20 February, Accessories (Part III), Bowling Tips and Advice

Continuing our discussion of Bowling Accessories, this post will look at shoe covers, hand conditioners, rosin bags and sewing kits. We cannot stress this enough—Bowling Shoe Protectors are a must for any bowler. These inexpensive items can prevent you from falling on your face at the foul line because you left the bowler area and got some water, gum or other dirt on the slide sole of your bowling shoes. If this has ever happened to you, there is no more to say. They come in many bright colors and designs: get a pair.

Hand Conditioners for a bowler are to keep the hand dry. It is next to impossible to repeat shots with moist hands and fingers. Hand conditoners are usually in a bag and fit easily in the hand. There should never be any residue left on the hand. The feel of the ball should never change. Once you begin league night, tournaments or just practise, your release hand should never touch anything other than the ball. High fiving teammates could get you into trouble, after all you have no idea where that hand has been!!! Don’t eat or drink with that hand either. Rosin Bags are another way to keep the hand dry. By far the most popular way to help with grip security, there are other products. If you use a powder, be careful. If you interfere with another bowler, this is illegal. You must keep control of the powders. According to the rules, if you get any foreign substance, including powders, on the bowling ball, it must be removed before putting the ball in play. Just be careful.

A Sewing Kit sounds unlikely to have in your bag but when you need one, you need it bad and in a hurry. Popping buttons or zippers are examples of fixes that need to be made now, in the middle of a tournament. Bet you never thought of that did you???

The whole idea of these accessories is to reduce stress levels. If you are prepared, you can have boatloads more fun bowling.

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16 January 2012, Accessories (part II), Bowling Tips And Advice

This post continues the discussion of bowling accessories and other items that bowlers require. There are some things to remember. Powders such as baby powder or pro slide to make your shoes slide could be illegal. While perfectly ok for thumbholes, if the powder alters the footwork of another player it is not allowed, (Rule 12, Defacing the Approach).

Towels are another necessary accessory. 16×24 towels are easy to carry and really work well for bowling. The ball surface should be kept clean to allow the ball to work as advertised when it was purchased. The towel should be kept clean. It does not help to use a dirty towel and put more dirt and grease on the ball.  That grey towel that used to be white is not very effective. Microfiber towels are great for cleaning but hang up on every little thing. Terry towels are also popular. Using the towel in the pre-shot routine should be the same for every shot. It affects your rhythm and can provide time to recover from a bad break or enjoy a great shot. It keeps you centered.

Bowlers should keep spare shoelaces in the bag just in case. Be sure they are the proper length; the eyes go through the shoe holes and are the right color! Pro shops don’t always carry laces and sometimes are not open.

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26 December 2011, Wrist Braces, Bowling Tips and Advice

This post will focus on accessories, specifically wrist braces and liners. Bowling accessory purpose is to promote the physical game. They can also be a huge lift to the mental side. Don’t let any accessory be so important you can’t bowl without it.

Wrist braces can be great training tools to help you get the feel of whatever release you are trying to perfect. It should be used only as a teaching tool. If you are strong enough, it is recommended that you be pure wristed. Be careful with them as there are bowlers that have broken their wrist using the wrong brace while trying to execute a shot. Braces can be solid and not adjustable up to some that are totally adjustable in all directions. The brace you should use is dictated by the type of release you are trying to perfect. Consult your pro for proper choices. Those braces that have Velcro straps going across your palm will change the span of your hand. Ball fit should be measured wearing the brace, if you start wearing a brace after your ball was drilled, get re-measured. Improper fit will cause injury so see your pro for the proper fit and measurement. If you become very dependent on a brace, carry an extra one.

Wrist liners are cloth socks worn under a brace to absorb moisture and avoid chafing. You should have a couple in your bag if you wear a brace. Liners are not required but are much more comfortable and easier to wash.

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28 November 2011, Chosing the Correct Bowling Ball, Tips and Advice

The most important thing in bowling is probably choosing a bowling ball. The ball will determine how you roll different lane conditions and will determine your fun factor. The right ball on the right lane conditions makes the sport fun!!!

First, find the correct weight. This will be between 12 – 16 lbs for competitive bowlers. This includes league bowlers. There is no limit to how light a ball you can throw but under 14 lbs starts to give up pin action and backend hitting power. You should throw the heaviest ball that is comfortable.

Second, select the correct coverstock. Plastic, goes straight, is the cheapest, house balls are plastic, beginner balls and is the least versatile. Urethane and Reactive resin balls allow the bowler to throw a hook. Urethane balls take a smoother path to the pins and are for the intermediate bowler. (Next step after the plastic ball). Reactive balls will pick up friction at the end of the lane and hook much more aggressively to the pins and are usually thrown by more experienced bowlers. Urethane balls are generally more expensive than plastic and reactive are even more than urethane. Particle coverstocks are a hybrid of urethane and reactive resin. Best used on heavy oil lanes, mainly used by experienced bowlers and are the most expensive. Talking with your pro will give you the answers for which coverstock you should have.

Third, get the ball drilled for your hand. This gives more control, makes heavier balls feel lighter and reduces the risk of injury. If you have been rolling house balls, going to a ball drilled for you will feel strange. That is because the house balls do not fit right and it will take some getting used to. You must be patient and allow the benefits to work. The only cure for this is practice.

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31 October 2011, Controlling Ball Speed, Bowling Tips and Advice

As we gain more experience, we will often find the need to be able to speed up or slow down the bowling ball. When we are hitting our marks and the release is working or if the lanes are drying out and the ball keeps going high, there are two choices. You can either keep moving left and swing the ball farther and farther or you can throw a straighter line and increase the bowling ball speed. This sounds easy until you try it.  The proper way to speed up the ball is simple. Just hold it 3 -4 inches higher in your normal stance and when you drop the ball for your swing, gravity will automatically speed up the ball without muscling it. This will set up a shot you can repeat and be consistent with. If you try to muscle the ball, it may work well for a few shots, but it will be difficult to be consistent. The speed will vary and scores will suffer.

Showing up at the lanes to discover that they have just put a fresh layer of oil down can be devastating to your scores. Increased oil conditions will make the ball travel past the breakpoint and require that you either roll the ball straighter at the pocket or learn to slow down the ball. The mechanics of slowing down the ball are basically the same as speeding it up. Just hold it 2 – 12 inches lower depending on how much speed you want to take off, bend at the knees and stand a little closer to the foul line. Let your arm swing freely on the down swing and do not muscle the ball. Let gravity do the work. This is a little harder to master than speeding up the ball but with a little practice this can be a valuable weapon.

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