Adjusting Hand Positions

When they start stringing up strikes in the second or third games, I jokingly tell my friends, "I see that the lanes have finally adjusted to your style." Practically every time I bowl nowadays, I end up bowling a different style from start to finish. For my fellow bowlers who can afford to have many different bowling balls, they end up throwing a lot of them throughout the frames. For the majority of bowlers who can do neither, my joke applies.

Lane transitions and changes are best seen by watching any PBA finals - the pro may string up a bunch of strikes his first game, then struggle to get a double in the very next game.

A bowler doesn't have to know all the technical details of how the lane is oiled, what type of oil is being used, or what pattern is laid down. They just have to know how to adjust so they can get a better shot to the pocket and carry. (Having both sets of knowledge never hurts, of course.) My practice balls before the start of competition now include only one thing - different hand positions on each practice shot. This is not only to determine which one will be the starting one; but, also to remind myself that I should keep those hand positions in mind as alternatives for adjusting.

So, as a matter of course, my "Choc-List" for practice shots is as follows: (Remember the clock references are to the thumb position at point of release)

1) 1st shot - hand behind the ball, thumb at 12 0' clock (3/4 roller).

2) 2nd shot - hand under the ball, thumb at 1 o' clock (semi-roller).

3) 3rd shot - hand under the ball, thumb at 3 o' clock (seni-spinner).

4) 4th shot (optional) - hand on the side of the ball, thumb at 9 o' clock (full roller).

I watch each shot as it goes down the lane and try to gauge the point at which the ball begins to move toward the pocket (breakpoint). I also watch to see if it leaves the ten pin. I make my best guess and go from there. I can't afford to buy all the different bowling balls (I sure wish I could) so I have to depend on my wits.

"It may be the same bowling center, but it is surely a different day."

A Hui Hou! (See You Again!)