Question from Michael:
Q – I recently bowled on a particularly challenging lane condition that completely baffled me.  Any ball (even plastic) left of 10 at around 25-30 feet would check hard left no matter where I released it on the approach.  In several games the only look I could find was standing 39 and looking 13 at the arrows with a stronger ball.  The lanes were synthetic the first 15 feet or so, and wood the rest of the way, and after several visits I’m wondering if that is why I’m having such a problem.  My first question is how would you attack such a lane differently than a lane that is completely synthetic?  My second question is if I were to bowl for an extended amount of time (like a tournament or something) on this condition, how the heck would I adjust from that spot with the weird check point just to the left?  Just hope to be able to downshell?  Thanks for all you do, Michael

A – Interesting challenge.  It sounds like you are describing a reverse block type of pattern, where the middle is dry and the outsides a super wet.  This would be true if in your scenario of standing 39 and throwing to 13, had you pushed the ball to say 9 and it just continued sliding into the gutter, or hold and say take out just the 10 pin.

These patterns require very accurate shot making.  Usually you want to know where the oil is, and it sounds like you knew it to be right of board 10.  Now you want to make your delivery straight up boards 9 or 10 taking advantage of the oil there.  You will need to continue moving, as you will burn that oil up quickly.

This is where practice comes in.  You should not be worrying about striking, or your score.  You go to the lanes with the intention of trying a different shot.  Pick a board on the lane, say the 1 board at the arrows.  That is extreme, but if you can roll a ball straight up the lane along the gutter, you will have the confidence to hit any spot on the lane when you want/need to.  And confidence is an important skill to have in any situation (in sports, business, or life).


How to contact us
Email us questions@talkbowling.com
Leave a comment on TalkBowling.com
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Last Week’s Question of the Week:
Q – Where did the term “turkey” originate?
A – Some time in the late 1800′s to early 1900′s bowling proprietors would give out prizes for those people that could bowl 3 strikes in a row. The most common was a free turkey for the first person to bowl 3 consecutive strikes.

Question of the Week:
Q – Who rolled the first 300 game sanctioned by the ABC (Now USBC) and when was it bowled?
A – Watch the next episode for the answer

Contest reminder:
bowlingball.com gives away a brand new bowling ball every week of the year.  52 weeks, 52 winners.  All you have to do is signup for our contest weekly.
Also through the end of the May 2011, there is a separate giveaway just for participating on BowlingBoards.com.  Come join the community of bowlers there, discuss equipment, lane conditions, tips, techniques, and more.  Every post you make is an entry into a drawing for a brand new bowling ball.  

Closing:
Please remember that bowlingball.com is free shipping on every item, every day.  No hidden handling fees, no packaging fees, no added insurance fees.  The price shown is the price you pay at checkout.  No Surprises.
 

Talk Bowling – Episode #92
Question from Stephen:
Q – I had a ball drilled at a local pro shop and I had an idea that my coach showed me as far as a drill pattern that would be good for what I was looking for (which was a bit more hook for wetter lanes) but instead of drilling it the way I wanted he drilled it a way that he thought would be best for me.  Now this ball rolls out at the end instead of the strong finish I wanted.  What should I do?  Should I order another thru you and spend the money again or can it be fixed?

A – Stephen, your wording leads me to more questions.  Is your coach your ball driller?  Were you clear with the ball driller about the pattern you wanted?

It is very important to be very clear with the person drilling your equipment.  Bowling ball drillers often think they know more than they actually do.  And they deal with many people that have no clue about ball drilling, so they just do “safe” drilling.

So, my suggestion would be to know as much as you can, and ask to see the layout before the holes are drilled.  If your ball driller thinks you are wasting his/her time, then you need a new ball driller.  Make sure you know what you are talking about before you ask them to change something, and have a good reason for making a change to their layout choice.  This is their art, and if you ask them to change something without a good reason, they will take it very personally.

Now, about your current bowling ball question.  You can plug the ball and have it redrilled.  Or if it works on your typical house shot, and you want a ball for the “wetter” lanes, than you may want another bowling ball.  Because of different layouts, some people will have 2 or 3 of the same bowling ball, just drilled differently.

How to contact us
Email us questions@talkbowling.com,  Leave a comment on TalkBowling.com, On Twitter we are @TalkBowling

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Help support us by supporting our sponsors.

Last Week’s Question of the Week:
Q – Who recorded the first 300 game in Wii Bowling?
A – The first documented ‘perfect’ 300 score score in Wi Sports Bowling was achieved by Carl Aspinall (USA) who set the record on 26 April 2007 with the game set to default settings.


Question of the Week:
Q – Where did the term “turkey” originate?
A – Watch the next episode for the answer

Contest reminder:
bowlingball.com gives away a brand new bowling ball every week of the year.  52 weeks, 52 winners.  All you have to do is signup for our contest weekly.
Also through the end of the May 2011, there is a separate giveaway just for participating on BowlingBoards.com.  Come join the community of bowlers there, discuss equipment, lane conditions, tips, techniques, and more.  Every post you make is an entry into a drawing for a brand new bowling ball.  

Closing:
Please remember that bowlingball.com is free shipping on every item, every day.  No hidden handling fees, no packaging fees, no added insurance fees.  The price shown is the price you pay at checkout.  No Surprises.
 

Talk Bowling – Episode #91
Question from Vince:
Q – I have a question about how to deal with my bowling thumb.  At the base of my thumb, I have some sort of bump inside that I can feel when I put my thumb into the ball.  I can move it around based on how I grip the ball and it is quite distracting.  I normally have to pause during my stance and adjust my hand until it gets into a comfortable position.  If I do not do that, the bump would cause the grip to change throughout the arm swing which is what I do not want to happen.  Do you have any recommendations on how to deal with this, like with a different type of drilling or insert?  I use a thumb insert.

A – What you are feeling can be something very common like a callus at the base of your thumb.  If this is what it is then I would suggest having your pitch and hole size checked by your pro shop.  This is fairly common and usually seen in people that bowl quite a bit and do not use a lot of bevel on their thumb hole.  I would also have them check to make sure you have enough bevel at the top of the hole.
As always I will say we are not doctors and if you think this is something else not caused by your grip or thumb hole you should see a doctor for their opinion.

How to contact us
Email us questions@talkbowling.com
Leave a comment on TalkBowling.com
On Twitter we are @TalkBowling

Sponsor: Fleurop.com
Are you looking to buy flowers for a special person in your life?  Whether it’s for an anniversary, birthday, or better yet, just to say “I love you”, fleurop has a large selection of flowers and gifts to let that special someone know you care.  Their website well designed, easy to navigate, and easy to use.
TalkBowling viewers can save 20% off any order by using promotion code BOWLPOD1.  
Help support us by supporting our sponsors.

Last Week’s Question of the Week:
Q – Who bowled the most leagues in one week?
A – Si Hewitt from Lincoln, NE bowled 19 leagues in one week in the 1976-1977 bowling season.

Question of the Week:
Q – Who recorded the first 300 game in Wii Bowling?
A – Watch the next episode for the answer

Contest reminder:
bowlingball.com gives away a brand new bowling ball every week of the year.  52 weeks, 52 winners.  All you have to do is signup for our contest weekly.
Also through the end of the May 2011, there is a separate giveaway just for participating on BowlingBoards.com.  Come join the community of bowlers there, discuss equipment, lane conditions, tips, techniques, and more.  Every post you make is an entry into a drawing for a brand new bowling ball.  

Closing:
Please remember that bowlingball.com is free shipping on every item, every day.  No hidden handling fees, no packaging fees, no added insurance fees.  The price shown is the price you pay at checkout.  No Surprises.
 

Question from Larry:
Q – I watched your taping video of the thumb and noticed you primarily cover the palm side and back side of the thumb. I’ve started to develop a callus on the side closer to the index finger where it wouldn’t get taped. Would this just be a sign of a bad release?

A – I don’t think it’s a sign of a bad release.  It could be a sign of incorrect drilling.  Let me stress could, because that may not be the case.  Taping your thumb hole is all about fine tuning the fit of your thumb hole.  Your thumb has a tendency to shrink or swell from day to day, even shot to shot.

Taping the front and back of thumb are the most common approaches.  I personally use protecting tape on my thumb.  It is mainly wrapped from the front to back, but if you look closely, you will see that the back is actually more to the outside of my thumb because I have the same issue.  This helps me protect the side of my thumb from getting torn up, and improves my fit and release.

Don’t be afraid to try different techniques to help yourself bowl better.  There is nothing wrong with it, if it works for you.

How to contact us
Email us questions@talkbowling.com
Leave a comment on TalkBowling.com
On Twitter we are @TalkBowling

Sponsor: Fleurop.com
Are you looking to buy flowers for a special person in your life?  Whether it’s for an anniversary, birthday, or better yet, just to say “I love you”, fleurop has a large selection of flowers and gifts to let that special someone know you care.  Their website well designed, easy to navigate, and easy to use.
TalkBowling viewers can save 20% off any order by using promotion code BOWLPOD1.  
Help support us by supporting our sponsors.

Last Week’s Question of the Week:
Q – What was the largest 5 person men’s league in history?
A – 80 teams in the Moslem Shrine league in Detroit in the 1966-1967 season

Question of the Week:
Q – Who bowled the most leagues in one week?
A – Watch next episode for the answer

Contest reminder:
bowlingball.com gives away a brand new bowling ball every week of the year.  52 weeks, 52 winners.  All you have to do is signup for our contest weekly.
Also through the end of the May 2011, there is a separate giveaway just for participating on BowlingBoards.com.  Come join the community of bowlers there, discuss equipment, lane conditions, tips, techniques, and more.  Every post you make is an entry into a drawing for a brand new bowling ball.  

Closing:
Please remember that bowlingball.com is free shipping on every item, every day.  No hidden handling fees, no packaging fees, no added insurance fees.  The price shown is the price you pay at checkout.  No Surprises.
 

Question from Larrt:

Q – Does having a ball plugged and redrilled effect how the ball will react much?
A –   This is a tricky question. Pending hole size and depth it very well could alter the reaction slightly. If the holes go deep enough they can remove parts of the core, affectively changing the overall shape of the weightblock. Now this will not completely change the reaction from one end of the spectrum to the other, but it can alter it slightly. The best thing to do with a plugged ball is use a determinator to locate the bowling balls PSA (preferred spin axis) and make sure you locate the current Center of Gravity. The CG placement is just to make sure the ball is legal by USBC standards. Once you locate the PSA, you can use that point and the hanger Pin to lay the ball out for you. Another thing to remember is surface prep. Make sure you use the recommended method to finish the ball back to out of box surface. Otherwise the ball will not perform the way it once did.

How to contact us
Email us questions@talkbowling.com
Leave a comment on TalkBowling.com
On Twitter we are @TalkBowling

Sponsor: Fleurop.com
Are you looking to buy flowers for a special person in your life?  Whether it’s for an anniversary, birthday, or better yet, just to say “I love you”, fleurop has a large selection of flowers and gifts to let that special someone know you care.  Their website well designed, easy to navigate, and easy to use.
TalkBowling viewers can save 20% off any order by using promotion code BOWLPOD1.  
Help support us by supporting our sponsors.

Last Week’s Question of the Week:
Q – Who is the oldest lady to have an average over 200?
A – Mollie Marler from Kansas City, MO averaged 202 for a season at the age of 101 during the 1985-1986 bowling season.

Question of the Week:
Q – What was the largest 5 person men’s league in history?
A – Watch the next episode for the answer

Contest reminder:
bowlingball.com gives away a brand new bowling ball every week of the year.  52 weeks, 52 winners.  All you have to do is signup for our contest weekly.
Also through the end of the May 2011, there is a separate giveaway just for participating on BowlingBoards.com.  Come join the community of bowlers there, discuss equipment, lane conditions, tips, techniques, and more.  Every post you make is an entry into a drawing for a brand new bowling ball.  

Closing:
Please remember that bowlingball.com is free shipping on every item, every day.  No hidden handling fees, no packaging fees, no added insurance fees.  The price shown is the price you pay at checkout.  No Surprises.
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