on the short patterns, were you not able to score well with the pitch black all the time? On some short patterns, you know, the pitch black just wouldn't hook enough. Sometimes the shorter patterns have much heavier volume. So the pitch black would start up really early and lose all its
energy and just not cover enough boards. So I would have to get into reactive when I didn't really want to. But now with the fast pitch, I can definitely cover those boards that I want to cover and stay up the gutter where I think is the right play on some of the short patterns. Yeah. So sometimes on those short patterns, switching from pitch black to reactive, the reactive just kick too hard. You can play the same part of the lane. Fast pitch gives you that opportunity to kind of stay in that same zone and and shape it a little more. Definitely. I know on short patterns sometimes when the pitch black here is just a little bit too early and not enough down lane, I'd have to go into
reactive. And it's such a big jump from a pitch black to an IQ. You know, that's a big gap when you're playing on a short and you just want to move a little bit. You're really close. But now I can go from pitch black, fast pitch, and then the IQ when the short pattern breaks down a lot. So I think this be a good gap filler for me for short pattern tournaments where I thought the pitch purple would play a role, but no. And we're not here knocking the pitch purple. There are certain styles of bowlers where that's going to be really beneficial. Lower ball speeds, lower rev rate. It's going to help that ball get down the lane a little bit more where the pitch black is going to not hook
enough or it's going to hook too early. So, the big question, does this have a spot in your tournament bag? Uh, yes, for certain patterns. So, I'm going short patterns and short mediums. I'd say 37 38 ft all the way down to short like 33 34. I'm definitely bringing both of these, but anything over 39, I'm not going to bring the fast pitch. I'm going to bring the pitch black as my spare ball. And that's it. Pretty pattern specific for me, but you know, there are lots of tournaments on short, so it'll definitely get some use. So, where does this ball fit on your graph? Got the pitch black there at 33 fast
pitch going 44. And as you can see, that's a huge gap from the pitch black to the IQ2. So, this is going to fill a little bit of that. All right, Jungo. Anything you want to add? For those of you who throw a lot of urethane, uh, lefties, two-handers, and whatnot, this is definitely a good option for you if you already have a pitch black. You know, it's going to give you a little bit more hook, a little bit more continuation before you have to get into reactive. So, if you use a lot of urethane, you know, this is going to be a really good ball. You're going to get a lot of use out of it. All right, thanks guys. Make sure you like, subscribe, follow us on social media in the links below. Don't forget Jungle Barks promo code shop.buffabuling.com. 10% off your order
at the checkout. All right, Jordan. So, what do we have on deck? Axiom Pearl, baby. Thanks everyone for watching. We'll see you next time. [Music]
Performance Analysis
Performance Analysis
Testing revealed that the Storm Fast Pitch delivers meaningful performance advantages over true urethane comparables on shorter oil patterns. When evaluated on a 36-foot Pegasus pattern—conditions where urethane traditionally excels—independent reviewers observed the Fast Pitch outhooked the Pitch Black by four to five boards consistently. Critically, this additional hook came without sacrificing the smooth, predictable motion characteristic of quality urethane. The ball demonstrated what testers described as “early and very smooth but continuous” ball motion, starting its arc earlier down the lane than the Pitch Black while maintaining control through the pin deck rather than exhibiting the sharp reactive-style corner reaction some bowlers find difficult to manage on shorter patterns.
The Control XL coverstock paired with the Tour Block core proved responsive to adjustments and shot shape variation. Testers successfully played multiple areas of the lane—from the gutters to deeper in the oil—and noted the ball’s continuous motion made it forgiving even when shots were slightly off-line. A notable advantage emerged when comparing the Fast Pitch to reactive blends: while reactive options create large angular jumps in ball motion, the Fast Pitch fills the performance gap between entry-level urethane and reactive equipment with incremental, controllable increases in hook potential. This addresses a real tournament dilemma where the Pitch Black sometimes lacked sufficient angle on heavily oiled short patterns, forcing bowlers to make an aggressive jump to reactive equipment. The Fast Pitch provides a natural intermediate step, allowing bowlers to stay within urethane’s predictable, controllable motion family while gaining the boards they need.
Who Is This Ball For?
The Fast Pitch is purpose-built for bowlers who play primarily on short to medium-short oil patterns (33–38 feet) and already own or favor urethane equipment. It’s an excellent fit for players who found the Pitch Black insufficiently angular on heavier oil volumes but were frustrated by the sharp, reactive-style motion of harder-hooking equipment. Two-handers, left-handed bowlers, and those who carry multiple urethanes in their tournament arsenal will find this ball particularly valuable as a gap filler between entry-level and reactive options.
This ball is not ideal for bowlers competing regularly on medium to long patterns (39+ feet), where the Pitch Black remains the better choice. It also won’t appeal to players seeking a single, all-purpose ball or those new to bowling seeking their first purchase. Conversely, if your game relies heavily on urethane equipment for its control and consistency, and you’ve experienced the frustration of being under-equipped on short patterns, the Fast Pitch deserves serious consideration—testing showed it delivers the performance step forward you’ve been missing.
The Pros
- • Smooth, controllable ball reaction
- • Excellent length through front part of lane
- • Good entry-level urethane option for learning ball control
The Cons
- • Limited hook potential compared to reactive resin
- • Not suitable for heavy oil conditions
Who Is This Ball For?
While no longer in production, the Storm Fast Pitch remains a solid entry-level urethane option on the used market for bowlers looking to step up from polyester without overwhelming hook potential. Its controllable nature and affordable secondhand pricing make it an attractive choice for developing fundamentals.
Technical Specifications
How It Compares
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Bowlers Say
Bowlers say the Fast Pitch fills the gap perfectly between Pitch Black and Pitch Purple, offering cleaner motion through fronts than Black but earlier pickup than Purple. It excels on short patterns and provides excellent control with traditional urethane shape and strong pin carry.
AI summary of 52 verified purchase reviews
Bowlers frequently mention:
Having the Pitch Black and the Pitch purple I felt the both were 2 ends of the spectrum in motion! Always had a gap, until now! The Fast Pitch is the Pitch Black up front and the Pitch Purple downlane literally it combines and fits exactly perfectly in the Pitch line!
The Fast Pitch is the newest urethane ball from Storm. As you know the Pitch Black and Pitch Purple are already staples in most Storm bowler’s bags, so this Fast Pitch will add another motion in that line. When I reviewed the Fast Pitch on my YouTube channel, I of course had to compare it to those two other urethanes. The Fast pitch for me fit right in the middle of the two. The Pitch Black picks up in the front part of the lane, where as the Fast Pitch is a little cleaner and more responsive in the middle third of the lane. The Pitch Purple is the cleanest and most angular of the three, so I believe that this Fast Pitch is more similar to the Pitch Black.
PAP 4 ½ over and 1 up ball speed 15 rev rate 275 Drilling 75x4.5x55 When first looking at the Fast Pitch I was a little tentative to pick a layout, I really like my Pitch Black and didn't want them to overlap. After some thinking I decided to go with the same layout as my Black just a further pin to PAP distance. This giving me a little less flare potential to hopefully show me more length an continuation with the Fast Pitch, that being said I absolutely love the motion. I get about 3 feet more length and around 4 boards more overall hook, which is perfect because my Purple is about 8 boards stronger down lane than my Black so everything fits together like a puzzle! I find the Fast also gives me a great look on the fresh for patterns around 39-43 feet!
PAP 3 ¾ over 1” up ball speed 17 rev rate 475 Drilling 65x5x75 So I went with a pin down layout to pair with the Fast Pitch's design intent. When drilling a new ball it is extremely important to follow along with a balls particular attributes. With that said compared to my Pitch Purple the Fast is about 3 ft sooner and 3 boards less overall hook. In comparison to the black they are quite a bit closer the Fast being a little smoother through the fronts and hooks maybe 2 boards more overall. For me the Fast is a Perfect gap filler for the Purple and the Black. If you didnt find success with a fever pitch and are looking for something in between the Fast Pitch is perfect. I find this much more usable on my sport shots than the Black and is quickly seeing the lanes more often.
The Fast Pitch is a throw back to old urethane providing plenty of control from front to back. The Fast Pitch features the Tour Block Core combined with the Control XL coverstock. The Fast Pitch fits perfectly between the Pitch Black and Pitch Purple as it is not as early as the black yet not as long as the purple. This will be a great option to go to when bowling on those short to medium patterns and control is of the essence.
Showing 1–5 of 41 verified reviews
Frequently Asked Questions
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