Bowling this month 2013 09 by frank zhao

Vol. 20, #9 $5.00 US September 2013

LBS.

MARVEL-S

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2.48 .052

2.48 .050

2.53 .049

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2.65 .035

COVERSTOCK: /3( 4PMJE 3FBDUJWF 5.

WEIGHT BLOCK: $FOUSJQFUBM $PSF 5.

FACTORY FINISH: HSJU 1BE DUROMETER: 7 o 3FY % TDBMF FLARE POTENTIAL: w w BALL COLOR: "RVB (SFFO #MBDL FRAGRANCE: 4QFBSNJOU WEIGHTS: 12 o MCT SKU: TML MAINTENANCE: 3FBDUB 4LVGGÎ

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS PRODUCT, PLEASE VISIT YOUR LOCAL PRO SHOP. Storm Products, Inc. | 165 South 800 West | Brigham City, UT 84302 | 800.369.4402 | stormbowling.com

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QUICK INFO 24 Ball Company Directory 26 At-A-Glance Ball Chart

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BALL TALK REVIEWS

SEPTEMBER 2013

900 Global Desert Hook p34

Lane #1 Crank p41

900 Global Hard Drive p35

Roto Grip Deranged p42

AMF Heat Stroke p36

Roto Grip Scream 2013 p43

Bowler's Paradise Pegasus p37

Roto Grip Shout 2013 p44

Elite Echo p38

Roto Grip 7RWDOO\ 'HÂ¿DQW p45

Elite Treason p40

Seismic Venator p46

BOWLING THIS MONTH

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BOWLING THIS MONTH

SEPTEMBER2013 2013 SEPTEMBER

ROTOGRIP.COM

I’VE BEEN TOLD I SHOULDN’T DO IT. BUT NOTHING STANDS IN MY WAY. People see me as a misfit, a loner, a bad seed with no concern for others… I am not here to satisfy their definition of “normal”. I am here to defy them, lay waste to the pins and leave my mark. Totally Defiant to the end.

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Find the best way to leave your mark at your local pro shop.

@BowlRotoGrip SEPTEMBER 2013

Rotogriproger

BOWLING THIS MONTH

bowlrotogrip PAGE 5

from the pulpit

bill hall

Things to look for as the new season begins

any bowlers take the summer off before they start getting ready for the new league season. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s during that break that many things change with the bowling environment - newer bowling balls, lane oils, or lane machines, for example. There are also changes the body has gone through during that break, even though we may not be aware of them.

The first thing you will need is what is commonly known as skin "patch.â&#x20AC;? There are different brands available from your pro shop. There are strategic places you can put the patch to prevent blistering or tearing the skin.

that part of the thumb starts to develop again. Base of Thumb

Thumb Patch

Your hand, thumb, and Ă&#x20AC;QJHUV Let's begin with your hand. The change that is most common is the loss of calluses on the thumb. Once these calluses go down or away, they are replaced with â&#x20AC;&#x153;soft spotsâ&#x20AC;? in the skin that can easily create blisters or even tear the skin on the thumb. Here are some preventive things you can do the first few times you are back on the lanes.

When you look at the thumb patch photo, you will see a white circle on the thumb. This is the area of the thumb that is most susceptible to being the first place that will either blister or have a tear in the skin. Putting a patch on that area is a good preventive until the callus on

The other part of the thumb that tends to be a bit sensitive and susceptible to blistering or tearing is on the base of the thumb as indicated by the red dot and red arrow. The drawback with putting a patch on this part of the thumb before the skin toughens up a bit is that it can cause you to slip out of the thumb a little faster

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BOWLING THIS MONTH

SEPTEMBER 2013

from the pulpit than your normal. To combat that you may want to add an extra piece of tape to the thumbhole to keep the timing of the thumb exit more natural for you. Other than the changes in the skin of the hand having to adjust back to being in a bowling ball, there are other factors with the hand like the size of the fingers. Just like the thumb goes down in size when you take time off, the same thing happens with the fingers. Visit your pro shop and have new finger inserts installed to be sure you have a proper fit. The texture of the newer grips will give you a more secure feel with the fingertips. This helps to keep you from over-squeezing the ball to hold onto it. One thing I would like to strongly encourage is that every youth player have their grip re-checked at the start of the season. What often isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t realized is that as the body grows taller, the hands grow longer. They really need to have their grips checked!

Flexibility and your grip Now we move on to a more complicated change the hand can go through. Believe it or not, the length of the span can change as well, but for a very different reason than the changes that occur with the thumb and fingers. As we get older, the majority of us lose flexibility in the hand

SEPTEMBER 2013

especially with the tips of the fingers. This loss of flexibility influences the way the hand can reach around the bowling ball. Flexibility loss influences the length of the span by preventing the hand from having its normal length span. The hand spreads a shorter distance than it normally would. When this happens, the balance of the ball weight will shift to the wrong spot on the fingertips.

Fingertips As you look at the photo labeled Fingertips, you will notice the yellow dots at the very tips. If you put your hand in the ball and you feel that most of the balance of the weight of the ball is in this area, it is time to have a pro shop take a look at your grip to either shorten the span or adjust the pitches to put the balance of the weight of the ball more on where the white dots are located on the fingers, the center of the pads of the fingertips. There is another thing I would like to suggest about the

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from the pulpit grip that some of you may have already heard about. I have a new fitting method I have created called the Tri-Grip. The Tri-Grip is a specific way in which to lay out the pattern of your grip. It is based on certain dimensions of the hand to create a better balance with the weight distribution of the ball on the hand. It makes it easier to keep the balance of the ball more on the fingers and less on the thumb. This allows you to be able to hold onto the ball with less pressure, which in turn allows you to have a cleaner release of the thumb with less effort.

Environmental changes Another thing you may want to find out in the start of your new season is if your local center has changed from the type of oil it used from last year. As many of you know, there is a huge bowling trade show during the summer known as Bowl Expo. There are many new products offered at this trade show specifically designed for bowling centers. One of these products, which has gained a lot of attention, is the new lane oil by Kegel called ICE which was used this year at the USBC Open Championships. The oil's characteristics are that it plays a little slicker than other oils. That makes the ball go straighter for a longer period of time. It also lasts 60 percent longer before breaking down than the previous oils. If you are aware that your center has changed to this oil,

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you will know the hook characteristics you bowled on last year may have changed. This information allows you to make better adjustments on the lanes instead of trying to destroy your game by forcing the ball to hook the same way it did when you took your break.

Lane changes Another thing the summer brings is that a lot of bowling centers do upgrades by replacing panels on the lanes. Just like changing lane oil changes the characteristics of the hook pattern, so will changing the panels of the lanes. Making this change in the lane surface gives a different characteristic to the ball's motion on the back end of the lane. New panels have no scratch marks in the surface. That allows the ball to go through the lane without losing its energy. That will lead to more back end motion on the lane. Since we are on the subject of lanes and lane oils, another thing you may want to find out is if your local center has changed oil machines. Changing oil machines will also influence the ball's motion on the lane. Having this knowledge not only will help you at the start of the season, it will also help you with understanding the characteristics of oil machines as you go from league play to tournament play as the season progresses. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s now time to discuss the bowling ball. Just as so many

BOWLING THIS MONTH

other products are put out on the market for the bowling center during Bowl Expo, there is also the introduction of new bowling balls. I get many emails about which bowling ball to select for the start of your new season and there is a piece of advice I would like to offer. In most cases, I have never seen the player who is asking advice from me about which bowling ball to purchase for the new season. I suggest you rely on the local pro shop or coach who knows your abilities, the lane surfaces on which you play, and if your local center has made any of the changes I have mentioned. The last thing I would like to discuss is you, the player. After a layoff from bowling, you will need to put a little extra practice time in before you can expect to get your form back. The fastest thing a player loses is the ability to shoot spares. Take a practice session and commit that entire session to making spares by starting off with single pin spares and then combination spares. This is the fastest way to get off to a good start in the new season.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a wrap Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the start of a new season and I'm sure you are looking to make it better than last season. Take a little time to go through this article. Feel free to use it as a checklist. I welcome all of you back and wish you a successful new bowling season!

SEPTEMBER 2013

the round table

mike jasnau

THIS MONTH’S PANEL

+IXXMRK GSRÀMGXMRK advice, and what’s more important: technique or results?

Jeff Carter Jeff Carter is the Director of Coaching for Storm, a PBA National Champion, and a Silver Coach. You can reach him at www.jeffcarterbowling.com.

Susie Minshew Susie Minshew is a USBC Gold Coach, Master Silver Instructor, Regional PWBA Champion, and Past President of IBPSIA. She has recently authored two new books - Whoever Finds It First, Wins and Bowling Whisperer which are available through this magazine or at www.strikeability.com.

Chris Barnes Chris Barnes is a 15-time PBA Champion, a Triple Crown winner, and an 11-time member of Team USA. A Silver coach, he is a member of the Camp Bakes Staff.

Ron Clifton Ron Clifton conducts “Advanced Bowler Training Clinics” across the US, is the inventor and manufacturer of Ron C’s Magic Carpet for thumbholes, and a contributing BTM Writer. You can reach him at www.bowl4fun.com.

The format of The Round Table column consists of posing technical questions submitted by readers to several top bowling coaches and educators and having them respond in “round-robin” style.

Mike Jasnau Mike Jasnau is a Teaching Pro/ CATS Instructor at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, NV. He is a PBA Champion, USBC Silver Level Coach, and Storm Instructional Staff Member. You can email Mike at bowlbetter@hotmail.com.

SEPTEMBER 2013

elcome a new contributor to the Round Table, PBA Champion and Silver coach Jeff Carter. He’s one of the successful coaches who will be leading us through a discussion on two interesting questions. Our first topic deals with the best way to handle getting coaching advice from multiple sources. I think the second question is a great one. I’m really interested to see how our experts respond to the question of whether it more important to have good results or good technique. Here’s our panel and what they have to say.

Over the years I’ve watched several instructional videos and have worked with several different coaches with mixed results. What is your advice on the best way to handle a situation in which coaches are offering differing advice? How do you know what’s best for your own game? Jeff Carter The first thing I would recommend is to pick one coach and stick with that person. Do some research on the coach's credentials and find somebody you wholeheartedly trust. You need to have total confidence in the person. There really is a ton of information available if you look in the right places. Pick somebody with whom you can mesh and are comfortable with. If your game needs a long term fix, you could be with this coach for a long time.

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the round table Each coach's style and methods are different. This doesn't mean one is right and one is wrong. It just means there are many different ways to teach our sport and opinions may differ. This is why it's very important to qualify your coach. Ask for references if needed and check with other students they have coached. If you're in a camp or clinic setting with multiple coaches and different ones than you would normally use, you can pick and choose certain items/methods you can incorporate into your game. Make sure you involve your current coach in these cases, so he can give you input and know what direction you are heading. Keep in mind, though, sometimes you can go into information overload and make things worse instead of better. Best case scenario is always One Coach...One Voice! Susie Minshew I admire you for searching out lots of information to contribute to your knowledge base. Now, you'll just have to be patient enough and skeptical enough to figure out what turns your light on, what you should keep and own, and what you should discard. Discernment is critical in your development as a player. As you wend your way through the learning, don't be too quick to discount or eliminate something a coach has told you. If one coach tells you to hinge your pushoff and another tells you to elongate it, which one is right? Well, could be both. The only way you'll know is to experiment with both, albeit one at a time. What does hinging your push do to you or for you? Is there a condition for which that feeling or that motion would be desirable? Whatever that hinged push gets you can become a valuable part of your arsenal. It may not be your most often used technique, but it will come in handy if you're a tournament player. There is no one way to get this done. That's why different eyes have different suggestions for you. To discount something a coach said on Monday because of what you saw in an instructional video on Tuesday is a great

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disservice to you. Give all the ideas a thorough investigation and lengthy trial before you decide something isn't for you. That way you can be sure the new trick belongs in your every day toolbox, only comes out to play occasionally, or just won't work for you. Chris Barnes I’ve been fortunate to work with some of, if not the, best coaches in the game. The knowledge I have accumulated from Wayne Sanders, my father, Gordon Vadakin, Pat Henry, Fred Borden, Jeri Edwards, Rick Benoit, Mike Jasnau, Mark Baker, and yes – even my wife Lynda have had a huge impact on my success over the years. That being said, not everything we tried over the years worked for me despite having great results for other players. My advice is to give basically everything a fair chance. I am not a big believer in you have to get worse before you get better. Therefore, I have given many ideas a “fair chance” – meaning 100 shots or so to see if I could start the integration into what I already do. At that point, if it felt pretty comfortable, I would commit to the idea and go forward with adding the piece of advice to my toolbox. Almost every change I have made over the years I looked at as an addition to my game. Therefore, I always had a safe place – a home – to go back to if the additions didn’t work. This has allowed me to receive information from the best minds in the game and apply the ones that worked best without going backward in the process. Ron Clifton This is a fantastic question and one that I deal with on a regular basis. I often have differing opinions from other coaches and when that happens I explain why I think my suggestion is best for that particular student, but the proof will always be in the pudding. If my suggestion can’t show improved results pretty quickly, then the bowler will have to decide which way works best for them.

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the round table Anytime you hear conflicting advice between coaches, make sure you let the one you are currently working with know. That coach should be able to listen to the advice you were given by the other coach and resolve issue. There is nothing I love more than to be challenged by a student or another coach; that’s how we learn. Keep in mind there may not be a right and wrong answer, just a different answer. The great coaches of the world are like sculptors. If you give six great sculptors a big piece of rock and tell them to chisel a horse, you will most likely end up with six beautiful horses and none of them will look alike. If you take lessons from six great coaches, I can guarantee you that they will all tell you something different and they will all make you a better bowler. Conflicting instructions don’t even have to come from two different coaches; they can come from the same coach. It’s not unusual for one of my long time students to tell me I am telling them to do something completely opposite of what I told them to do a year ago. That happens because the student is a totally different bowler than they were a year ago. Different skill levels often get different advice. You also have to consider the reputation of the coaches involved if you are getting conflicting information. There are as many different levels of bowling coaches as there are bowlers. I am not referring to the Bronze, Silver, and Gold certifications of USBC, but rather the reputations and accomplishments of individual coaches. There are several nationally known coaches like myself who have never been certified by any organization, yet we are sought by some of the best bowlers in the world when they need help. I know my timing is off, I tend to muscle my swing and fall out of too many shots so I look like a bad bowler but my results tend to be okay most of the time. When I try to change my approach to look better, it seems to throw me off and my results are worse. In your opinion what’s more important, technique or results, and why?

SEPTEMBER 2013

Jeff Carter In my opinion technique is ALWAYS the most important factor. One of the main reasons you may be getting good results with improper balance and a muscled swing is quite simply "lane help." The lane conditions probably allow you to get away with numerous bad shots and, unless you recognize those bad shots, you will stunt your bowling growth. I feel the two most important parts of a bowler’s physical game are balance/foul line position and free armswing. You mentioned both in your question, so that would tell me we need to fix both simultaneously. Make sure the swing is free from muscle, especially from the top of the swing down. Let gravity do its job and simply allow the ball to drop into the downswing. At that point, balance and leverage become the key. Once you get your balance under control, you will notice that your shotmaking ability and consistency will skyrocket. This in turn will help in scoring and not just on house patterns. You will become more competitive in a tougher scoring environment as well. The greatest bowlers in the world have one thing in common and that's great balance at the foul line. Susie Minshew There aren't any style points! You can look up and down the lanes in your league and see there all kinds of ways to get the job done. In fact, you can do that anytime bowling is on television. It is certainly easy to enjoy watching aesthetically pleasing bowlers like Pete or Parker. But sometimes their results aren't any better than a stumbling, falling off player. Over the long haul, however, that bumbling dude can't stay with players who don't have all that extra motion in their game. So, although there may not be any style points, there are style advantages. If you fall off the same amount, in the same direction, at exactly the same moment in your approach,

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the round table and land in the same spot every time, and these contortions are what the lane requires, you'll be fine. If, occasionally, you don't fall off or fall off later or less than "normal," those differences will manifest in score. You attribute it to the left lane not carrying or a hang spot down lane when the truth is you missed it at the bottom as you were hopping around. Pete and Parker have simple games - not a lot of extraneous movement and not a lot of places to look if something goes awry. Their "looking better" is actually a smooth and flowing movement to the line, almost graceful. Their bank accounts and trophy cases, not to mention their longevity, are results of being "pretty," since that pretty translates to a simple, elegant, and most importantly, easy-to-repeat, game. Their read is always right on. They don't wonder if it was them or the lane. They didn't get this smooth overnight. They honed their skills, removing complicating factors from their game, and keeping the things that allowed them to flow. If it didn't work the first few times, they kept after it. Since there aren't any truly successful hopping players, you might consider working longer on your technique to see if your results over the long term improve, (which they will). Repeatable technique equals great results. Besides, why would you settle for your results being just "okay"? Why not go for spectacular? Chris Barnes This is a very interesting and great question. When it comes to the simplest form of the question, I tend to fall back on an analogy from one of my best friends (and my coach Mark Baker) regarding the Hall of Fame. There are many technically sound or “pretty bowlers” in the Hall of Fame – but EVERYONE in the Hall of Fame had great results. Therefore results are more important – but with a caveat. The more things you can repeat – both under duress and in normal situations – the better your results will be. It doesn’t have to

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“look” better, but it does have to be repetitive. So, if you are not able to be repetitive at the point of release - that is, you are falling off shots – then the consistency and strength of your results will suffer for it. Ron Clifton Good results will always trump technique or picture perfect form, but the conversation can’t end there. Happiness trumps all. If you are truly happy with your bowling performance, why change anything? Never make changes to your game just to look like someone else or to be someone else’s idea of what a good bowler looks like. Always let your scores speak for themselves. I have seen a few unconventional bowlers in my career who have totally baffled me as to how they could ever shoot more than one high score, much less a series of them, yet I have seen more than one tournament director hand them the winning check. Make sure you are being honest with yourself and not just “settling.” Sometimes bowlers would like to be more successful, but past efforts to make changes have either met with failure or the effort required was too great for the perceived benefit. I have had more than one bowler hand me hundreds of dollars for a multi-day clinic only to proclaim they don’t really want to change anything. They just want me to show them how to get higher scores. All of those bowlers left the clinic happy with a host of positive new changes under their belt. It always turns out they really needed to make changes, but they were never shown an effective way to make them. Sometimes you might need to try a different coach if you are not making progress with the one you have. If I am not helping you, then by all means try a different coach. I won’t mind. A player’s development is far more important to me than my ego. I hope all my fellow coaches feel the same. Remember, happiness trumps all.

BOWLING THIS MONTH

SEPTEMBER 2013

rob mautner

smart moves

Revisiting seven misconceptions about how balls perform

t has been four hundred years since Sir Francis Bacon wrote that “knowledge is power,” yet it has never been truer than it is today. It has always been difficult to gain knowledge as learning often entails unlearning beliefs. Unlearning is hard. In the past, it has even been dangerous. In 1633, Galileo was imprisoned for heresy for daring to question the belief that the earth was the center of the universe. In our modern society, knowledge is constantly changing. It is growing exponentially. Technology is adding to our ability to easily understand things that previously were very difficult to comprehend. As we understand more and more about the sport we love, it is imperative that we question beliefs we have long held as truths. In order to unlearn what has previously been accepted as fact, we need to have open minds governed by logic rather than by our comfort levels, and we need to be aware of potential blocks against unlearning.

2YHU VLPSOLÀFDWLRQ Over-simplification blocks unlearning by not stating all the facts. A good example of over-simplification can be seen weekly on the PBA Tournament telecasts. In the past equipment that individual players were using was never mentioned. Recently, this practice has been replaced by showing the balls in the players’ arsenals, rated by how much each ball hooks. It is really comfortable to believe that something that is as complex as modern bowling ball technology can be simplified down to this level. If you do not question the concept that one ball hooks more than another, then you don’t have to learn about ball motion. You don’t have to accept that how soon a ball hooks affects how many boards it covers. You don’t have to accept that the layout affects the motion of the ball or that changing the surface changes the motion of the ball. All you have to do is look at the little chart on the television screen and decide what ball you want to go buy.

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SEPTEMBER 2013

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smart moves I know you are capable of understanding modern balls and I firmly believe that unless you have unlimited funds to dump into purchasing the latest hook monster, you really need to learn about them. First, you need to unlearn what you believed in the past like the over-simplified concept that one ball hooks more than another.

8QGHU VLPSOLÀFDWLRQ Recently, I attended the Coaches Summit at Bowl Expo. I sat through numerous seminars put on by the ball companies entitled “Emerging Technologies.” I lost count as to how many times I heard about “axis migration along the RG path.” The seminars were attended by coaches and pro shop operators. I wonder if the presenters joined me in noticing the glazed-over looks on the faces of the attendees. I will freely admit that I did not understand much of what was being said. I will continue to try to understand it as long as I can associate it with some practical applications to bowlers. Knowledge for knowledge sake is useless if it has no practical application. Using high tech software is a great way to encourage people not to unlearn if they cannot relate to the information in some practical way.

7KH NH\V WR WKH NLQJGRP Perhaps the most prevalent roadblock to unlearning is the fear that individuals have that they cannot learn what they need to know. Some feel that they are too old to learn. Others are afraid that they are not smart enough to learn. As I said above, knowledge is expanding exponentially. A few years ago I read a book that was written for middle school teachers like me. A shocking revelation in it stated that 80 percent of the jobs our students would fill when they grow up haven’t been invented yet! When you think of the amazing rate of

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technological advances in bowling, it points out the need to stay on top of current information if you want to keep your competitive edge. Consider that in the past 20 years alone, we have gone from bowling on wooden lanes to bowling on synthetic lanes, bowling balls have gone from non-reactive plastic and urethane to reactive resin hooking monsters that are further loaded up with powerful cores that provide dynamic imbalances within the ball to create ball reactions that we couldn’t even image prior to the '90s. Knowing about these changes, what beliefs do you have about bowling that are above question? The answer is none if you want to stay on top of your game. So how do you go about questioning your beliefs? The answer is simple: logic. If something doesn’t make sense, it probably isn’t true. Let me give you a great example. At the same Coaches’ Summit where I attended the Emerging Technologies seminars, I also attended a seminar put on by my fellow BTM contributor, Del Warren. Del, a USBC Gold Coach, made a dynamic presentation about reading lane conditions and matching up to them. Del made the observation that contrary to popular belief, longer oil patterns dictate the use of balls with less surface and weaker pin placements to produce medium flare. I, too, have advocated this, much to the disbelief of bowlers who insist that longer patterns demand stronger balls with more surface to get them to hook. Where Del really impressed me was with the logic that he used to justify his position. His logic is that a longer pattern that necessitates that bowlers play more inside at the breakpoint actually reduces the playable width of the lane, making it narrower than a lane with a shorter oil pattern. Why use a ball that hooks more on a lane that is narrower with fewer boards to cover? Brilliant! You cannot argue with that logic regardless of how long you have believed that longer patterns require stronger balls with more surface.

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SEPTEMBER 2013

smart moves Logic applied to the seven misconceptions Returning to the "Seven misconceptions guaranteed to lower your average" article that I presented in the July issue, let’s apply logic to each of them. Misconception #1 – The ball doesn’t hook because there’s too much oil on that part of the lane Changes – 20-odd years ago, this was true. Bowling balls didn’t absorb oil; they moved it around (particularly after the introduction of synthetic lane surfaces), and they sometimes carried oil down the lane, making the lanes play tighter. Today, balls absorb oil like sponges and technology has enabled us to accurately assess the way oil is redistributed on the lane as play progresses. That technology has proven that modern bowling balls soak up oil from the lane. The only carrydown that occurs today comes from polyester balls that are used for spares, particularly corner pin spares. Carrydown occurs at a very specific place on the lane where those balls exit the pattern on their way to their targets. Logic – Since carrydown is limited to two specific spots on the lane where plastic balls exit the pattern and since part of that which makes modern balls hook is their ability to absorb oil, then, in a great majority of cases, when the ball begins to hook less, it is a result of losing energy because it has encountered too much friction. This occurrence necessitates a move inside to find more oil, not a move outside to find more friction. Misconception #2 – The cover of the ball accounts for 75 percent of ball reaction Background – Prior to the mid '80s, balls were comprised of a cover, a small pancake weight block to compensate for the weight

SEPTEMBER 2013

removed by drilling the holes, and a filler material. In this scenario, with only static weight imbalances created by offsetting the small pancake weight block, surface was all that was left. The belief that surface accounts for 75 percent of ball reaction was born. It was totally logical at the time. Changes – In the mid '80s, manufacturers introduced dynamic cores. The cores created imbalances within the ball that far outweighed the minimal static weight imbalances. Logic – Since surface accounted for 75 percent of ball reaction prior to the introduction of a third element, dynamic cores, the percentage had to go down significantly after their introduction. Don’t get me wrong. Cover and surface preparation are still extremely important. They are not, however, important enough to give you an excuse not to learn about core dynamics. Face your fears and get to work! Misconception #3 – Static weights The same scenarios and logic that apply to Misconception #1 apply here. Misconception #4 – Strong ball/weak drill and weak ball/strong drill Background – When reactive resin balls were first introduced 20 years ago, there was a huge difference between strong balls and weak balls. Strong balls then were equivalent to weak balls now. Weak balls then were really weak. Changes – Several changes have occurred over the past 20 years that have affected the strength of bowling balls. First, the USBC has really stepped back from any pretense of controlling lane conditions on house shots. With virtually no limitations as to oil ratios on different parts of the lanes, we’ve witnessed a race between the ball manufacturers making balls stronger and stronger and the proprietors adding more and more oil on the middle part of the

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smart moves lane to protect it and allowing the high scores that keep league bowlers coming back for more. Logic – As balls have become stronger and stronger, today’s weak balls are stronger than yesterday’s strong balls. If you are bowling on house conditions, it makes sense to use the weakest ball you possibly can, drilled strong, to be successful. These balls not only soak up less oil, letting you play your line longer, they also save you a ton of money!

Changes – The introduction of modern bowling balls has allowed bowlers to have a new tool for adjusting: making a ball change. Logic – Since technology has given you so many more options, take advantage of them! If you watch your ball go through the pins and adjust accordingly by making an informed ball change, you are going to beat the bowler who stubbornly sticks to his old ways. Misconception #7 – Real bowlers don’t need a separate spare ball

Misconception #5 – Better bowlers adjust rather than changing balls Background – Before reactive resin, and more so before urethane, bowlers changed hand positions, releases, and lines of play to adjust to changing lane conditions. Changes – Technology, most notably the introduction of reactive resin cover materials and dynamic cores, has resulted in bowling balls that hook with very little help from the bowler. Add to this the ever-widening differences between bowlers who bowl on a house shot and bowlers who seek out tournament conditions and you have the need to accept that changing bowling balls is the number one adjustment today. Logic – If you are a house bowler who is uncomfortable moving far from the 10th board comfort zone, then you have to learn to change balls effectively to be able to stay there. If you are a tournament bowler who often finds that lane adjustments are measured in arrows rather than boards, then you have to learn to change balls effectively to be able to accommodate the huge angle changes created by multiple large moves. Misconception #6 – You can’t outbowl a bad ball reaction Background – In the old days, high average bowlers would watch their balls go through the pins to determine when an angle change was required.

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Background – Prior to the introduction of high powered modern bowling balls, balls hooked because of the talent and ability of the bowler. The coreless balls of yesteryear went straight unless the talented bowler decided otherwise. Changes – Technology has created bowling balls that hook on their own with no help from the bowler at all. In fact, with modern balls, the bowler actually has to throw a back up ball to get a ball to go straight. Add to this the fact that the variety of modern lane conditions from walled house shots to tough tournament shots results in a wide variation in where friction can be found on the lane and you can see that the ability to get the ball to go straight becomes more difficult still. Logic – If the above changes don’t convince you to use a plastic spare ball, at least for your same side corner pins, then certainly the fact that 99 percent of the world’s top professional bowlers use them should convince you. It’s really a no-brainer. Hopefully, revisiting the seven misconceptions and looking at them in a logical way will help you unlearn them, allowing you to learn modern solutions to some of bowling's more perplexing problems. Don’t be surprised, by the way, if you find that looking at some of your non-bowling beliefs in a logical way doesn’t result in a new way of looking at life in general.

BOWLING THIS MONTH

SEPTEMBER 2013

cover story

steve fuhrman

Apps for video recording, editing and playback “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” —Arthur C. Clarke

t is an amazing time to be a bowler. New high-tech bowling balls are introduced each month. Bowling shoes with interchangeable soles and heels are commonplace. Everywhere you look you see mobile devices. While many bowlers use them to check email, update Facebook, tweet, text, or play games, these gadgets are capable of more – a lot more. Because there is so much going on, this look at technology will be split into several articles. This article will focus on video recording, editing, and playback. Let's take a look at the amazing and useful things you can do with the latest devices. Mobile devices come in two common formats: smartphones and tablets. Tablets have larger screens but fewer sensors and communication capabilities. Smartphones are smaller and more focused on being, well, a phone. Both types of devices have a lot in common. They have megapixel cameras that can take pictures and video. They

have gigabytes of storage and some are extendable by adding an SD or microSD card. They are also all obviously battery powered which allows them to be used practically anywhere for hours at a time. These devices are really miniature computers that run capable operating systems. Two of the most prevalent operating systems are iOS and Android. Apple devices exclusively run iOS and include all the iPhone versions and the various iPad tablets. Popular Android smartphones are made by Samsung, HTC, LG, and Motorola. Popular Android tablets are made by Samsung, Google, Sony, HP, ASUS, and a host of others too numerous to list here. The Windows 8-based smartphones and tablets being made by Microsoft and Nokia are just now becoming common in the marketplace and won't be evaluated for this article. This will be something to look forward to in the future. As with PCs or mobile devices, there is often an “I love one and hate the others” polarization with respect to operating systems. As a software developer, (yes, that's my major distraction from coaching and bowling), I would describe operating systems as different,

Steve Fuhrman is a USBC Silver Coach. He has degrees in Physics and Computer Science and searches for innovative combinations of bowling, science, and technology to improve performance. His email address is sfuhrman@inherentsw.com.

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BOWLING THIS MONTH

SEPTEMBER 2013

emerging technology series

Samsung Galaxy smartphone and tablet running Android

iPad and iPhone running iOS

large competing countries that have their own languages, governments, and laws. If you want to work in that country, then you need a “passport” and you have to conform to the local customs and regulations if you want to get anything done efficiently. In other words, they are all annoying at times and helpful at times and one usually feels more like “home.” Like it or not, technology is rapidly evolving and, just as with bowling balls, new options become available constantly. Keeping up is sometimes exciting and sometimes painful. When describing mobile devices in these articles there will be two sets of distinctions: t what operating system is used t tablet or smartphone Apps that run on devices are specific to that device's operating system. It takes significant effort to create an application and supporting multiple operating systems can be costly due to the specialized hardware and the different software skill sets needed during development and testing. Minimizing costs means that many apps are only available on a particular operating system. I hope you will read the entire article as I have included tips throughout

SEPTEMBER 2013

that can be used regardless of your operating system or device choice. The reason for denoting smartphones or tablets is primarily due to the screen size. Some apps and external hardware such as tripod mounts are specifically made only for smartphones and others only for tablets. A housekeeping note - many companies, products, and technologies are mentioned in this article. Their names are the sole property of their respective owners and trademarked and copyrighted, etc.

Video One of the most exciting new features of the latest mobile devices is high definition video recording. Gold Coach Susie Minshew recently had a series of articles in Bowling This Month on creating videos. These are an excellent source of material on what and how to video yourself or someone else while bowling. In this article more focus will be on how the devices capture, display, and annotate video. I will add a few tips to help you avoid the mistakes I made while making test recordings. Tip: Since you can easily delete and create new videos and images, feel free to experiment to see what you like and what works well. This will also help you get familiar working with the various video apps. Have a mount and a tripod for your devices for best results when recording video. You can, of course, have someone hold your device and record video using a camera or video app. This is handy for a quick peek or to capture a special moment like the 10th frame in a 300 or 800 attempt. However, for better video, it's helpful to have a stationary view. Note that you can get six inch or so tall tripods from Amazon and, while these are extremely affordable at $3 to $10, they are not

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emerging technology series very rugged and don't last long, especially if you store them in a bowling bag. Hint: Bowling balls crush plastic stuff. I know from firsthand experience. If you'd like a tripod and mount specifically for your mobile device, you have lots of options. For this article, I selected a mount and tripod from www.iStablizer.com for $29.95, shipping included. Many other options exist that are either a bit less or a lot more. If you already have a tripod, you can get a mount only for $20 or less depending on how rugged and fancy you want it to be. Going into all the choices would be an article in itself. Look at what is shown here and feel free to scour the web. The search is sometimes half the fun.

iStabilizer tripod and mount Here are the key features of the iStabilizer products: t Mounts available for smartphones and tablets t Mounts fit standard tripod t Flexible tripod easy to adjust t A Bluetooth shutter trigger is available for iOS The iStabilizer tripod is roughly one foot tall and I purchased a separate mount for tablets seven to ten inches in length. You can get a

Figure 1. iStabilizer tripod, mount, and smartphone

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Figure 2. iStabilizer tablet mount and iPad

smartphone mount instead by purchasing a different model. The tripod legs are very flexible so you can wrap them like octopus tentacles around any convenient location as shown in the snazzy marketing photo in Figure 1. Tip: Make sure when purchasing a mount that it will fit your device properly. Many people have found that having one mount for a tablet and a smaller mount for a smartphone worked best for them. Now we are ready to record some video and see ourselves in action!

iPad / iPhone video applications There are two iOS applications that are immensely popular for capturing and analyzing sports video. They are Ubersense and SloPro. They are both free at the iOS App Store.

Ubersense You can find documentation and video tutorials on the Ubersense app at www.ubersense.com. They are extremely well done and helpful if you are new to creating sports videos: Below are the key features of Ubersense. t Multiple sports are supported t Multiple athletes are supported t Videos can be saved by athlete and technique t Coaches can record reviews of video t Annotations like lines, circles, angles, free-hand drawing are available t Playback at different rates t Thumbwheel allows frame by frame movement through video t Side by side analysis of videos t Videos saved over time can be kept in timelines for easier comparisons t Available for iOS (Android version in progress) To get started, install the Ubersense app from the app store as you would any other application. Once installed you will be able to immediately

BOWLING THIS MONTH

SEPTEMBER 2013

emerging technology series

Figure 3. Ubersense initial screen

Figure 4. Ubersense Video playback screen

begin recording your video. The initial screen shown in figure 3 allows you easy access to videos, help, and recording new videos. From here you can choose to record a new video, play or analyze an existing video, get help, or modify your settings.

you can begin playback through the various controls, add annotations by clicking on the pencil icon, or record a coaching analysis by clicking on the red microphone icon at the top of the screen. Use the thumbwheel to go back and forth frame by frame through the video. While the video may look strange to you at first, it is one of the most used features.

Tip: You can share videos with your coach and/or friends by signing up for a free account at www.ubersense.com. You can upload videos and designate who will be able to see them. Here is a summary of the procedure for creating a new Ubersense video: 1. Click on the Record button on the initial screen to go to the Recording screen. 2. On the Recording screen, click on the Record button to begin recording. It will flash to remind you it is recording. 3. When completed, click on the Record button again to finish recording video. 4. The Tag Video screen will be displayed. 5. This will allow you to assign the sport, athlete, and technique for the video so it can be grouped with other similar videos. Tip: Videos organized by athlete and technique make it easier to use a more advanced feature like comparing two videos side by side. Figure 4 shows a video loaded on the playback screen. Once you have a video selected,

SEPTEMBER 2013

Figure 5. Frame by frame thumbwheel highlighted in hand-drawn red box. Yellow arrows show video playback controls Tip: Annotations can be deleted individually or cleared all at once using the simple editing interface. The button on the left is play/pause. The circle in the middle is the progress indicator. The indicator on the right allows you to adjust the playback speed from 1/8 to full speed.

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emerging technology series Tip: You can also import video from an external source like a camcorder or the internet. Ubersense allows you to load two videos at a time and use the playback controls to compare them. You can use the angle measurements and other annotations to examine changes. By saving videos over time, you can see what has changed.

t Shoot, edit, and share videos in beautiful slow motion t Fast renderless editing t In-app tutorials for advanced features t Hardware accelerated rendering using GPU To get started, install the SloPro app from the app store as you would any other application. Tutorials and advanced help are available at www.sloproapp.com. SloPro focuses on providing clear slow motion playback using advanced techniques to get rid of blur. The initial SloPro screen lets you select or import a video for playback.

Figure 6. Comparing two videos in Ubersense Tip: Be sure to video yourself when you are bowling well. That way, when you are not bowling so well, you can compare to see what looks different.

Figure 7. SloPro initial video screen

Tip: Make separate recordings if you have multiple bowlers! If you mix them together, then you will have to use external applications to edit the video. I did this on several videos and ended up exporting the video to a desktop, running videmux and splitting up the original video into individual shots by bowler and then combining those into separate videos, one per bowler. It would have saved time and a lot of effort to record each bowler separately. Figure 8. SloPro video playback screen

SloPro Video playback application: t For iOS only; there are separate versions for the iPhone and iPad t Designed with high-speed cameras up to 1000 frames per second in mind

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At the top of the SloPro video playback screen, you will see controls in the center that let you change the playback speed. There are choices for 50 percent, 40 percent and 25 percent of full speed, as well as choices for 1.2x, 2x, and 4x speeds. There is also a

BOWLING THIS MONTH

SEPTEMBER 2013

emerging technology series SUPER-SLOW option at 500 frames per second or 1000 frames per second. While this sounds fast, what it means is that playback will occur assuming the video was recorded at 500 or 1000 frames per second. Normal video is 24 frames per second, so this results in extremely slow, but smooth playback rates. Tip: Turn down the sound when doing extremely slow or extremely fast playbacks; otherwise, the audio can be distractingâ&#x20AC;Ś.interesting, but distracting.

Figure 9. Coach's Eye video selection screen

If you choose a SUPER-SLOW option, it is recommended you also select a rendering method to improve the playback quality. There are three to choose from. See the documentation for details on the strengths and weaknesses of the different methods. Unfortunately, static pictures here will not demonstrate their pluses and minuses. Be aware that choosing a SUPER-SLOW option and a rendering method will cause the input video to be reprocessed. The longer your video, the longer this processing will take. Your patience will be rewarded, however, because the resulting video will be much sharper.

Figure 10. Coach's Eye video playback screen

Android video applications There are lots of video playback apps for Android but few video recording apps. One application for sports video analysis suitable for bowling is called Coach's Eye and costs $4.99 on the Google Play store. Coach's Eye is also available for iPhone and iPad for $4.99 from the iOS App Store. The screenshots on this page are from an Android device. The iOS version is nearly identical.

Figure 11. Coach's Eye annotations during video playback

Coach's Eye The video and screenshots for Coach's Eye were created using a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet. The Coach's Eye video selection screen allows you to import a video from an external

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emerging technology series source, select an existing video or begin recording a new video. The Coach's Eye video playback screen has a thumbwheel for frame by frame movement through the video. The playback screen also has play/pause button in the corner and active annotation buttons across the top. There is also a record button on this page so you can record the playback, annotations, and any audio for a coach's analysis session. Using the annotation buttons at the top of the Coach's Eye playback screen, circles, rectangles, lines, arrows, and free-hand shapes can be drawn. Tip: Coach's Eye can only import videos less than 10 minutes long. B A L L C O M PA N Y D I R E C T O RY 900 Global

San Antonio, TX

900global.com

AMF

San Antonio, TX

amf300.com

ABS

Tokyo, Japan

abs300.com

AZO

Brigham City, UT

azobowling.com

Bowler's Paradise Sacramento, CA

bowlersparadise.com

Brunswick

Muskegon, MI

brunswickbowling.com

Columbia 300

Hopkinsville, KY

columbia300.com

DV8

Muskegon, MI

dv8bowling.com

Ebonite

Hopkinsville, KY

ebonite.com

Elite

Sacramento, CA

elitebowling.com

Hammer

Hopkinsville, KY

hammerbowling.com

Jet Bowling

Salt Lake City, UT

jetbowling.com

Lane #1

Syracuse, NY

lane1bowling.com

LoMar Bowling

Russell, KS

lomarbowling.com

QMR

China

qmrbowling.com

Radical

San Antonio, TX

radicalbowling.com

Roto Grip

Brigham City, UT

rotogrip.com

Seismic Bowling

Northern Ireland

seismicbowling.com

Storm Products

Brigham City, UT

stormbowling.com

Motiv

Spring Lake, MI

motivbowling.com/btm

Track

Hopkinsville, KY

trackbowling.com

Visionary

Saint Louis, MO

visionarybowling.com

PAGE 24

Summary iPhone and iPad only apps Ubersense and SloPro both provide outstanding video recording, playback, and analysis features. If you are just getting started, try Ubersense first as its interface is more intuitive. However, SloPro has impressive features that make slow motion video easier to see and it's definitely worth adding to your device as well. Since both are free, there's little downside to trying them. Video recording and editing options are more limited for Android devices. Coach's Eye for Android tablets at $4.99 does a respectable job of providing video capture, playback, and analysis. Coach's Eye is also available for iPhone and iPad for $4.99 on the iOS App Store and is another viable option for those with iOS devices. So, along with using your mobile devices to play games or stay connected with family and friends, you know that you can record and analyze video to help improve your bowling game. Enjoy! In the next technology article, the focus will be on apps that help with frame by frame scoring and gathering statistics on spare percentages, strike percentages, averages, starting position, ball specific results, etc.

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BOWLING THIS MONTH

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Low R G

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Box Fin is

At-A-Glance

ntial

April-September 2013 Â® Ball Comparisons (6-months)

HIGH PERFORMANCE 900 GloEDO $0) %UXQVZLFN &ROXPELD '9 (ERQLWH (OLWH /DQH /DQH /DQH -HW -HW 5DGLFDO 5DGLFDO 5RWR *ULS 6HLVPLF 6HLVPLF 6WRUP 7UDFN 7UDFN

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UPPER-MID-PRICE 900 GlobDO $0) %UXQVZLFN &ROXPELD (ERQLWH +DPPHU +DPPHU 0RWLY 0RWLY 0RWLY 5DGLFDO 6WRUP 7UDFN

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LOWER-MID-PRICE A0) %RZOHUV 3DUDGLVH &ROXPELD +DPPHU +DPPHU 5RWR *ULS 5RWR *ULS 6WRUP 7UDFN

+HDW 6WURNH 3HJDVXV )UHH]H 1DLO 7LWDQLXP 6SLNH 6FUHDP 6KRXW /LJKWV 2XW & 6ROLG

ENTRY LEVEL 900 *OREDO %UXQVZLFN 0RWLY 6WRUP

'HVHUW +RRN 6WULNH .LQJ $VFHQW 3HDUO 7URSLFDO %UHH]H

S: Symmetrical A: Asymmetrical S/Prl U Solid Urethane/Pearl Urethane, lt. light , g.s. grit sanded, nb no buff, rb rough buff, ms. micron sanded, snd. sanded, smo. VPRRWK FS FRPSRXQG IQ Â¿QH 3+ SRZHUKRXVH SO SROLVK Z V ZHW VDQG I I IDFWRU\ Â¿QLVK 3 SDUWLFOH 5 UHDFWLYH 3UO 3HDUO $EUOQ SRO $EUDORQ SROLVKHG JW JULW JOV JORVV SJS SRZHU JHO SROLVK P S 0LFUR 3DG $EUDORQ Z 3RZHUKRXVH )DFWRU\ )LQLVK $3+II $EUDORQ Z 3RZHUKRXVH )DFWRU\ )LQLVK $EQW $EUDQHW PAGE 26

BOWLING THIS MONTH

SEPTEMBER 2013

BALL TRacking test results

Entry Angle BBC Hook Power TBC Alpha Angle

4.7

3.8

3.3

7 47.88

7 7 34.65 28.24

19 6.57

13 4.8

10 4

Entry Angle BBC Hook Power TBC Alpha Angle

Stroker

MEDIUM-41’ Tweener

MEDIUM-41’

Cranker

Full Review on Page 35

Stroker

Full Review on Page 34

Tweener

900 global hard drive

Cranker

900 global desert hook

6.95

5.2

4.2

10 10 72.85 48.78

8 22.06

29 9.65

12 4.9

17 6.4

Entry Angle BBC Hook Power TBC Alpha Angle

5.8

4.27

3.4

10 51.96

8 7 39.24 19.4

22 7.75

15 5.33

10 3.95

Entry Angle: The angle the ball is traveling just prior to entering the pocket.

Entry Angle BBC Hook Power TBC Alpha Angle

Stroker

MEDIUM-41’ Tweener

MEDIUM-41’

Cranker

Full Review on Page 37

Stroker

Full Review on Page 36

Tweener

bowler's paradise pegasus

Cranker

amf heat stroke

7.3

4.25

5.15

12 62.16

8 43.18

14 29.5

27 9.77

16 5.55

18 5.85

DEFINITIONS

Backend BC (BBC): The total number of boards crossed from the breakpoint to the entry board at the pocket. Hook Power: This is not about ball speed but rather is an indicator of how strongly the ball moves horizontally toward the pocket from the breakpoint. A higher number indicates a strong move to the pocket while a lower number indicates a smoother movement. Total BC (TBC): The total number of boards crossed from the time the ball contacts the lane until it enters the pocket. Alpha Angle: Calculated by using the launch angle and the entry angle to compute a total angle change (the movement of the shot).

SEPTEMBER 2013

BOWLING THIS MONTH

PAGE 27

BALL TRacking test results

Entry Angle BBC Hook Power TBC Alpha Angle

7.53

4.15

12 70.01

7 8 46.49 40.23

31 10.43

14 5.4

15 5.3

Entry Angle BBC Hook Power TBC Alpha Angle

Stroker

MEDIUM-41’ Tweener

MEDIUM-41’

Cranker

Full Review on Page 40

Stroker

Full Review on Page 38

Tweener

elite treason

Cranker

elite echo

7.65

5.3

4.35

12 71.54

9 55.15

8 38.74

30 10.43

19 6.8

14 5.2

Entry Angle BBC Hook Power TBC Alpha Angle

7.05

5.25

4.95

10 67.92

8 10 47.84 25.6

28 9.55

16 6.4

13 5.35

Entry Angle: The angle the ball is traveling just prior to entering the pocket.

Entry Angle BBC Hook Power TBC Alpha Angle

Stroker

MEDIUM-41’ Tweener

MEDIUM-41’

Cranker

Full Review on Page 42

Stroker

Full Review on Page 41

Tweener

roto grip deranged

Cranker

Lane #1 crank

7.9

3.95

2.67

12 77.26

6 43.17

6 29.75

32 10.9

14 5.15

11 3.77

DEFINITIONS

PAGE 28

BOWLING THIS MONTH

SEPTEMBER 2013

BALL TRacking test results

Entry Angle BBC Hook Power TBC Alpha Angle

7.1

4.4

3.2

11 65.49

8 39.55

8 28.67

26 9.3

15 5.4

14 4.25

Entry Angle BBC Hook Power TBC Alpha Angle

Stroker

MEDIUM-41’ Tweener

MEDIUM-41’

Cranker

Full Review on Page 44

Stroker

Full Review on Page 43

Tweener

roto grip shout 2013

Cranker

roto grip scream 2013

6.4

5.2

4.5

10 10 66.35 53.2

9 41.33

28 9.17

16 5.9

18 6.7

Entry Angle BBC Hook Power TBC Alpha Angle

8.2

4.1

4.2

13 73.71

7 8 45.69 40.86

31 11.2

14 5.2

15 5.35

Entry Angle: The angle the ball is traveling just prior to entering the pocket.

Entry Angle BBC Hook Power TBC Alpha Angle

Stroker

MEDIUM-41’ Tweener

MEDIUM-41’

Cranker

Full Review on Page 46

Stroker

Full Review on Page 45

Tweener

seismic Venator

Cranker

roto grip totally defiant

6.6

3.1

3.6

10 6 68.56 31.72

7 17.48

28 9

9 4

13 4.2

DEFINITIONS

SEPTEMBER 2013

BOWLING THIS MONTH

PAGE 29

PAGE 30

BOWLING THIS MONTH

SEPTEMBER 2013

Advertisers: For information & rates for Bowlers Blvd e-mail btm@bowlingthismonth.com or call 800-282-7043 BOWLING THIS MONTH

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PAGE 32

BOWLING THIS MONTH

SEPTEMBER 2013

BOWLING THIS MONTH

PAGE 33

BALL TALK REVIEWS

DESERT HOOK

RATINGS*

*Scale: 1-10 Ratings, drillings and diagrams listed in the following order: Stroker/Tweener/Cranker

OILY: 3/3/4 MEDIUM: 9/9/9 DRY: 8/8/8 SPORT: 5/5/5

GENERAL INFO Coverstock Name: S30 Pearl Type: Reactive Pearl Box Finish: Polished Color: Copper/Royal Blue Core Density: Dual Symmetrical For Lane Conditions and Drillings, Please see Ball Notes at bowlingthismonth.com/ballnotes

2.61

RG: 7KH FRUH VKDSH XVHG LQ WKH SUHYLRXV +RRN UHOHDVHV KDV EHHQ PRGL多HG IRU WKH 'HVHUW

.026

Diff/Flare: The differential was nearly cut in half for the Desert Hook. This really tames down the response to the hook at the end of the pattern.

5.5

Torque: The change in cover and core allows this ball to be much smoother at the breakpoint. This comes in handy for handling over/under conditions as well as drier lane conditions.

Length: The weaker core and polished coverstock allow this ball to glide easily down the lane. We never had to worry about the Desert Hook checking up early.

Back End: The back end reaction is lower, which makes it a great match for most THS. The tamed down reaction will allow bowlers to stay closer to the friction longer.

Total Hook: The Desert Hook is easily the least hooking ball of all the Hook! releases. Bowlers who struggle on drier conditions can use this ball to help attack these conditions.

Scale: 1-10

Scale: 1-25

Scale: 1-20

Scale: 1-100

Hook. The RG has been raised to get even easier length on drier lane conditions.

Comments: 7KH 'HVHUW +RRN LV WKH ODWHVW HQWU\ OHYHO UHOHDVH IURP *OREDO ,W KDV D PRGL多HG ZHLJKW EORFN from the previous Hook! balls with a higher RG and a lower differential. Combined with the weaker S30 pearl coverstock, this ball is designed with drier lane conditions in mind. We actually had our best reaction on our medium test pattern. The Desert Hook gave us enough hook in the oil and also allowed us to play closer to the track area. All three testers were very close to each other on the lanes at the arrows and the breakpoint. The weaker cover and core combination allowed us to stay in that part of the lane longer and gave us miss room both left and right of target. We removed the polish to see how much we could open up the lane with the Desert Hook. We used the neAt pad and it created more separation among the testers. Stroker was able to move a few boards deeper, with Tweener four boards left of him, and Cranker another four boards left. When we moved to the dry test pattern, we were able to play a similar line to the pocket, but the miss room we had left of target was not as forgiving. When we increased our ball speed, we had the hold back, but we could shoot it through the breakpoint if we got it too far right. The sport pattern had too much volume for the Desert Hook. We needed a little more total motion, so we removed the polish with the nEat pad. The extra traction gave us a much better reaction and allowed us to play this pattern much straighter than we could with other products. The heavy test pattern offered no reaction for this ball, as it is not designed for such conditions.

SUMMARY Strengths: The ability of the Desert Hook to control drier lane conditions is the biggest selling point. Bowlers who see too much friction on the outside or in the track area on their league conditions will love the reaction this ball provides. Weakness: This ball is designed for lighter or shorter patterns. Long and heavy oil applications will cause it to struggle. Overall: The Desert Hook is a ball to use on short, dry oil patterns or late in blocks when the pattern has blown open. This is the least hooking of all the Hook! releases.

PAGE 34

BOWLING THIS MONTH

SEPTEMBER 2013

BALL TALK REVIEWS

HARD DRIVE

RATINGS*

*Scale: 1-10 Ratings, drillings and diagrams listed in the following order: Stroker/Tweener/Cranker

OILY: 8/8.5/9 MEDIUM: 9.5/9.5/9.5 DRY: 5/4/4 SPORT: 7/7/7

GENERAL INFO Coverstock Name: S74 Pearl Type: Reactive Pearl Box Finish: neaT Color: Midnight Blue/Steel Core Density: Dual Asymmetrical Enhanced Mass Bias: .023 For Lane Conditions and Drillings, Please see Ball Notes at bowlingthismonth.com/ballnotes

2.48

RG: 7KH +DUG 'ULYH XVHV WKH QHZ 5$0 FRUH 7KH ORZ 5* FRUH UHYV XS TXLFNO\ RII WKH

.053

Diff/Flare: 7KH QHZ FRUH FDQ SURYLGH RYHU Â¿YH LQFKHV RI WUDFN Ã&#x20AC;DUH (YHQ RXU ORZHU UHY

7.5

Torque: 7KH SHDUOL]HG 6 SROLVKHG FRYHUVWRFN VWRUHV PDVVLYH DPRXQWV RI HQHUJ\ IRU WKH EUHDNSRLQW 7KLV EDOO WXUQV WKH FRUQHU DV KDUG DV DQ\ SUHYLRXV *OREDO UHOHDVH

16.5

Scale: 1-25

Length: 7KH SROLVKHG ER[ Â¿QLVK JLYHV WKH +DUG 'ULYH HQRXJK OHQJWK WR FOHDU WKH IURQWV 7KLV EDOO ZDVWHV QR HQHUJ\ JHWWLQJ WR WKH EUHDNSRLQW VHWWLQJ LW XS IRU D ELJ EDFN HQG UHDFWLRQ

17.5

Back End: 7KH +DUG 'ULYH VDYHV HYHU\WKLQJ LW KDV IRU WKH EDFN SDUW RI WKH ODQH %RZOHUV

Total Hook: 7KH +DUG 'ULYH KDV SOHQW\ RI WRWDO PRWLRQ LQ DGGLWLRQ WR WKH ELJ EDFN HQG KRRN %RZOHUV ZLWK VORZHU EDOO VSHHGV FDQ XVH WKH +DUG 'ULYH RQ KHDYLHU SDWWHUQV

Scale: 1-10

Scale: 1-20

Scale: 1-100

ERZOHUÂ¶V KDQG

WHVWHU ZDV DEOH WR VHH MXVW XQGHU Â¿YH LQFKHV RI RLO ULQJV

ZKR ZDQW WR VHH D ELJ VNLG Ã&#x20AC;LS UHDFWLRQ ZLOO OLNH ZKDW WKH +DUG 'ULYH RIIHUV

Comments: 7KH +DUG 'ULYH LV WKH QHZHVW KLJK SHUIRUPDQFH EDOO LQ WKH *OREDO OLQH 7KLV EDOO LV WKH Â¿UVW LQ WKH QHZ OLQH WKDW ZLOO UHSODFH WKH 7UDLQ VHULHV 7KH +DUG 'ULYH XVHV D EUDQG QHZ FRUH VKDSH IRU *OREDO 7KLV QHZ 5$0 FRUH KDV D ORZ 5* DQG D KLJK GLIIHUHQWLDO 7KH +DUG 'ULYH XVHV D SHDUO YHUVLRQ RI WKH 6 UHDFWLYH FRYHUVWRFN 7KLV FRUH DQG FRYHU FRPELQDWLRQ JDYH XV WKH EHVW UHDFWLRQ RQ WKH PHGLXP WHVW SDWWHUQ ZLWK WKH KHDY\ SDWWHUQ QRW IDU EHKLQG &UDQNHU ZDV DEOH WR SOD\ DURXQG WKH PLGGOH DUURZ DQG KDG DOO WKH UHFRYHU\ KH ZDQWHG GRZQ ODQH 7KH SROLVKHG FRYHUVWRFN VWLOO KDV SOHQW\ RI KRRN LQ WKH RLO $OO WKUHH WHVWHUV FRXOG PRYH GHHSHU ZLWK WKHLU IHHW RQ WKLV SDWWHUQ ZLWKRXW HYHU VHQGLQJ WKH +DUG 'ULYH SDVW WKH GHVLUHG EUHDNSRLQW $OO WKH WHVWHUV OLNHG WKHLU UHDFWLRQ RQ WKLV SDWWHUQ DQG QHYHU KDG WR DOWHU WKH VXUIDFH RI DQ\ RI WKH WHVW EDOOV 0RYLQJ WR WKH KHDY\ WHVW SDWWHUQ &UDQNHU KDG WKH EHVW UHDFWLRQ (YHQ ZLWK WKH SROLVKHG ER[ Â¿QLVK KH ZDV DEOH WR VHH SOHQW\ RI WUDFWLRQ RQ WKLV SDWWHUQ 7ZHHQHU DQG 6WURNHU OLNHG WKHLU UHDFWLRQ EXW WKH\ KDG WR EH FDUHIXO QRW WR JHW WKHLU EDOO VSHHG WRR IDVW DV WKHLU UHOHDVH GRHV QRW SURGXFH HQRXJK UHY UDWH IRU WKLV VOLFNHU SDWWHUQ :H WRRN D $EUDORQ SDG DQG OLJKWO\ KLW WKHLU +DUG 'ULYHV :LWK WKH SROLVK UHPRYHG WKH\ VDZ WKH H[WUD KRRN WKH\ QHHGHG RQ WKLV SDWWHUQ 7KH ER[ Â¿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

SUMMARY Strengths: 7KH DELOLW\ IRU WKH +DUG 'ULYH WR KRRN DV PXFK DV LW GRHV ZLWK WKH SROLVKHG ER[ Â¿QLVK LV D ELJ VWUHQJWK 7KLV EDOO VWLOO FDQ KRRN LQ WKH PLGGOH RI DQ RLO SDWWHUQ ZKLOH RIIHULQJ WKH ELJ PRWLRQ ZKHQ LW VHHV IULFWLRQ Weakness: 2QO\ WKH KHDYLHVW RU GULHVW RLO SDWWHUQV ZLOO NHHS WKH +DUG 'ULYH RXW RI SOD\ :LWK VRPH VXUIDFH DGMXVWPHQWV ZH ZHUH DEOH WR Â¿QG VXFFHVV RQ HYHU\WKLQJ EXW RXU GU\ SDWWHUQ Overall 7KH +DUG 'ULYH RIIHUV D ORZ 5* FRUH VXUURXQGHG E\ D SHDUO SROLVKHG FRYHUVWRFN 7KLV FRPELQDWLRQ ZLOO JLYH XVHUV D EDOO ZLWK D ELJ EDFN HQG UHFRYHU\

SEPTEMBER 2013

BOWLING THIS MONTH

PAGE 35

BALL TALK REVIEWS

HEAT STROKE

RATINGS*

*Scale: 1-10 Ratings, drillings and diagrams listed in the following order: Stroker/Tweener/Cranker

OILY: 4/4/4 MEDIUM: 9/8/7 DRY: 7/7/6 SPORT: 6/6/6

GENERAL INFO Coverstock Coverstock Name: F55 Pearl Type: Reactive Pearl Box Finish: Polished Color: Fire and Brimstone Core Density: Dual Symmetrical For Lane Conditions and Drillings, Please see Ball Notes at bowlingthismonth.com/ballnotes

2.49

RG: The Heat Stroke uses an older, more traditional core shape. This is a medium RG core

.033

Diff/Flare: The low differential comes in handy on medium to dry lane conditions. Our

Torque: The lower differential smoothes out the reaction at the breakpoint. The smoother reaction allows bowlers to stay closer to the track area.

Length: The polished cover gets the Heat Stroke down the lane easily. We were able to use this ball on our medium and drier test patterns.

Scale: 1-20

Back End: The lower differential keeps the Heat Stroke from over-reacting at the back end. The move is strong enough to get the ball to the pocket on medium to dry conditions.

Total Hook: The Heat Stroke is a ways down the performance line in the total hook depart-

Scale: 1-10

Scale: 1-25

Scale: 1-100

that revs up strong in the midlane.

WHVWHUV VDZ WKUHH WR WKUHH DQG D KDOI LQFKHV RI ÀDUH

ment. This ball will be best on medium light conditions or on broken down league shots.

Comments: The Heat Stroke is the medium performance release for AMF this summer. The core is one that has been used throughout the years and, in the Heat Stroke, is surrounded by an F55 pearl reactive coverstock. 7KH ORZHU ÀDULQJ FRUH DQG PHGLXP VWUHQJWK FRYHUVWRFN PDWFKHG XS EHVW RQ RXU PHGLXP WHVW SDWWHUQ 7KH +HDW Stroke gave us what we put into it. Cranker had more length and a stronger back end shape, while Stroker and Tweener saw more movement in the midlane and an arc shape down lane. The highly polished shell caused some over/under for all three testers on this pattern. We used a neaT pad to give us just a little more traction in the oil ZLWKRXW JLYLQJ XS DQ\ RI WKH OHQJWK ZH ZHUH VHHLQJ 7KH FKDQJH LQ ¿QLVK JDYH XV D PRUH SUHGLFWDEOH UHDFWLRQ RQ WKLV SDWWHUQ 7KH GU\ SDWWHUQ ZDV QH[W IRU XV DQG DOO WKH WHVWHUV NHSW WKH +HDW 6WURNH DW WKH ER[ ¿QLVK $OO WKUHH SOD\HUV PRYHG OHIW ZLWK WKHLU IHHW DQG OHW WKH SROLVKHG ¿QLVK RI WKH +HDW 6WURNH JOLGH LW GRZQ WKH ODQH :H RQO\ UDQ into trouble when the front of the lane started to lose oil and moving left gave us the same over/under we were VHHLQJ RQ WKH PHGLXP 7KH +HDW 6WURNH ZDV QRW VWURQJ HQRXJK DW WKH ER[ ¿QLVK IRU PXFK XVH RQ RXU VSRUW SDWtern. Sport patterns on the lighter side would match up much better for this ball. We roughed up the Heat Stroke with a 2000 Abralon pad for each tester and it vastly improved their reaction on this pattern. The extra grit gave us more bite in the oil and smoothed out the reaction when it got to the friction. We had very little success on our heavy test pattern. There are plenty of balls designed for heavier volumes of oil other than the Heat Stroke.

SUMMARY Strengths: The easy length and control at the breakpoint are what we liked best about the Heat Stroke. Once we got lined up, we did not have to make many moves. Weakness: We struggled when we caught too much oil in the middle of the lane. As the oil got to the back end, we had to straighten our DQJOHV WR NHHS WKH +HDW 6WURNH IURP KLWWLQJ ÀDW Overall: The Heat Stroke would be the ball we changed to when the Solar Flare started over-reacting. This ball is a good step down or would be a good ball to start with on lower volume patterns.

PAGE 36

BOWLING THIS MONTH

SEPTEMBER 2013

BALL TALK REVIEWS

PEGASUS

RATINGS*

*Scale: 1-10 Ratings, drillings and diagrams listed in the following order: Stroker/Tweener/Cranker

OILY: 6/7/8 MEDIUM: 9/9/9 DRY: 6/4/4 SPORT: 7/7/7

GENERAL INFO Coverstock Name: Max Grip 2 Reactive Type: Reactive Pearl Box Finish: 2000 Abralon Color: Purple/Gold/White Core Density: Dual Symmetrical For Lane Conditions and Drillings, Please see Ball Notes at bowlingthismonth.com/ballnotes

2.555

RG: 7KH ZHLJKW EORFN LQ WKH 3HJDVXV LV D KLJK 5* FRUH 7KLV EDOO UROOV KHDYLO\ LQ WKH PLGODQH

.046

Diff/Flare: 7KLV EDOO SURYLGHV IRXU DQG D KDOI LQFKHV RI WUDFN Ã&#x20AC;DUH 7KH VDQGHG FRYHUVWRFN HDVLO\ VKRZV RII DOO WKH ULQJV

6.5

Torque: 7KH 3HJDVXV LV D XQLTXH FRPELQDWLRQ RI D SHDUO EDOO DQG D VDQGHG RXW RI WKH ER[ Â¿QLVK 7KH VDQGHG FRYHU DGGV PRUH WRWDO PRWLRQ EXW WDNHV DZD\ MXVW D OLWWOH IURP WKH EUHDNSRLQW

Scale: 1-25

Length: 7KH VDQGHG FRYHU SLFNV XS VWURQJO\ LQ WKH PLGODQH 7KH SHDUO FRYHUVWRFN FDQ HDVLO\ EH VKLQHG WR DGG PRUH OHQJWK LI QHHGHG

16.5

Back End: :H RQO\ KDG WKH EDOOV ZH WHVWHG WKLV PRQWK WR FRPSDUH WR WKH 3HJDVXV :H

Total Hook: 7KH 3HJDVXV SURYLGHV HQRXJK KRRN WR KDQGOH PHGLXP WR KHDY\ FRQGLWLRQV

Scale: 1-10

Scale: 1-20

Scale: 1-100

DQG VDYHV D ORW IRU WKH EDFN HQG

ZRXOG VDIHO\ VD\ WKDW WKLV EDOO RIIHUV SOHQW\ RI KRRN DW WKH EDFN RI WKH ODQH

7KH URXJK SHDUO FRYHU KDV MXVW WKH ULJKW DPRXQW RI WUDFWLRQ DQG EDFN HQG

Comments: 7KH 3HJDVXV LV WKH Â¿UVW %RZOHUV 3DUDGLVH EDOO ZH KDYH UHYLHZHG 7KLV EDOO XVHV D SHDUO UHDFWLYH FRYHUVWRFN ZLWK D KLJK 5* PHGLXP GLIIHUHQWLDO FRUH 7KH PHGLXP WHVW SDWWHUQ JDYH XV WKH EHVW UHDFWLRQ 7KH SHDUO FRYHUVWRFN FRPHV RXW RI WKH ER[ DW D $EUDORQ Â¿QLVK 7KH UHDFWLRQ RQ WKLV SDWWHUQ ZDV D VWURQJ DUF WKURXJK WKH HQWLUH ODQH ZLWK D JRRG DPRXQW RI HQHUJ\ DW WKH EDFN HQG 7KH URXJK ER[ Â¿QLVK DFWXDOO\ DOORZHG 6WURNHU WR FRYHU PRUH ERDUGV WKDQ 7ZHHQHU RQ WKLV SDWWHUQ 7KH\ FRXOG QRW JHW WRR PXFK IDUWKHU LQWR WKH SDWWHUQ EXW EHFDXVH 6WURNHU QHHGHG WR JHW LW WR WKH IULFWLRQ TXLFNHU KH ZDV DEOH WR KDYH PRUH PRYHPHQW DW WKH EDFN HQG 7ZHHQHU ZDV DFWXDOO\ QHDUO\ RQ WRS RI &UDQNHU DW WKH DUURZV &UDQNHUÂ¶V KLJKHU UHY UDWH DOORZHG KLP WR JHW WKH 3HJDVXV PXFK IDUWKHU ULJKW WKDQ 7ZHHQHU KRZHYHU 7ZHHQHU ZDV QRW FRPSODLQLQJ DERXW KLV UHDFWLRQ +H ZDV ULJKW DW KRPH SOD\LQJ WKH RLO OLQH KDYLQJ KROG OHIW RI WDUJHW DQG UHFRYHU\ RQ VKRWV OHDNHG D OLWWOH ULJKW 7KH VSRUW SDWWHUQ JDYH XV WKH QH[W EHVW UHDFWLRQ 7KH URXJKHG XS SHDUO FRYHU JDYH XV WKH ULJKW DPRXQW RI PLGODQH UROO DQG VWURQJ EUHDNSRLQW UHDFWLRQ $OO WKUHH WHVWHUV NHSW WKLV EDOO DW WKH ER[ Â¿QLVK IRU ERWK RI WKHVH SDWWHUQV :H PRYHG WKH KHDY\ SDWWHUQ DQG RQO\ &UDQNHU ZDV FRPIRUWDEOH ZLWK KLV UHDFWLRQ 7ZHHQHU DQG 6WURNHU IHOW WKH SHDUO FRYHU ZDQWHG WR JR D OLWWOH IDUWKHU WKDQ WKH\ ZDQWHG LW WR EHIRUH LW PDGH LWV PRYH :H KLW ERWK RI WKHVH EDOOV OLJKWO\ ZLWK D $EUDORQ SDG 7KH H[WUD VXUIDFH UHDOO\ EURXJKW WKH 3HJDVXV WR OLIH IRU WKHP RQ WKLV SDWWHUQ 7R PDNH WKH 3HJDVXV XVHIXO RQ WKH GU\ SDWWHUQ ZH KDG WR UDLVH WKH Â¿QLVK ZLWK D $EUDORQ SDG DQG DGG D KHDOWK\ DPRXQW RI SROLVK 7KH VPRRWKHU Â¿QLVK DOORZHG WKH WHVWHUV WR LQFUHDVH WKHLU EDOO VSHHG DQG SOD\ D VWUDLJKWHU OLQH WR WKH SRFNHW

SUMMARY Strengths: :H UHDOO\ OLNHG WKH YHUVDWLOLW\ RI WKH FRYHUVWRFN $W WKH ER[ Â¿QLVK ZH FRXOG KDQGOH WKUHH RI WKH IRXU WHVW SDWWHUQV DQG ZLWK VRPH SROLVK ZH FRXOG JHW WR WKH SRFNHW RQ WKH IRXUWK Weakness: 7KHUH LV OLWWOH ZH GLG QRW OLNH DERXW WKH 3HJDVXV 7KH EDOO VWUXJJOHG VOLJKWO\ RQ WKH IUHVK KHDY\ RLO SDWWHUQ Overall 7KH 3HJDVXV LV WKH Â¿UVW EDOO ZH KDYH WHVWHG IURP %RZOHUV 3DUDGLVH 7KH 3HJDVXV FDQ Â¿QG LWV ZD\ LQWR DQ\ SOD\HUÂ¶V EDJ RQ PHGLXP WR KHDY\ YROXPHV RI RLO

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PAGE 37

BALL TALK REVIEWS

ECHO

RATINGS*

*Scale: 1-10 Ratings, drillings and diagrams listed in the following order: Stroker/Tweener/Cranker

OILY: 5/6/7 MEDIUM: 9/9/9 DRY: 7/5/5 SPORT: 6/6/6

GENERAL INFO Coverstock Name: E70M Reactive Type: Reactive Pearl Box Finish: 4000 Abralon Color: Pearl/Silver Core Density: Dual Symmetrical For Lane Conditions and Drillings, Please see Ball Notes at bowlingthismonth.com/ballnotes

2.545

RG: The Echo uses a core with a higher RG than the last Elite ball we tested, the Alien

.048

Diff/Flare: 7KLV EDOO FRPHV ZLWK D PHGLXP KLJK Ă&#x20AC;DUH SRWHQWLDO &UDQNHU VDZ MXVW XQGHU ÂżYH LQFKHV RI WUDFN Ă&#x20AC;DUH 7ZHHQHU ZDV DURXQG IRXU DQG D KDOI ZKLOH 6WURNHU FKHFNHG LQ DW WKH four inch mark.

Torque: 7KLV EDOO RIIHUV D VWURQJ PRYH ZKHQ LW VHHV IULFWLRQ GRZQ ODQH :H VDZ HYHQ PRUH when we polished the cover.

6FDOH

Abduction. The higher RG and pearl cover allow the Echo to easily get down the lane farther than the Abduction.

6FDOH

Length: The Echo got down the lane better than we thought it would coming out of the box DW D VDQGHG FRYHU 7KH $EUDORQ ÂżQLVK VWLOO VKRZHG QR VLJQV RI UHDGLQJ WKH ODQH WRR HDUO\

Back End: 7KH VDQGHG ÂżQLVK WDNHV D OLWWOH DZD\ IURP WKH EUHDNSRLQW DQG EDFN HQG %RZOHUV

6FDOH

49 6FDOH

looking for a sharper move should add a layer of polish.

Total Hook: The Echo gave us a strong motion on our medium pattern. It hooked less than the Alien Abduction and the Treason.

Comments: The Echo is a pearl resin coverstock that engulfs a higher RG, medium differential core. This EDOO LV ÂżQLVKHG ZLWK D $EUDORQ ÂżQLVK JLYLQJ LW PRUH WUDFWLRQ WKDQ RWKHU SHDUOV WKDW FRPH RXW RI WKH ER[ polished. The combination of traction and back end was the perfect marriage for our medium pattern. The testers were all in their comfort zones, all having different targets at the arrows and at their breakpoints. The Echo ZDV VWURQJ HQRXJK IRU &UDQNHU WR SOD\ GHHSHU LQ WKH SDWWHUQ \HW VWLOO FOHDUHG WKH IURQWV HQRXJK IRU 7ZHHQHU DQG 6WURNHU WR SOD\ D PRUH GLUHFW OLQH (DFK WHVWHU ZDV DEOH WR PDNH PRYHV IDUWKHU OHIW ZLWK WKHLU WDUJHW DQG WKHLU IHHW as the pattern broke down. Our heavy pattern was up next. All the testers had to move their feet farther right and square up their angles through the front. Even with these adjustments, all had an inconsistent reaction downlane. &UDQNHU NQRFNHG WKH FRYHU GRZQ WR D $EUDORQ SDG ZKLOH 7ZHHQHU DQG 6WURNHU WRRN D $EUDORQ SDG to the cover of their Echos. Each tester saw an increase in total motion, without the ball losing energy through WKH SLQV 0RYLQJ WR WKH GU\ WHVW SDWWHUQ 6WURNHU OLNHG WKH UHDFWLRQ EHVW %HFDXVH RI KLV ORZHU UHY UDWH KLV EDOO ZDV DEOH WR QRW VHH WKH IULFWLRQ WRR HDUO\ RQ WKH ODQH &UDQNHU DQG 7ZHHQHU QHHGHG WR SROLVK WKH FRYHUV RQ WKHLU WHVW EDOOV WR NHHS WKHP IURP JRLQJ KLJK LQWR WKH KHDGSLQ 7KH ER[ ÂżQLVK ZDV D WDG WRR ZHDN IRU RXU OLNLQJ RQ WKH VSRUW SDWWHUQ :KHQ ZH ORZHUHG WKH JULW WR $EUDORQ ZH JRW DGGHG PRWLRQ LQ WKH PLGODQH ZKLOH VPRRWKLQJ out the big move when the ball saw hook.

SUMMARY Strengths: The Echo provided us with medium length and a decent move at the back end. The rough pearl cover provides a different shape of hook than other products. Weakness: %RWK RXU KHDY\ WHVW SDWWHUQ DQG RXU GU\ WHVW SDWWHUQ JDYH XV VRPH WURXEOH DW WKH (FKRÂśV ER[ ÂżQLVK :H ZHUH DEOH WR DQVZHU WKHVH problems with surface adjustments. Overall: The Echo is the least hooking Elite ball we have tested in a while. This is not a knock on the ball, as the Platinum and Alien Abduction were both high performance balls targeted for heavier volumes of oil.

PAGE 38

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SEPTEMBER 2013

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BALL TALK REVIEWS

TREASON

RATINGS*

*Scale: 1-10 Ratings, drillings and diagrams listed in the following order: Stroker/Tweener/Cranker

OILY: 9/9/9 MEDIUM: 9.5/9.5/9.5 DRY: 4/4/4 SPORT: 8/7/7

GENERAL INFO Coverstock Name: E90M Reactive Type: Reactive Hybrid Box Finish: 1000 Abralon Matte Color: Black/Blue/Silver Core Density: Dual Symmetrical For Lane Conditions and Drillings, Please see Ball Notes at bowlingthismonth.com/ballnotes

2.527

RG: 7KH FRUH GHVLJQ LQ WKH 7UHDVRQ KDV D VOLJKWO\ ORZHU 5* WKDQ WKH (FKR $Q\ ORZHU 5*

.048

Diff/Flare: 7KH 7UHDVRQ RIIHUV MXVW OHVV WKDQ ÂżYH LQFKHV RI Ă&#x20AC;DUH SRWHQWLDO $OO WKUHH WHVWHUV ZHUH DEOH WR VHH QHDUO\ WKH IXOO ÂżYH LQFKHV

7.5

Torque: The hybrid coverstock provides a strong motion when it gets out of the pattern. The 7UHDVRQ KDV D WHUULÂżF FRPELQDWLRQ RI WUDFWLRQ DQG VWRUHG HQHUJ\ DW WKH EUHDNSRLQW

Scale: 1-25

Length: 7KH $EUDORQ FRYHU FDQ ELWH WKURXJK RLO HDVLO\ 7KH SHDUO LQ WKH FRYHU NHHSV LW from losing too much energy.

Back End: Even though the Treason loses a little bit of motion at the back because of the

Scale: 1-20

URXJK FRYHUVWRFN LW VWLOO KDV SOHQW\ RI SRS %RZOHUV ZKR QHHG PRUH EDFN HQG FDQ VDFULÂżFH VRPH RI WKH WRWDO PRWLRQ DQG DGG EDFN HQG E\ UDLVLQJ XS WKH ÂżQLVK RI WKH FRYHUVWRFN

Total Hook: The Treason offers a strong hooking motion through the entire lane. This ball will be best on medium heavy patterns.

Scale: 1-10

Scale: 1-100

with this strong a coverstock may cause this ball to burn off too much energy.

Comments: The Treason is a mid-price release for Elite. Both Elite balls we tested this month were not high performance releases. Previously, the Elite balls we reviewed were at the high performance price point and those are all we have to compare these new releases to. If we did not know any better, we would have thought WKH 7UHDVRQ ZDV \HW DQRWKHU KLJK SHUIRUPDQFH UHOHDVH ,W FRPHV DW D URXJK $EUDORQ ER[ ÂżQLVK PDNLQJ LW D beast on medium to heavy oil patterns. We had nearly equal reactions on our medium and heavy test pattern. The H[WUD IULFWLRQ SURYLGHG E\ RXU PHGLXP SDWWHUQ JDYH XV MXVW D VOLJKWO\ EHWWHU ORRN $OO WKUHH WHVWHUV ZHUH DEOH WR ERPE WKLV SDWWHUQ IURP WKHLU FRPIRUW ]RQHV 7KH 7UHDVRQÂśV URXJK ÂżQLVK FKHZHG WKURXJK WKH RLO ZKLOH WKH K\EULG coverstock stored plenty of energy for a big change of direction at the breakpoint. Each tester continued to move OHIW DV WKH RLO ZDV UHPRYHG IURP WKH KHDGV DQG QHYHU KDG WR DOWHU WKHLU EDOO VXUIDFH $OO WKUHH WHVWHUV VDZ SUHWW\ PXFK WKH VDPH WKLQJ RQ WKH KHDY\ WHVW SDWWHUQ $ VPDOO PRYH RXWVLGH IRU HDFK DQG WKH\ ZHUH VWULNLQJ DZD\ DJDLQ QRW FKDQJLQJ WKH FRYHUVWRFN 7KH VWURQJ FRYHUVWRFN DQG ER[ ÂżQLVK ZDV HQRXJK WR RYHUSRZHU RXU VSRUW SDWWHUQ 6WURNHU KDG WKH EHVW RI LW VHHLQJ PRUH UHFRYHU\ WKDQ KH LV XVHG WR KDYLQJ RQ WKLV Ă&#x20AC;DWWHU SDWWHUQ 7RZDUG WKH HQG of the session, Cranker needed a little more length to keep it going through the pins correctly, so he raised the ÂżQLVK WR $EUDORQ :H DGGHG KHDY\ ORDGV RI SROLVK WR WKH 7UHDVRQ WR WU\ DQG ÂżQG VRPHWKLQJ RQ RXU GU\ WHVW pattern, but the cover was just too strong. We would need much weaker layouts than we use to make this ball work with this much hook on the lane.

SUMMARY Strengths: The big move the Treason offers through the entire lane is its biggest asset. This ball provides plenty of traction in the oil while maintaining a strong back end reaction. Weakness: 7KH URXJK ER[ ÂżQLVK RI WKH 7UHDVRQ ZLOO FDXVH LW WR VWUXJJOH RQ VKRUW RU GU\ FRQGLWLRQV 5DLVLQJ XS WKH ÂżQLVK DQG DGGLQJ SROLVK DUH a must for bowlers on drier patterns. Overall: The Treason is one of the most useful releases we have thrown from Elite. This ball will be good for a wide variety of bowlers on many different oil patterns.

PAGE 40

BOWLING THIS MONTH

SEPTEMBER 2013

BALL TALK REVIEWS

CRANK

RATINGS*

*Scale: 1-10 Ratings, drillings and diagrams listed in the following order: Stroker/Tweener/Cranker

OILY: 8/8/9 MEDIUM: 9/9.5/9.5 DRY: 5/4/3 SPORT: 7/7/7

GENERAL INFO Coverstock Coverstock Name: Pure Explosion Particle Pearl Type: Particle Pearl Box Finish: nEat Color: Heavy Metal Core Density: Dual Symmetrical Enhanced Mass Bias: .007 For Lane Conditions and Drillings, Please see Ball Notes at bowlingthismonth.com/ballnotes

2.493

RG: The Crank uses a new core design called Warped Asymmetrical Symmetric. This ball

.053

Diff/Flare: 7KH QHZ FRUH SURYLGHV RYHU ÂżYH LQFKHV RI WUDFN Ă&#x20AC;DUH &UDQNHU ZDV RYHU WKDW

Torque: The last time we saw the Pure Explosion particle pearl coverstock, it was on the Maxxx Curve. This ball revs up quicker and is slightly less angular at the breakpoint.

Scale: 1-25

Length: The nEat pad gives the Crank plenty of teeth in the oil. The particle pearl cover still gives it enough length for success on medium type conditions.

Back End: 7KH SDUWLFOH LQ WKH FRYHU DQG WKH URXJKHU ER[ ÂżQLVK GR QRW VORZ WKLV EDOO GRZQ

Total Hook: The Crank will be most useful on conditions on the heavier side of medium.

Scale: 1-10

Scale: 1-20

Scale: 1-100

has a low RG that will rev up as soon as it hits the lane.

while Tweener and Stroker both saw four and a half inches.

much at the back end. We saw a good amount of recovery on all our patterns.

We had success on both our medium and heavy test patterns.

Comments: 7KH &UDQN LV WKH ÂżUVW UHOHDVH LQ D ZKLOH WKDW XVHV D SDUWLFOH SHDUO FRYHUVWRFN /DQH KDV SDLUHG this cover with a brand new core shape. The Warped Asymmetrical Symmetric core revs up quickly and proYLGHV D ORW RI Ă&#x20AC;DUH SRWHQWLDO 2XU WHVWHUV KDG MXVW D OLWWOH ELW EHWWHU UHDFWLRQ RQ RXU PHGLXP SDWWHUQ WKDQ ZH GLG on the heavy. The strong coverstock easily tore through the heaviest oil on the lane, while maintaining enough power for a nice move at the breakpoint. Cranker really liked the amount of area he could create with the Crank, no pun intended. He could miss in and the Crank still created enough entry angle to kick the corner and he could throw it as far right as he wanted on this pattern. Tweenerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reaction was not far behind. Even though his feet were not as far left as Crankerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, his look on the lane was almost identical. Stroker had a good amount of area as ZHOO MXVW QRW DV PXFK DV &UDQNHU DQG 7ZHHQHU 1R RQH FKDQJHG WKH VXUIDFH RQ WKHLU &UDQN WKH\ MXVW NHSW PRYLQJ left to catch more oil up front as the lane transitioned. Moving to the slick pattern, Cranker still had the best reaction. Squaring up to the lane a little bit allowed him plenty of area down lane. Stroker had to make sure and get through the shot. When he stopped short with his follow through, the ball did not make the corner. Stroker KDG D OLWWOH WURXEOH RQ WKH IUHVK +H MXVW GLG QRW KDYH WKH URWDWLRQ WR JHW LW WR WXUQ XS TXLFNO\ HQRXJK RQ WKH ORQJHU pattern. After a few shots, as the lane started to break down, the shot came to him. We did not want to lower WKH ÂżQLVK DQ\ PRUH DQG ULVN WKH &UDQN EXUQLQJ XS :H KDG D JRRG UHDFWLRQ RQ RXU VSRUW SDWWHUQ 7KH &UDQN KDV SOHQW\ RI ELWH LQ WKH RLO ZLWKRXW EHLQJ WRR YLROHQW DW WKH EUHDNSRLQW 7KH ER[ ÂżQLVK ZDV EHVW IRU RXU VSRUW SDWWHUQ and should be good for heavier and slicker ones as well.

SUMMARY Strengths: The particle pearl coverstock provides a shape we do not get to see often from bowling balls. The ball gets good length, but with much more traction than pearls without particle in them. Weakness: Our lower rev tester had some problems on the heavy pattern when it was fresh. All three testers had trouble on the dry pattern. There are better ball options for both of these conditions from Lane #1. Overall: The color is eye catching, as is the reaction. Bowlers who want more length than a solid ball and extra movement at the breakpoint will like what they see from the Crank.

SEPTEMBER 2013

BOWLING THIS MONTH

PAGE 41

BALL TALK REVIEWS

DERANGED

RATINGS*

*Scale: 1-10 Ratings, drillings and diagrams listed in the following order: Stroker/Tweener/Cranker

OILY: 6/7/8 MEDIUM: 9/9.5/9.5 DRY: 8/7/6 SPORT: 6/6/6

GENERAL INFO Coverstock Coverstock Name: 61MH Type: Reactive Pearl Box Finish: 1500 grit polished Color: Neon Green Pearl/White Pearl Core Density: Dual Symmetrical For Lane Conditions and Drillings, Please see Ball Notes at bowlingthismonth.com/ballnotes

2.50

RG: 7KH 'HUDQJHG XWLOL]HV WKH VDPH FRUH VKDSH DV WKH 'LVWXUEHG 7KLV FRUH UHYV XS TXLFNO\

.043

Diff/Flare: 7KH GLIIHUHQWLDO LV WKH VDPH LQ WKH 'HUDQJHG DV LW ZDV LQ WKH 'LVWXUEHG 7KLV EDOO RIIHUV MXVW RYHU IRXU LQFKHV RI Ã&#x20AC;DUH SRWHQWLDO

7.5 6FDOH

Torque: 7KH SROLVKHG SHDUO FRYHUVWRFN PDNHV D KXJH GLIIHUHQFH LQ UHDFWLRQ EHWZHHQ WKH 'HUDQJHG DQG 'LVWXUEHG 7KH 'HUDQJHG RIIHUV D PXFK ELJJHU PRYH ZKHQ LW H[LWV WKH RLO SDWWHUQ

Length: 7KH SHDUO FRYHUVWRFN JOLGHV WKURXJK WKH IURQW RI WKH ODQH HDVLO\ 7KLV UHDFWLRQ LV PRVW XVHIXO RQ PHGLXP WR OLJKWHU FRQGLWLRQV

6FDOH

LQ WKH IURQW RI WKH ODQH

6FDOH

Back End: 7KH 'LVWXUEHG VXUSULVHG XV ZLWK WKH DPRXQW RI EDFN HQG LW FRXOG FUHDWH $GGLQJ D SROLVKHG SHDUO FRYHU WR WKLV FRUH DOORZV WKH 'HUDQJHG WR KDYH HYHQ PRUH PRYHPHQW DW WKH EDFN HQG

Total Hook: 7KH 'HUDQJHG SURYLGHV WKH ULJKW DPRXQW RI KRRN IRU PRVW 7+6 7KH PDMRULW\ RI WKH WRWDO KRRN WDNHV SODFH IURP WKH EUHDNSRLQW WR WKH SLQV

6FDOH

Comments: 7KH 'HUDQJHG LV WKH IROORZ XS WR WKH 'LVWXUEHG LQ WKH +3 OLQH IRU 5RWR *ULS 7KH 'HUDQJHG XVHV D SHDUOL]HG 0+ FRYHUVWRFN WR VXUURXQG WKH VDPH FRUH DV XVHG LQ WKH 'LVWXUEHG 7KH 'HUDQJHG JDYH XV D ELJ VNLG Ã&#x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Â¿QLVK :KLOH 7ZHHQHU FRXOG JHW WR WKH SRFNHW KH KDG WR EH VXUH WR QRW JHW IDVW ZLWK KLV IHHW RU KLV EDOO VSHHG :H WRRN WKH SROLVK RII 7ZHHQHU DQG 6WURNHUÂ¶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Â¿QLVK ZLWK D $EUDORQ SDG 7KH EDOO ZDV WRR DQJXODU ZKHQ LW FDPH RXW RI WKH SDWWHUQ DW WKH ER[ Â¿QLVK

SUMMARY Strengths: 7KH VNLG Ã&#x20AC;LS QDWXUH RI WKH 'HUDQJHG LV ZKDW ZH OLNHG EHVW DERXW LW 7KH FRYHU DQG FRUH FRPELQDWLRQ DOORZHG XV WR UHDOO\ RSHQ RXU DQJOHV DQG VHH D ELJ UHFRYHU\ GRZQ ODQH Weakness: :H FRXOG VHH D OLWWOH ELW RI DQ RYHU XQGHU UHDFWLRQ RQFH WKH WUDFN DUHD EHJDQ WR KRRN DQG ZH WULHG WR PRYH OHIW WRR TXLFNO\ :H DOVR VWUXJJOHG RQ RXU KHDY\ WHVW SDWWHUQ Overall 7KH 'HUDQJHG Â¿OOV WKH YRLG OHIW E\ WKH %DQGLW LQ WKH +3 OLQH $ VWURQJ SHDUO ZLWK D ELJ UHVSRQVH WR IULFWLRQ LV ZKDW XVHUV ZLOO Â¿QG IURP WKH 'HUDQJHG

PAGE 42

BOWLING THIS MONTH

SEPTEMBER 2013

BALL TALK REVIEWS

SCREAM 2013

RATINGS*

*Scale: 1-10 Ratings, drillings and diagrams listed in the following order: Stroker/Tweener/Cranker

OILY: 3/4/5 MEDIUM: 9/9/9.5 DRY: 8/8/7 SPORT: 5/5/5

GENERAL INFO Coverstock Name: 42L Type: Reactive Pearl Box Finish: 1500 grit polished Color: Gold Pearl/Deep Teal Pearl Core Density: Dual Symmetrical For Lane Conditions and Drillings, Please see Ball Notes at bowlingthismonth.com/ballnotes

2.57

RG: 7KLV VHDVRQÂ¶V QHZ 6FUHDP VKDUHV WKH VDPH /DWH 5ROO FRUH DV WKH 6FUHDP IURP ODVW

.022

Diff/Flare: $OO WKUHH WHVWHUV ZHUH ULJKW DURXQG WKH WZR LQFKHV RI Ã&#x20AC;DUH WKDW WKH 6FUHDP

5.5

Torque: 7KH ORZ GLIIHUHQWLDO NHHSV WKH 6FUHDP IURP EHLQJ YHU\ VLGHZD\V DW WKH EUHDNSRLQW :H KDG WKH PRVW VXFFHVV JRLQJ XS WKH ODQH ZLWK WKH 6FUHDP

Scale: 1-25

Length: 7KH SROLVKHG FRYHUVWRFN DQG KLJK 5* FRUH HDVLO\ JOLGHG GRZQ WKH ODQH 7KH ELJ OHQJWK UDWLQJ ZLOO EH EHVW IRU GULHU ODQH FRQGLWLRQV

14.5

Back End: 7KH 6FUHDP PDNHV D JRRG PRYH DW WKH EDFN HQG 7KH IDUWKHU ULJKW ZH FRXOG VWD\

Total Hook: 7KH WRWDO KRRN LV QRW D ZKROH ORW IURP WKH 6FUHDP ,W ZLOO EH EHVW RQ OLJKWHU

Scale: 1-10

Scale: 1-20

Scale: 1-100

VHDVRQ 7KH KLJK 5* HDVLO\ DOORZV WKH 6FUHDP WR JHW GRZQ WKH ODQH

RIIHUV 7KH FRUH ZDV QRW PRGLÂ¿HG IRU WKLV UHOHDVH

WKH PRUH EDFN HQG ZH VDZ

PHGLXP FRQGLWLRQV

Comments: 7KH 6FUHDP KDV JRWWHQ D QHZ FRORU IURP ODVW VHDVRQ ZKLOH WKH FRUH UHPDLQV WKH VDPH 7KLV +3 UHOHDVH FRPHV DW D JULW SROLVKHG ER[ Â¿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Â¿QLVK 7KH H[WUD KHOS IURP WKH URXJK FRYHU SURYLGHG PRUH WUDFWLRQ LQ WKH RLO DV ZHOO DV VPRRWKLQJ RXW WKH UHVSRQVH WR WKH IULFWLRQ ZKHQ WKH EDOO FDPH RXW RI WKH SDWWHUQ %RZOHUV ZKR VHH VKRUWHU VSRUW SDWWHUQV ZLOO KDYH PRUH XVH IRU WKH 6FUHDP WKDQ ZH GLG 7KH KHDY\ WHVW SDWWHUQ LV QRW WKH LGHDO SODFH IRU WKH 6FUHDP :H ORZHUHG WKH Â¿QLVK DOO WKH ZD\ GRZQ WR $EUDORQ WR JHW HQRXJK KRRN IURP WKH 6FUHDP EXW WKHUH DUH EHWWHU EDOO VHOHFWLRQV IRU WKH KHDY\ VWXII

SUMMARY Strengths: 7KH DELOLW\ RI WKH 6FUHDP WR JHW GRZQ WKH ODQH VR HDVLO\ LV WKH ELJJHVW EHQHÂ¿W 7KLV EDOO FRXOG Â¿QG D ZD\ LQWR DQ\RQHÂ¶V EDJ IRU ODWHU LQ WRXUQDPHQW EORFNV RU RQ OLJKWHU OHDJXH FRQGLWLRQV Weakness: 7KLV EDOO GRHV QRW OLNH RLO 7RR PXFK RLO ZLOO FDXVH LW WR QHYHU SLFN XS WKH ODQH DQG VOLGH SDVW WKH EUHDNSRLQW Overall 8QOLNH RWKHU EDOOV WKDW KDG D GLIIHUHQW FRORU VFKHPH DQG D GLIIHUHQW UHDFWLRQ WKH 6FUHDP FDUULHG RYHU LWV FKDUDFWHULVWLFV WKURXJK WKH FRORU FKDQJH

SEPTEMBER 2013

BOWLING THIS MONTH

PAGE 43

BALL TALK REVIEWS

SHOUT 2013

RATINGS*

*Scale: 1-10 Ratings, drillings and diagrams listed in the following order: Stroker/Tweener/Cranker

OILY: 6/6/7 MEDIUM: 8.5/8.5/8 DRY: 5/5/5 SPORT: 6/6/5

GENERAL INFO Coverstock Coverstock Name: 45L Type: Reactive Solid Box Finish: 3000 Abralon Color: Lite Green/Dark Green Core Density: Dual Symmetrical For Lane Conditions and Drillings, Please see Ball Notes at bowlingthismonth.com/ballnotes

2.57

RG: 7KH FRUH GHVLJQ LQ WKH QHZ 6KRXW LV WKH VDPH DV LQ ODVW \HDUÂ¶V SROLVKHG 6KRXW 7KLV FRUH

.022

Diff/Flare: The differential is the same in this version of the Shout. Bowlers might see a

5.5

Torque: 7KH URXJK VROLG FRYHUVWRFN NHHSV WKLV EDOO IURP PDNLQJ DQ\ VXGGHQ PRYHPHQWV DV LW JRHV GRZQ WKH ODQH ,W KDV D YHU\ VPRRWK DUF VKDSHG UHDFWLRQ

6FDOH

15 6FDOH

13.5 6FDOH

48 6FDOH

WXPEOHV IDUWKHU GRZQ WKH ODQH ZLWKRXW UHYYLQJ XS TXLFNO\

little more total hook as compared to the old Shout because of the sanded cover on this one.

Length: 7KH $EUDORQ FRYHU SLFNV XS VWURQJHVW LQ WKH PLGODQH 7KH VDQGHG FRYHU NHHSV the Shout from shooting past the breakpoint. Back End: The sanded cover smoothes out the back end on the Shout. Bowlers who want a PRUH GHÂ¿QHG EDFN HQG PRWLRQ DW WKLV SULFH SRLQW ZLOO ZDQW WR ORRN WR WKH 6FUHDP Total Hook: 7KH WRWDO KRRN SODFHV WKLV 6KRXW DERYH WKH QHZ 6FUHDP DQG ERWK ODVW \HDUÂ¶V 6FUHDP DQG 6KRXW (QWU\ OHYHO ERZOHUV ORRNLQJ IRU PRUH WUDFWLRQ RU PRUH H[SHULHQFHG ERZOHUV ORRNLQJ IRU D VPRRWK UROOLQJ EDOO WKDW GRHV QRW FRYHU D ORW RI ERDUGV ZLOO EH KDSS\ ZLWK WKH 6KRXW

Comments: 7KH 6KRXW LV RQH RI WZR QHZ UHOHDVHV WKLV VXPPHU IRU 5RWR *ULS LQ WKH +3 OLQH 7KH 6KRXW WDNHV WKH /DWH 5ROO ZHLJKW EORFN WKDW ZDV WKH HQJLQH IRU ODVW VHDVRQÂ¶V 6FUHDP DQG 6KRXW DQG VXUURXQGV LW ZLWK D VROLG / FRYHUVWRFN WKDW FRPHV RXW RI WKH ER[ DW D $EUDORQ Â¿QLVK :H VWUXFN WKH PRVW ZLWK WKH 6KRXW RQ RXU PHGLXP WHVW SDWWHUQ 6WURNHU DQG 7ZHHQHU OLNHG WKLV RQH PRUH WKDQ &UDQNHU RQ WKLV SDWWHUQ 7KH URXJKHU Â¿Q LVK DOORZHG WKHP WR VHH WKH EDOO KRRN HDUOLHU DQG VHW XS QLFHO\ IRU WKHP LQ WKH SRFNHW 7KH\ ZHUH DEOH WR SOD\ WKH RLO OLQH DQG GLG QRW KDYH WR ZRUU\ DERXW WKHLU EDOO KDYLQJ DQ\ ZLJJOH RQ VKRWV WKDW ZHUH IDUWKHU LQVLGH WKDQ WKH\ wanted them to be. Cranker was not fond of his reaction. The shots he kept in the oil resulted in the ball hitting YHU\ Ã&#x20AC;DW DW WKH SLQV :KHQ KH WULHG WR RSHQ XS WKH ODQH WKH EDOOÂ¶V URXJK Â¿QLVK ZDQWHG WR FKDQJH GLUHFWLRQV WRR TXLFNO\ ZKHQ LW JRW WR WKH GU\ +H DGGHG D OD\HU RI 6WHS FRPSRXQG DQG OLNHG KLV UHDFWLRQ PXFK EHWWHU 'HVSLWH WKH VDQGHG FRYHUVWRFN ZH KDG VRPH WURXEOH JHWWLQJ WKH 6KRXW WR WKH SRFNHW RQ WKH KHDY\ WHVW SDWWHUQ 7KH ORZ Ã&#x20AC;DULQJ FRUH GLG QRW JLYH XV HQRXJK KRRN IRU D FRQVLVWHQW UHDFWLRQ :H ORZHUHG WKH Â¿QLVK WR D $EUDORQ SDG IRU 6WURNHU DQG 7ZHHQHU WR KDYH HQRXJK PRWLRQ WR JHW WR WKH SRFNHW 7KHLU FDUU\ VXIIHUHG ZLWK WKH EDOO WKLV URXJK EXW WKH\ FRXOG JHW WR WKH KROH ,W RQO\ WRRN D IHZ VKRWV IURP HDFK WHVWHU WR VHH WKDW WKH Â¿QLVK ZDV WRR URXJK IRU XV RQ WKH GU\ WHVW SDWWHUQ :H DSSOLHG D OLEHUDO DPRXQW RI 6WHS WR 6WURNHUÂ¶V DQG 7ZHHQHUÂ¶V 6KRXWV 7KH H[WUD OHQJWK JRW WKHP OLQHG XS RQ WKLV SDWWHUQ 6WURNHU OHIW KLV 6KRXW URXJK EXW DW D $EUDORQ Â¿QLVK WR DOORZ WKH 6KRXW WR EOHHG RII VRPH HQHUJ\ DQG VPRRWK RXW WKH UHDFWLRQ GRZQ ODQH :H IRXQG WKH 6KRXW WR EH WRR ZHDN IRU VXFFHVV RQ our sport pattern. Sport patterns that are shorter or have lighter volume will be where the Shout shines.

SUMMARY Strengths: This new Shout allowed us to move our breakpoint closer to us, without having to move deep into the oil. The cover can provide extra traction without making a big change of direction. Weakness: (YHQ WKRXJK WKH EDOO FRPHV DW D URXJK ER[ Â¿QLVK LW ZLOO VWUXJJOH RQ WKH KHDY\ VWXII ,W ZLOO JLYH Â¿WV WR KLJK UHY SOD\HUV RQ ORZHU volumes as well. Overall 7KH QHZ 6KRXW LV WKH Â¿UVW EDOO LQ WKH +3 OLQH WR RIIHU D VDQGHG FRYHUVWRFN 7KLV ZLOO EH WKH OHDVW KRRNLQJ URXJK EDOO WKDW 5RWR *ULS FXUUHQWO\ RIIHUV

PAGE 44

BOWLING THIS MONTH

SEPTEMBER 2013

BALL TALK REVIEWS

TOTALLY DEFIANT

RATINGS*

*Scale: 1-10 Ratings, drillings and diagrams listed in the following order: Stroker/Tweener/Cranker

OILY: 8/8.5/9 MEDIUM: 9.5/9.5/9.5 DRY: 5/4/4 SPORT: 7/7/7

GENERAL INFO Coverstock Name: 74MH Type: Reactive Pearl Box Finish: 1500 grit polished Color: Yellow/Smoke/Ruby Core Density: Dual Asymmetrical Enhanced Mass Bias: .017 For Lane Conditions and Drillings, Please see Ball Notes at bowlingthismonth.com/ballnotes

2.49

RG: 7KH 7RWDOO\ 'HÂ¿DQW XVHV WKH VDPH FRUH DV DOO WKH SUHYLRXV 'HÂ¿DQW UHOHDVHV 7KH ORZ 5*

.054

Diff/Flare: 7KH Ã&#x20AC;DUH SRWHQWLDO VWD\V WKH VDPH LQ WKH 7RWDOO\ 'HÂ¿DQW $OO WKUHH WHVWHUV ZHUH DEOH WR SURGXFH RYHU Â¿YH LQFKHV RI WUDFN Ã&#x20AC;DUH

7.5

Torque: 7KH 7RWDOO\ 'HÂ¿DQW LV WKH VHFRQG SHDUOL]HG SROLVKHG FRYHUVWRFN WR VXUURXQG WKLV FRUH 7KLV EDOO LV PRUH DQJXODU WKDQ WKH Â¿UVW SHDUOL]HG EDOO WKH 'HÂ¿DQW (GJH

16.5

Length: 7KLV QHZ FRYHUVWRFN JHWV GRZQ WKH ODQH ZLWK OHVV HIIRUW WKDQ WKH 'HÂ¿DQW (GJH 7KH DGGHG OHQJWK DOORZV WKLV EDOO WR VWRUH PRUH HQHUJ\ IRU DQ HYHQ ELJJHU PRYH DW WKH EUHDNSRLQW DQG EDFN HQG

17.5

Back End: 7KH VWURQJ PRYH DW WKH EUHDNSRLQW FRQWLQXHV WKURXJK WKH EDFN HQG 7KH 7RWDOO\ 'HÂ¿DQW ZLOO EH WKH 'HÂ¿DQW \RX ZDQW LQ \RXU KDQGV LI \RXÂ¶UH ORRNLQJ IRU D ELJ FKDQJH RI GLUHFWLRQ GRZQ ODQH

Total Hook: %HFDXVH RI KRZ PXFK URRP WKLV EDOO FDQ PDNH XS DW WKH EDFN HQG ZH DFWXDOO\ KDYH LW FRYHULQJ PRUH ERDUGV IRU XV WKDQ WKH 'HÂ¿DQW 6RXO :H ZHUH DEOH WR VWDQG IDUWKHU OHIW DQG KDYH PRUH UHFRYHU\ RQ WKH PHGLXP WHVW SDWWHUQ ZLWK WKH 7RWDOO\ 'HÂ¿DQW

Scale: 1-10

Scale: 1-25

Scale: 1-20

Scale: 1-100

FRUH UHYV XS TXLFNO\ RII WKH KDQG RI WKH ERZOHU

Comments: 7KH 7RWDOO\ 'HÂ¿DQW LV WKH IRXUWK LQVWDOOPHQW LQWR WKH 'HÂ¿DQW OLQH 5RWR *ULS KDV QRW FKDQJHG WKH FRUH LQ DQ\ RI WKHVH UHOHDVHV LQVWHDG UHO\LQJ RQ WKH FRYHUVWRFN WR SURYLGH GLIIHUHQW DPRXQWV RI KRRN DQG UHDFWLRQ VKDSHV 7KH 0+ SHDUO FRYHU DOORZV WKH 7RWDOO\ 'HÂ¿DQW WR JOLGH WKURXJK WKH IURQW DQG PDNH D ELJ PRYH DW WKH IULFWLRQ 7KLV W\SH RI PRWLRQ ZDV EHVW IRU XV RQ RXU PHGLXP WHVW SDWWHUQ $OO WKUHH WHVWHUV ZHUH DEOH WR JHW WKH 7RWDOO\ 'HÂ¿DQW FORVH WR WKH SRFNHW DQG ZDWFK WKH SLQV H[SORGH 6WURNHU ZDV LQ WKH VDPH DUHD KH QRUPDOO\ LV EXW 7ZHHQHU DQG &UDQNHU ZHUH DEOH WR VWDUW IDUWKHU OHIW ZLWK WKH 7RWDOO\ 'HÂ¿DQW &UDQNHU OLNHG KLV FDUU\ ZD\ EHWWHU WKH IDUWKHU ULJKW KH ZDV DEOH WR JHW WKH EDOO 7KH KHDY\ WHVW SDWWHUQ RIIHUHG XV D SUHWW\ JRRG UHDFWLRQ DV ZHOO &UDQNHU ZDV DEOH WR OHDYH WKH 7RWDOO\ 'HÂ¿DQW DW WKH ER[ Â¿QLVK DQG VWLOO JHW WR WKH SRFNHW HDVLO\ 7KLV EDOO ZDQWV WR JR OHIW ZKHQ LW VHHV IULFWLRQ HYHQ RQ WKH ORQJHU RLO SDWWHUQ 7ZHHQHU NHSW LW DW WKH ER[ Â¿QLVK DV ZHOO DQG PDGH D ELJ PRYH ULJKW ZLWK KLV IHHW DQG WDUJHW 6WURNHU QHHGHG D OLWWOH PRUH KHOS RQ WKLV SDWWHUQ VR ZH UHPRYHG WKH SROLVK IURP KLV 7RWDOO\ 'HÂ¿DQW ZLWK D $EUDORQ SDG :LWK WKH SROLVK UHPRYHG 6WURNHU VDZ WKH DPRXQW RI KRRN KH QHHGHG WR VWULNH DV PXFK DV 7ZHHQHU DQG &UDQNHU 7KH VSRUW SDWWHUQ ZDV JRRG WR WKH 7RWDOO\ 'HÂ¿DQW 7KH EDOO ZDV VWURQJ HQRXJK IRU XV WR PRYH IDUWKHU OHIW DQG WDNH DGYDQWDJH RI WKH VWURQJ GRZQODQH UHDFWLRQ %RZOHUV RQ VKRUWHU VSRUW SDWWHUQV PLJKW QHHG WR XVH PRUH FRQWURO W\SH GULOOLQJV RU UHPRYH WKH SROLVK WR VPRRWK RXW WKH UHDFWLRQ 2QO\ ERZOHUV ZLWK FDQQRQV IRU DUPV VKRXOG WU\ XVLQJ WKH 7RWDOO\ 'HÂ¿DQW RQ VKRUW GU\ FRQGLWLRQV 7KHUH DUH SOHQW\ RI EHWWHU RSWLRQV WKDQ WU\LQJ WR WDPH GRZQ WKLV KLJK SHUIRUPDQFH UHOHDVH IRU VXFK VLWXDWLRQV

SUMMARY Strengths: 7KH KXJH FKDQJH RI GLUHFWLRQ WKH 7RWDOO\ 'HÂ¿DQW PDNHV LV LWV ELJ VHOOLQJ SRLQW :H ZHUH DEOH WR KDYH ORWV RI UHFRYHU\ GRZQ ODQH RQ WKH PHGLXP SDWWHUQ Weakness: :H VWUXJJOHG RQ WKH VKRUW SDWWHUQ 7KH 7RWDOO\ 'HÂ¿DQW ZDQWHG WR FKDQJH GLUHFWLRQV WRR HDUO\ RQ WKLV SDWWHUQ Overall 7KH 7RWDOO\ 'HÂ¿DQW LV D WHUULÂ¿F DGGLWLRQ WR WKH +3 OLQH XS 7KLV EDOO SURYLGHV HDV\ OHQJWK ZLWK D ELJ PRYH DW WKH EDFN HQG

SEPTEMBER 2013

BOWLING THIS MONTH

PAGE 45

BALL TALK REVIEWS

VENATOR

RATINGS*

*Scale: 1-10 Ratings, drillings and diagrams listed in the following order: Stroker/Tweener/Cranker

OILY: 8/9/9 MEDIUM: 9.5/9.5/9.5 DRY: 5/4/4 SPORT: 7/7/7

GENERAL INFO Coverstock Name: S.F-7/9 Solid Reactive Type: Reactive Solid Box Finish: 4000 Polished Color: Blue/Green Core Density: Dual Asymmetrical Enhanced Mass Bias: .027 For Lane Conditions and Drillings, Please see Ball Notes at bowlingthismonth.com/ballnotes

2.485

RG: The Venator features a brand new core for Seismic. The Tenaci core design is low RG,

.054

Diff/Flare: 7KH 7HQDFL FRUH FDQ SURGXFH XS WR ÂżYH DQG D KDOI LQFKHV RI Ă&#x20AC;DUH SRWHQWLDO $OO RI RXU WHVWHUV ZHUH RYHU ÂżYH LQFKHV

7.5

Torque: The Venator makes a strong move for a solid bowling ball. The polish allows the S.F-7/9 solid reactive to have plenty of energy at the spot.

Length: The polished shell allows the Venator to clear the front of the lane easily. For a solid ball, this one wastes very little energy getting to the breakpoint.

17.5

Scale: 1-20

Back End: This ball is as angular as any previous Seismic product. The Venator offers all kinds of recovery down lane.

Total Hook: The number might be the same as some other Seismic product, but the shape

Scale: 1-10

Scale: 1-25

Scale: 1-100

offering a quick revving action.

is totally different. The Venator promotes a long and strong ball reaction.

Comments: Seismic has introduced a new core for their latest release, the Venator. The new low RG, high GLIIHUHQWLDO 7HQDFL FRUH LV VXUURXQGHG ZLWK WKH 6 ) VROLG UHDFWLYH FRYHUVWRFN 7KLV FRYHU LV ÂżQLVKHG DW $EUDORQ ZLWK SROLVK )RU VXFK D VKLQ\ FRYHU WKLV EDOO KDQGOHV RLO ZLWK HDVH /LNH ZLWK RWKHU 6HLVPLF UHOHDVHV ZH KDG D GLIÂżFXOW WLPH GHFLGLQJ LI LW ZDV EHWWHU IRU XV RQ WKH PHGLXP RU WKH KHDY\ WHVW SDWWHUQ :H GHFLGHG RQ WKH PHGLXP SDWWHUQ $OO WKUHH WHVWHUV KDG D IDQWDVWLF ORRN RQ WKLV SDWWHUQ 7KH VROLG FRYHUVWRFN SURYLGHG DOO WKH traction we needed in the oil. The polish on the cover stored great energy for the friction. Cranker was a full arrow left of Tweener, who was almost a full arrow left of Stroker. Despite being so far apart at the arrows, all three testers had the same amount of area at the breakpoint. That tells us something about the strength and versatility of the Venator. We felt we had no reason to change the coverstock on this pattern. Tweener and Cranker were able to move their feet and target closer to the track on the heavy test pattern and keep the Venator DW WKH ER[ ÂżQLVK 6WURNHU ZDV FORVH ZLWK WKH ER[ ÂżQLVK EXW GHFLGHG WKDW UHPRYLQJ WKH SROLVK ZLWK $EUDORQ was the best solution for getting to the pocket. Removing the polish allowed for the same back end motion, while SURYLGLQJ PRUH WUDFWLRQ LQ WKH RLO :H OLNHG RXU UHDFWLRQ RQ RXU VSRUW SDWWHUQ $OO WKUHH WHVWHUV ZHUH DEOH WR SOD\ GLIIHUHQW ]RQHV RI WKH ODQH ZKLOH VWLOO EHLQJ DEOH WR JHW WR WKH SRFNHW :H UHPRYHG WKH SROLVK ZLWK D $EUDORQ pad to see if we could create even more room, but the cover was too strong for this pattern. Bowlers on longer RU KHDYLHU VSRUW SDWWHUQV ZLOO KDYH VXFFHVV ZLWK D URXJKHU ÂżQLVK 7KH VKRUW WHVW SDWWHUQ ZDV WKH RQO\ RQH ZH struggled on with the Venator. This ball is too strong for the short pattern.

SUMMARY Strengths: The Venator can handle a good amount of oil while offering a big punch at the back end. This ball is useful on a lot of different oil patterns. Weakness: With the proper layout and surface, there is little the Venator cannot handle. Drier conditions will need very weak layouts. Overall: The Venator brings a lot to the table. The polished solid coverstock matched with the new weight block is able to make a very impressive move at the back of the lane.

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BOWLING THIS MONTH

SEPTEMBER 2013

In Memory of John Jowdy Long-time BTM contributing writer John Jowdy has passed away at age 93. Besides a 13-year writing history with BTM, John has been a bowler, author, instructor and speaker over the last 60 years. He was coach to some of the most successful bowlers on tour. John’s awards and accomplishments include: Bowling Coaches Hall of Fame, ABC and PBA Halls of Fame, International Bowling Coach of the Year. John was one of the original coaches and supporters of BTM’s Super School, developed by friend and BTM Founder, Bob Summerville. Both John and his wife Brenda have held a special place in our hearts here at BTM. John’s persistent theme in his writing for this magazine has been the importance of a free armswing. You can read his works in past issues dating back to the year 2000 and as recently as July 2013.

SEPTEMBER 2013

BOWLING THIS MONTH

PAGE 47

smart moves

ron clifton

Calling a coach should not be a last resort

here comes a time when even the best bowlers in the world need to seek help from a coach. It seems to me that accomplished bowlers often wait too long before they call their coach or seek outside help. When my friend Eric Forkel was on tour, he called it making the “Bat-Call.” After a long day of working out on the lanes, Eric and I would stay up nearly all night talking. We weren’t talking about the cutest girls and boys in class; nope, we were talking about the different coaches he had worked with over the years and how coaches had helped guys on tour at very key moments in their careers. Cue music from Dragnet: The following story is believed to be true; the names have been changed to protect the innocent. Eric told me about a now retired PBA Hall of Famer who was really struggling on tour. I will call this bowler Superstar. Believe me, he was, and I am sure still is, a superstar any time he picks up a bowling ball. This bowler, in the not too distant past, had had great success winning titles and earning big checks, but all of a sudden could not earn enough money to make expenses. At this time there were no guaranteed checks on tour. If you got a dollar, you had to win it.

Superstar continued to struggle and his regular coach (one of the best in the world) could not seem to come up with the answer. Finally, out of desperation, Superstar asked Eric Forkel to make the Bat-Call. That meant for Eric to call in the coach Eric was working with at the time (not me) to see if he could help. Eric’s coach was also one of the best in the world and the two coaches didn’t like each other very much. Superstar was one of the nicest people to ever pick up a bowling ball and the last thing he would ever want to do was offend his current coach by consulting a different coach, especially “that” coach. Desperate men must sometimes do desperate things, so the Bat-Call was made. Was Eric’s coach able to help Superstar get his mojo back? Did the two coaches get into a knock-down-drag-out fight? Tune in tomorrow, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel to find out. Okay, just kidding. In fact, Eric’s coach was able to help Superstar get his mojo back. He started winning again and bringing home the big checks. Superstar even publicly thanked Eric’s coach after winning a title on TV, as he should have.

Ron Clifton has been coaching at the professional level for 15 years. He conducts “Advanced Bowler Training Clinics” across the U.S. and is the inventor and manufacturer of Ron C’s Magic Carpet for thumbholes. Visit www.bowl4fun.com for an archive of Ron’s articles. Email Ron at rclifton@triad.rr.com

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BOWLING THIS MONTH

SEPTEMBER 2013

smart moves Does that mean that Eric’s coach was better than Superstar’s coach? No, it just means that no one coach has all the answers all the time. Occasionally it helps to put fresh eyes on a problem.

You are responsible for your own success Always keep in mind that you are responsible for your own success. Never let the fear of bruising one coach’s ego stop you from consulting another coach. In the story above, Superstar debated a very long time and probably lost thousands of dollars in earnings before he agreed to make the Bat-Call - all because he didn’t want to hurt the feelings of his current coach with whom he had great success in the past.

Coaches are responsible for everyone’s success Coaches are responsible for their own success and the success of their clients. If I were Superstar’s original coach, I would want him to inform me that he is thinking of calling a different coach. I would say, "That’s great because I am out of ideas and please ask if he minds if I listen in." The other coach may or may not want me to be there (I encourage it myself), but I would see it as an opportunity to learn something. You just have to keep in mind that you were not invited there for your opinion. It’s very easy to start saying, “Yes, we tried that,” or "Yes, I tried to get him to do that, too.” Maybe you did try to teach your client those things, but if those things still need to be done, then you weren’t successful. You can learn from the other coach's techniques. Let’s say the new coach was able to teach your client a release you had been trying to teach for a long time. It may look to you like the new coach was going through the exact same process and using the same drills you were using, yet your client learned the new release. You may never actually pick up on what the new coach did differently, but you were

SEPTEMBER 2013

presented an opportunity to learn. Sometimes the differences can just be personality or different ways of explaining things.

Sometimes you may be too close to your coach When my son started bowling as a youth, he bowled off the wrong foot for several weeks. I must admit that it was a little embarrassing to me. I was supposed to be this hotshot coach and I couldn’t teach my own son to bowl off the proper foot. One day I was working with one of my regular clients who bowled for Virginia Tech. I asked Marie to go over and see if she could help my son throw off the correct foot. In about 20 minutes she had him throwing the ball like a champ. I thought to myself, it must be because she is a girl. That’s why he would cooperate with her and be very uncooperative with me. On the drive home I got him to open up about why he would listen to and fully cooperate with Marie and not me. I totally expected him to say because she is cute or pretty or smelled nice or any number of things a young boy would say about a college girl who offered to help him. But he fully leveled with me and said, “Because you are Dad and I hate it when you are right.” I learned a lot more that day than he did. A lot of youth bowlers have Moms and Dads for coaches and many of them have had great success together, but sometimes you have to let go in order to advance any further. Moms, Dads, and even certified coaches have to always be honest with themselves about whether they have taken a bowler as far as they can. If you think you have reached that point, make the Bat-Call.

Most weekend warriors should make the Bat-Call Making the Bat-Call is not just about calling a different coach, but often just calling your current coach or any coach for that matter. I

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smart moves go to a lot of tournaments over the course of a year, and I see an awful lot of weekend warriors losing money week after week. A lot of these bowlers actually have some talent, but just seem to barely miss the check each week. When someone asks them if they are working with a coach, it’s not unusual for them to say they would like to, but they can’t afford it. All the while they are packing away $500 worth of new bowling balls. If you are not at least getting checks in two out of every five tournaments you enter, make the Bat-Call.

Everyone says you are a great bowler but… If you are one of those bowlers everyone is always raving about, but successes are few and far between, make the Bat-Call. We have all seen these bowlers. They look like they throw the ball as well as anyone in the world, but they just seem to miss a lot of cuts or they just don’t place as high as everyone expects. It may be hard for these bowlers to make the Bat-Call because everyone tells them how good they look. Unfortunately, tournaments don’t hand out checks for style. I have had a lot of these bowlers in my career and quite often they really are that good, they are just missing one or two things that keep them from taking off. If this sounds like you, don’t speculate about it, make the Bat-Call.

I am ready to quit! I have had several bowlers come to me for help who were literally going to quit the sport. Sometimes these are bowlers I had worked with in years past, so it always baffles me as to why they would wait so long to make the Bat-Call. If you have worked with a coach in the past and had good success, never wait until you are at your wits end to make the call. If you feel you are underperforming for more than three weeks, make the call. The longer you wait, the more bad things are going to creep into your game that will have to be fixed.

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You don’t know what you don’t know That’s right; you don’t know what you don’t know. That may be hard to wrap your head around, but it’s very true. Don’t think that because you took a few lessons and now you are making money in tournaments or your league average is up, you should stop the lessons. Your coach may have a lot more to teach you, things that you never even knew existed. It has always frustrated me when students reach the point where they become competitive tournament bowlers then cut the lessons off until they fall into a slump. I often have a million more things to teach them. Your coach should let you know when it’s time to slow down on the lessons. Your coach should never be motivated by your checkbook, only by your success. If you ever feel that your coach is only after your checkbook, it’s time to get a new coach.

Some less than obvious times to make the Bat-Call The most common time bowlers make the call is when they want to get to the next level, whatever that is. That just makes good sense, but there are other times when bowlers are going through a transition with their game that should cause them to contact a coach. Here are a few: t When you want to make the jump from league bowler to tournament bowler t When you want to make the jump from house shots to sport shots t When you don’t make darn near all your makeable spares t When you have trouble matching up to certain oil patterns t When it’s time to learn more than one release t When you are making fewer cuts t When you are ready to start a new league

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dean hinitz

the mind game

A game of risk

Are you willing to take it?

"Test fast, fail fast, adjust fast."

—Tom Peters

owling is a game of risk; it is a game of decisions; it is a game of character; and it is a game that expresses your personality. Every shot offers you choices. As you well know, every single choice you make has consequences for how the pins fall and for how the lane sets up for your next shot. Every ball moves the oil line…if only fractionally. Every subtlety of hand position changes the roll, tilt, and speed of the ball. Every decision, conscious or unconscious, to control your swing or to "let ‘er go," affects everything. Whether or not you like to walk a little bit on the wild side may have more to do with whether you are a stroker or a cranker than your age or physical condition. Risk is a part of bowling, for sure. Actually, it is a part of just about anything in life. You decide how much, how far, how deep - in life, love, business, and, of course, on your very next shot.

For many people the word “risk” itself has many negative connotations. It can indicate danger, uncertainty, and potential failure. Yet, on the other hand, risk can lead to the big hit, the big win, and a liberating sense of courage and mastery over your game. How about you? Will you do what you need to do to win? If you intend to run with the big dogs, you are going to have to swing for the fences occasionally. No looking around or looking back. Live or die (figuratively speaking), are you willing to do what is takes to really get something done? We shall see. This month we are going to talk about risk. There is more at stake here than meets the eye. Your willingness, or not, to respond to the demands of situations, sets both the floor and the ceiling on your potential for success. Yet, we are here to eradicate ceilings. So, let’s get started.

Dr. Dean Hinitz is a clinical sports psychologist in Reno, Nevada, a bowler, former competitive gymnast, and black belt in Japanese-style Karate. You can email him at deanhinitz@gmail.com

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the mind game Smart risk - dumb risk

Can you become a better risk taker?

“The most intelligent risks are those where the potential downside is limited, but the potential upside is virtually unlimited. Those are the risks you should jump to take.” —Jon Abraham

A willingness to take risks willy-nilly is not necessarily a great thing. All risks are not created equally and some of them are just plain dumb. It depends on the situation. Big risk in bowling can look like a lot of things. Here are some examples. t Moving way inside on the lane and lofting over the gutter cap t Moving way outside and playing the one board t Similarly, moving an arrow or two in either direction t A radical ball change to something that goes down the lane extra long, or conversely, a ball that picks up super early in the midlane t Altering your physical game in some fundamental way Whether or not to take these, or any other, risks is almost formulaic; you should take only those chances where the likely downside is limited and the potential pay-off is unlimited. It’s funny. Most bowlers are pretty good at avoiding really dumb risks, yet conversely, players can be really lousy at taking the intelligent ones. So, in a sense, the really stupid risks are those where we fail to take the right ones. You have to ask yourself, are you one of those people who mentally catastrophizes the worst-case scenario if you really go for something? Like instead of a one-time shot-change experiment when you are not carrying the rack well, you think about blowing your score, missing the cut, or looking stupid. If so, maybe it’s time to turn off that part of your mind and hang out with the winners. The truth is that the biggest risk of all is to play the game with abandon, to truly believe in the effectiveness of what you are doing. Oddly enough, the point is to hope and pray less and to increase your actual faith in what you can do.

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"Are you placing enough interesting, freakish, long shot, weirdo bets?" —Tom Peters

“You are probably going to have to take some risks in the next tournament block, maybe some big ones.” If your coach said that to you, what would you feel inside? There are really two schools of reaction here. One is a tightening in the stomach and a twinge of something like anxiety. The other is an eager sense of interest and excitement. The freedom of knowing you get to dance on the edge is the best…if you are this sort of person. There is something to remember here. Everyone’s edge feels the same. Whether you are uncomfortable playing the twig, lofting the ball, moving way inside, or whatever, when you bump into the edge of your comfort zone, you feel it. Taking risks can be tough. Yet, without doing so, your bowling—and your life—will not take a step up. A question is whether risk takers are born or made. It is true that thrill seekers and roller coaster riders seem to have some brain neurotransmitter differences from others. And there do seem to be personality types that are more drawn to novelty and risk. But in all things human, each individual can stretch upward and outward to do better and to do more.

Your inner daredevil “Your brain can figure out a problem or five; what your brain can't do is solve the giant, unnamed, shadowy mass of fear between you and your goal." —Nate Steere

Everything in bowling is not a big risk. What we are shooting for here is to broaden the possibilities of what, where, and how you play when you are on the lanes. In order to help you with your willingness to take on the risks that you could, when the upside can really pay off, here are four steps to initiating your inner daredevil:

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the mind game See past the risk to envision the amazing thing that can happen. Before you make your move, you have to see the potential awesome result that will be part of the payoff. The more detail you can see in your future results, the better. See it, feel it, own it. The reason for this is threefold. It is said that when a person has a strong enough “why,” the motivation for the “how” becomes powerful enough to act. Secondly, seeing the payoff keeps your mind on the positive, and away from drifting to the negative. Lastly, once you visualize the risk you are going to enact, everything about you moves in synchrony toward that overall goal. See what is in your way. You know what you’d like to do. There is always a reason you haven’t done it. At first it may just be a vague feeling of resistance or dread. But if you honestly let your mind think about what you are intending to do, you will see what holds you back. If you are going to risk changing something you need to get specific about what is blocking you. Whether you are changing lines, balls, cadence, or hand position, you need to know what you have to do to push through. Once you have done that, you can develop your strategies for overcoming your own resistance. Go from neutral to drive. Some would say that this is the hardest step of all. You have to pull the trigger. There is a moment in all things where you go from neutral to drive. Even on every “normal” shot, there is the shift from being in stance with the ball in your hand to pushing away into action. “A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one would find fault with what he has done."

that are past your raw willingness to take action. This is the step that draws from the hero part of you. The mouse part never wants to change strategies.

Enjoy playing to win, instead of playing not to lose. "Do you want to be safe and good or do you want to take a chance and be great?" — Jimmy Johnson Super Bowl Champion Dallas Cowboys Coach

The willingness to play a game of risk can be incredibly fulfilling. Sure, there are no guarantees with any of this, but at the very least you give yourself a puncher’s chance to win. You also get to hang out with the bold souls who play a warrior’s game. Once you get into the habit of limitless possibility, the exhilaration of bowling this way becomes addictive…in a positive way. Your risks fall into just a few categories; they involve lane play and learning or playing in new physical ways. The other big one is really letting it go without fear of how things are going to turn out. Fears that block players are also fairly limited - looking stupid, failing to score, not wanting to experience the feelings of failure that can come from really going for something - are all queued up on the best seller’s list.

The attitude of a champion At the end of the day it depends on which attitude is going to run you. You can choose the ride of your life or you can buckle up, put your helmet on, and watch other athletes do stuff on television. If you take the ride, have a gas. The game of risk is the best game in town!

—Cardinal Newman

“To win without risk is to triumph without glory." Anything difficult in life is like this, whether you are asking someone out on a date, getting onto a roller coaster ride, or transforming your five-step approach into a four-step. What makes this step so awesome is that at the core there are no shortcuts, tricks, or tips

SEPTEMBER 2013

—Pierre Corneille

Some source material drawn from Steere, N., Take Risks: 4 Steps. Askmen.webarchive

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the coaching canuck

he term hand-eye coordination is defined as “the ability to coordinate vision with fine motor skills.” Since bowling is a precision sport, everything a bowler does is to promote successfully knocking down pins by coordinating movements to direct the ball toward a target, or more accurately, along a target path. With the big muscle groupings out of the way in this series in the May and June issues of Bowling This Month, the next areas we want to talk about are the hands and arms. Yes, both hands and both arms. You don’t need to be a twohanded bowler to be concerned with using both arms and hands effectively. Effective ball motion stems from using the bowling arm and the nonbowling arm correctly. This is definitely a different issue for two-handed bowlers, as they are using their “non-bowling arm” in a totally different way, since both hands are essential to that delivery.

tyrel rose

The non-bowling arm There’s not much to talk about here, is there? After all, it’s really just used for balance, right? Wrong. The left arm, upper torso, and right arm can and should form part of a continuous and connected system for delivering the ball with the most efficiency. That means you need to use your non-bowling arm for more than just balance. How to best use your nonbowling arm has evolved over time and can vary from coach to coach. For today’s modern power game, the ideal position of the non-bowling arm is very different from what has traditionally been taught. Previously, having your non bowling arm come away from the ball very early in the swing and using it for balance by keeping it straight out to the side, particularly at the release, was ideal. For strokers and especially for bowlers with very low backswings, this can work. The issue here is that for

bowlers trying to get a higher backswing, this type of use of your non-bowling arm will actually hinder you. The required movement to have a higher backswing is to open up your shoulders and rotate your spine slightly, allowing the bowling shoulder additional range of motion. Keeping your non-bowling arm out to the side will prevent and/or limit your ability to do this depending on exactly how flexible you are. Mika Koivuniemi is one pro who manages an abovethe-head backswing with his non-bowling arm mostly to the side. His form is somewhat unique at a high level of play, though, and even with his arm to the side, his non-bowling shoulder does move forward as his spine rotates, opening up his bowling shoulder to create more range of motion. The way to achieve ideal body position for a high backswing is to have your left arm in front of you during the swing, clearing the way and

Tyrel Rose is Head Coach of Team Canada's Men’s National Team, a director on the national board for the Canadian Tenpin Federation, an NCCP Competition Development level and USBC Bronze Certified coach, and a former Canadian National Champion. He owns and operates Gold Medal Bowling Boutique and lives in Montreal, Canada. Follow his blog at www.goldmedalbowling.ca and on twitter: @canuck_coach PAGE 54

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the coaching canuck coming to the side only during the downswing and release. Think of it as your shoulders working as a unit. As the bowling shoulder goes back, the non-bowling shoulder goes forward. It’s easier to do this if the whole arm is doing the same thing. As the bowling shoulder comes forward (caused by the spine rotating back into a square-to-trajectory position), the non-bowling shoulder opens and goes back. Additionally, your nonbowling arm’s hand position is important. Having your thumb down at the peak of the swing coils the muscles in the arm in the same direction they are being coiled in the bowling arm. The uncoiling coincides with the hand motion at release for maximum energy transfer to the ball. See the Thumb Down photo of Team Canada’s Mark Buffa and Canuck Coach’s Corner for a quick tip.

The bowling arm There is really too much to talk about relating to the bowling arm and countless ways to describe the ideal swing, hand position, and release. For that reason, this article will deal with some of the general concepts and less talked about issues.

The un-muscled swing This is, without a doubt, one of the most propagated myths in bowling. It is so fundamental to the game that what I’m about to say will actually come across as sacrilege. There is no such thing as a truly free armswing, devoid of muscle.

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The pendulum armswing in today’s modern power game is even more of a unicorn. The fact is that muscles get used constantly, with and without our conscious knowledge, just to keep us alive, let alone stand or sit without falling down. What do you think they’re doing when we add a weight to the end of one arm and try to throw it? pen·du·lum 1. a body so suspended IURP D ¿[HG SRLQW DV WR PRYH WR DQG IUR E\ WKH DFWLRQ RI JUDYLW\ DQG DFTXLUHG PRPHQWXP A pendulum uses gravity and will only rise as high during the swing as it started originally. It is very, very hard to find anyone holding the ball above their head or pushing it there at the start of the swing, and yet, somehow, the majority of today’s elite players raise the ball above their heads. Watch almost any video of an elite bowler and compare where the ball starts to fall to where it ends up at the top of their swing. Even accounting for posture changes, muscles did part of that work, not just gravity. A more accurate description would be using the muscles properly, effectively, and with correct timing to create both a straight and efficient swing. That "free" feeling is a part of a good swing, particularly at the start, but inevitably muscles in the shoulder, chest, arm, hand, and surrounding areas must fire in order to throw the ball properly. There is a big difference between using too much

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Canuck Coach’s Corner Achieving ideal use of the non-bowling arm A simple trick to make sure your non-bowling arm gets into a better position during the swing is to keep the nonbowling hand on the ball longer during the initial ball movement in your approach. This actually accomplishes two things: 1) It will get your nonbowling arm farther in front of you, already placing it close to where it should be during the approach. 2) Having both hands on the ball longer also promotes keeping the ball on a good swing path because it is unlikely that the ball will be pushed to the outside of your body if both hands are on the ball longer. Regardless of how many steps you take or your specific timing, simply keep the nonbowling hand on the ball longer to get that arm extended further in front of you. The higher your desired backswing, the lower your non-bowling hand should be. Combine this with some slight rotation of your hand to get the thumb pointed toward the floor and you’ll achieve more effective use of what used to be just your "balance arm." PAGE 55

the coaching canuck force and no force, which sometimes gets confused. Like Goldilocks, the idea is to get your muscles working just right.

How do I train my muscles to do the right thing? In general terms, the more "in front" of you the ball starts, the shorter your backswing will be. There is only so much time during the approach so more time in front of you means less time behind you. Strokers, shallow swing planes, and lower rev rates tend to produce this kind of swing. The highest backswings (and rev rates) generally belong to those with the shortest pushaways. Think Mike Fagan or Sean Rash. Like any muscle memory, it takes practice to break bad habits and create new ones. Most commonly, swings are too slow, out of line, or pulled down. Slow swing speeds are almost always the result of slow feet. The body would be out of time if the feet were slow and the swing was fast, so the muscles control the speed of the swing. The "free" portion of an armswing should be in its descent from the initial ball start, with the peak of the backswing achieved through a combination of gravity, body position, and minimal muscle force. Speeding up your feet forces the swing to happen quicker, allowing the muscles to do less work. Swings that are out of line are generally swings that require the most muscle to control. Whether they loop behind the back or away from the body, bowlers need to retrain

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their muscles to keep the ball on a straight swing path from beginning to end. Placing the ball in the right place laterally at the initial ball start and letting it fall at a natural speed (instead of slowing it down) will promote correct swing path. Bowlers who are too far right or left at the top of the swing need to work on "feeling the ball" going in the opposite direction, retraining their muscles to keep the ball on a better swing path. Pulled swings are from a bowler who is in too much of a rush to grab the ball and generate revs or who has slightly late timing and needs to get the ball down to the release point faster. This can be corrected through timing adjustments and keeping the bowling shoulder back during the swing. As mentioned above, the bowling shoulder should come forward as a result of spine rotation, not the other way around. If the shoulder moves forward before the downswing starts, the wrong muscles are being used, setting off a chain of inefficient movements.

Grip No section on release and swing would be complete without discussing grip. First, a poor grip will cause muscle tension right from the start, which will promote excessive force in the swing, and poor hand or arm positions throughout. Spans that are too long, pitches with too much reverse, holes that are too big, and an over-abundance of taper or rounding of

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the thumb can all cause this kind of problem. More importantly, the fit of the ball directly impacts how the hand must move in order to release the ball. In some cases, the grip variables (pitch, span, hole size) which cause the ball to stay on the hand longer will force bowlers to twist their hand a certain way just to get out of the ball. This motion will impact the swing because the body will seek to get into ideal position ahead of time, most often causing looping swings and inefficient motions. Sometimes, bad habits in the swing and release are more a result of fit than anything else. That is not to say that it’s a "poor fit." The bowler might be comfortable and free of injury. However, the fit is impacting other physical elements. You can’t out-practice what the body needs to do just to get out of the ball comfortably. If you are working on your swing or hand position and can’t seem to physically do it, it’s possible the grip is influencing your mechanics and should be evaluated. When that is done, you can begin the battle against bad muscle memory in order to retrain your body to produce more efficient energy transfer to the ball.

Next up: the head Your head is very important for more reasons than just what goes on between the ears. In my next article, I'll conclude this four-part series with a discussion of the head.

SEPTEMBER 2013

joe slowinski

slowinski at large

Recommendations and drills for all phases of the physical game

s I travel the world training players, I see a steady increase of two-handed players, a direct reflection of the success of Osku Palermaa and Jason Belmonte. In fact, as I write this, Brian Valenta, another two-hander, won a PBA Regional title and a two-hander from Ireland is bowling at Junior Gold and is in the top 15. In the past few years, I have worked with two-handed players in Germany, Mexico, Guernsey, Italy, Ireland, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, and the United States. My twelve year old son Max has decided to become a two-handed bowler and I continue to help him develop. Over my career, I have had the opportunity to work with more than 20 two-handers including three women and a professional. Through these experiences, as well as research on two-handed biomechanics, I have developed a specific training program unique to two-handed players.

Focus points For all bowlers, the goal is to reduce unnecessary physical movements as well as to maximize energy transfer from the body to the ball. With this in mind, here are my recommendations for phases of the physical game.

Set up In the set up, the initial position of the hand, feet, elbow, shoulder, and hip can impact the physical game in the approach. Specifically, the set up can impact the swing line, hand position in the swing, hand position at the release, as well as hip and shoulder rotation. The ultimate objective of the set up is to help keep the balance arm shoulder in front of the ball side shoulder for the entire approach and release by pre-establishing body position. t 4UFQ – Set the slide foot parallel to the intended target line. t 4UFQ – The trail leg foot should be behind the slide foot. Specifically, place the trail leg foot toe behind the halfway point of the slide foot. Angle the foot at approximately 30 degrees, which will help open the hip angle. t 4UFQ – Be sure your ball-side hip is behind your non-ball side hip. t 4UFQ – Let the upper body match the open hip angle to open the shoulder and keep the ball-side shoulder behind the non ball-side shoulder. t 4UFQ – Place the balance arm hand just above the inserts which will provide support as the ball moves back into the swing. Place the ball near your belly button.

Joe Slowinski, a USBC Gold Coach, is currently on assignment in Europe. The Portland Maine native served as the Administrative and Men's Head Coach at Webber International University and served for four years as a Master Teaching Professional at the Kegel Training Center. 6ORZLQVNL LV WKH IRUPHU 'LUHFWRU RI &RDFKLQJ DQG &RDFK &HUWL¿FDWLRQ IRU WKH 1DWLRQDO 6SRUWV Council of Malaysia. Email: joseph_slowinski@yahoo.com or go to www.bowlingknowledge.info

SEPTEMBER 2013

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slowinski at large Swing start I strongly recommend a five-step delivery. This will help keep the ball-side shoulder behind the non ball-side shoulder for the entire approach, increasing fluidity. When and how the ball is moved into the swing start has a direct influence on forward spine tilt as well as foot speed. Ideally, the ball-side elbow should not move past the hip/stomach and the ball should move below the elbow as it is moved into the swing start to create a rounded movement. This will help to create earlier forward spine tilt which moves the center of gravity forward, increasing foot speed and fluidity. It also contributes to accuracy. The ball should move in a downward rounded movement (hand under elbow) as soon as the first step is completed in a five-step delivery. From my review of Osku Palermaa’s forward spine tilt, due to this rounded start with the elbow remaining on the body, the forward spine tilt increases throughout the approach in this manner: (articulated as a five-step approach) t 4UFQ – 20 degrees t 4UFQ – 36 degrees t 4UFQ – 45 degrees t 3FMFBTF – 80 degrees Lateral spine tilt is essential to becoming an elite two-handed player. As with many top one-handers, the head is outside the hip as the ball passes the leg into the upswing. From my

experience, one simple thought helps players achieve a great lateral spine tilt position. Keep your head outside of your hip. You can see how early the head is outside the hip in the Osku sequence images. As you move the ball into the swing, move the head outside the hip as you move the non ball-side elbow directly in front of the ball-side elbow. This will help rotate the torso and set the stage for shoulder abduction into the upswing.

Top of the swing An ideal position sees approximately 45 degrees of forward trunk flexion with the ball-side elbow just above the head and the ball shoulder high. The elbows will be directly aligned and the torso rotated. You can see this in the photos labeled Ball/Elbow Position. One common problem for two-handers is pulling the ball into the upswing, which often leads to the elbow being too high above the head and the ball above the shoulder. This position will impact the downswing movement negatively due to increased shoulder tension and a longer swing arc.

Downswing and slide Keep the balance arm shoulder and elbow directly in front of the ball-side in the downswing. Many two-handed players enter the slide with these misaligned. Specifically, they are too open or too closed in this position.

Osku

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slowinski at large When the ball-side shoulder and elbow are outside, there will likely be over-rotation at the release point leading to a reduced energy transfer and a follow through off-line from the intended target line. As the bowler slides, the forward trunk angle nearly doubles from the 45 degree position at the top of the swing to a maximum of 90 degrees at the point of release. With such a movement, a common problem for twohanders is that their head moves upward as they slide rather than remaining low. This can contribute to the non ball-side shoulder moving early and the downswing into the release moving off-line. With the increase of the forward spine tilt during the slide, the head remains farther outside of the ball. This also leads to a follow through that is under the balance arm side ear rather than under the face/chin.

Release and follow through Due to the long arc line traveled by a twohanded playerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fingers, the rev rate realized is very high. This is equivalent to a large gear. A two-handed player shoulder focus on maintaining the forearm forward with the hand, forearm, and elbow directly through the target line. The hand should remain under the elbow for a long period of time. This promotes a long extension with maximum energy transfer to the ball. Keep the forearm forward while keeping the hand under the elbow in the follow through. It is critical that the non ball-side shoulder remain forward.

Cause and effect evaluation: a session with an elite two-hander After an initial cause and effect sequence analysis with this player, several potential physical game inefficiencies emerged. Specifically, the assessment revealed that the set up position was impacting the swing line and hand position negatively, impacting the downswing, release, and follow through. His set up had his hips nearly parallel to the lane rather than the intended target line. As a result, as he transitioned from step three to four (of five), he over-rotated quickly from being off-line closed to off-line open. This affected both his hand and elbow position (swing) negatively at the top of the swing. In order to complete the shot, he had to rotate his hips back during the downswing leading to an over-rotation of the left shoulder with the forearm facing off line into the release. This reduced the efficiency of energy transfer to the ball as well as changed the launch angle. Moreover, it was causing a twisting effect on his knee, jeopardizing the longevity of his bowling career. To resolve this issue, I asked the player to change his set up as described above. We changed the slide foot to be parallel to the intended target line and moved the right foot back and open 30 degrees to open the hips. This had an immediate positive impact on reducing the rotation of the hips and torso in the transition from steps three and four. As a result, the hand was in a stronger position at the top of the swing and more inside the elbow. The downswing retained the forearm forward leading to better energy through the ball and an improved launch angle. Specifically, the forearm was now moving directly in line with the intended target line as his downswing angle increased. After this initial set up change and subsequent biomechanical improvements, we were able to

Ball/Elbow Position

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slowinski at large focus on keeping the elbow inside the wrist as well as keeping the head lower through the slide. Before we made these changes, the bowler was moving his head upward in the slide. This was a function of the over-rotation of the left shoulder.

Drills to improve two-handed body position Drills serve to develop micro placement and movements of the physical game. This allows the development of an increased awareness, altered physical game position, and biomechanical efficiency. To help two-handers develop their body position and movements, I have designed three drills which include a foul line, one-step, and a three-step drill. These will help players and coaches improve and develop an efficient two-handed game. The video of the drills is available on the BTM website at www.bowlingthismonth.com/extras. Two-handed foul line drill t Step #1 – Place the ball on the ground and set the slide foot. Be sure the non ball-side shoulder is facing the pins and the head is outside the ball. t Step #2 – Place the trail leg as far away as possible. t Step #3 – Pick up the ball and set the balance arm hand’s fingers directly above the ball-side hand. The ball side hand should be under the bowling ball. t Step #4 – Set the forearm forward. Set the balance arm elbow directly in front of the ball-side (elbows aligned). Be sure the head is well outside the ball and the trunk is rotated with the shoulders and elbows aligned. The ball should be approximately ankle high. t Step #5 – Swing the ball forward and then back keeping the forearm forward and the elbows aligned. As the ball moves forward, focus on the hand going down into the lane with the hand remaining under the elbow as you follow through. Perpendicular foot drill t Step #1 – Begin one step from the foul line. Place the trail leg foot 90 degrees from the

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slide foot. Be sure the top of the trail leg foot is aligned with the slide foot, which is aligned with the lane. t Step #2 – Place the hand in the ball and establish the balance arm hand position (fingers above the ball-side hand). t Step #3 – Turn your trunk 90 degrees and lower the ball to knee high. Be sure to set your shoulders and elbow directly in front of the ball-side elbow and shoulder. The elbows should be aligned and the ball is parallel with your hips and can swing under your chest/belly button. t Step #4 – Swing the ball forward and then back, keeping the elbows aligned. Slide as the ball moves downward in the swing. As the ball moves forward, focus on the hand going down into the lane with the hand remaining under the elbow as you follow through. Three step skip-step drill t Step #1 – Begin three steps from the foul line. t Step #2 – Set the slide foot behind the ballside foot. Specifically, the top of the slide foot should be at the heel of the trail leg foot. t Step #3 – Set the hands as described above. Lower the ball to knee high by leaning as well as rotating the torso. Be sure the head is outside of the ball. The elbows should be aligned as well. t Step #4 – Swing the ball fully once, keeping the elbows aligned. As the ball passes the leg during the second pass back, take a left step and go forward. This will be a quick skip-step. t Step #5 – As the ball moves forward, focus on the hand going down into the lane with the hand remaining under the elbow as you follow through. Implementing the drills into your practice t Ten minutes of each drill (30 minutes) t One foul line drill + one full approach (30 minutes) t One hour full approach

BOWLING THIS MONTH

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susie minshew

nuts susie & bolts minshew

Provide maximum energy to the pins in a score producing way

ou’ve heard people talk about not being matched up; that’s why they lost or didn’t score well or whatever. They are very likely telling the truth. Matching up is paramount to success in bowling. It's the transference of energy from you to the ball to the pins - matching your rev rate and speed to each other AND to what the lane wants. First I’d like to describe what I mean and then we’ll talk about how to recognize it and produce it.

A marriage made in bowling heaven The term rev rate in bowling refers to how many times a ball revolves as it goes down the lane. That's different than rotation. When you hear about a bowler's rev rate on the television show, you'll hear numbers like 420 or 550, for example. That means the bowler's shot had 550 revolutions per minute. Well, that's pretty silly. The ball is not on the lane a minute. It's more like 2.0 – 2.4 seconds. It would be way more accurate to say the bowler had 14 revs or 16 revs or whatever. That is not, however, how we talk. We talk about revs in terms of minutes – revolutions per minute – even though the ball is only on the lane a fraction of that time. The other part of the marriage is speed. You'll hear talk about ball speed being 19.5 miles per hour. The ball is not on the lane an hour. That 2.0 seconds I mentioned earlier

translates to 20.45 miles per hour and 2.4 seconds is 17.05 mph. So, if the speed is 19.5 mph, the ball is only on the lane about 2.1 seconds. Just as a point of information, if you have a scoring system in your center that provides ball speed for you, know this. That speed is calculated just in front of the pins. That is not the speed off your hand. Most ball speed readings you hear about on the PBA telecasts are taken much, much earlier on the lane. The ball loses 2 - 2.5 mph between when you let it go and when the reading is taken. So if the reading says 15.5, you actually were at 17.5 or more when you let it go. In addition, please don't take those numbers to the bank. You don't know how or when or if the speed indicators were calibrated, so you can't know if they are accurate. What you want to pay attention to is how consistent you are, not the actual numbers. If one shot is 16.6 and the next is 18.4 (on the same lane), be concerned. Unless you really intended to massively increase your speed on that second shot, that variation is too great to see similar ball motion. What you are looking for is consistency. The closer together your speed numbers are, the more similar your ball reaction can be and the more accurate your read. The more accurate your read, the better your adjustment.

Susie Minshew is a USBC Gold Coach, Master Silver Instructor, a regional PWBA champion, and past president of IBPSIA. She has authored two new books, Whoever Finds It First, Wins and Bowling Whisperer. Visit her online at www.strikeability.com.

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nuts & bolts To really understand how a person's rev rate and ball speed relate to one another, we also need to understand the ball's rotation. You've heard about axis rotation and axis tilt. In fact, in the August 2011 edition of Bowling This Month, I talked about how to create the different axis rotations I'll be discussing in this article.

or forward roll. It's also a great adjustment to make when you need to tweak carry. Walter Ray, Norm Duke, and Chris Barnes all use this type of roll frequently and well.

Revs and rotation two very different things It's not uncommon to confuse revs with rotation. Revolutions are actually the number of times the ball rolls around its axis, like a car tire on its axle, while rotation is essentially the direction of those revolutions. Think of tennis. When Novak or Serena put top spin or back spin on a shot, they angle the racket head in such a way that when it hits the ball, that angle causes the ball to travel in one direction (up in the air, across the net, deep to the baseline, whatever) while rotating in another direction. You can really tell this is happening when you see the ball hit the court and subsequently scoot sharply off in one direction or another while opponents whack it on the handle or flail at empty air. We do the same thing at the bottom of the swing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; applying torque so that the ball rotates instead of just revolving. The ball is always traveling toward the pins (eventually), but it is not necessarily rotating in that same direction. If, like the rear wheels of a car, it does rotate in the same direction itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s traveling, it has what is called zero degrees of axis rotation. It is rotating in the same direction it is traveling. To produce this type of rotation, your hand would be directly behind the ball at delivery. See the graphic and the picture called Zero. You can see the ball's direction of travel and, with the photo, where the hand would be to make that happen. Zero degrees of axis rotation or your version of it, is a great release to use when lanes are squirrelly. The ball will still make a good move when it needs to but you won't get a lot of bad information since the ball won't react violently. This is often called end-over-end

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Zero If your hand turns inward a bit at the bottom of the swing, you will impart a different rotation to the ball. The picture and the graphic labeled "45" shows that the hand is no longer behind the ball but rather slightly around the side. The direction the ball will be traveling is not different but its rotation certainly is. The ball is now rotating 45 degrees to its direction of travel. This rotation is the most versatile you can use. It arcs and doesn't have a lot of surprises while still finishing strongly in the pocket. Since it is the most versatile, your version of 45 will probably be the release you use most. In addition, you can dial down toward zero or up toward 90 when the lane demands more or less axis rotation.

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nuts susie & bolts minshew The photo and graphic labeled "90" show the hand on the side of the ball at the delivery point. Again, the direction of travel has not changed but the rotation is dramatically different. The ball is still traveling toward the pins but it is rotating at a 90 degree angle to that direction of travel. This axis rotation is the most skid your release can create. It also usually gives the most violent back end. Not for the faint-hearted, this release is speed and condition sensitive. You really need your version of it to complete your arsenal, however. Rotation is still a vital part of any rev rate/ speed conversation. Let's say that you had those 420 revs and zero degrees of axis rotation. That's a lot of revs. Revs make the ball hook, right? Not. It's just one of the four forces a bowler imparts to a ball - rotation, tilt, speed, and revs. It takes all that plus what the lane gives you to create "hook." In fact, if you have a plethora of all those forces, I can fix the lane so the ball doesn't hook. ALL the factors - you, the ball, and the lane - have to get along in order for you to see the ball motion you desire. All those revs would not have the same effect with zero degrees of axis rotation as they would have with 45 degrees of axis rotation. So, the angle your ball is rotating has a huge effect on its reaction to the lane. If the front wheels of a car are turned to the left, those tires are no longer rotating at zero degrees of axis rotation but have changed the angle of their rotation so the car can make a corner safely. Can you see how that would apply to your bowling ball "making the corner"? You will skid out or crash if you try to take a corner with too much speed or if your tires are spinning too fast for the amount of traction allowed by the road - when it is slick from rain, for example. We all slow down to make corners. Your ball has to slow down to make a "corner" as well. Current buzzwords for the matching up phenomenon are rev dominant and speed dominant. If you have more speed than your rev rate and rotation can accommodate, you will throw the ball through the breakpoint. If

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90 you have a high rev rate and/or lots of rotation but slow speed on a house shot, you'll likely experience early hook. If you have that high rev rate and slow speed on slick lanes, you could be in great shape. If the lanes are medium or a bit dry, your high rev rate and speed won't be what the lanes want. You're not "matched up." The same would be true if you have a lot of speed and a medium rev rate. You won't be giving the lane what it wantsâ&#x20AC;Ś..unless they are a bit dry. Then that great speed and medium rev rate might be just what you need to get through the heads and mids with enough energy for serious back end work. If the lane doesn't want what you brought, you're in for a long night. That's why it is so important to be versatile. If you have one speed that you cannot vary ON DEMAND and only one or two releases, you might be a pretty good house bowler (as long as you found a house that wanted what you have). A tournament player, however, will not be successful with so few weapons. Even if you only go to your local association tournament and to Nationals, you're a tournament player. Why spend the entry fee and all those travel expenses without giving yourself a shot (pun intended) to make a little of that back? That doesn't even mention how much more fun you could have getting lined up faster at league! You don't want to be a rev dominant player. Neither do you want to be speed dominant. Get with a qualified coach and learn to vary both so that no matter what the lane requires, you can provide it.

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“The 706T is great for my game. It matches my rev rate and ball speed PERFECTLY.”

TRACK KNOWS THAT SUCCESS MEANS MATCHING YOU AND THE LANE CONDITION TO THE RIGHT BALL. CHECK OUT HOW OUR PROFESSIONAL STAFF MATCHES UP TO SOME OF OUR LATEST EQUIPMENT. “The 300C Solid is PERFECT for my game. My high rev rate means I need a less aggressive ball I can control.”

“The 505C2 is a PERFECT match for my rev rate. It provides a smooth and continuous motion that allows me to control the pocket.”

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NO MATTER YOUR STYLE – TRACK HAS A BALL FOR YOU

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We designed the 910A to create maximum performance at the back end of the lane. Its quick response to friction is perfect for those that need help getting the ball around the corner. When it comes to oily lane conditions, a Traction ball is a must. The 706T is speciﬁcally designed to give those with medium rev rates the traction they need. The 505C2 is a perfect match for those with medium to high rev rates. Our Modiﬁed Kinetic core maximizes this ball’s continuation at the back end of the lane. We’ve taken performance to a whole new level with the 300C Solid. This one stores plenty of energy, providing a big continuous move at the back end on lighter oil conditions.

Learn more at TRACKBOWLING.com. PAGE 64

It’s easy to see how these balls will perform for you. Look at these PowerhouseTM Blueprint graphs, then visit your local pro shop to build your arsenal. BOWLING THIS MONTH

SEPTEMBER 2013