by John Williams
(BTBA National Coach)
BEFORE I get down to this month's topic, I understand there's been some misunder- standing over my article in the December issue because it was headed 'The 3-1-2 Spare System Update'.
It wasn't about getting your spares but was a continuation of the previous month's article on the 3-1-2 basic adjustment system - a system which can be used to enable you to locate a suitable line in order to get your ball to roll into the pocket, thus giving you a chance to record strikes much quicker than guessing how much to move in your stance position. Sorry about any confusion caused.
The various systems that are taught in so many countries, and which I also teach, are fairly simple, hence my writing about the 3-6-9 and the 2-4-6 systems for obtaining your spares. There are other excellent systems which work well, but I have to remember that beginners need easy and simple systems to apply, rather than perhaps more com- plicated ones.
Last month I finished on the 'Back- Up' release. Now I'd like to go on to the 'Reverse Hook', which is a progression from the Back-up. With a Reverse Hook, the ball track will have moved further away from the thumb hole and completely clear of the finger holes, so the track could widen and even look like two tracks.
The ball swing is similar to the Back-Up and more or less released in the same fashion - however, the movements are stronger. During the swing and the arm coming through for the release there is a strong clockwise turn of the hand, then a strong counter-clockwise lift at the moment of release. But the thumb hole position will be to the right of 12 o'clock (right-handers) and may be down as far as two o'clock.
The result is a far stronger hooking ball in the same direction as a Back-Up, i.e. Ieft to right for right-handers.
This type of release isn't seen too often and it can produce considerable strain on the arm and hand, so 'tennis elbow' may result.
With the different types of release and their re- spective ball tracks, it is important that bowlers should note any change or variation in the ball track. Movement in the track can mean a differ- ence in what is happening to the ball in its path from release to the pin deck.
When the ball is released at the foul line on to the head area, i.e. that part of the lane in front of the foul line and up to the area of the arrows, it will at first slide/skid provided there is sufficient forward momentum.
The distance the ball will slide varies according to the pace of the forward momen- tum, the weight and make of the ball, the type of ball surface, type of release, lane conditions, and the amount of friction produced by the ball during its movement down the lane.
Then, as the ball proceeds down the lane , the friction will slow the forward mom- entum to a point where the side rotation starts to come into effect. At one stage, the skid element is no stronger than the side roll element, then the side rotation becomes the stronger of the two forces and the direction of the side roll will deter- mine when the forward roll stage takes place.
If your ball is in a powerful skid / slide all the way to the pins, it will deflect strongly. So whilst we need some skid / slide to get the ball a good way down the lane, certainly well beyond the arrows and sometimes even up to beyond halfway to the pins, we do want the ball to create a breaking point where it can work really hook hard.
At what point should this happen? Some bowl- ers find it effective at about 15 feet from the head- pin. Other experts would consider the point to be only a few feet in front of the pin deck.
The problem with a ball not skidding long enough is that this could result in it 'rolling out' (fading) before getting to the pin deck and then having little effect.
The amount of lane conditioner (oil) on the lanes and to what distance they are dressed will also affect the slide/skid distance. Obviously, the heavier and longer the lanes are dressed with con- ditioner, the greater the potential skid element. Those of you who have driven a car in a torrential downpour will have experienced the feeling of aquaplaning.
The bowler needs to be able to increase or de- crease the amount of skid so that it is controlled to suit the current requirements. Supposing you wished to increase the skid distance: you would change to a harder ball, or use a polished ball as against that with a a dull surface. Because the sur- face is less porous, there is less 'grab' and the ball will skid longer.
Equally, you could increase the length of the skid by increasing the speed of the ball, but this is perhaps more difficult to control. A better way, probably, is to apply more 'lift'.
'Lift', for the benefit of newer readers, is pro- duced by an upward and partly forward move- ment of the fingertips (the front part, called the 'pads') through the ball at the moment of release after the thumb has come out of the thumb hole. Some lift is also imparted by the palm of the hand at the same time.
This lift produces ball revolutions plus some side roll, which is essential to enable the ball to have an effective roll.
By releasing the ball in the upswing - that is, after the ball reaches the lowest part of the pendu- lum swing - the thumb should come out of the ball a split second before the ball comes off the fin- gers, allowing the upward and part forward lift by the finger tips.
A 'fingertip' grip will allow more natural lift that the 'conventional' grip and, depending on the nature of the bowler's release, the lift motion will affect whether the rotation is straight, clockwise or anti-clockwise.
The greater the intensity of the lift, the longer the ball will skid, but it will also increase the amount of hook as well as its sharpness. Therefore, it is worth remembering that if the lane condition tends to make your ball hook too early, the answer is not to create less lift, as that will result in less revolutions, causing the ball to hook even earlier.
Supposing you wish to cut down the skid / slide distance, you might decide to use a softer surface ball or a non-polished matt surfaced ball, which would offer a greater friction factor. Or maybe slow the speed of the ball down, giving it more chance of moving into its roll in time. You could, if you preferred, take out some of the lift you nor- mally impart on the ball, resulting in less rotational speed which would give the ball the chance to 'grab' the lane earlier.
But remember, don't remove lift altogether, otherwise an effective roll will be lost.
Extract taken from World Of Tenpin April 1995