sprocket
04-12-2013, 01:32 PM
Have you ever bowled on the U.S. Open pattern? For those who don't know what it is, it a completely flat oil pattern. There is the same amount of oil on every board across the lane. For anyone but an elite level bowler it will seem like an inverted block. You will swear there is much more oil on the outside than there is in the middle. A ball thrown slightly right will get you 3 and a ball pulled will miss the headpin left.
I think the reason the pattern seems inverted goes beyond just being spoiled by walled up typical house shots. I believe the average or even higher average league bowler develops habits over time that enable them to take even greater advantage of the typical house shot. I think they develop the habit of letting off the ball when missing right and hitting the ball more when missing left. This prevents the ball from over correcting when missing right and then going high, and also gets the ball to bite in the oil when missing left.
Actually it's just bad habits that the THS doesn't force you to correct. A muscled or turned early ball is often a pulled ball but it doesn't matter on a THS. It still ends up in the pocket. A flat ball is often a ball that misses right, but again, it works on a THS. There is simply no need to correct the bad habits.
Now bring those bad habits to the U.S. Open pattern and see what happens. IT'S UGLY!!! A flat ball that misses right might end up in the right gutter. A muscled, turned early, pulled ball might end up in the left gutter. You might have a 200+ league average but not break 140 on the U.S. Open pattern.
So about Pete Weber...
He actually can create some area on the U.S. Open pattern. Yes, the pros know how to break down an oil pattern to give them area but I think it goes beyond that for Pete Weber. I think he can create a small amount of area even on a fresh U.S. Open pattern. He can miss a tad right and get recovery. He can miss a tad left and get a little hold. HOW?? Well I don't know the exact physics of it, but it really comes down to how he has trained his release. When he misses right his automatic adjustment is to get MORE on the ball so it recovers, and when he misses a little left he lets off the ball a bit so it holds pocket. I think his extreme axis rotation allows him to exploit that skill even more on the U.S. Open pattern. More so than the other top pros. I think they all have the ability to create recovery and hold, but his release allows him to do it BETTER. That's why he has won the U.S. Open five times.
Someone will say he is just more accurate than anyone else and repeats shots extremely well. He is highly accurate but there are other super accurate pros too. Plus, I've SEEN Pete miss left and get hold and I've SEEN him miss right and get recovery. I've seen him do it on TV, in the U.S. Open finals when the other bowlers on the show couldn't do it.
So what's my point with this topic. Nothing really; mostly just observation. I do think the THS allows for bad habits that don't need to be fixed and bowling on the U.S. Open pattern can be a VERY humbling experience. Everyone should try it.
I think the reason the pattern seems inverted goes beyond just being spoiled by walled up typical house shots. I believe the average or even higher average league bowler develops habits over time that enable them to take even greater advantage of the typical house shot. I think they develop the habit of letting off the ball when missing right and hitting the ball more when missing left. This prevents the ball from over correcting when missing right and then going high, and also gets the ball to bite in the oil when missing left.
Actually it's just bad habits that the THS doesn't force you to correct. A muscled or turned early ball is often a pulled ball but it doesn't matter on a THS. It still ends up in the pocket. A flat ball is often a ball that misses right, but again, it works on a THS. There is simply no need to correct the bad habits.
Now bring those bad habits to the U.S. Open pattern and see what happens. IT'S UGLY!!! A flat ball that misses right might end up in the right gutter. A muscled, turned early, pulled ball might end up in the left gutter. You might have a 200+ league average but not break 140 on the U.S. Open pattern.
So about Pete Weber...
He actually can create some area on the U.S. Open pattern. Yes, the pros know how to break down an oil pattern to give them area but I think it goes beyond that for Pete Weber. I think he can create a small amount of area even on a fresh U.S. Open pattern. He can miss a tad right and get recovery. He can miss a tad left and get a little hold. HOW?? Well I don't know the exact physics of it, but it really comes down to how he has trained his release. When he misses right his automatic adjustment is to get MORE on the ball so it recovers, and when he misses a little left he lets off the ball a bit so it holds pocket. I think his extreme axis rotation allows him to exploit that skill even more on the U.S. Open pattern. More so than the other top pros. I think they all have the ability to create recovery and hold, but his release allows him to do it BETTER. That's why he has won the U.S. Open five times.
Someone will say he is just more accurate than anyone else and repeats shots extremely well. He is highly accurate but there are other super accurate pros too. Plus, I've SEEN Pete miss left and get hold and I've SEEN him miss right and get recovery. I've seen him do it on TV, in the U.S. Open finals when the other bowlers on the show couldn't do it.
So what's my point with this topic. Nothing really; mostly just observation. I do think the THS allows for bad habits that don't need to be fixed and bowling on the U.S. Open pattern can be a VERY humbling experience. Everyone should try it.