QuestionQUESTION: Hello. Is it possible to find out someone's PAP by just looking at how the ball is drilled or by the layout of the drilling of the ball?? Thanks for your help.
ANSWER: Simon,
No.
The ball track must be identified and verified (as many players don't roll the ball the same way every time#. So, seeing a ball roll with the PAP marked will give you a sense of "if" and "how often" the roll is consistent.
Looking at a layout, can give a driller a sense of what the ball was laid out to do, but without the PAP you can only evaluate where the various elements of the ball are in relationship to the track #there is usually residual signs on a ball).
Thanks for your question.
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QUESTION: I recently brought a new ball and the pro shop operator asked me how i like the ball to move. i wasn't sure. i just told him to watch me throw a few shots with my old ball so he did. after he saw my form he know i was a super beginner and told me that the ball i purchase was not the right ball for me. he even ask me a second time to see if i really want him to drill the ball for me. he recommended me to return the ball and give me suggestion to the right ball i should purchase. i told him don't worry and just go ahead. he didn't even take the ball i threw to look at it. so how does he know what my PAP is and went back to the shop to work on my new ball. here is a pic of the layout if you can explain my ball drilling layout? Thanks. what should i let or make sure the guy know the next time i go if i want him to do a better job of drilling the ball that fit my game? i was told from a friend that it is very popular now for lots of pro shop now to drills ball base on a person's PAP and that can help increase performance and accuracy than drilling a ball that will do what the person wants it to do but when throwing might not get as good a result as when taking pap into consideration when finding a layout. thanks hope you can help me out bro!
ANSWER: Simon,
It sounds like you may be executing so inconsistently that from observing your bowling the driller felt getting too specific wouldn't truly help. Instead of taking his advice, you opted for a more expensive ball, and are now concerned that it's not performing well?
Establishing a consistent Positive Axis Point (PAP) is the mark of some experience and practice. If a marked PAP isn't stable and solid for 15-30 feet EVERY SHOT, the best a driller can do is estimate the neighborhood to put the pin and Center of Gravity and Mass Bias if marked. Trying to create a specific reaction when a bowler isn't delivering the ball consistently is near impossible.
I prefer to encourage a bowler to use a ball without a core influence until they learn to throw a ball consistently enough to benefit from the core dynamics in a stronger (more expensive ball).
Didn't see any link for a picture.
You MUST establish you own skills before you can expect a performance/more expensive ball will help you. Consistency is still the benchmark of improvement in bowling.
As a super beginner, learn to bowl better. Gain consistency with less ball. Learn to hook a basic ball and you can hook anything. When you lack skills and depend too much on your equipment, sometimes you will not have the right ball reaction. Get bowling lessons before you get an arsenal of balls.
Thanks for your questions. Hope you understand, I don't want to be harsh. As your driller suggested the super beginner can't control more expensive equipment, so it doesn't make sense to buy it then have to build your skills around constantly changing execution.
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Brunswick Evil Siege 
Brunswick Evil Siege
QUESTION: I didn't understand which you said " the best a driller can do is estimate the neighborhood to put the pin and Center of Gravity and Mass Bias if marked."
I will attach the picture of the drilling layout of my ball. Can you tell me the where the pin, center of gravity and mass bias is on my ball and what each one do?
Thanks for help in explaining the PAP part.
AnswerSimon,
The layout of your Evil Siege is pretty vanilla. Each manufacturer usually suggests drilling patterns. The layout in your ball is kind of the "standard strong" layout in most bowling ball boxes.
The small circle in the center of grip is the Center of Gravity marker. The top of the core is the golden colored circle (called the pin) above the fingers, while the white smaller pin right of the thumb is the Mass Bias marker.
The gold pin is the top of the core and it's location is chosen to involve the core in the balls reaction. Typically, a higher pin position involves the core in a stronger reaction downlane. The Center of Gravity or CG is the heaviest point on the ball and can be manipulated to encourage different reactions. In your case a CG in center of grip doesn't really do much, but instability, for someone not consistent in their delivery, can be disastrous, so the CG in center of grip is a good call. The Mass Bias marker identifies the middle of the core, often an asymmetric element of the core, about a quarter of the way around the ball, and moving it around can get a ball to roll earlier, later, stronger, weaker, etc. The standard location on your ball encourages the ball as it's a strong position for many players.
Can't see your track so I really have no way to know how you roll the ball, so the standard vanilla layout isn't bad, it's actually fairly strong.
Thanks for your follow-up. How does the ball roll?
