QuestionQUESTION: watching the pba the other day, commentator randy peterson said the bowler needed tip the ball more for more hook in the entry. what does this mean and how do you do it. again the word he use was tipping??
True Bowler Adjustment
ANSWER: Hello Id: I can not speak in terms of what Randy Pedersen was referring to at the time of his comment. Hopefully I can help by giving you what I can...
I can only speculate as to entry angle achieved by the hand position at release. We vary entry angle or the turn and roll of the ball by "Axis Tilt" and "Axis Rotation." The first movement(Axis Tilt) is an up and down adjustment. The second movement(Axis Rotation) is a front to back adjustment!
In bowling "tipping" or "tilting" the ball from it's center, is much like having the "center of a pencil" between the tips your index finger and thumb. "Lets just say the pencil is in your right hand."
If the pencil is horizontal to the floor (eraser end to the left, and the pointed end to the right across your chest) it has zero axis tilt. If you "tilt" the pencil eraser end up slightly, (using your left hand), then the pencil's pointed end will point down. This is how you vary the angle in the "up and down" position for the pencil from its center. "Axis Tilt"
If you have the pencil back level to the floor and (now with your left hand again) bringing the eraser end back slightly towards your body, the pointed end will pivot slightly away from your body. When this happens you are changing the "axis rotation" of the pencil from front to back. If put the pencil down and try to roll the pencil in that position on the floor it will go to the left.
Sometimes we go to deliver the ball and don't really pay a lot of attention to which way we want the ball to go once it comes off of our hand. It needs to go left or right but how much left or right is some thing we can try to control.
With "axis tilt" we can send the ball a little longer down the lane before it settles back down and turns to the pocket.
With "axis rotation," we can direct the ball to hook more to the left or to roll more straight forward down the lane. We can sometimes change how the ball skids, and some times affect the strength of it's hook. Combining axis tilt and axis rotation is a very nice adjustment to have in your bag of tricks as I write about these two dynamics in my book True Bowler Adjustments.
Although it can be a little technical as far as the words sound, just go back to the pencil analogy. I put this in the first couple of pages of my book so bowlers can quickly learn to adjust the "hook" and "roll" of their bowling balls.
One pivotal point I say in my book is not to let the "non ball hand," (your balance hand) be "lazy" while you are setting up on the approach! Use the non ball hand to help reset your axis tilt and axis rotation for your release, "everytime you get on the approach."
This may seem a little complicated, however if you take a bowling lesson and get a USBC Certified Coach to explain this to you "in person" you will make great strides in your game to controlling your entry angle to the pins. Fortune may smile upon you and allow you to get better carry and string strikes consistently!!!!
Id, keep watching the PBA telecast. Listen to Randy's comments and those of the other Pro's that are miked up! They give you great insights as to how to play the lanes, especially the house shots which lots of them still bowl leagues back in their own home states! I love the idea that you want to kick it up a notch, by trying to figure out if this is something important enough to find out about! It's really worth the investment.
-Gary
Las Vegas, NV
www.TrueBowlerAdjustments.com (it's a great book!)
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: thnks much for the info. i did pick up something that i have to ask about and that you stated the preset of your non ball hand to chnage rotation and tilt. can you further expound on this for me?
Answer
True Bowler Adjustment
Id, great eye during the read! I try to give bowlers the opportunity to try "sump'n" different that may improve their game! That truly is my purpose with today's bowling environment. Tried and tested bowlers like Walter Ray, Shannon Pluhowsky, Doug Kent, Ryan Shaffer, Patrick Allen, Kelly Kulick, Parker Bohn, Norm Duke, and even Jason Belmonte the two handed bowler, often control ball reaction combined with hand position.
Some oil patterns you really have to be precise with the axis tilt of the ball and the axis rotation out of your hand to get the ball to respond correctly down lane. If you are able to "match up" with your release, that's one less variable you have to worry about.
Presetting how the ball needs to come off your hand can be a big plus for a bowler, especially on a house shot when you may or may not need a little more hook on the ball when the lanes begin to transition.
Getting your left hand involved in your set up creates a feel that helps you "remember" that "release angle" at release, be it 12 o'clock or at 1 o'clock at times.
Sometimes you need to be behind the ball at release or on the side of the ball just a little. The left hand can help "adjust" your ball hand into position if you are a bowler that has the versatility of using hand adjustments in your bag of tricks. Bowlers who often adjust their ball position in their hands have a routine. In their set up, they may "look up, look down at the ball, and then again, "look up" better prepared to deliver a good shot.
You can position the ball and then rest the ball back in your left hand for support if needed. I rarely see a cranker take more than a few millisecond to set up and move into their delivery, The know they are going to rip the cover off the ball generally, that type of ball response often is inherent to the equipment used and the bowler!
Regardless, consistency with a proper entry angle has to be mapped out on the approach. Some bowlers adjust "where they stand on the approach" for their release. Others bowlers set the ball up in their hands and execute the proper release for their speed and "potential" ball reaction.
Getting the left hand involved helps immensely towards giving a bowler an edge allowing some to stay in the zone! After nine strikes in a row, the first ball of the 10th frame is not the time to ask yourself, "how was I holding the ball?" USBC Coaches are the best at getting bowlers into a routine they can succeed with. Its been a pleasure. Thanks for your question.
-Gary
Las Vegas, NV
www.TrueBowlerAdjustments.com (it's a great book!)
