Author Topic: How Important is the Break Point? (Read 602 times)

BrooklynSlop · « **on:** August 19, 2006, 02:37:42 AM »

Ha! Of course it's important! (Duhhhrrrrt!) But how important is finding the break point as compared to finding the "Skid Points"?

I've spent my entire bowling life plugging at lanes trying to find where the ball HOOKS, but recently a PBA Senior Tour friend of mine opened up my eyes with a simple statement, "You know... I'd much rather know where the lanes are sliding than where the lanes are hooking."

HOLY LORD!!!!! That makes way too much sense for me. Now I'm going to spontaneously combust.

But seriously, it really does make a ton of sense. With todays equipment, all you need is a slight touch of dry... Just a smidgen of feed to the pocket, and you're golden! So, I've spent the last couple of days trying to find the maximum skid on the lane. So I started in the obvious place (for house shots anyway), the MIDDLE of the lane. The hold area. The tunnel. The feedhose. The oil trough.

To my surprise, I was able to keep the ball just barely crossing the head pin (playing from roughly 30 board) and I carried 21 strikes in a row! With 3 different balls!!!!!

More than that, using your warm-up time in leagues and tournaments (especially tournaments) to find the "Skid Points" will not only help you strategize ways to retain the balls energy to kick out those nasty corner pins, but it will also allow you to see where you DON'T want to play, such as hang-up's and out of bounds areas. And for those of you who hook at your spares... It will help you discover an early game plan for spots to avoid for over/under reactions. By searching for the skid... You will find the break automatically!

HOLY MARY MOTHER OF FREAKIN' GOD!!!!!

Many of you may read this and say, "DURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHT! Really? Ya freakin' slinky-kink." But for me, this was an eye-opener, and it will forever change the way that I approach reading lanes and benchmarking my game plan.

I'd like to hear some input from the peanut gallery on this.

What do you guys and gals think? Hope you enjoyed the read.

Later!

BS
--------------------

Me: "I was having trouble with my thumb hole, so I had to sit there and finger my balls for like 5 minutes."

Wife: "Heh, that's more than you've done for me lately."

Me: "Yeah, well my balls don't BLEED for a week out of every month."

charlest · « **Reply #1 on:** August 19, 2006, 02:40:44 PM »

Oh, horsefeathers.
You're way over-thinking and over analyzing this stuff. You need to know ONLY ONE AREA in its entirety. PERIOD. END OF STORY!
That is the oil transition area, the fuzzy grey area where the oil transitions to dry.!

You only need to know the skid areas inside the oil transition area and the dry area outside the oil transition area. And you need to know how the oil transition area transitions. It's called following the oil line.

If you & I know all the skid areas, AND you & I know all the dry areas, BUT I don't know the transition ares, you and I are still up Sh*t's creek without a paddle.

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"None are so blind as those who will not see."

janderson · « **Reply #2 on:** August 19, 2006, 03:26:08 PM »

quote:
You're way over-thinking and over analyzing this stuff.

You could have hit the "post reply" button on that sentence a couple of times.

Why don't most advanced bowlers refer to "skid area"? Perhaps it is because during the physical act of executing a shot we prefer to have a target. Think of it as a positive focus if you will. It is much easier to focus on getting a ball to point A (the breakpoint) versus focus on not getting the ball to all of the point B's (skid points).

Every advanced bowler worth his/her salt builts a visual of the pattern in the brain, even if it is a simple as Charlest's statement "oil line" being in a specific location.

Finding a skid point on the 40 board doesn't do anyone much good.
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J.J. "Waterola Kid" Anderson, the bLowling King : Kill the back row

Author Topic: How Important is the Break Point? (Read 602 times)

BrooklynSlop

How Important is the Break Point?

charlest

Re: How Important is the Break Point?

janderson

Re: How Important is the Break Point?