BallReviews
General Category => Drilling & Layouts => Topic started by: xrayjay on October 18, 2013, 07:01:36 PM
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I want to try something different regarding my spare ball, and that's to try a different span and pitch on my spare ball to see if it can roll straighter with my normal release. I have till summer to see if this will work for me - I am not bowling leagues this season, I'm baby bonding. I do get some 2 to 3 hours of practice time before closing at least once every two weeks.
I've gone through 3 spare balls with cracked out thumb holes in the last 5 years because of my EOE roll which is my release on spares. If I throw my normal release at spares, my spare ball has a tendency to hook on really dry lanes. That is why I want to try this "experiment" while I'm off form leagues.
If I remember..... I think CB uses a different span/pitch for his spare ball, but I'm not sure. Have any of you ever tried this? or are doing this? Input appreciated.
(My thumb pitch is 1/8 away (lat) and 1/8 forward; span is 4 1/2 cut on both.)
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Don't know if it will help but...
Pitch changes to adjust ball roll . . .
This info is from a session with Mo Pinel and Del Warren. They do advocate pitch changes to adjust ball roll.
They start with what some here have called the "claw" grip. That is, a bowler's standard fit will include more forward pitches and a shorter span than has been the norm for many over the last few years. When the thumb is fully inserted and the fingers are laid across the holes, the edge of the hole/insert close to the thumb will be between the first and second crease/joint. They feel that a closed hand can remain more relaxed and still hold the ball without grabbing.
Once the "standard" fit is determined, adjustments can be made as follows (for right handed bowlers, lefties need to reverse the lateral adjustments) :
* To Increase Rev Rate - add 1/8 forward to both fingers and 1/8 reverse to thumb
* To Decrease Rev Rate - add 1/8 reverse to both fingers and 1/8 forward to thumb
* To Increase Axis Rotation and Tilt - add 1/8 left lateral to all three holes
* To Decrease Axis Rotation and Tilt - add 1/8 right lateral to all three holes
* To Increase Roll for low track players - Add 3/8 reverse to middle finger and increase middle finger span by 1/16. Add 3/8 forward to ring finger and shorten ring finger span by 1/16.
* To Increase Axis Rotation and Tilt for very high track players - Add 3/8 forward to middle finger and shorten span 1/16. Add 3/8 reverse to ring finger and lengthen span 1/16.
* Two or more adjustments may be combined for more dramatic results.
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Thanks for the info. pretty interesting...
btw, what pitches do you have?
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btw, what pitches do you have?
See the link in my sig? click it.
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This is a fantastic post! Mo tried some of these things with me at one time.
Regarding spares....Hmmmm, I have some ideas I am exploring there also!
Regards,
Luckylefty
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Making blanket statements in regards to individual situations is dangerous at best...each individual situation need be dealt with on just that, individual.
The elite or those at the highest levels do NOT use multiple grips or spans so why would an amateur choose to? To eliminate some of the cracking, try a thumb hole without using an insert or slug...but I would NEVER recommend a different grip between pieces, too difficult to switch between frames or shots. No disrespect but this game is difficult at best, why make it harder?
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If plastic is hooking too much, kill the cover even more. Turtle wax or something that makes the cover more slick.
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I agree that you might have a problem switching grips to shoot spares, but if you are determined to try why not use a conventional grip instead of finger tip? -- JohnP
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Not sure what plastic ball you are using, but I know that white dots will hook. I have been using the Track spare ball and its the straightest spare ball that I have thrown.
I would also not recommend changing grips for your spare ball. You need to keep the "Feel" the same.
Try putting your ball into the luster king for max time and try going with max thumb and negative side weight.
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I currently own the ICE storm...
I've used UFO and other non grit polishes during the season reapplying every x no. of games. It's the thumb hole cracking that I want to avoid. I really didn't give it much thought about going non slug. But, it's a possibility and it makes sense.
With that said, I did give a little more thought about trying different grips since I'm off for the season, knowing there are detrimental effects doing this experiment. But the great Michael Jordan once said, "I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But, I can't accept not trying."
The conventional grip with spare balls I've seen done before. That's an idea, thanks John for the input. Will grip changes work for me, I'm not sure till i try. I doubt I'll get used to these changes since I'm a "feel" type player, but this is for fun and to fill my curiosity. The challenge is finding an operator that would work with me.
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Just Rico,
I believe you are right for 90% of the bowlers, if not 99%.
I do think XrayJay was right Chris Barnes for awhile used a different set of pitches for his spare ball than his strike ball. If he has stopped I have not heard when.
If memory serves me right he may have had less thumb under on his spare ball than if he had any. I think he also added a touch of reverse to his fingers and less reverse on his thumb sort of leading to a more broken wrist.
I have it in a file somewhere and I believe I could find it on the web if I wanted to spend the time. It seems I have seen it in the last year.
I saw a tape by Walter Ray which might be on youtube where he says most bowlers need to practice with a reactive getting that End over End roll with a reactive and then when going to plastic the sparing becomes very easy.
I am in a phase of throwing my weakly drilled Strike King which is great strike ball on dryish heads and am really learning to get near that end over end roll! I think it will be easier if I make a slight pitch change.
Regards,
Luckylefty
PS There are very good bowlers on this site who are tournament winners that use one set of pitches for league top hats and one set of pitches for sport shots when they want to be more behind the ball. As a pretty decent competitive golfer at one time, I know that I often changed my grip for summers when I wanted a higher flight and less roll than when I liked to hit my power draw in the spring and fall. Much easier to do with a golf club than with a hard bowling ball!
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I will reiterate what I said earlier...
I would NEVER recommended varying grips or spans...you may be correct in regards to Barnes using differing pitches but he is one if the best technicians...he works at the game as we do a normal job...he is the anomaly not the typical...thus I would not recommend copying but hey...
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At one time Barnes was using different spans I seen an copy of his, norm duke, mika,, Jason couch measurements in Bowlers Journal a few years ago I believe it was pro shop talk or tech.
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Update:
Couple of weeks ago, I picked up one of my old naturals at the storage facility to see how it felt to throw 1/4 rev pitch. Added tape to make the thumb snug and BOOM!!! damn dropped the ball by my ankle...Added more tape and more tape. My hand felt tired after the first game though.
Maybe the combintion of not bowling often like I thought I would, or the reverse pitch was making me grab/pinch even with a tighter thumb was making my hand tired. Also, it just didn't feel right. Switching to the other balls on the second game, I hung up once. Then switching balls with 1/8 forward to 1/4 reverse took some mental work. The feel was worse. One ball had two tapes, one front and one back. The other ball had 4 in the back 2 in the front.
Eventually, I got used to it but my hand was fatigued. I think for me, no slug on my spare balls is a better option and keeping my current pitches (1/8 forward) for the thumb.
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The Barnes experiment didn't last very long and does not use different grips...
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If you're that worried about plastic hooking after you've KILLED the surface, then redrill it with the cg in your track and a hole on your negative axis point and take it back to 0. Don't change grips. Take a piece of tape out so you clear the thumb just a bit earlier.