Successful
athletes in any sport are stronger and faster than their
opponent. This advantage is, however, more than purely physical.
Better bowlers accept that bowling is ALL about
adjusting: when you accept the NEED to adjust you will
enjoy your bowling better and not only recognise when to
change but actually make the changes faster than your
opponents.
This short section will discuss the key
adjustments you need to be able to make. Now, if
you just bowl leagues in one bowling centre you may get
the same high-scoring condition each week: you can use
the same ball, same line, same speed each week and never
really need to make any drastic changes. If, however, you
venture on to the tournament circuit and bowl in
different centres with different conditions you have a
choice: fight the lane and try your same-old-style or
make a move to find the optimum shot. So what do you want
to do? If your choice is to accept the need for
adjustments please read on...
Oil is
put down on the lanes to create a condition which protects the
lanes but, during play, the oil moves around - changes. So what
do you do? Complain, yes you can do
that but it will do no good - the oil has already changed and
your opponent will see you getting frustrated and know that your Mental Game is slipping, to their
advantage. If, as in league and tournament play, your opponent is
playing on the same pair of lanes that's about as fair as it can
get isn't it? So what what do you do? You don't complain, instead
you use your knowledge to make an adjustment...
Adjustments:
you can move left, half a board or ten boards, change your
target, change your speed, change your ball - where does it ever
stop? I teach four key adjustments all summed up in a nice
acronym that Susie Minshew coined in one of her
articles. If you want to increase your ability to remember the
memory-men teach us to associate a word with a picture (mental
imagery/visualisation) so get ready for one of the easiest to
remember acronyms I'ver heard...
ARSE - Angle, Rotation, Speed &
Equipment
So when you start to struggle, when you can't
carry strikes as well as you did at the start of the game, don't
panic but recognise that the lane is changing and you need to
adjust: remember your ARSE and you have four things you can
change straight away to create a better shot. Four key
adjustments which should help you in any situation. Fred Borden
is adding Loft to his Knowledge is the Key
2000 work so maybe, if you subscribe to that idea, you can think
of "ARSEnL".
Adjustment
Description
Angle
Usually, during the course of a
game, the ball will lift oil off the lane, or push it
further down. This means that your
"line" to the pocket will dry up and your ball
will hook earlier (more friction between it and the
lane). A simple move is make a slight move left with your
feet (left-handers reverse this process) to create some
more swing. You change the shape (angle) of your line to
the pocket. You can make a parallel move left, to get
your ball back in some fresh oil. These are
"bumps", when you've bumped left enough,
though, you may hit a dried out line created by another
bowler - you then need to "jump" left, i.e.
instead of tweaking your line a board or two, you jump
five-ten-fifteen boards left.
But then what do you do
when you've moved as far left as you can? Simple,
remember your ARSE - you've still got three more
adjustments.
Rotation
More axis-rotation (hand up the
side of the ball in the release) will create skid to get
the ball down the lane and stronger hook. In the
days of reactive-resin coverstocks fewer people employ
this, preferring to let the ball roll off their palm for
a 45-degree rotation which creates a strong but more
controlled hook. On heavier oil where the ball skids
longer and doesn't move into a hook/roll use less
rotation, bringing your hand more up the back of the
ball.
Speed
On drier lanes delivering the
ball with more speed will help it get further down the
lane before it reacts to hook into the pins.
Watch racing drivers, they slow down in the rain (on wet
conditions): why? Because there's less friction. Your
ball needs friction to hook and roll. So, on oilier lanes
a slower ball will help create the earlier reaction you
need to stop your ball sliding all the way. Remember the
skid-hook-roll pattern: if you throw a hook ball and it
is not moved out of the skid and into the roll you will
not carry the strikes you need to win.
Equipment
To adjust your Rotation or Speed
requires skill and practise. As with golf it can
be easier to choose the correct equipment: on oily lanes
you need more friction so choose a ball with a duller
surface and later, when it dries out, go to a shinier
ball (less friction will help it get down the lane).
Since Reactive ball came on the scene the old static
weight have become less important. Matching the ball to
the condition is not that hard, though the manufacturers
can easily confuse you with complex terminology.
KISS (keep-it-simple) and remember your ARSE
and you'll be able to make the right adjustment.
