The10 Pin in Bowling

Why We Leave the 10 Pin in Bowling

The 10 pin in bowling - why we leave the 10 pin in bowling

First there are 2 different types of 10 pins. 
One is the flat or weak 10 pin the other is the wrap or ringing 10 pin.

1.  The Flat 10 Pin - The first type of 10 pin in bowling is the flat or weak 10 pin. This is when the bowling ball rolls weak into the pocket and is due to a loss of energy. There are two reasons why this happens. Either the ball has never gone into a roll, or the ball has rolled too early and lost all of its energy before it gets to the pocket. So you must recognize two things. One being which type of 10 pin you are leaving. The other is whether the bowling ball is rolling too early or not rolling early enough. To determine whether you are leaving the flat 10 or the weak 10, look at the 6 pin. If the 6 pin is lying in the gutter, it indicates a weak or flat 10 pin. If you are leaving a flat 10, you need more angle or a ball that breaks later and sharper. You can do this with a change in the ball surface, handposition, type of ball, ball drilling layout, or a change in ball speed. If the bowling ball is rolling too early, you need to roll it harder. If it is skidding or not going into its roll, you may need less ball speed.

2.  The Wrap 10 Pin - The second type of 10 pin in bowling is the wrap 10, or ringing 10 pin. This occurs because the ball rolls into the pocket with too much angle or too much speed. The bowling ball does not have enough end-over-end roll. If the 6 pin goes around the 10 pin quickly, then you are leaving a wrap 10. A reason for this may be you are rolling the ball too hard. If you are leaving the wrap 10, you normally need earlier roll or more end-over-end roll. You can do this with a change in ball surface, hand position, reducing your ball speed, type of ball or ball drilling layout.

A Basic Rule of Thumb. 1. If the 6 pin is lying flat in the gutter, it is a flat 10 pin.  2. If the 6 pin flies around the 10 pin, it is a wrap or ringing 10 pin.  Let the 6 pin be your guide in recognizing your adjustment. Note: Learn to recognize the type of 10 you are leaving, then learning how to adjust. This is the key to increasing pin carry and a higher scoring potential..

Understanding Lane Oil

• DISCUSSION

Bowling equipment has changed the game drastically in recent decades, and while some effects are obvious, others are much more understated. Upgraded balls and new kinds of technology have allowed us to better understand what happens throughout the course of a bowling shot, as well as what happens in between shots.

We have always known that lane oil dries up and wears away throughout the course of a game, and that an evolving pattern affects shot selection, equipment choice and sometimes even mentality. However, only recently have we been able to easily show exactly what’s happening to your shot when you don’t adjust to changing bowling lane oil conditions. In this lesson, we go over some of the core concepts of using lane oil to your advantage and discuss what you should do throughout a game and tournament when a lane is in transition.

How Bowling lane oil transition dictates your choices

One of the biggest pitfalls bowlers face is not adjusting their play to changing bowling lane oil conditions. No matter how consistent your stroke is or how much power you generate in your swing, it’s not going to matter unless you work with the lane oil. So to help you figure out how to read oil patterns on bowling lanes so you can adapt to the transition, we teach you about the key concepts of lane oil changes, and talk about what to look for throughout the course of a game or multiple games.

As soon as you throw your first shot of a game the lane oil pattern begins to transition, which means you must judge bowling lane conditions and react accordingly. With each subsequent shot, the way you attack the pocket should be a little bit different, whether it’s a simple change in your approach or a switch to a new type of ball. Tune in to this segment to learn more about bowling lane oil conditions and see what else determines the way you go about your game.

Balance Holes

The most popular balance hole system or methodology in use today is the Gradient Line Balance Hole system, developed originally by Mo Pinel and his collaborators during his years owning and operating MoRich Enterprises. In short, this system defines four standard balance hole positions (P1, P2, P3, and P4) that can be used to alter the motion of the ball:

• P1 holes slightly weaken the ball’s motion by reducing its differentials and cutting down on its track flare.
• P2 holes have almost no effect.
• P3 holes moderately strengthen the ball’s motion by moderately increasing its differentials and moderately increasing its track flare.
• P4 holes significantly strengthen the ball’s motion by significantly increasing its differentials and significantly increasing its track flare.

How To Play A Bowling Lane

Information on How to Play the Lane

Bowling Lane Play. - There are 3 basic types of bowling lane lines; open, medium, and direct. (Note: this is for right handed bowlers – reverse everything for left handed bowlers.)

1. Open Line - The open line is inside from the 14th board on the bowling lane. The ball angle is directed toward the 6 pin as it is released. This is described in the illustration below. High revolution bowlers like this angle most the time.

2. Medium Or Indirect Line - The medium or indirect line is from the 13th to the 8th board, or the track area, on the bowling lane. The ball angle is a medium line directed toward the 3 and 6 pins as the ball is released. It is also described in the illustration below. Power strokers or tweener type bowlers like this line.

3. Direct Line - The direct line is outside from the 7th board on the bowling lane. The ball angle is directed toward the 1 and 3 pins, or the pocket, as the ball is released. It is also described in the illustration below. Most strokers like this line or angle.

How To Clean Your Bowling Ball

How To Clean Your Bowling Ball

Cleaning your bowling ball is an area that is discussed and talked about a lot in the bowling world, and there are many different methods that can be used to do this. Most bowlers neglect to clean and maintain their bowling equipment until the bowling ball performance stops, or it stops reacting the way they think it should.

The bowling ball manufacturers tell us to clean our ball with a microfiber towel and a special cleaner after every bowling session. But time and time again the bowlers just don’t take it seriously until their ball quits working for them.

Following is a line of procedure that one should try to follow if they want to keep their bowling ball in fairly good condition.

Please note: The new bowling balls of today soak up lane conditioner and will always eventually die. I am sorry to say this, but it is true. The following will help slow down the process, but will not stop it. In addition, some bowling balls last longer than others. I have some that are a few years old and others that only last a few months.

First you need to get a few things; a mirco fiber towel, some bowling ball cleaner, abralon pads, a bucket and water.

These are the things I use that have worked the best for me.

1. After each frame wipe the lane conditioner off your bowling ball.
2. After you are done bowling for the night clean your ball with the bowling ball cleaner and wrap it in a towel or get a see saw.
3. Every so many games, with some reactive bowling balls, you will have to rejuvenate the surface or put the grooves back in the cover stock so it will grab the lane surface again. So get some abralon pads and scuff up the cover stock. The bowling ball informational sheet should tell you the out of box finish.
4. Every 50 to 100 games soak the ball in a bucket of warm (not hot) water. Warm Soapy water will extract a lot of lane conditioner and give the ball back some of its original performance. Just simply put the ball in the warm soapy water for about 30 to 45 minutes and then rinse it off and let it dry a few days. Then rejuvinate the coverstock with the abralon and there you go. (Note: warm not hot and not to long. In addition make sure the ball is dry before using).

How Long Will a Bowling Ball Last

How Long Your Bowling Ball Lasts 

How long does a bowling ball last? This is a question I have gotten a lot. I will mainly be talking about the newer reactive bowling balls. I will not go into too much detail about the plastic, rubber, or urethane balls. 

I also must note that this is my personal opinion and experience only. This question could go into some detail and I may address it more in later posts. A plastic ball could last for quite awhile, but you will get lots of chipping and cracking. 

These balls do not absorb much lane conditioner and have a semi-hard cover even though it is brittle. You could have one of these balls for many years or only a few months. Remember, these are not high performance bowling balls so scoring will suffer. 

Urethane bowling balls have some oil abortion and have a durable cover, but usually do not have much track flare. They do not score as well as a reactive ball. These balls could last you a couple years if cleaned and maintained properly. Some problems are there are not many companies that make these balls anymore and they do not score as high as reactive balls. A reactive ball scores higher normally, but the longevity of the ball is short so you will sacrifice performance and scoring. 

I have seen some reactive bowling balls only last 30 to 50 games, yet I have seen some work well for a few years. Now the lane center’s choice in conditioner seems to play a factor, but I have no scientific proof of this. 

Some conditioners seem to have properties that kill the ball faster. One factor is the oil absortion rate. A lot of these balls are made to soak up oil like a sponge. It only makes sense the faster the ball is designed to soak up this lane oil, the faster it will lose it's hooking action. 

My point is a highly absorbing bowling ball will not last as long as one that has a slower absorbing rate. These are a couple factors. The question was how long will my bowling ball last. With the new high performance balls, the one time a week bowler will probably have to get a new ball every year or two because most the time the ball only last an average of 100 to 200 games. 

If you bowl a 33 week season at 3 games a night that would be 99 games. Then add probably at least one practise game weekly and you would equal 132 games a season. If you bowl more than that let say 2 or 3 times a week, you are looking at 2 or 3 balls a year for top performance. Proper cleaning and maintaining your ball can help make it last longer. In brief, the more you bowl, the more new equipment you will need. 

Good Luck and Great Bowling.

Adjusting Your Push Way

Here is a bowling tip to help you do two things. One get more speed on your ball, the other being slowing your shot down. 

Now this tip can also be used to get the ball down the lane or set it down sooner. The idea of this technique is to use your push away to ether push the ball up and out farther at the start or down and with less force. 

Now we ask what does this do and which one does what. Well I am not going to go into too much detail at this time about when you should try this technique, but I am going to try to explain which does what. 

Now if we push the ball up and out more this will cause the ball to have more force in the pendulum swing, this will cause more momentum at and speed in your arm swing so you will in turn get more speed on the ball. 

In addition, to this you will have a higher back swing which could help you get the ball out and down the lane quicker. Now pushing the bowling ball down and out with less forces will do just the opposite, this will give you less force in the pendulum swing. 

In addition, you will not have as much back swing so in turn less force at your release point. This could aid in slowing your shot down or setting your bowling ball down sooner. Now caution should be taken into consideration, you do not want to mess up your approaches timing and develop a bad habit. 

I recommend you be versatile enough and learn what to do when, but learn when to change back if these techniques do not work today. In addition, you should toy around with this type of adjustment in practice to find out what they do for you and which works best in what situation.

Three Basic Lines in Bowling

Information on How to Play the Lane

Bowling Lane Play. - There are 3 basic types of bowling lane lines; open, medium, and direct. (Note: this is for right handed bowlers – reverse everything for left handed bowlers.)

1. Open Line - The open line is inside from the 14th board on the bowling lane. The ball angle is directed toward the 6 pin as it is released. This is described in the illustration below. High revolution bowlers like this angle most the time.

2. Medium Or Indirect Line - The medium or indirect line is from the 13th to the 8th board, or the track area, on the bowling lane. The ball angle is a medium line directed toward the 3 and 6 pins as the ball is released. It is also described in the illustration below. Power strokers or tweener type bowlers like this line.

3. Direct Line - The direct line is outside from the 7th board on the bowling lane. The ball angle is directed toward the 1 and 3 pins, or the pocket, as the ball is released. It is also described in the illustration below. Most strokers like this line or angle.

Why You Pull Your Shot In Bowling

Reasons For Pulling Your Shot In Bowling

Here is a tip that is designed to give you some of the potential reasons you could be pulling your shot across your body in bowling, and perhaps a cure for the problem. Ninety percent of curing the problem is understanding the cause. A few potential reasons for pulling your shot are listed below. 

1. Fear of getting the ball outside your target; so you pull your shot across your body. This is common on sport patterns like the USBC oil patterns or PBA shot. On this condition try to remember to roll the ball straight down, not outside or inside your target, narrowing your margin of error. 

2. Round housing your arm swing is when a bowler goes around their body in the approach. Sometimes it is because they are starting their ball in the middle of their body rather then to their side. Remember your arm swing should be straight back and forward in the pendulum swing. 

3. Fast feet is when your feet and arm swing are out of time, which causes the bowler to be off line at the end of their approach and delivery. Some things to try are slowing your feet down and keeping your arm swing the same speed as it was before. Try moving up or moving back on the approach. 

These are a few things to try and some potential causes for pulling your shot in bowling. Once again, tips are a tip that is all they are, if it does not work go back to what you were doing before. 

How To Clean Your Bowling Ball

Cleaning your bowling ball is an area that is discussed and talked about a lot in the bowling world, and there are many different methods that can be used to do this. Most bowlers neglect to clean and maintain their bowling equipment until the bowling ball performance stops, or it stops reacting the way they think it should.

The bowling ball manufacturers tell us to clean our ball with a microfiber towel and a special cleaner after every bowling session. But time and time again the bowlers just don’t take it seriously until their ball quits working for them.

Following is a line of procedure that one should try to follow if they want to keep their bowling ball in fairly good condition.

Please note: The new bowling balls of today soak up lane conditioner and will always eventually die. I am sorry to say this, but it is true. The following will help slow down the process, but will not stop it. In addition, some bowling balls last longer than others. I have some that are a few years old and others that only last a few months.

First you need to get a few things; a mirco fiber towel, some bowling ball cleaner, abralon pads, a bucket and water. 

These are the things I use that have worked the best for me.

1. After each frame wipe the lane conditioner off your bowling ball.
2. After you are done bowling for the night clean your ball with the bowling ball cleaner and wrap it in a towel or get a see saw.
3. Every so many games, with some reactive bowling balls, you will have to rejuvenate the surface or put the grooves back in the cover stock so it will grab the lane surface again. So get some abralon pads and scuff up the cover stock. The bowling ball informational sheet should tell you the out of box finish.
4. Every 50 to 100 games soak the ball in a bucket of warm (not hot) water. Warm Soapy water will extract a lot of lane conditioner and give the ball back some of its original performance. Just simply put the ball in the warm soapy water for about 30 to 45 minutes and then rinse it off and let it dry a few days. Then rejuvinate the coverstock with the abralon and there you go. (Note: warm not hot and not to long. In addition make sure the ball is dry before using).

The Most Important Thing In Bowling

SPARES COUNT

 

What is the Most Important Thing for higher Scores?
Even with bowling centers that have easier house patterns which takes less effort to roll a strike, this tip affects all types of bowler's scores. Beginner to advanced, cranker, tweener or stroker, I can sum this up in one word, SPARES! Spare shooting is still the most important part of the game of bowling.


 It can cost a professional a match in tournaments or be the one thing that keeps you from that new target score. Doing a simple calculation, one missed spare is minus 11 pins. This is usually pretty close. As an example, if I were to have a clean 200 game, but with an open frame or a missed a spare, I would have about a 189. This does depend on your pin count (Note: This is just a ball park figure).


 Another way to look at it is I had a 200 game with 1 open frame, but I would have had about a 211 if I would have filled the open frame with a spare. To sum it up I know it sounds basic, but it is true, spare shooting is still the most important part in bowling.
 

The Life of A Bowling Ball

How Long A Bowling Ball Lasts 

How Long Your Bowling Ball Lasts 

How long does a bowling ball last? This is a question I have gotten a lot. I will mainly be talking about the newer reactive bowling balls. I will not go into too much detail about the plastic, rubber, or urethane balls. 

I also must note that this is my personal opinion and experience only. This question could go into some detail and I may address it more in later posts. A plastic ball could last for quite awhile, but you will get lots of chipping and cracking. 

These balls do not absorb much lane conditioner and have a semi-hard cover even though it is brittle. You could have one of these balls for many years or only a few months. Remember, these are not high performance bowling balls so scoring will suffer. 

Urethane bowling balls have some oil abortion and have a durable cover, but usually do not have much track flare. They do not score as well as a reactive ball. These balls could last you a couple years if cleaned and maintained properly. Some problems are there are not many companies that make these balls anymore and they do not score as high as reactive balls. A reactive ball scores higher normally, but the longevity of the ball is short so you will sacrifice performance and scoring. 

I have seen some reactive bowling balls only last 30 to 50 games, yet I have seen some work well for a few years. Now the lane center’s choice in conditioner seems to play a factor, but I have no scientific proof of this. 

Some conditioners seem to have properties that kill the ball faster. One factor is the oil absortion rate. A lot of these balls are made to soak up oil like a sponge. It only makes sense the faster the ball is designed to soak up this lane oil, the faster it will lose it's hooking action. 

My point is a highly absorbing bowling ball will not last as long as one that has a slower absorbing rate. These are a couple factors. The question was how long will my bowling ball last. With the new high performance balls, the one time a week bowler will probably have to get a new ball every year or two because most the time the ball only last an average of 100 to 200 games. 

If you bowl a 33 week season at 3 games a night that would be 99 games. Then add probably at least one practise game weekly and you would equal 132 games a season. If you bowl more than that let say 2 or 3 times a week, you are looking at 2 or 3 balls a year for top performance. Proper cleaning and maintaining your ball can help make it last longer. In brief, the more you bowl, the more new equipment you will need. 

Good Luck and Great Bowling.

Bowling Tips for the Beginning Bowler

The Basic Steps To Learn as a Beginning Bowler

1. Get a Good fitting bowling ball. In addition, beginners should only use a conventional grip bowling ball. Don't buy an expensive ball at this time, but get a name brand ball and not from a department store get one from a pro-shop, bowling center, or on online retailer.

 2. Learn the 4 step approach,

 3. Learn spot, arrow or line bowling.

4. Learn spare shooting. This is very important spares especially as a beginner will really improve your bowling score.

Practice those 4 things over and over again, along with reading and asking questions. In Addition, if you can find a certified USBC bowling coach in your center that can help tremendously, a good place to look is in your centers Jr bowling program most programs have certified level 1 coaches and would be glad to show you the 4 step approach , line bowling, and spare shooting. 

The Different Hand Positions

Bowling Hand Positions - The Different Hand Positions In Bowling

Bowling Hand Positions
The Different Hand Positions in Bowling
How Changing Hand Positions Affects Bowling Ball Roll.

Bowling Hand Positions - There are many different hand positions in bowling. I am only going to start out with a few of the basic ones. Cupped, Straight, and Broken are the 3 basic vertical hand positions. The 3 basic horizontal wrist positions which are at 12 o'clock, 10:30, and 9 o'clock. Using different combinations of these changing hand positions in bowling will affect the ball roll. This affect causes the bowling ball to have earlier roll or later roll. It can also cause different angles to the pocket and cause the ball to hook or roll at different spots on the bowling lane. At times it can substitute for bowling ball speed problems. These basic wrist combinations, along with different finger positions in gripping the bowling ball may be all that’s needed. Try them before changing bowling lane lines, or even changing bowling equipment, or bowling ball layouts.

1. The Cupped Release - The cupped release is when your wrist is curled so that your fingers and hand are angled upward in a 45 degree angle. This causes the bowling ball to roll sooner. It also gives you an earlier break point. (Note: most crankers or high revolution bowlers like this wrist position).

2. The Straight Release - The straight release is when your wrist is straight. There is no break upward or downward. This release is a starting position. It is a release that should be used most of the time. You should then adjust from this point. This is a medium wrist position. (Note: most straight bowlers or strokers like this wrist position).

3. The Broken Wrist Release - The broken wrist position, or release, is when your hand and fingers are angle down toward the ground; also your wrist is broken. This release position is used when you want to delay the break point or if you want to get the ball down lane before it hooks. It is also used to get through the heads. (Note: the heads are the first part of the bowling lane). It can also substitute for ball speed or for drier lane conditions. I have seen famous professionals like Norm Duke and Brian Voss use this release a lot.

4. The 12 o'clock Release - With the 12 o'clock, or 10 degree, release as you hold your ball your thumb comes straight up with no (or very little) side turn. Your hand and thumb will be at the 12 o'clock position as it is released. This release will give the bowling ball a lot of end over end roll. It causes the bowling ball to delay its break point. This release is used on dryer lanes and to help get the ball down the lane before it hooks. (Note: this is also called a 10 degree axis rotation).

5. The 10:30 Release - With the 10:30, or 45 degree, release as you hold your bowling ball your hand is turned horizontal and your thumb is pointed at 10:30 on a clock, or at a 45 degree angle. This release is the most common. It also should be used as a starting point. This release gives the bowling ball a slight inward turn toward the 7 pin. (Note: this is also called a 45 degree axis rotation).

6. The 9 o'clock Release - With the 9 o'clock, or 90 degree, release as you hold the bowling ball your hand is turned horizontally to the side facing 9 o'clock. This release causes the ball to have a lot of spin. It sometimes causes what we call a spinner. This means the bowling ball is spinning like a top. It also has very little ball to lane surface contact. This means the bowling ball will not have much hook or drive as it rolls down the bowling lane. When it hits the bowling pins it may hit dead with not much action. (Note: this is also called the 90 degree axis rotation).

Bowl-A-Roll Birthday Parties

The Four Step Approach