HIGH to Low TRACK

[MICHAEL]

I am sure this has been covered before, but I am a senior citizen, and the memory is not what it used to be! I am a High tracker! Not that I do drugs,,, NEVER HAVE! But the rings on my bowling ball are almost touching the thumb hole on all my balls. Rob, I am sure you have the scoop on this.
1. What track do your balls have Rob?

2. How does the Track effect the ball?

3. Is High vs Low of any advantage?

4. Do most Pros have High, Medium or low tracks

5. Is it easy to change the Track your ball travels, and if so how, ( drilling it differently, or release from hand? )


I just noticed how close all my bowling balls oil rings are to the thumb. Almost touching , maybe 1/16 of an inch from the thumb hole.

Is this caused by my release, or ball drilled wrong for my release?

JUST wondering how important the TRACK is, and making an adjustment needs to be done in regards to the position of my track!

I want to get on TRACK, before the RUMBLE IN VEGAS!! Not the place to be Off TRACK, with all that is at stake!!

[bowl1820]

I am sure this has been covered before, but I am a senior citizen, and the memory is not what it used to be!

Yes it was in Blomers thread 3 days ago.

click for What-does-the-track-n-the-ball-tell-you-exactly? (http://www.bowlingboards.com/threads/17349-What-does-the-track-n-the-ball-tell-you-exactly?)

and there's your old thread:

Click for your old thread -High-track-vs-Low-track (http://www.bowlingboards.com/threads/15838-High-track-vs-Low-track)


My track is about 1 inch from the thumb hole, so I am a High track bowler. What are the advantages to High vs Low!

Could it be that some Pro bowlers have high, and some low tracks! Hummm I wonder what top notch bowlers have High track vs low??????

I also wonder if some of the pros, change their track depending on the lane conditions???

[RobLV1]

I am sure this has been covered before, but I am a senior citizen, and the memory is not what it used to be! I am a High tracker! Not that I do drugs,,, NEVER HAVE! But the rings on my bowling ball are almost touching the thumb hole on all my balls. Rob, I am sure you have the scoop on this.

1. What track do your balls have Rob?

Right now, my usual track is very close to the thumb hole. Years ago I used to track the ball very low, 2+ inches from the thumb. I worked very hard to raise it. I've finally got to the point that I can raise it or lower it, depending on the type of shot that is called for.

2. How does the Track effect the ball?

The track does not affect the ball. The track is an indication of how the ball is rolling, nothing more.

3. Is High vs Low of any advantage?

A high track indicates low axis tilt, or forward roll. A low track indicates more axis tilt, or side roll. Low axis tilt or forward roll tends to hook earlier, while more axis tilt tends to get further down the lane. As for advantages, there are advantages to both, and it is worth while to learn to control your axis tilt.

4. Do most Pros have High, Medium or low tracks

It varies greatly.

5. Is it easy to change the Track your ball travels, and if so how, ( drilling it differently, or release from hand? )

How the ball tracks has little to do with drilling, though some drillings work better for high tracks than low, and vice versa. It is your release that determines how the ball tracks. No, it is not easy, but it can be done. For starters, notice which finger gets the most pressure when you release the ball. Pressure on the ring finger creates more forward roll, while pressure on the middle finger creates more side roll.


I just noticed how close all my bowling balls oil rings are to the thumb. Almost touching , maybe 1/16 of an inch from the thumb hole.

Is this caused by my release, or ball drilled wrong for my release?

JUST wondering how important the TRACK is, and making an adjustment needs to be done in regards to the position of my track!

I want to get on TRACK, before the RUMBLE IN VEGAS!! Not the place to be Off TRACK, with all that is at stake!!

Hopefully this worked, injecting answers in red. Red didn't work, but answers are there.

Rob: I fixed your color tags, the text with tags should look like this:

your text should be here between the tags.

Select the text first, then select the color and the tags should appear in the proper places.

[bubba809]

Iceman- I too have a high track and I too perform best with polish on the ball. I was reading that high track bowlers there ball tends to react sooner instead of going longer. This would make sense as I struggle when I resurface the ball to go longer (higher abralon). It's like with my high track, I NEED my ball to go into a roll sooner. Not sure what else to do about this.

[MICHAEL]

Hopefully this worked, injecting answers in red. Red didn't work, but answers are there.

NO problem Rob, ICEMAN will show you how to do it, when I get to VEGAS!! :rolleyes: I am color blind anyway!! LOL

HEY its RED now! Thanks Rob! (how does Iceman know it RED if he is color blind?) Magic glasses I invented!http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/gg546/imagine686868/6416d3ef-4584-468e-84a2-1d5da4ee70f1_zps7a8235f1.jpg (http://s1243.photobucket.com/user/imagine686868/media/6416d3ef-4584-468e-84a2-1d5da4ee70f1_zps7a8235f1.jpg.html)

the knob on the side adjusts the richness of color! I have a patent pending!

[bowl1820]

For starters, notice which finger gets the most pressure when you release the ball. Pressure on the ring finger creates more forward roll, while pressure on the middle finger creates more side roll..

There was a finger dominance test.

You released the ball with just your ring finger inserted and your middle finger removed.

Then you released the ball with just your middle finger inserted and your ring finger removed and see the difference in the track.

I don't remember just what context it was used in.

Now I was pretty middle finger dominate (Ring finger didn't really feel like it was doing anything) and had a high track.

Since I changed my grip (did the CLT) my finger pressure has been more even and my track pulled away from the thumb hole some. Though that maybe because I'm coming out of the ball better, with the thumb not staying in quite as long.

[Amyers]

I have exactly the opposite problem my track is quite a bit more than 2 inches from the holes. I would like to try to raise mine some as it tends to make my balls hook to early especially if I'm throwing equipment with very much surface.

[MICHAEL]

I have exactly the opposite problem my track is quite a bit more than 2 inches from the holes. I would like to try to raise mine some as it tends to make my balls hook to early especially if I'm throwing equipment with very much surface.

When you say holes,,, do you mean thumb hole? Or do you have two thumb holes?? One for high, and another for low tracking... LOL

You know I don't know the distance from my finger holes.... is that important? Thumb hole, I am about 3/16 off of edge of thumb! Most of my go to balls have a 4000 surface,,, like the Deadly Aim... and even my Byte! (both have polish)

[Shaneshu87]

When you say holes,,, do you mean thumb hole? Or do you have two thumb holes?? One for high, and another for low tracking... LOL

You know I don't know the distance from my finger holes.... is that important? Thumb hole, I am about 3/16 off of edge of thumb! Most of my go to balls have a 4000 surface,,, like the Deadly Aim... and even my Byte! (both have polish)

i think he means finger holes in general ice

[Amyers]

When you say holes,,, do you mean thumb hole? Or do you have two thumb holes?? One for high, and another for low tracking... LOL

You know I don't know the distance from my finger holes.... is that important? Thumb hole, I am about 3/16 off of edge of thumb! Most of my go to balls have a 4000 surface,,, like the Deadly Aim... and even my Byte! (both have polish)

I was referring to holes in general. My track is not really close to the finger holes or thumb hole.

[MICHAEL]

i think he means finger holes in general ice

How would I know what he means? I am ICEMAN, not a mind reader! (:) Later.... off to the gym for a work workout! Taking on a bunch of
young whippersnappers in the not to distant future! Need to make a GOOD showing for all the other Old, stinky farts out there, as Aslan puts it!

[Shaneshu87]

if you can't lift heavy don't lift at all lol go get'em

[bowl1820]

I have exactly the opposite problem my track is quite a bit more than 2 inches from the holes. I would like to try to raise mine some as it tends to make my balls hook to early especially if I'm throwing equipment with very much surface.

The lower your track the more your spinning it, To move your track, you have to change your release.

So your not spinning it as much.

[bubba809]

So is it true if your track is high the ball will break sooner? Seems like no matter what ball I get I have to have polish on it. If I don't, it just looks like a rainbow ball with no power.

[Amyers]

The lower your track the more your spinning it, To move your track, you have to change your release.

So your not spinning it as much.

Any suggestions on how to do this? I've always had this issue. Not sure what causes it in the first place. I know my ball looks different going down the lane than most other peoples.

[Shaneshu87]

stay behind and underneath the ball

[MICHAEL]

stay behind and underneath the ball

Staying behind and underneath, will cause you to have more HAND on the ball. Its a big game changer for me! Come ON VEGAS,,,, Ice has another tool to practice with between now and Sept 24th, WHEN THE RUMBLE IN VEGAS HAPPENS!!

[Amyers]

stay behind and underneath the ball

I don't know I feel like there must be something to it more than that. I use a cupped wrist on my release kind of hard to have your wrist cupped and not be underneath the ball. Behind could be an issue but I've never noticed it or had anyone say I had an issue with that.

[bowl1820]

I don't know I feel like there must be something to it more than that. I use a cupped wrist on my release kind of hard to have your wrist cupped and not be underneath the ball. Behind could be an issue but I've never noticed it or had anyone say I had an issue with that.

It's more stay behind and come up the back of the ball, plus keep your swing tucked close to your body.

You have to stay more behind the ball as your hand comes to the release, so you're not overturning your ball. Reducing how much you cup your hand will help (Don't cock your hand too much either)

Staying in the thumb longer will cause it to track closer to the thumb also.

Then as your thumb comes out of the ball, try not to rotate your fingers. Your wanting to reduce side turn.

Trying to think of a visual. Instead of throwing a underhanded spiral with a football, imagine just rolling it across the floor.

It's like when you roll your spare ball so it thumps over the holes, that would be the extreme

Rob can explain it better.

One thing about trying to raise or lower track, it takes work.

[Amyers]

It's more stay behind and come up the back of the ball, plus keep your swing tucked close to your body.

You have to stay more behind the ball as your hand comes to the release, so you're not overturning your ball. Reducing how much you cup your hand will help (Don't cock your hand too much either)

Staying in the thumb longer will cause it to track closer to the thumb also.

Then as your thumb comes out of the ball, try not to rotate your fingers. Your wanting to reduce side turn.

Trying to think of a visual. Instead of throwing a underhanded spiral with a football, imagine just rolling it across the floor.

It's like when you roll your spare ball so it thumps over the holes, that would be the extreme

Rob can explain it better.

One thing about trying to raise or lower track, it takes work.

Thanks Bowl everything takes work. I know they still teach the underhand spiral thing in our kids leagues so that's most likely where I picked it up. (still the same coaches) twenty years later. I'll experiment some and see what I come up with. I would say the overturning and finger rotation are where I have the issue.

[Shaneshu87]

Thanks Bowl everything takes work. I know they still teach the underhand spiral thing in our kids leagues so that's most likely where I picked it up. (still the same coaches) twenty years later. I'll experiment some and see what I come up with. I would say the overturning and finger rotation are where I have the issue.

yeah same here in our youth leagues, but i have actually brought them in a basketball last week and started showing kids the similarities between rolling the basket ball and rolling a bowling ball.

[RobLV1]

Here's how I raised my track several years ago: I took a golf glove for my right hand and cut off the thumb and the ring finger. I left the middle finger in place on the glove. I then took a practice ball and replaced the grip in the middle finger hole with a larger one to fit the glove. Every time I practiced for the next year, I used that ball and learned to lead with the ring finger and feel the pressure there.

As to the reason that balls with less axis tilt tend to hook earlier has to do with the physics of the ball motion. The ball is skidding in one direction, and will continue to go in that direction until the energy from the rotation of the ball becomes equal to the energy of the forward motion, and then the ball starts to hook. With little axis tilt, the forward motion of the rotation on the ball is going in the same direction as the forward motion of the ball, so the energies become equal more quickly and the ball starts hooking sooner. This is only a problem if you try to play to much in the friction. If you learn to play in the oil, the forward roll becomes an advantage.

[Amyers]

Here's how I raised my track several years ago: I took a golf glove for my right hand and cut off the thumb and the ring finger. I left the middle finger in place on the glove. I then took a practice ball and replaced the grip in the middle finger hole with a larger one to fit the glove. Every time I practiced for the next year, I used that ball and learned to lead with the ring finger and feel the pressure there.

As to the reason that balls with less axis tilt tend to hook earlier has to do with the physics of the ball motion. The ball is skidding in one direction, and will continue to go in that direction until the energy from the rotation of the ball becomes equal to the energy of the forward motion, and then the ball starts to hook. With little axis tilt, the forward motion of the rotation on the ball is going in the same direction as the forward motion of the ball, so the energies become equal more quickly and the ball starts hooking sooner. This is only a problem if you try to play to much in the friction. If you learn to play in the oil, the forward roll becomes an advantage.

You're correct about playing in the oil I tend to score better if I keep the ball inside the second arrow but sometimes the lanes don't set up that way. One of the reasons I have been looking at this is from trying to play farther inside and open more of the lanes to myself. It seems to me from watching other high average bowlers who play for lack of a better term more up the back of the ball in our house their ball rolls with a natural movement to the right at least it seems that way to me. I see there ball leave their hand down their intended line but it seems like the ball has a certain amount of roll to the right also. I don't have that my ball goes down my intended line and then starts to hook. When I try to play lines farther left than the third arrow my ball seems to start to hook before it gets to where I want it to on the lane and never makes it far enough outside. I was really wondering if this is part of the reason I have that problem. I see some people playing shots over the 4th and 5th arrows and manage to get their balls out to the ten board and have them come back my ball never makes it to ten unless I put some ridiculous angle on it and then it just goes in the gutter.

[RobLV1]

Very perceptive about the roll of the ball. High rev guys who really work the inside of the ball often start the ball moving left to right. Most of the time it's tough to see, but EJ Tackett throws a ball where it's pretty aparent. The three things that determine where you have to play the lanes are the oil pattern, the topography, and the other bowlers currently or previously on the pair. This is the reason that being able to manipulate your roll comes in really handy. Personally I'm having a new and interesting experience this season. While most of the leagues in which I bowl are senior leagues where virtually everyone plays the second arrow, on Tuesday nights this year I am bowling in a scratch league with a whole lot of really high rev players. I find myself playing left of most of the traditional players, but well right of the high rev guys. At some stage of the game I reach I point where I am moving into the area where the high rev guys started. I can no longer move left, and I'm deep enough where I can't ball down too much, so changing the roll of the ball comes in really handy to get the ball down the lane and still have enough ball to get it back.

[MICHAEL]

YOU take the low track, and I'll take the high track, and will all meet at the pocket together!!! :rolleyes: Some great advise Rob,,, yet another reason why a Coach like YOU, can help a bowlers GAME! He is a warehouse of knowledge, and a guy that can keep you on (TRACK) with your bowling game!! ;)