Smart Bowler Articles

Breaking Down Fundamentals - Pace, by Charley Wilson

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 19:06:14 GMT

This may seem an insignificant part of a bowler’s technique; like balance, if you have it, it’s not an issue. You may never even notice that your pace is not conducive to a good game. A bowler often adopts a style that fits his or her personality more closely than it fits his or her best game of bowling. Your pace, fast and aggressive or slow and careful, may feel right to you, but if it doesn’t meet a few basic needs your game may never live up to its potential.

Along with balance, a brisk but controllable pace is necessary for an effective game of bowling. Bowlers that seem to rush the approach are likely to have balance and accuracy issues, though they may appear to generate a lot of power. Those who move slowly to the line with a controlled armswing may be accurate and balanced, but may not generate sufficient ball speed or revolutions to be effective. However, even accuracy can suffer from too much control of the armswing, often seen in the slower-paced bowlers. The pace you first start to bowl with is often influenced in part by your personality. The way you interact with the rest of the world is probably reflected in your bowling style. Be aware of that connection if considering dramatic changes in your style. If you are a methodical, meticulous, precise person in your daily life, it may not work for you to “grip it and rip it”. On the other hand, if you live on the edge, skydiving without a chute, free-climbing Everest, or base-jumping, you’re probably more “cranker” than “stroker” (though those terms are losing favor in the modern game). Still, if you’re at one of the extremes of pace, some modification may be necessary to raise your game to its highest possible level.

Another issue regarding pace is your stature. If you are tall, your armswing alone may generate sufficient ball speed, given any reasonable approach pace. Longer arms take more time to complete a swing, as long as the swing is relaxed and un-muscled (more on this in the next article). If you were to race to the line, you’d probably be there well ahead of your swing, or you’d have to muscle up to get it there in time. That’s the last thing we want you to do. Taller bowlers will naturally adopt a slower pace to the line, and that’s entirely appropriate.

If, on the other hand, you are shorter, you will probably need a more energetic approach. Since the shorter arm will complete the swing much quicker, a slow walk will have your swing completed before you get to the line. There is a tendency among some bowlers to control the swing to match the footwork. In the free armswing discussion, we will see how important it is to develop the free armswing first, then match the footwork or the start timing to it. Changes to your pace for specific conditions will come later.

Although it may not seem obvious, the proper pace can contribute to the body’s momentum, counteracting the momentum of the swinging bowling ball. If you’re not sure how much momentum a swinging ball provides, sit in a swivel chair with your feet off the ground and swing the ball beside you. As the ball swings, the chair will swivel the opposite way. Just as a moving bicycle is easier to balance than a static one, a moving body provides that same counter to the imbalance of the off-center swing of the ball. Obviously too much pace, like an out-of-control bicycle, creates problems of its own. Remember Goldilocks and the three bears: find out what’s “just right” for you.

Finally, ball speed is very important in the modern game. Today’s bowling balls are so aggressive that a slow-moving ball may use up all its energy too early and “roll out” before it nears the pins. A rolled-out ball hits the pins weakly, deflecting drastically, leaving many back-row pins. Since we don’t want to swing the ball with muscle, some method must be found to generate enough ball speed to get he ball to the pins with the right energy. You need to find the right pace for your body type and personality.
Strategies. It’s hard enough to evaluate ourselves in the truly mechanical aspects of the game. This one is personality-dependent, too. It may take an unbiased party to tell you that “You’re heaving it! Slow down!” It takes true dedication to improvement to seek out and accept an opinion that clashes with your own. You won’t improve if you don’t change something, will you?
You may not want to change your style. Maybe you won’t need to, but you need to know what it looks like (from an outsider’s point of view) and how it affects your results. One good place to start thinking about pace is, without setting up on the approach, simply walk toward the foul line, and when it looks right, LET the ball swing and fall out of your hand. You may be surprised at how good it feels, and how effective it is. You may need a USBC Certified coach with video equipment to help you fully realize if your approach pace is right for you.
You can educate yourself by finding a DVD of USBC Athlete Development Drills at http://usbcsportstore.com/, under the Coaching menu. Good tips are often available at http://bowlingthismonth.com/ or http://bowlersjournal.com/; other educational information is available at www.bowlingbookstore.com or through any Smartbowler Pro Shop. Qualified coaches can be found using the “Coaching” menu at http://www.bowlspot.com/ or the “Find a…” function of the USBC website at http://bowl.com/ or, again, through any Smartbowler Pro Shop. Above all, don’t assume that what you need will come to you. Go get it!

Charley Wilson, a USBC Silver Level Coach, has been coaching professionally since 1996. A retired USAF fighter pilot, he currently works as a coach and pro shop ball fitter/driller. Charley is married (Sheila) and lives in St. Louis, MO. Contact - CGWJR@charter.net

FUNDAMENTALS- BALANCE, BY CHARLEY WILSON

Fri, 06 May 2011 22:17:35 GMT

   For me, the three most basic fundamentals for the bowler are balance, a free armswing, and an adequate pace. Of those, the most important is balance. If you have it, however, it is unremarkable. It’s like having adequate lighting while painting a room. You only realize it is important if it’s missing. If, on the other hand, you do not have good balance, at least in the finish position, many other fundamentals will be difficult to master.
   We begin the discussion of balance, appropriately, with the stance. Starting with the feet, keep them close together (an inch or so), but not touching. If they touch, the stance will be narrow, which does not contribute to balance; also, moving the first foot may require a sideways movement to clear the other one. Pull your ball-side foot slightly back behind the other one, from an inch or so to 3-4 inches. This helps to position the shoulders and hips along the line you are playing and allows the armswing to be closer to the slide foot. Flex the knees slightly, with the weight balanced on both feet, and the upper body tilted slightly forward from the hips (not the waist). Consider the “ready” position of many athletes in sport (football linebackers, golfers, baseball infielders, etc.). Bowlers simply also have a heavy ball held in front of them; otherwise the positions are remarkable similar.
   Hold the ball close to the body to reduce strain on the upper body and arms. The neutral ball height position is approximately at the waist, directly in front of the bowling shoulder. Depending on the type of swing-start used, this height will be modified in later discussions. Support most of the ball weight with the non-bowling arm. This lets the bowling arm relax so the muscles won't tighten up and restrict the free armswing (more on this later). Lack of swing freedom contributes to balance problems when the body has to get involved in the swing, rather than letting gravity and momentum do the swinging.
   Balance is especially significant at the start of the approach. For a 4-step approach, start the ball into the swing in conjunction with movement of the starting foot (right foot, for right-handed bowlers). We will discuss the 5-step approach, and others, at a later time. Since the majority of the ball weight is in the non-bowling hand, use that hand to start the swing. Coaches’ opinions vary regarding the length of the ‘pushaway”. Until you know what works best for you, I suggest you extend the arm until the wrist is approximately over the toe of the starting foot as it completes the first step. You may later decide to modify this distance. The important issue is that you allow the first movement to contribute to a brisk pace (more of this later also), but not cause you to lose your relaxed body position or to run after the ball. Release the ball to drop smoothly into the swing, and let gravity and momentum take over.
   Throughout the approach, keep the good upper body position you began with, or even increase your forward tilt angle slightly, but do it from the hips, with a straight spine, not with a bend at the waist. Walk a straight line toward your target, with your feet in line (as on a balance beam) as much as possible. Taking steps widely spaced left-to-right will produce a weaving path and errors in your armswing direction and your balance.
   After you release the ball into the swing, extend the non-bowling arm toward your front to counterbalance the weight and momentum of the ball-arm. Failure to use the non-bowling arm for balance may reduce your overall stability, make you use your trunk and waist muscles for balance, and stiffen up your entire body.
   As you approach the slide and finish, there is sometimes a tendency to bend over to get the ball lower to the lane (reduces the loud thump). Resist this. Bending forward does several things, all bad. It moves your release point forward relative to your body’s center of gravity (cg), weakening your release. It moves your body’s cg forward toward the foul line, past your stable foot position, reducing your stability. It destabilizes the shoulder from which your ball is swinging just at release, when you need the strongest, most stable base from which to swing. It drops your head from its previously stable position, moving your eyes, your aiming tools, at the time you need them to be the steadiest. So, don’t do it. Keep the established upper body angle and bend the slide knee to get lower instead.
   As you slide, be aware of the slide foot position and angle. You need to keep the slide foot under the center of your body, so slide not straight ahead of your last step, but toward the middle of your body. Slide with your foot parallel to the direction of travel or even with your heel in, closer to the center, and the toe out. This position puts your knee in the best position to bend, and not to twist your body in the process. To test this, stand with your feet separated, pointing your toes toward each other. Try to bend your knees. You will find that, in addition to bumping your knees together, the knees don’t want to bend much. Then reverse the angles, with the toes pointing out. The knees bend much more easily. You can see how much more difficult it is to bend the slide knee when you slide with the foot parallel to the foul line. Watch bowlers who do this, and see how much they twist their bodies toward the ball-side. They usually don’t display a great deal of balance, and often step off to the ball-side with the other foot after release.
   At finish, “post” your shot. That is, stay in your finish position until the ball hits the pins. Several good things happen. Your stable head and eyes can better see what really happened: you did (or didn’t) hit your target; your ball broke at the right board and distance, the ball was rolling properly when it hit the pins; etc. You can check your slide board to see if you were walking in the intended direction. You know if your release felt the way you wanted it to. Your follow-through went in the right direction. Your armswing was fluid and relaxed.
   Strategies. You can’t practice the above balance issues except in practice; true practice. If you really want to fix any balance issues, you have to dedicate yourself to ignoring scores in practice, isolate these issues and focus on them one at a time. Practice the stance and start, keeping the ball swing smooth and consistent, with no approach at all. Place the non-bowling arm in front of you as you start the approach – if you don’t do it right, stop and start over. Spend some time standing at the foul line, using a drill that involves only the finish position and a swing, no approach. You can educate yourself by finding a DVD of USBC Athlete Development Drills at http://usbcsportstore.com/, under the Coaching menu. Good tips are often available at http://bowlingthismonth.com/ or http://bowlersjournal.com/; other educational information is available at www.bowlingbookstore.com or through any Smartbowler Pro Shop. A qualified coach can help you assess your balance situation. Qualified coaches can be found using the “Coaching” menu at http://www.bowlspot.com/ or the “Find a…” function of the USBC website at http://bowl.com/ or, again, through any Smartbowler Pro Shop. Above all, don’t assume that what you need will come to you. Go get it!

Charley Wilson, a USBC Silver Level Coach, has been coaching professionally for eleven years. A retired USAF fighter pilot, he currently works as a coach and pro shop ball fitter/driller. Charley is married (Sheila) and lives in St. Louis, MO. Contact - CGWJR@charter.net

Ball Death- by Bill Monce

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 21:19:46 GMT

It’s happened to every bowler. Your “go to” ball is clean through the front of the lane…and clean through the backend as well. It just keeps going longer and hooking less with each shot thrown. It often seems that your most aggressive ball is now one of the weakest balls you own. Much to our frustration, loss of ball reaction has become a common occurrence with today’s ultra aggressive bowling balls. Bowlers have many theories on why high tech equipment stops working. Some of those range from the use of low grade urethanes to an industry wide conspiracy to sell more high performance bowling balls. The question is what causes ball death and how do you restore a ball’s ability to hook. Before we get into the restoration of a used ball it is important understand why a ball loses its ability to hook.

According to Nick Siefers, a Research Engineer for the USBC, loss of ball reaction is due to two factors- oil absorption and surface wear. Today’s performance bowling balls use highly porous urethanes that absorb oil very quickly. The rate at which these coverstocks absorb oil directly affects the cover’s ability to adhere to the lane surface. This is very similar to a kitchen sponge absorbing water. Over time both the sponge and the coverstock will become saturated. For this reason oil has no place to go and stays on the bowling ball surface and decreases the amount of friction between the ball and the lane surface.

Initially this can be seen as a positive for aggressive bowling balls. A freshly drilled high performance ball may hook too early for the preference of the bowler. After a few games the initial oil absorption will tame the ball down enough to get the ball through the front of the lane. With that said, the ball will continue to hook less without regular maintenance.

As stated earlier, surface wear is the second factor in the loss of ball reaction. Friction is created any time two textured surfaces are in contact. Bowling balls are no exception. As a ball travels down the lane friction alters the surface of the ball. Dull balls tend begin to develop a light polish while polished balls will become dull. If thrown long enough without cleaning or sanding the track portion of both the polished ball and the dull ball will become the same roughness. Some call this “tracking out” while others may call it “track burn”.

Again, this process may be seen as a positive in some instances. Have you ever thrown a freshly polished ball only to see the ball react stronger after a few shots? Burning some of the polish off of a freshly shined ball can eliminate some of the initial uncontrollability most bowlers encounter.

Now that you have taken the time to understand why balls stop hooking you are probably saying to yourself; “That’s great, but what can I do to keep from owning a $230 lawn ornament?” You have several options, but it is important to select the proper one for the brand of ball you own. Using a method of ball restoration not recommended by the manufacturer can void the ball’s warranty. With that said, the three primary methods for restoring ball reaction are ‘Hook Again’, heating, and liquid extraction.

HOOK AGAIN

Hook Again is a product developed by Ebonite International. This product utilizes several different materials ranging from clay wood particles. In the ‘Hook Again’ system the ball is suspended inside a plastic chamber with the ‘Hook Again’ material surrounding the ball. The cocktail of different materials absorbs oil and reactive material from the surface of the ball. For optimal results the ball should be left in the ‘Hook Again’ chamber for at least one day.

HEATING

Heating a ball has been used to remove oil and restore ball reaction since the mid 90’s. Applying heat to the ball draws oil to the surface. If you have ever left a ball in your trunk on a hot day you may have seen the ball “sweating” when you opened your bag. To date there are two models of ovens developed specifically for the restoration of ball reaction. The first was the ‘Rejuvenator’. The heat for the ‘Rejuvenator’ was generated by a heat lamp inside an insulated and reflective chamber. A small oscillating motor rotated the ball to distribute the heat evenly across the ball’s surface. The ‘Revivor’ works in similar fashion with two exceptions. The first is a variable temperature feature which allows the user to heat the ball at a slower rate and keep the temperature lower to reduce possible cracking. The ‘Revivor’ also utilizes a cloth pad to wipe off the extracted oil.

NOTE: It is important to note that several manufacturers do not advocate the use of the above mentioned process for ball restoration. Consult with the manufacturer of the ball or your local pro shop before using this method. Failure to do so could result in a void of the manufacturer’s warranty.

LIQUID EXTRACTION

Liquid extraction has become one of the most common methods of restoration in the last three years. In this method the ball is submersed in warm tap water for one to three hours. The heat from the tap water draws oil out of the ball. Over time the oil will rise to the top of the container. The film of oil is visible to the naked eye. This method can be used when a loss of total hook becomes noticeable. It is important to be aware that the ball will absorb water. Anyone living in a colder climate should let the ball dry overnight before you leave the ball in your car.

SURFACE MANAGEMENT

Because so much time and attention has been given to oil absorption, regular maintenance of the ball surface has become one of the most commonly overlooked aspects of ball motion. The ball surface should be restored every 40 to 60 games depending on the lane condition. Wood lane surfaces and lighter oil patterns will require more frequent attention to the ball’s surface.

The million dollar question is: “How much of a ball’s reaction is restored by these methods?” Unfortunately the jury is still out. The one certainty is that a ball will never perform as it did when it was first used. While the processes explained above have been proven to restore a ball’s ability to perform at a level close to a new ball, it will never be the same as the day you took it out of the pro shop. The best plan of action is to clean your equipment immediately after bowling and to use the recommended oil extraction method every 100 games or sooner if necessary. Focus on prolonging the life of your equipment rather than saving it. Isn’t it easier to prevent a heart attack than it is to recover from one?

Editors Note: For more information visit your SmartBowler pro shop.

Reprinted with permission from Bowling This Month, copyright. No part of this article may be reproduced in any form.

Summer Bowling Camp For Middle and High School Bowlers

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 16:31:42 GMT

June 6th through June 10th, 2011. Call for details.

Top of the Pyramid- Mental Toughness, by Charley Wilson

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:43:15 GMT

Many thoughts have been written about the mental aspects of all sports. In my view, there are two distinct parts of what I call the mental game. First, the technical part: analyzing what is happening on the lanes and using your brain to decide what you need to do. Second, and the more traditionally “mental” part, is more handling your emotions regarding yourself and your abilities. Some elements of this include positive self-talk, visualization (of processes and of results), relaxation, and even self-hypnosis.

The analytical process. It’s not easy to be purely analytical during competition; too many other things intrude. This aspect of mental toughness requires you to divorce yourself from your involvement in what’s happening, and treat yourself simply as a bowler you are watching. What is he/she (you) doing and what is the result? What is wrong (if it is) and what should that bowler do to fix it?

The emotional process. Here we really get into the mind, not the brain. I don’t pretend to be in the same league as psychologists and other professionals who really study how the mind works. So many things have been written about this aspect of the mental game, I can bring only one thing somewhat new to the table. Some years ago, I wrote an article, published in IBPSIA’s Merchandising Trends, called “The Custer Effect”. The title was a tongue-in-cheek reference to the difference between performance in league warmup period and when the scoring starts. My premise was that the major difference in the relaxed, strike-at-will performance “before the arrows appear”, and the subsequent failure to perform as well when it counts, is caused by caring what happens during the latter period. The following is from that piece:

There you are, striking like crazy during warm-up. The grip is soft, the swing pure. You're perfectly balanced at release, and the ball finds the pocket like a homesick gopher. Even the rare off hit scatters the pins, sending scouts flying at those corner pins. Then, just like at the Little Big Horn, the arrows appear and it all goes south. Why? Tension. Or, maybe more accurately, intention. When you were practicing, what happened on the pin deck really didn't matter. Now, it does.

--So, where before you were simply looking to see what happened so you could find your best strike line, now you're trying to make something happen. Your focus has shifted from open and curious, feeling the swing and watching the result, to trying to get the ball into the pocket and strike. You may be nervous, trying to be too careful, squeezing the grip a little, adding a little muscle, or even just caring too much what happens. Maybe you're wondering if the shot is still there, or if you're good enough.

--So, how do you return to what was working? You must (and you've heard this before in many different words), "relax", "stay in the process", "don't worry about the result", "just throw a good shot", etc. What that really means is that you have to NOT CARE. ---

--But how do you do that? I don't know. Nobody really knows. Anybody that tells you they KNOW how to do that is either messin' with you or just misleading themselves. Because nobody but you can tell what's going to work for YOU.

--You can try focusing on one single thought, to block out the many random thoughts that might bombard you. A key thought such as "smooth swing", "finish on balance", or "feel the ball weight" may work. Try a deep "belly breath" just before starting the approach. The calm and confidence you need might come from knowing you can handle whatever happens, so you need to be confident in your spare-shooting ability.

--Experiment with ways to focus on the process, not the pin-deck. Whatever you do, you have to commit to every shot and be absolutely ready to live with the result.

It’s not really that you don’t care. If you didn’t care, you wouldn’t be reading this. But to be really mentally tough, you have to perform the part you can control as if you didn’t care about the result. I will further develop the premise in subsequent articles, and add some of the tidbits I’ve gathered over the years, some from others’ writings, some from other bowlers, a few from my own experience, and many from my students.

Strategies. First, develop your physical game. Without a firm belief in your fundamentals, you can’t be free to enjoy the rest of the game. Know your strengths, work on your weaknesses. Know your equipment (maybe consider limiting your ball selection until you really know them well – check out the Smartbowler Ball Guide (http://www.smartbowler.com/Ball_Guide.html). Find a coach you’re comfortable with and tape yourself when you’re happy with your fundamentals so you can check back when things start to slide.

Practice on different lane conditions, from different lines, and with different equipment and releases, again, so you have no reason to doubt that you CAN do what you want to do, even if you don’t always do it when you want to. Remember the adjustment key: EARLS (Equipment, Angle, Release, Loft, and Speed).

In short, once you’ve progressed this far up the pyramid, the only thing left is to revel in the pure shot, regardless of the result. It’s often been said that “perfect is the enemy of great”. In other words, striving for perfection can cause a failure of greatness. I’ll bet some of the best bowling memories you’ve ever had were from less than 300 games, and I’ve never heard a person complain about the tugged, heavy, tripped 4-pin strike that kept his 300 from being a “perfect” (100% pocket-hit) perfect game.

Charley Wilson, a USBC Silver Level Coach, has been coaching professionally since 1996. A retired USAF fighter pilot, he currently works as a USBC certified Silver coach and IBPSIA-certified pro shop ball fitter/driller. Charley is married (Sheila) and lives in St. Louis, MO. Contact - CGWJR@charter.net

Up the Pyramid (Breakpoint Management) by Charley Wilson

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 20:42:34 GMT

Click here to read the PDF article.

In our climb up the Smartbowler pyramid, we have seen how a mastery of fundamentals is necessary for consistency and power; how you must chose the right equipment to match up with your bowling style and the with lane conditions; and how you must constantly be alert for the need for adjustments to keep your ball in play. The purpose of the entire exercise is to get your ball to the pocket with the right speed, angle, and rolling performance. The connection between all those processes and that great pocket hit is the breakpoint. “Breakpoint Management” is based on the theory that there is one point (and area around it) on each side of every lane that will give you the best percentage possibility of a strike. The most successful professional and high-average amateur bowlers have for years spent their pre-squad times watching where the bowlers ahead of them are scoring best, and tried to get their shots into the same area. If you can find that spot/area with the right ball reaction, you stand the best chance of scoring. To quote the late Bob Summerville, founder of Bowling This Month magazine, even the best “can’t beat a monkey in a red jacket” if they are playing the lane wrong and the monkey is playing the lane correctly.

Of course, there is really no real point at which the ball breaks. A point would require an immediate change of direction, like banking a billiard ball off a cushion,

but that’s not what happens. Actually, the friction between the lane and the skidding, revolving ball slows the ball’s revolutions. Those revolutions, with increasing friction acting at an angle different from the direction of travel, gradually change the skid into a roll in the direction of the revolutions. The resulting curve is the “hook” part of the ball path. Whether this happens in a long, smooth arc or a more sudden, dramatic one depends on the ball (the core, coverstock, and layout), the bowler (axis rotation, axis tilt, and revolution rate), and the lane condition (lane surface and oil pattern). Regardless of how angular the change looks from the bowler’s perspective, the break is still a curve, not a point.

So how do we define breakpoint in a useful way? For me, it is the place on the lane at which, from the bowler’s perspective, the ball begins its hook toward the pocket. The emphasis on those two phrases is because, if you stand at a different place than the bowler who released the ball, the ball may appear to hook at a different spot. In extreme crossing angles, it may appear to be the closest to the gutter that the ball gets; in more direct lines, it may simply be when the hook is first obvious. Figure 1 shows several examples.

Figure 1

You can see that, viewed from the extreme inside (left) line, the breakpoint appears to be the furthest right the ball travels on the way to the pins. From the middle track, a smoother arc, it is less obvious where the ball stops getting closer to the gutter. In the outside line, the ball is furthest right at release, so the breakpoint is where the major portion of the hook begins. Both of these “points” are really areas, so we have to be somewhat flexible in how we use the terms. Having said that, these three bowlers are using essentially the same breakpoint on the lane.

The optimum breakpoint on any given lane is determined by many factors: topography of the lane, lane surface, oil pattern, the set of the pins, etc. There is no way to accurately predict exactly where it will be, but there are clues. The length of the oil pattern is a place to start, but that is a long discussion, and will be dealt with in later articles. In the meantime, let’s assume that the further from that optimum “point” your ball breaks, the lower your chances of a strike. Figure 2 below shows bowler 1’s breakpoint target on a hypothetical lane where the optimum breakpoint is the 8 board at, let’s say, 45 feet from the foul line. The strike possibilities are shown as concentric circles, with the highest (90% - nothing is ever 100%) on the 8 board, 80% on the 6 and 10 boards, and 70% on the 4 and 12 boards. These hypothetical boards and percentages are only approximations, simply to demonstrate the concept. Figure 3 shows bowler 2 targeting a deeper breakpoint on the 12 board, not this lane’s optimum spot. The center of bowler 2’s target offers him only a 70% chance of a strike, with lower percentages inside his target and further from the 8 board. Note that if bowler 2 misses outside, closer to bowler 1’s target, his percentages increase. Most of us have experienced this, the “area-check” shot that comes roaring back into the pocket for a perfect strike.

Figure 2

Figure 3

Future discussions of breakpoint management will center on the following:

There is an optimum breakpoint on any lane (though they may not be the same on any given pair),
Regardless of your style, finding that spot/area will give you the best chance to score,
There are ways of identifying the optimum breakpoint, and,
You need to know the type of ball motion you need from different breakpoints.

Remember, he/she who finds it first, wins.

Strategies: First, you have to know your own game. How closely do you watch where your ball makes the transition from skid, through the hook phase, into a roll? Many bowlers know whether they hit their target at the arrows or not. But if your launch angle or your approach direction is inconsistent, your ball may take an erratic path across that arrow, making your breakpoint inconsistent. Poor ball-speed control may have a great effect on the length of the breakpoint distance. If your balance is not good at release, if you don’t really “post” the shot, your ability to see the actual breakpoint may be compromised. Do you watch the highest scorers to see where their balls are breaking? They may not be exactly the same on your lane(s), but if they are on the same oil pattern, they should at least give you some clues as to where to try.

As we’ve said before, this takes dedication, and probably the help of a coach. Look for coaches through any Smartbowler Pro Shop, at http://www.bowlspot.com/ or the “Find a…” function of the USBC website at http://bowl.com/.

Up the Pyramid (Adjustments) by Charley Wilson

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 21:05:58 GMT

Once the basics are learned, the challenge becomes recognizing and adapting to changes in conditions. Remember, in today’s environment, with more and more aggressive balls and more and more oil to combat them, every ball rolled changes the lane conditions. Coping with these continuous changes may involve changing the bowler’s physical game, the equipment used, or the way the lanes are played.

What's the problem?

As we know, there is more oil in the center of the lane than toward the edges (Figure 1 - obviously lane width is not to scale). As balls roll through the oil, it moves. Some of the balls absorb it, some drag it down toward the pins, and some do a little of both. In any case, pretty soon there's a dry track through the lane heads where there was oil when you started. And there's a track of oil on the back ends where there was none earlier. Depending on who's bowling with you, the tracks are small and all in one place, or wide and scattered all over. What to do depends on how you bowl and how the lanes break down.

If you’re paired with a lot of real crankers using dull, aggressive balls, the head oil may disappear first (Figure 2), making your ball roll and hook early and too much, leaving high hits and splits.

If the other bowlers are using weaker, polished, or even polyester equipment and fewer revolutions, the oil may simply move down into the back ends (figure 3), essentially extending the length of the oil pattern. This weakens your ball reaction and leaves light hits and washouts. Obviously the adjustments are much different for the two situations. Chances are, you’ll see a combination of the two (Figure 4). This combination causes the ball to (1) try to roll early and use up its energy, because of the drier heads, and (2) lose the hook in the back ends due to both lack of energy and less friction in the back ends.

What can you do about it?

The choice of adjustment strategies depends on the bowler’s comfort level with the alternatives. A way to think of the options is to use the acronym of one of the sport’s greatest players; Earl Anthony.

By altering Equipment, Angle, Release, Loft, and Speed (EARLS), you can choose the kind of adjustment with which you are most comfortable, or which is the most appropriate for the situation.

Equipment. As the oil dries up in the heads, weaker, shinier, or pearlized balls may make it through without hooking too soon. Aggressive balls with layouts designed to roll later may do the same job. If the ball is losing finish due to carry-down, a ball that hooks and sets sooner may defeat the lack of friction in the back end.

Angle. If you’re overhooking, you may need to move your feet toward the middle of the lane to chase the oil line. Don’t just move your feet, move your target deeper, too, or you’ll just send your ball further outside into drier conditions. If the opposite happens, a tighter, more direct line may be necessary.

Release. Ball roll/hooking too soon? Try to get your hand more around it at release, or reduce the wrist cup for fewer revolutions. Skidding past the pocket? Add revolutions or keep the hand more behind the ball at release.

Loft. You may be able to loft the ball over the offending dry heads, but can you do it with accuracy? Or maybe laying it down right at the foul line will bet some more roll out of it.

Speed. Anybody can throw the ball harder, but can you do so with accuracy? Without screwing up your timing? Can you soften the shot just the tiny bit needed to get it to finish right, and make those 9's into 10's? Sometimes increasing speed feels the same as increasing loft, but is it?

Strategies: First, you have to know your own game. Which of the adjustment strategies is best for you, which ones do you struggle with, and which combinations of changes go together (i.e., a deeper angle with a more angular-hooking ball)? As we’ve said before, this takes dedication, and probably the help of a coach. Look for coaches through any Smartbowler Pro Shop, at http://www.bowlspot.com/ or the "Find a..." function of the USBC website at http://bowl.com/. Know your arsenal; make sure any additions to it do what you want them to do to fill any gaps. Check the Smartbowler ball Guide to for the hook and angularity ("snap") ratings of the current balls available.

Core Technology 101: An Analysis of Spherical, Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Core Design

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 19:36:31 GMT

By Randy Teitloff
Ebonite International, Inc.

Editor’s note: This article is a good illustration of the technical knowledge that pro shop professionals must command in order to provide the level of service to serious bowlers. This is only a very small part of the basic information which goes into properly selecting and drilling a bowling ball. Your Smartbowler Pro Shop is your resource.

In this article we are going to talk about cores in order to build an understanding of what it all means, breakthrough the mysticism that surrounds this aspect of a bowling ball, and get to the facts and simple truths. When talking about the subject, as with anything, there is always some degree of skepticism or uncertainty regarding the validity of claims one might hear that a concept in technology brings. Some of the claims that have been made are nested in truth while others stem from misconceptions. This article will present the proven results of years of work into the insight and understanding of the mechanics of core technology.

Cores come in a variety of shapes and sizes and, depending on the type of core used in a ball, will impart a particular property or characteristic to the ball. This article will discuss the attributes and features that make up the core and talk in terms that describe the nature of the core itself. In order to do this it is necessary to first establish a common frame of reference when discussing this matter and also to reflect on the technology of the past in an effort to appreciate the current trend in technology.

At this point it is probably prudent to define some terms that are used to describe certain qualities of a core including Mass Bias or intermediate differential, Radius of Gyration (RG) and Differential (Diffs). To begin with, Mass Bias or intermediate differential is not really as it states, the purposeful vectoring of mass from the geometric center of the ball to induce an imbalance. It actually is changing the mass properties, generally core shape, in a way that creates a difference in the RG values about the three axes of a bowling ball. To describe what a core is, we in the industry use measurable terms like RG and Diffs that quantify how tall or wide a core is, whether a ball is mass centered or cover heavy and also how uniform or non-uniform the shape of the core happens to be.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

There are three basic, fundamental or distinctive types of cores: spherical (Figure 1), symmetrical (Figure 2), and asymmetrical (Figure 3). Obviously the spherical core is merely a standard, full size core that has been used for years. It imparts very little dynamics to affect ball performance. Other than coverstock variations, there just aren’t enough inertial differences in the mass properties of the ball to create strong processional forces to steer the ball toward the pocket to the degree of other core technology types. This stems from the fact that there is very little difference in RG values anywhere on the ball, particularly the principle axes of the ball that has a spherical core in it.

In 2-piece cores, like the standard "light bulb" symmetrical or more complex asymmetrical type, they can and do possess the forces necessary to affect a change in the path of the ball down the lane to a greater degree than that of the spherical core design.

In the past, some have referred to the "light bulb" design as an asymmetrical core. This is a misconception. While it is more asymmetrical than a spherical core, it is still not a good idea to refer to it as a truly asymmetrical core shape since there is symmetry in the core. A "light bulb" type core has a low RG inertial axis and a high RG inertial axis that is perpendicular to the lowest. Moreover, the RG inertial reading that is taking 90 degrees to the pin all around the ball has relatively the same inertial value. What you wind up with is a ball that has the concentric or circular distribution of differing RG values that are "symmetric" about the pin and hence the term symmetrical core.

An asymmetrical core is one where there are three distinctive RG values along the cores principle axes: the low RG inertial axis, which is usually in the area of the pin, an intermediate RG inertial axis that is 90 degrees to the pin and a high RG inertial axis that is 90 degrees from both the pin and median axes. Does this matter? The answer is yes. In order to distinguish the differences between core types it is better to use terms that best fit the description of the mass properties the core happens to exhibit.

Why does Ebonite International make so many different types of cores? The main reason is to affect the kinematics of the ball. The technology of core designs is making use of the inertial dynamics that are possible in bowling balls. It is exploring the limits of mass distribution to create new potential tools that affect ball motion.

What are the advantages of the different types of cores? Before this is answered directly, let’s take a look at the progression of ball technology over the years. First is the development of balls that utilized large, full-sized cores. If you were to measure the inertial dynamics of these types of balls, you would find the inertial measures were the same no matter where the measurement was taken. This can be seen in Figure 1 where a value might be taken as an RG of 2.510 at the pin and an RG of 2.513 that is on the perpendicular axes. At most, the values may be different by only a small factor. The only real mechanism, other than the veneer, to manipulate ball motion was the use of static weight imbalance. It is widely known the use of finger/thumb, positive/negative, and top/bottom weights have a direct impact on ball motion with these types of balls.

As technology progressed through the years, core designs changed. They became less symmetric. The familiar "light bulb" shape became the staple core and since then a myriad of complex and bizarre shapes emerged. However, they all possess the same fundamental premise as the original Hammer type core that started this phenomenon.

As mentioned previously, these balls have inertial properties that are different than those of the full size spherical cores. In Figure 2, the values for the pin RG might be 2.510 and perpendicular to the pin in any orientation about the pin can measure the same RG of as little as 2.52 to 2.57 as an example. This is an incredible leap over spherical cores.

Later it was found that static weights played less of a part in manipulating ball motion and use of pin position dictated a predominant influence. This was mainly due to the fact that a new property became manifested by virtue of the mass properties from the core. It seemed that the differential in inertial parameters induces a secondary axis of spin brought about by the rotational axis. This secondary spin axis is what we call the bowler’s PAP migration or precession movement. This precession movement gave rise to what is known as track flare.

Now we come to the totally asymmetric cores or the ones with the mass bias. This type of core creates differences in all three principal axes of the ball. In Figure 3, we see that a measurement about these axes will yield three different RG values. The values between the pin and 90 degrees to the pin is the same as that of non-mass bias cores; however, in this case, there is a difference in the RG values of the two 90 degree to the pin. This value can be as low as 0.005 and as high as 0.030 differential RG.

These core types function in much the same way as symmetric cores do; yet, they have added features to exploit that are not possible with symmetrical cores. With this core type you have a ball that has the progressively non-concentric or an elliptical distribution of differing RG values that are "asymmetric" about the pin and hence the term asymmetrical core.

The first benefit is derived from the inherent strength contained in the mass bias in that it can influence ball motion to the same degree as static imbalances did for full size spherical cores. In a sense, it could be like having a dynamically imbalanced ball. That is, orienting the mass bias in different areas of the ball will have the same relative effect on the ball motion like finger/thumb, positive/negative and top/bottom positions. These changes were used in spherical type cores everyone has come to know and use through the years to change ball motion. In the case of this type of core, the effect is magnified and much more pronounced in changing the motion of the ball.

A core is considered an asymmetrical core when the RG values of the three main axes are different. Some cores may look asymmetric but are not because it is not merely the shape that dictates what a core is, it is the numbers that do. How different one might ask? Anything above a 0.005 begins to exhibit non-symmetrical behavior; the higher the number the stronger the influence. But for the sake of simplicity, if the Mass Bias or intermediate differential is at least 0.010 then it is generally considered a true asymmetrical ball.

One might think when looking at Figure 3 that an asymmetrical core is merely a symmetric core with a static imbalance that is positioned perpendicular to the primary imbalance of the bowling ball for the purpose of making the ball pin out rather than tilting or offsetting the core. Due to the limitations of the amount of top weight that a ball can have, the offset of the core is minimal and the highest value of an intermediate differential that can be generated is less than 0.005. A symmetric core is not going to be an asymmetric core just by tilting or positioning the core slightly offset to produce a pin position that is away from the pin.

Figure 4

Another way we can look at the three basic types of cores is in Figure 4 that shows all three core types together. The colored lines represent the principal axes of the core and the boxes represent the core. The diagram on the left represents the spherical core. As you can see, all sides are equal and will yield three axes of the same RG values. The diagram in the middle represents the symmetrical core and two of the sides are equal and one is different. In this case the core is taller than it is wider but the converse could be true and hold the same configuration in that two sides out of three would be equal. In the case of the diagram on the right, all three sides are not equal and would yield three different RG values, making it asymmetrical. It looks like a cigar box where the one side is taller; one side is narrow and the other is wide.

-Randy Teitloff is the Vice President of Research and Development for Ebonite International, Inc. This article, which is protected under copy right, is courtesy of Ebonite International, Inc. and should not be used without the company’s consent.

The Base of the Pyramid (Lane Play) by Charley Wilson

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 20:03:28 GMT

As the golfer needs to know about fairways and greens, the bowler needs to be familiar with the lane on which the game is played. Basic knowledge includes the types of lanes, the conditions in which one finds them, and the oil patterns used by proprietors to both protect the lanes and to change the way the bowler plays them. Different types, conditions and oil patterns, combined with the bowler's style, dictate the best way to play the lanes for maximum score. This is where all the basic elements come together to make bowling the complicated sport it can be at the highest levels of play. However, even at the recreational level, knowing the basics of lane play will remove some of the mysteries of why some things work and some don’t.

Originally, lanes were made of wood, with harder maple in the front part (the heads), and pine or softer wood in the rest of the lane. These lanes are susceptible to friction, and balls eventually wear a “track” which helps guide shots to the pocket. To help protect the heads from this wear, some lanes are covered with a plastic overlay. Even softer than the wood, these lanes tend to produce more hook in the heads than wood, so proprietors often increase the volume of head oil to counteract that early hook. The newer lane surfaces are a synthetic product, which is harder than wood. These lanes, too, can eventually “track up”, but it takes a lot longer for this to happen.

The lane material, combined with the oil pattern, determines how and where on the lane the rolling ball reacts with the surface. In the typical “house” pattern, oil is spread more heavily toward the middle of the lane, lighter toward the outside edges. The oil is also heavier in the heads, tapering out downlane, with the last third or so dry, at least when the lanes are freshly oiled. Figures 1 – 3 show the relative thickness of the oil in the typical house pattern. Figures 1 and 3 show only the first 40’ of the lane surface, so imagine another 20 feet of dry surface beyond that shown. Also note that, in Figure 2, the first and last boards show no oil, a characteristic of almost all oil patterns.

Figure 1- Overhead view

Figure 2- End view

Figure 3- Side view

These patterns allow “miss room” toward the outside of the lane, where less oil increases hook back toward the pocket, and inside, where more oil increases skid, to prevent over-hook. “Flatter”, more challenging patterns reduce these artificial aids, requiring more precision and consistency to score well. The USBC checks and certifies lane oil patterns periodically to ensure they conform to USBC requirements. Using too much oil inside or too little outside (often called a “wall”) makes the conditions too easy. Unless conditions are met, USBC will not grant awards for honor scores.

Learning where the oil is on your lanes and how to maximize your room for error is the essence of beginning lane play. Where and how you lay the ball down and where you aim depends on how much (or if) you hook the ball, what kind of ball you roll, the type of lane surface you are on, what oil pattern is present, and whether it is fresh or well used.

The figures show the fresh patterns before they are bowled on. Every shot moves the oil around on the lanes requiring the bowler to adjust where he/she plays. Newer, more porous balls also absorb oil and eventually dry out the heads causing early hook, while harder balls “carry down” oil into the previously dry "back ends” reducing hook near the pocket.

Making the adjustments needed to maximize scoring is the real challenge to today’s bowler, especially for the intermediate and advanced bowler. The next block in the Smartbowler Pyramid, Adjustments, will deal with the changes that moving oil requires. The USBC, bowling’s governing body, has created a robot bowler (“throwbot”) that can exactly reproduce a ball swing over and over again. But, because it is not designed to adjust for changing lane conditions, it is said to have never rolled a perfect game.

Strategies: Learning to read the lanes is not easy. Doing it well takes all three strategies, dedication, coaching and self-education.

For the first, you either have it or you don’t. If you have mastered the fundamentals and know yourself and your equipment (at whatever level to which you aspire), but still don’t seem to score as well as you think you should, maybe this is where you should concentrate your energy.

Since the lane oil is virtually invisible, you have to depend on the ball to tell you where it is. Seek out a coach to help you learn low to watch your ball to see where it skids, hooks and then rolls at the end. The best coaches will teach you to coach yourself by learning how to watch the change in ball roll. He/she will help you try different parts of the lane, different releases/speeds/lofts, and different equipment to see the effect of each change. As always, check the “Coaching” menu at http://www.bowlspot.com/ or the “Find a…” function of the USBC website at http://bowl.com/ or, again, through any Smartbowler Pro Shop, for a coach in your area.

And don’t forget to do your own research. The internet, books, and magazines abound with information to help you learn about lane play. Smartbowler.com has links to various websites that have lane pattern descriptions, such as the PBA “animal” patterns and magazines like Bowling This Month for articles on lane play, as well as bowlingbookstore.com for more information. Remember, as Yogi Berra said, “You can see a lot just by looking.”

The Base of the Pyramid (Fundamentals) by Charley Wilson

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 19:47:55 GMT

Determining where you are (and where you want to be) is paramount to deciding the path to take. It’s the first thing a coach will do when meeting you as a new client – watch you and see what basic skills already exist, especially what good ones you have, and ensure those are not lost in the improvement process. For me, there are three basic fundamentals that every bowler needs, regardless of their style. They are good balance, adequate pace, and a free armswing.

Balance. Balance is most significant, and fortunately, most evident, in the bowler’s finish position. Regardless how you get there, if you are balanced at release, and can keep that balance through the finish, the basic requirement is met. Obviously, good balance in the stance and throughout the approach may contribute to a good finish, but it does not always guarantee it. Also, balance alone does not a good bowler make.

Pace. Without a brisk but controllable pace, good balance may not produce an effective shot. Bowlers that seem to rush the approach are likely to have balance and accuracy issues, though they may appear to generate a lot of power; those who plod slowly to the line with a controlled armswing may be on balance throughout, but may not generate sufficient ball speed or revolutions to be effective. Even accuracy can suffer from too much control of the armswing, often seen in the slower-paced bowlers. Your pace is frequently determined in large part by your personality. The way you interact with the rest of the world is probably reflected in your bowling style. Be aware of that connection if considering dramatic changes in your style.

Free Armswing. For any style, the key to scoring is repeatability of the approach, armswing, and release. A key to repeatability is the free armswing. Many bowlers are successful at some levels with a largely muscled armswing. However, the vast majority of champions have at least a free-flowing forward swing, even if there is some muscle evident in getting the ball to the top of the backswing. For most of us mortals, it is difficult to relax the chain of muscles from fingers to shoulder once tightened, so staying relaxed from the beginning is best. This starts in the stance, with the ball weight supported (in large part to almost completely) by the non-bowling hand.

The physical game can be broken down into many elements (stance, start, footwork, armswing, finish, release, timing, etc). As we detail all of these elements in future discussions, we will see how each of them contributes to the three basics noted above.

Strategies. You must decide what your bowling goals are, what skills are needed to meet those goals, and what your current skill level is. If you are close to your goals, you may only need to review your fundamentals, check an occasional website, or practice a time or two. Magazines for serious bowlers can be found at http://bowlingthismonth.com/ or http://bowlersjournal.com/; other educational information is available at www.bowlingbookstore.com or through any Smartbowler Pro Shop. If your goals are more distant, read and research, of course, but you should also find a qualified coach to help you map your journey. He or she can help you decide how much work you need to do to get to your goal. Qualified coaches can be found using the “Coaching” menu at http://www.bowlspot.com/ or the “Find a…” function of the USBC website at http://bowl.com/ or, again, through any Smartbowler Pro Shop. Above all, don’t assume that what you need will come to you. Go get it!

From Possum to Performance: The Elusive Out of Box Reaction

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 21:16:56 GMT

By Victor Marion, Technical Service Manager, Storm Products, Inc.

The evolution of cover stock technology has dramatically changed the sport of bowling since the first introduction of urethane and the consequential additive technologies (reactive urethane) that followed shortly thereafter. Since then, the sport of bowling has eagerly waited for the unveiling of the newest and greatest reactive cover stock. However, with this eager excitement also follows a taboo phrase that is commonly associated with the newest and great technology. This taboo phrase, of course, is “ball death.”

All too commonly, whispers or even outright war cries echo through the community that the newest technology works great, but dies after only a few months, weeks, or even games. The striking ball that shot 790 last week fails to kick out the ten pin the following week. The claims are always the same: the lanes haven’t changed; the pattern is the same; nothing is different. Therefore, the conclusion is that the ball is “dead.” Worse yet, when the pro shop attempts to resurface the ball back to the factory finish, the ball rolls straighter than it did before it was fixed.

So the question had to be posed: what can be done to stop ball death, or what can be done to restore a dead ball? The general rule of thumb has always been to de-oil the ball, and then refinish the ball back to the factory finish. However, in so many instances, the results are always the same. The ball looks great, but now its performance is less than expected. Luckily, we know a few given facts that help us isolate the problem. We know that the weight block hasn’t changed, the bowler’s release hasn’t changed, and the oil pattern hasn’t changed. Through this process of elimination, we know that the only variable left is the cover stock.

Fortunately, the time and research spent on ball death came into fruition as we began to discover the underlying cause of ball death. However, before we can examine the final performance of a ball, we must first examine its beginning when it is still an infant as a core, cradled in a plastic mold, not yet wrapped in urethane. After the weight block and core have been created, the reactive urethane is poured around the core and allowed to harden. Once it sets, it is removed from the mold and allowed to sit for several hours to finish curing and hardening. Only then is this sphere of urethane lathed into the uniform round sphere we know as a bowling ball. And so therein lies the first key to the out-of-box performance.

The process of rounding a ball is simply a matter of lathing the urethane into a uniform sphere. This is achieved by rotating the ball rapidly on a lathe while a very sharp and precisely calibrated blade cuts the ball into a uniform shape; the cut is relatively smooth and has perfectly rounded the ball to a few thousandths of an inch. Next, the ball is resurfaced for a few minutes with a rough grit to remove any lathe marks, and then finished with the appropriate grit.

To the naked eye, all is well; the ball is round, the surface is smooth, and the reaction is great. However, on a microscopic level only viewable in millionths of an inch, this smooth surface more closely resembles the jagged and ridged structure of a mountain range.

In truth, the surface of the ball is very porous with steep valleys, ridges, peaks, and craters that have been created by the chemical nature of the reactive urethane as it cures. The effect is multiplied by the lathe and finishing process. This surface is like the treads on a tire: the greater the topography or deviations of the cover, the greater the ball’s ability is to generate friction in oil. Similarly, when these surface deviations wear, the ball acts like bald tires on water. Rather than displacing oil, allowing the ball to read the pattern, it hydroplanes, creating less traction in the oil. At this point, the ball is now “dead” since it no longer has the ability to navigate the pattern or generate the same amount of friction it once did in the back-ends.

Luckily, the odds are this ball is not actually dead, but rather playing possum, waiting for the right opportunity to spring back to life. This can be achieved through simple resurfacing, but not through conventional methods. For example, if the ball has an out-of-box finish of 4000-grit Abralon®, the normal routine used for restoring the factory finish is as follows: 360-grit to cut the surface; 500-grit to remove the 360-grit cut marks; 1000-grit to remove the 500-grit cut marks; and so on, until the ball is shiny, bright, and perfectly smooth with a “4000” finish. This ball looks great now, but in truth, with each sequentially higher grit used, we remove and lessen the deep valleys, ridges, peaks, and craters that once gave the ball life. Now, this freshly resurfaced ball is more cosmetically appealing, but it is still not the same as it was from the factory.

So what is the trick to resurfacing the ball so that it works as it was originally intended? The trick is simple, but it runs counter to accepted woodworking and carpentry practices. Rather than going through each grit sequentially from lowest to highest, we need to skip the intermediate steps. For example, a factory finish of 4000-grit Abralon® can be achieved by using 500-grit Abralon® to deeply cut the surface of the ball, exposing fresh cover stock, removing lane damage and recreating the same topography originally made during the manufacturing process. Next, skip the 1000-grit and 2000-grit processes and go directly to 4000-grit. This has the effect of creating a strong surface topography with numerous peaks and valleys that generate friction on the back-ends. However, the 4000-grit finish rounds the sharp edges and points that can cause the ball to read the lane too early; this allows the ball to skid in the heaviest oil (the heads), still read the buff and lighter volume (the mid-lanes) but still generate massive amounts of friction in the dry (back-ends). Hence, the ball now has the perfect amount of skid, hook, and roll to generate the right amount of movement in the right places.

Now that we know the trick is skipping some of the intermediate grits, we should be able to restore the reaction from the original out-of-box finish and revive a once thought to be dead ball. Also, it’s important to keep in mind that this finish method can be used to change the reaction of any ball.

Here are a few useful combinations:

500-grit This reaction causes the ball to read extremely early. This usually on works well on extremely heavy patterns or very direct angles by speed dominate players.

360, 1000-grit This reaction gives the ball more length than 500 alone, but still has a significant ability to generate friction in heavier oil. This works well on heavy patterns with fresh back-ends.

500, 2000-grit This reaction is a very good benchmark reaction as the ball has enough topography to still generate friction in medium to light oil, but not enough to cause the ball to read too early in most cases. This finish delays the hook transition, allowing for a strong entry angle.

500, 4000-grit This reaction works extremely well on multiple patterns, giving the ball easy length through the heads, a subtle but noticeable mid-lane reaction, and an enormous amount of friction at the end of the pattern. This finish can generate some of the strongest entry angles possible on fresh patterns, but may start to skid too far as the pattern carries downlane.

Of course, there are multiple methods, resurfacing mediums, and grits available on the market, all of which will yield slightly different results causing a ball to read earlier or later, with more or less on the back-ends.

As a final recommendation, whenever making surface adjustments, our research has shown that the lowest grit should be applied with more pressure, but for a shorter duration. The higher grits should be applied with less pressure, but for a longer time. This will have the desired effect of creating strong surface deviations to displace oil, but will also round the edges, peaks, and valleys enough to get the desired amount of skid.

EDITORS NOTE: YOUR PRO SHOP PROFESSIONAL HAS THE KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE, AND EQUIPMENT TO BRING YOUR POSSUM BALL TO LIFE!

Victor Marion is a USBC Silver Level Coach, IBPSIA certified Advanced Technician, and works for Storm Products as their R&D Technician. For any additional information, please email Tech@StormBowling.com.

The Base of the Pyramid (Equipment Knowledge) by Charley Wilson

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 19:50:06 GMT

Knowing your game requires knowing yourself, the bowling balls you use, and the connection between them: your grip.

Yourself. Knowing yourself involves knowing your personality, your physical makeup/limitations, and how you approach, swing, and release the ball. What kind of bowler are you? We often call bowlers strokers, tweeners, or crankers, based on how much they hook the ball. Current coaching philosophy regards the release point as the critical issue in determining if your release is “roll” (earlier), “neutral” (on-time), or leverage” (later). Other parameters you should know are your ball speed, revolutions, axis rotation, and axis tilt. Those physical characteristics are what define your part in the “equipment” puzzle.

Bowling Balls. There is more to know about bowling balls every year. In the recent past, balls were plastic (polyester), urethane or reactive resin. Today’s ball coverstocks include various combinations of particle, solid, pearl, “hybrid” (?), and other proprietary chemical formulas. Surface texture, generally considered to have the greatest effect on ball reactions, can vary from highly polished to extremely rough. Balls cores vary in strength, with asymmetric cores generally stronger than symmetric ones.

You need to know, in general, what works for you and what doesn’t, if only to keep from stocking up on the latter. For example, a bowler with slow ball speed, low axis tilt, and a leverage release (high revolutions) would probably not match up to a strong, early-rolling ball with a rough surface; conversely a high speed, roll-type release, or one with high tilt might need that exact type of ball to generate the friction required to hook and roll.

Your Grip. This is where the two parts of the physical equipment meet – your hand. It’s often said that you can’t outperform (nor can a coach out-coach) a bad grip. Your grip needs to be comfortable, allow the ball to hold onto your hand (yes, not the other way around) without your squeezing, and let your thumb exit cleanly. You need to know the basics of span, hole size, and pitch to understand why the grip is drilled the way it is, and how changes in your hand can affect it. Unless you are a trained ball technician, you need to rely on a professional pro shop to assess your grip and provide your best fit.

Strategies. Knowing your own game thoroughly will take some time, energy and dedication. If yours is limited, you should probably focus on the measurable physical parameters (ball speed, revolutions, axis rotation, and axis tilt). A coach can help you discover those factors, so you’ll have an idea what type ball to look for. Noted coach Ron Clifton publishes a lot of articles on the physical game. His archives (http://www.bowl4fun.com/ron/roncarchive.htm) are a good source.

If you haven’t had a grip check in a while, look into the “newer” technologies letting us to fit you better. We can now drill an oval hole to exactly fit your thumb (and even fingertips). You can move that thumbhole from ball to ball using Vice’s IT (http://www.viseinserts.com/it.html) and

Turbo’s Switch Grips (http://www.bowlersdream.com/switchgrip.html).

Check out the Smartbowler Ball Guide (http://www.smartbowler.com/Ball_Guide.html) for the hook (strength) and snap (length) ratings of current balls. More about these ratings later. More technical data is available from USBC: their recently completed ball motion study can be found at http://www.bowlingdigital.com/bowl/node/4039.

In addition, Bowling this Month magazine (http://www.bowlingthismonth.com/) rates balls for total hook, length, torque, back end and a few other parameters, and Bowlers Journal International (http://www.bowlersjournal.com/) rates them for hook and angularity.

The Smartbowler Pyramid by Charley Wilson

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:28:47 GMT

Smartbowler.com believes the sport of bowling needs bowlers who enjoy the game, want to improve, and are willing to take the steps necessary to do so. In continuing to pursue those aims, we will devote part of the website to coaching. We base bowler improvement on the “Smartbowler Pyramid’ (figure 1), a program of bowler development based on the major components of a sound game of bowling. There are many ways to look at the components of excellence in bowling; this is only one of them.

This approach (pardon the pun) is a simplified way to gather the basic building blocks together to allow the beginner, intermediate or advanced bowler to assess the state of his or her skills, seek additional information and help, and plan ways to expand those skills to the level desired.

As you see in the pyramid below, the lowest building blocks are the foundation of the game (Fundamentals, Equipment Knowledge, and Lane Play). These are the minimum skills required to enjoy bowling as a sport. Adjustments and Breakpoint Management form the next level, and finally, for the tournament bowler or more advanced league play, Mental Toughness.

At the base level, we believe even your experience in casual recreational bowling will improve as you learn more about the physical fundamentals of the approach, armswing and release, how bowling balls fit, how the difference in ball cores and coverstocks affect your game, and strategies for playing the oil conditions on the lanes. Those interested in advancing in the sport will want to understand adjustments to changing lane conditions. The physical game culminates in learning to manage your breakpoint – the real purpose of all that’s gone before. Once a certain level is reached, you must learn to accept that everything will not always go as you intend - a high degree of mental toughness is required to really excel. Of course, more advanced bowlers should not hesitate to review information at a more basic level. Every element has all levels of detail, subtleties, concepts, and different ways of looking at things that might surprise you. You never know when something simple and basic can fix a problem you might not even know you have.

Nothing worthwhile comes easy. Progress up this pyramid will require some strategies (Figure 2). If you expect to improve, you must dedicate the time and energy to the task. You will need to find a coach to work with you; there’s no substitute for trained coaching. Finally, you must take the initiative to educate yourself through on-line, text, and other resources, and attendance at bowling camps or clinics.

Smartbowler.com will expand each of the pyramid’s building blocks to include the basic information, give you tips to improve, acquaint you with coaching philosophies and contact information, recommend practice drills and regimens, and provide on-line links and other resources for your further education. We will answer general questions from you, address any specific issues you have, and consider your recommendations for program improvement.

Charley Wilson, a USBC Silver Level Coach, has been coaching professionally for eleven years. A retired USAF fighter pilot, he currently works as a coach and pro shop ball fitter/driller. Charley is married (Sheila) and lives in St. Louis, Missouri. Contact- CGWJR@charter.net

COVERSTOCK CHEMISTRY, by Randy Teitloff, V.P. R&D, Ebonite International

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:51:19 GMT

In a nutshell, the development of different covers for the surface of a bowling ball has been a quest to find materials that will get the ball to make a stronger; more pronounced move as the ball gets closer to the pins. This makes the ball enter the pins at a steep angle thereby increasing the possibility of getting a strike. The evolution of polymer technology has provided a means for doing just that. In this article, we will take a close look at the various polymer materials used and their inherent polymer morphology (surface profile).

There are a couple of obvious ways to change the behavior of the ball working with the cover. Manipulation of the surface finish is a means of changing ball performance and is one that is widely used. It has inherent drawbacks though in that the coarser you sand the ball, you can get the ball to hook more, but at the cost of having the ball pick up a roll sooner. This will diminish the entry angle potential that can help the ball perform better.

On the other hand, chemically changing the type of material used, like going from rubber, polyester or urethane to reactive is one way that has produced much success to combat the early roll problem. In recent years, advancements in polymer technology of reactive type covers are affording the ability to make porous covers that can refresh the surface by absorbing lane oil in combination with surface morphology changes (Polymer Traction enhancements) to dial in performance characteristics to optimize the movement of the ball. Let’s take a look at the changes through the years.

In the early 1970’s, polyester-made balls were the material of choice that replaced rubber type coverstocks. The chemical nature of this polymer creates a surface that is very smooth, almost glasslike, similar to a tire with very little tread. It has little to no traction capabilities and, even with sanding, the surface provides very little overall hook potential. This particular surface characteristic is why a ball made with this type of polymer chemistry offers very little change in direction of ball motion as the ball travels down the lane. Its polymeric network is dense and nonporous and any lubricant that is applied to the lane and encountered during bowling just sits on the ball’s surface and doesn’t penetrate into the ball. This also amplifies the affect of the ball skidding, thus keeping the ball from changing directions on subsequent shots.

In the mid 1980’s, polyurethane, or urethane balls were the answer to creating polymeric surfaces to have better traction. The chemistry of urethane polymers has a more exaggerated profile to the surface and has the capability to manifest greater differences in performance using sanding variations than is possible with polyester type covers.

Although this is an improvement toward traction, there are limitations to the performance that can be achieved with this type of polymer system. Sanding to make the polymer more dimensional and rougher is one of the best vehicles used to change the performance of a urethane cover ball, but falls prey to the early rolling problem mentioned earlier. This type of cover has a tendency to roll early which makes the ball travel in an arc type motion as it goes down the lane. It has a surface that is very different to that of polyester balls. A urethane cover is one that is capable of being modified, like taking a tire and changing the depth and style of the tread, which allows the ball to have better traction in the oil. But due to the polymer network arrangement, it is nonporous and oil stays on the surface of the ball like that of polyester.

In the early 1990’s came a significant change to the standard urethane system with the advent of reactive type covers. The chemistry of this polymer type creates a surface that behaves in a manner similar to urethane but takes the profile dimension of the surface to an extreme that urethane alone cannot accomplish.

Reactive polymer chemistry has the capability to manifest greater differences to surface variations than even urethanes can possess. With this chemistry, the surface can be modified to make the polymer more elastic or rigid with a more exaggerated dimensional profile. Again, this is like taking a tire and changing the depth and style of the tread as well as the elastic and porous nature of the polymer. This combination of features allows this type of ball to maintain traction in oil but not do so early like that of urethane. This will allow the ball to go further down the lane before making a change in direction toward the pins, which increases the angle as the ball strikes the pins. This makes the ball tend to skid down the lane and then make a hard, punctuated move toward the pins.

In the latter 1990’s, particles were and are still being used to enhance the hook of the ball in the backend as well as aid in helping the ball traction in oil. These types of balls are reactive covers that have rigid or soft particulate materials imbedded in them. They are only somewhat effective in providing a good balance of traction in oil and retention of hook in the backend. Because of their protruding attributes, they have a tendency to overtraction in the midlane, similar to the effects of aggressive sanding, and diminish the potential for hook in the backend.

Formulations like those of the new Ebonite high performance products are utilizing a new technology of Polymer Traction Modulation (PTM) to achieve the goal of maximizing length without sacrificing hook.

The performance of The One and NV series of balls is just the tip of the iceberg that will be seen from this type of technology. Chemical manipulation of the polymer matrix is opening the door to enhanced products that will be the muscle balls of the future.

— Randy Teitloff is the Vice President of Research and Development for Ebonite International, Inc. This article, which is protected under copy right, was provided by Ebonite International, Inc. and should not be reproduced with out the company’s consent.

Managing Your Arsenal Through A Recession

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 21:45:38 GMT

The recession is hitting everyone. We have seen bailouts for just about everything except bowling. How can you manage your arsenal to keep your game at the highest level in these hard times? Here are some tips.

(1) Take an inventory of your maintenance needs. Your pro shop professional can help with this. It starts with a review of the equipment you have. Some balls may only need resurfacing or a “Hook Again” treatment. Perhaps a ball’s performance can be improved by a change in the layout. New interchangeable soles can extend the life of your shoes. Don’t chuck a bag if it only needs a new wheel or handle- they are available.

(2) Once you have a working ball list, get down to analyzing the performance potential of your “rolling stock.” Use the SMARTBOWLER Ball Guide, and consult with your pro shop professional, to categorize your balls for hook potential and trajectory. There is no need to spend money maintaining or purchasing two balls which do the same thing. Besides, why carry the extra weight around? This exercise will also tell you where to concentrate your spending for new equipment.

(3) Which brings us to the next point. Spend money on your needs, not your fantasies. If your arsenal lacks a ball for a heavy oil lane condition, focus your attention on balls with that characteristic. Don’t be swayed by advertising or PBA players. Once again, use the SMARTBOWLER Ball Guide as well as ball reviews.

(4) Very important- NEW does not equal better, at least not always. Here’s an example. There have been at least five Fury balls put out by Brunswick<. Which one was the best? A lot of people will say it was the first one, at least if you want hook. The same goes for many other series of balls. MORE EXPENSIVE does not equal better, at least not always. Here’s an example. There are 4 balls with an 87 hook rating on the SMARTBOWLER Ball Guide. The approximate retail price of these balls ranges from $106.98 to $156.98 (undrilled). Yes, the trajectory of these balls differs. But don’t pay for something you don’t need or want.

(5) Now let’s get down to a reality check. Balls come and go. Just like cars, computers, or anything else, that’s how the manufacturers make a living. There has never been a high performance ball that was not discontinued, no matter how good a ball it was. Take advantage of opportunities. Many balls are discontinued in the spring, and your pro shop can often get them at a bargain which can be passed along. You will see some of these featured on this website. (Note: we keep discontinued balls on the SMARTBOWLER Ball Guide as long as 15’s are available.)

(6) Don’t be a sucker for internet deals. One internet dealer offered a “free” ball that was worthless to begin with, and then made a profit on the shipping and handling. Others charge for warranties and “insurance” that are free at the pro shop. It is standard practice to offer cleaner and other “add-on” products at high prices. It is not uncommon for blems or out-of-spec balls to be offered at first line prices. Your pro shop operator is looking out for you.

(7) Maintain your equipment. Clean your ball, at least with ball cleaner and a towel, after each use. Get a professional cleaning or resurfacing at the pro shop periodically. Don’t expose your ball to big swings in temperature- like storing it in the trunk of your car. If you notice excessive scratching on a ball politely ask the lane man about the condition of the lanes and ball returns.