Know Your Breakpoints

It is now a third of the way into the 2009 - 2010 bowling season and I am having trouble scoring. After ending the last two months of the 2008 - 2009 season, and beginning this season with some decent honor scores, I was thinking that I was going to be tearing up the lanes. My averages are hovering right around the 205 mark with one league actually in the low 190's. I was hoping to be in the 215 or better range this year.

Over the last month, I have hit the pocket more than 85%+ of the time and have not scored well. I have left the 7, 8, 9, or 10 pins with flush pocket hits, 7-10's in the pocket, and even 8 - 10's have been popping up regularly. Some actual examples of games are: 10 balls in the pocket, 198; front four, split, total of 10 balls in the pocket, 203; 10 balls in the pocket, one 8 - 10 split, final ball Greek Church, 197. There have been several games where I threw two pocket 7-10's: 4-bagger, 7-10, 4 bagger, 7-10, for a 232; and, 5-bagger, 7-10, 7-10, 5-bagger, for a 245.

Unlucky? Unfortunate? I think not. I am not doing something correctly. After all, there are others who are scoring well. Naturally, when I practice, I have no problem carrying and shoot really terrific scores. It is difficult to correct mistakes and/or errors when you "don’t make any." My personal coach and I have come up with two things for me to work on: 1) make sure I am hitting the proper breakpoint; and, 2) make sure I am using proper ball speed for the conditions I will be working on the "Breakpoint Theory," during the coming week.

If this is your first time hearing of this theory, it was developed by a Pro bowler named, Sam Baca, sometime in the 1980's. He was a regular on the Professional Bowler's Tour back in the 60's and 70's, was the lane maintenance director for the PBA, and now runs a very famous bowling business named, "Lane Masters, Inc." He is, arguably, the expert when it comes to lane conditioning.

What is the "breakpoint?" It is defined as the point at which your ball starts breaking to the pocket. However, there can be several of these points on any given night so we have to get it down further - "your optimum breakpoint is where your ball makes its break to the pocket and, which, gives the highest potential for getting all the pins down." I urge you to study breakpoints in more detail because it is an important theory and strategy for the modern sport of bowling.

While it may difficult, at first, to look for the breakpoint about 40 feet down the lane, after practicing and concentrating on it, you will be able to spot the breakpoint easier. As I said in another article, "jus aim for the exact hole in the electronic dart board that you want to hit."

Here is the "Choc-List" for the "Breakpoint Theory," that I will be working on in the coming weeks in an attempt to get my game back on track:

1) All bowlers throwing strikes will have the same general breakpoint area regardless of what angle they are playing. If other bowlers on your pair of lanes are carrying strikes and you are not, watch where their balls are making the break for the pocket and shift your line to that area. A special note to "old-timers" here - the game has changed, you will not be messing up anyone's line by shifting yours to theirs.

2) Most house shots will have the breakpoint somewhere around 37 feet to 40 feet down the lane. During your next practice session, ask the person in charge for permission to walk down along the 1st or last lane and see where that distance is.

3) Most house shots will have the breakpoint area between the 6 board to the 9 board. Stand at the foul line before league starts and zero in on the marking by lining up the theoretical breakpoint with the mark you are aiming for. Example: You are aiming for the 2nd arrow (10th board), stand at the foul line where you normally end up, look 37 - 40 feet down the lane in the 6 board to 9 board (generally, 7 or 8 board) area and draw an imaginary straight line back to the 2nd arrow. This is your starting line.

4) This theory is not based on the line you are playing; but, rather on the current lane conditions. If you are hitting the pocket but not carrying strikes, continually keep your eyes open for who on the pair is knocking the pins down and shift your breakpoint to the area they are at.

I thought that this was a relatively new theory that had been developed since the advent of reactive urethane bowling balls and synthetic lanes. I was surprised to discover that it has been around since the 1980's. It is a practical technique in common use by almost all of the top-ranking pro bowlers. If so, then why isn't it discussed more often and in more detail at the amateur levels? Any tool that helps me improve my carry percentage and raise my scores, I am going to try to master.

A Hui Hou! (See You Again!)