If you’ve spent any time shopping for bowling balls, you’ve probably come across terms likestrong,aggressive, orhigh performance. These words get used a lot—but they’re rarely explained in a way that actually helps you understand what the ball will do on the lane.

If you’ve spent any time around league bowlers or pro shop conversations, you’ve probably heard the term“benchmark ball.” It gets mentioned a lot — especially when someone is building an arsenal or trying to improve consistency.