As most of you know, I am bowling a PBA experience league, and I've been making some keen observations.
One of these observations that I found is that on these tougher conditions that bowler, equipment, and condition matchup are curcial to bowling well on these conditions, especially the Scorpion.
What I saw on the scorpion pattern were some players who actually had area. This wasn't dominated by speed or dominated by revs, statstically. Some of these guys really weren't all that accurate either. So I was thinking it must be that they are matched up properly with their equipment.
For example, I was throwing my razor blade. I have very little axis tilt, and I throw between 25-35 degrees of axis rotation. My razor blade was rolling at around 38 or 39 feet. For this pattern which goes to 41 ft, the ball was rollin in the oil. My partner was taking a dulled up ball, throwing it around the same area(he's a lefty though) and was getting good backend movement around 45 feet, but he has way more axis tilt than I do. He was able to miss right or left by a board with forgiveness and I wasn't.
Personally, I have had trouble on THS because of equipment. Granted, this is not as dominant on a THS, however, maximizing area is best when you match up to the lanes. I go back using some older equipment, buy some new equipment and I get a much better look at the lanes.
So is matching up part of skill? There are infinite numbers of oil conditions, but a limited number of balls one may have, or for that matter, available to buy. I find matching up for some purely dumb luck. They buy a new ball for no reason, and it matches up. I buy one ball a year. This limits me personally to the kind of reactions I have, other than changing speed and release. These things do take skill. I suppose someone in my situation better have multiple releases to match up. If thats true, who is the more skilled bowler?
In saying that, if being matched up is skill, then even on the easiest conditions, being matched up takes skill just as it does for the harder conditions, the problem is just exapserated on the tougher shots.
Dj
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The views and opinions of Djarum expressed on BallReviews.com do not necessarily state or reflect those of the BallReviews.com.
