Coaches Corner
How to hook the ball the right way - December 22, 2011
Most bowlers want to go out and have a good time with friends or loved ones. They want to enjoy the time they spend when they are in the bowling center. Even recreational bowlers want to be able to knock more pins down. They always see the guys on T.V. that hook a bowling ball and they try to do the same thing. But how many of them know exactly how to do this? Many people really have no clue how to hook the bowling ball. They try various ways to achieve this. This week's tip is for those bowlers who want to truly understand how to create the hook on the bowling ball the right way.
Making a bowling ball hook means that you have a bowling ball that changes directions from its intended initial path back to the pins. Why do bowlers want to hook a bowling ball? Because it's cool, right? Well I will give you that, it does look cool when you can bring a bowling ball back to the pins in a big motion. The real reason bowler's hook a bowling ball is simply for better pin carry. Pin carry will increase with a bowling ball that hooks. When you hook a bowling ball you create what they call entry angle. Entry angle is the amount in degrees that a bowling ball enters the pocket. Creating a bowling ball that has entry angle will create the bowling ball to enter the pocket at such and angle that pins move around more. By having pins that move around more, you have a higher chance of knocking more pins down on your first ball. There are lot of technical means to make a bowling ball that hooks that I won't get into this week. This week I am trying to keep things simple. You all remember the K.I.S.S. method. "Keep It Simple S*****"
Now you know the basics of why you want a bowling ball to hook, the next question should be, "How do I hook a bowling ball?" Today's new equipment has some major contributions to help you get the hook. Today' new equipment has much softer, more porous cover stocks on the bowling balls. This act's like the tires on your car. The more tread you have, the better your tires grab the road. Bowling balls do not hook all by themselves. It doesn't matter if you have the strongest bowling ball on today's market, if you can not deliver the bowling ball correctly it won't work. Does your car turn without you using the steering wheel? So let's talk about how you can "steer" you bowling ball correctly. If you hold the bowling ball in your starting position, with your palm facing up towards the ceiling, and release it the same way the bowling ball will not have any side rotation and result in a bowling ball that will go straight. So now imagine you are making a left hand turn with your car. You have to turn your steering wheel to the left correct? The same applies to a bowling ball. If you are a Right Handed Bowler you need to make the bowling ball turn left. By starting with your hand in a neutral position, directly under the bowling ball, upon your delivery you make a left turn with your hand, will you create rotation on a bowling ball! Yes you will.
So let's recap with this week's tip. No bowling ball will hook by itself. The bowler must create side rotation on a bowling ball to create the bowling ball to hook. Now I do want to stress that when you try this, you do not turn the "steering wheel" with your entire arm. Make sure that upon release you only turn with your bowling hand. By using your entire arm, you will let your bowling elbow move away from your body, and cause you to "top" the bowling ball. By creating the bowling ball to spin like a top, you have affected the amount the bowling ball will actually hook. Look at the earlier tip: Chicken wings are for eating, not bowling.
T.J. Yeip is the Training and Education Manager for Bowling IQ. You can email him directly at Thomas.yeip@bowlingiq.com
Listen to your Bowling Ball - December 1, 2011
Well I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I was stuffed just like that turkey for a couple days. If you were one of the brave ones that ventured out shopping on the infamous Black Friday then more power to you. I hope you stopped in your local pro shop. I spent a productive day at the shop helping bowlers. This week I would like to talk about bowling ball reaction and how you can use what you see with your bowling ball on the lanes to adjust your game and improve your scores.
Bowlers ask me often: What is the magic ball that will give me a certain reaction? Well I hate to tell you folks, but it's not just the bowling ball. You can have a great bowling ball in your hand, and if you do not fully understand how that bowling ball is suppose to react, then how can you line up and be consistent? Well you can't. That is unless you understand bowling ball reaction. Now if you want a bowling ball drilled so it will go down the lane and flip, that's great, any reputable Pro Shop can do that. But is that what you need for the lane conditions you are bowling on? Or do you need a bowling ball for heavy oil, and you want it drilled to hook in the oil? That's great too. You can get that, but do you know what to do and where to stand with that bowling ball?
Let's first start with the long and flip drilling on a bowling ball. If you are the type of bowler that wants that kind of reaction, do you understand that it might not work the way you want it to. Remember, you can have the right bowling ball, but if you are using it on the wrong oil pattern, then it just won't be affective. If you are bowling on a medium to heavy oil pattern, and you are trying to use the long and flip drilled bowling ball, more often than not, you will see that the bowling ball will not recover in the back end enough, and when you try and square up to the lane that it takes off to much in the back. You need to notice the oil pattern you are bowling on and use the proper equipment for that particular pattern. If you like to swing and bring the ball, and the lanes tell you that you can't then why keep trying to do it? Watching your bowling ball will tell you how to attack the lanes.
Now if you are trying to swing and bring the heavy oil layout ball then you will see that the bowling ball will not make it to the pocket strong, or that you leave a lot of corners. You need to watch what you bowling ball is telling you. Most of the time, if you are using a heavy oil drilled bowling ball, the bowling ball will want to rev up to soon, and will actually be weaker in the back part of the lane. This means that you need to square up to the lane more and play a straighter line. When you see that the bowling ball is hooking too much in the front part of the lane, then that's when you start to move more to the middle of the lane, and use a bowling ball that will finish stronger, kind of like your flip drilled ball.
Let's recap: When you are attacking the lane conditions, watch what your bowling ball is doing. Where is it hooking, or not hooking. If you get to much hook in the front part of the lane, then go to your bowling ball that goes longer, and has more backend reaction. If your bowling ball is going to long, or giving you an inconsistent shot when you swing the bowling ball, square up to the lanes a little more with your heavy oil drilled ball. You can always tweak this by, once again, seeing what your bowling ball is telling you.
Until next time, bowl well, make your spares, and check us out for all your holiday needs and tips.
T.J. Yeip is the Training and Education Manager for Bowling IQ. You can email him directly at Thomas.yeip@bowlingiq.com
The Evolution of Bowling - November 18, 2011
Bowling has been around for hundred's, some even say thousand's of years. There were articles of Egyptian carvings found with a sport very similar to bowling. Times have changed and there is so much new technology in the great sport of bowling. Think back to the days were there were pin boys. These were people who would sit behind the bowling lanes and set pins up. My uncle was one. From there we can consider the evolution of automatic machines. From the days of actually keeping score by hand, to now with all the computers that do it for you, heck they even have some computers that have coaching assistants to show you how you should stand and move to make the spare. The sport of bowling has evolved so much. Bowling balls have evolved too. Have they evolved so much that the bowler can't tell the difference? In this week's article I will talk about some of the bowling equipment in the game and help you identify some of the differences in the cores of a bowling ball.
With all the new bowling equipment out there we have coined a few new terms to describe them. You have new terminology like RG'S Differentials, symmetric and asymmetric cores. But what does this mean to today's consumer? If you don't understand them then you really don't know what you are buying. I know in our shop we make sure that we not only try to sell bowling equipment, but more importantly what the bowler needs. We explain what the terminology means to you and their benefits to your game and style of bowling. So with the new bowling ball technology, you need to sharpen your skills to determine exactly what you need. Below I will go over some of the terms used and give you a better understanding of what they mean to you, and the types of bowling styles that will benefit from them.
RG's or Radius of Gyration in simple terms means that the lower the number, the stronger, and faster the bowling balls core will rev up. The higher the number the longer the bowling balls core will take to rev up. So if you're on a heavier oil pattern and you do not have a lot of revolutions in your release, would you go with a higher RG or a Lower RG? The answer would be a lower RG core. The reason, if you have a heavier oil pattern the oil itself will make the bowling ball travel further down the lane, and by utilizing a lower RG core, you have a bowling ball in your hand that will rev up in that oil. Using a higher RG on this pattern will travel to far down the lane for that particular style of bowler and make it harder to get the bowling ball to the pocket.
Differential in really simple terms amounts to the amount of flare on a bowling ball. Flare means that a new surface of the bowling ball will be in contact with the lane surface each time it makes a revolution. The higher the Differential number, the more the hook potential that bowling ball has. So would you use a high differential bowling ball on a short or light oil pattern with a bowler that has a high rev rate? The answer would be no. If you have a high Differential bowling ball, that means there is more hook potential. Given that the bowler has a high rev rate and is bowling on a shorter or light oil pattern, this bowling balls strength will be too much for the lanes and use all its hook potential to early on the lanes, resulting in a bowling ball that will straighten out. I hope these two simple scenarios help you in the basic understanding of the two terms. Next week I will write about the three phases of bowling ball motion on the lanes, and why it is beneficial to have your bowling ball go through these phases in the correct sequence.
Until next time everyone enjoy their bowling and if you have any questions feel free to e-mail them to me. I have been getting some really good e-mails and they are starting to come more frequently. This means I have readers out there that are thirsting for bowling knowledge.
T.J. Yeip is the Training and Education Manager for Bowling IQ. You can email him directly at Thomas.yeip@bowlingiq.com
Chicken Wings are for eating, not bowling - September 22, 2011
This week I would like to talk about your arm swing and some common flaws that people have that cause inconsistencies in their release.
Often when bowlers try to hook a bowling ball they try to use their arm to make this happen. When you try to use your arm, your wrist and hand, your arm will swing away from your body. This is where the term "chicken wing" came from. When your elbow turns away from your body, your arm swing is not properly in line with your target. This will cause your shot to be inaccurate. I have a couple tips to help keep your arm swing closer to your body on delivery, and help you become more consistent. What happens when you become more consistent? You produce higher scores. Don't we all want higher scores? I know I do. So keep reading and find out how.
First let's look at your starting position. You should have your bowling arm close to your body in your starting position. Why would you make an extra motion to physically take your arm swing away from your body? You really shouldn't do more then you have to. The second tip will be an oldie but a goodie. Back in the day a lot of teaching pros used to tuck a towel in your armpit at your starting position. The goal was to not have that towel fall from your body until you released your bowling ball. This teaching aid still works today. So your second tip is to either visualize a towel under your arm pit or you can actually place a towel under your arm pit when you go out to practice.
Using these simple tips can keep your swing inline and become more consistent. Go ahead and try these tips and let me know what has worked and if it has improved your consistency. These simple tips will greatly improve your game. I successfully use them in my coaching sessions. So remember, eat the chicken wings, don't use them in bowling. Oh yea and by all means do not eat those wings with the same hand you bowl with. See you next week, same time, and place..
T.J. Yeip is the Training and Education Manager for Bowling IQ. You can email him directly at Thomas.yeip@bowlingiq.com
Balance at the Release Point - September 19, 2011
This weeks tip will be a about the balance of your body at the release point. Balance is a major factor in creating power and accuracy. Ask yourself this question, do I fall off towards my release side? If you answered the question with a yes then your balance is off. Have you ever heard of posting your shot? This simply means that you hold your finish position until your bowling ball reaches the pins. Can you do that? This week's tip will give you some insight as to how to control your body from the starting position until your release and finish position.
Today's bowlers and scoring environment have made bowlers roll the bowling ball faster. When this is done incorrectly your body will not be in balance. Bowlers need to remember that the power and force of a bowling ball is generated by your free arm swing and your legs. When you do not use these two together you cause an imbalance in your body and your body falls off your shot.
First thing you need to work on is to make sure that you are using a free arm swing. If you try to use more muscle then gravity, your body will over compensate and try to correct itself without you really knowing it. The first tip this week is to see how free your arm swing really is. If you set up in your starting position and make your first motion with the bowling ball into the swing, your arm should swing back all by itself. The bowling ball is controlling you, not you controlling the bowling ball. Your arm swing should move freely from your shoulder. If you are using muscle or over exerting your swing, you're entire upper body will move as well. A practice drill you can do is to take your non bowling hand and support the weight of the ball with it. This hand should be placed under the bowling ball, and act like a trap door. Once it moves, the swing begins. This is called free arm swing. If you hold the ball out there and you physically take the ball down towards the bottom of the swing then this is using too much muscle. Remember free arm swing will generate more power with less muscle movement.
The second tip is at your release and finish position. Your legs are the strongest muscles in your entire body, so let's use them. As you are taking your final step into your slide the non-sliding leg should be trailing behind your body on the opposite side of your swing. Imagine a triangle: the floor is the base of the triangle and your legs become the left and right side of the triangle. Based on your physical ability the triangle can be large or small. The main ingredient is that it stays a triangle until the bowling ball hits the pins. To try this at home, try and make a triangle and put your body in the position that you finish at the foul line. The bigger the triangle the more balanced you body has become. Try these a few times to let your mind understand what you are trying to accomplish. You mind will think it feels weird at first, so you have to retrain the mind as well.
Let me recap this week's article about balance. There are two components with balance, free arm swing and leg strength. Creating a triangle with your legs will increase your balance and combining that with a free arm swing will allow you to increase your power. Combine these two and watch out!!! You have now become a monster on the lanes!!! Until next week, if you have any comments or questions, I would like to hear them. I have been answering emails as fast as I can and I have been getting a lot lately.
T.J. Yeip is the Training and Education Manager for Bowling IQ. You can email him directly at Thomas.yeip@bowlingiq.com
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