about p.a.p

[distortion1]

Hey everyone.
I just started bowling last month and I found out my pap is Down when most of people have Up pap.
My friend said it's uncommon to have down pap.
Just want to know what this means.
Is it bad to have down pap? Am I doing something wrong?

[mishatx]

It's not bad or wrong if it's working for you. From google searching, it looks like it's the result of pulling your thumb out a little early, leading to an inverted track.
As you bowl more, your style may change so at this point nothing to be too focused on anyway.

[bowl1820]

Hey everyone.
I just started bowling last month and I found out my pap is Down when most of people have Up pap.
My friend said it's uncommon to have down pap.
Just want to know what this means.
Is it bad to have down pap? Am I doing something wrong?

This is one of the best explanations I've seen:

What determines PAP vertical measurement?

Is it Tilt?

Your initial axis tilt is irrelevant to your vertical pap measurement.

The nature of difference in release angle of the thumb and fingers as they rotate around the ball at release determine the vertical component of your pap.

When the angles are similar, your vertical measurement will be near 0. When the fingers release at an angle inside the thumb, you will have a positive measurement. If your fingers release at an angle outside that of the thumb you will get measurements that are south of the midline.

Doesn't that define tilt though?

No, initial axis tilt is a physical measurement of where your positive axis point is in relation to the balls equator (degrees above or below). The dominant physical trait of tilt is the total circumference of your initial ball track or what many will term (for the lack of a better word) your tracks diameter. the location of your pap has exactly squadush to do with your initial axis tilt.

To elaborate, if both the finger and thumb rotation path around the ball are similar (whether that angle is weak or strong) the vertical measurement will be near zero up.

weak finger and thumb release (across the back of the ball) = small track & hi tilt.

strong fingers that follow the thumb from under and around the ball = large track & lo tilt.

the trick is to find the happy medium.


Short version:
The down component is produced by your release mechanics. If you turn the thumb early and down strongly with your fingers still behind the ball, your PAP will tend to be down. It's not a problem or an issue, it's just an artifact of your release.

Mo Pinel:
"The vertical coordinate has nothing to do with ball motion. It's an anomaly. The longer the thumb stays in the ball, the more the vertical coordinate is up. In full rollers, in which the thumb stays in the ball the longest, the vertical coordinate is usually 2+" up."

[distortion1]

Thank you.

I will just forget about pap for now and bowl more to get better lol