Build the Perfect Bowler

[Grimthrow]

Hey everyone, I'm rather new to bowling and I don't know too much about the pro's out there. So I thought this would be kind of a cool idea.

Create the perfect bowler using characteristics of certain pros.

For Example:

The hook of __________
The power of _________
The footwork of __________
The mindset of ___________
The spare work of ___________
The form of ___________
The character of ____________

[littlelegs]

Hmmm...most of then I'll be hard pressed to have one answer. Tommy Jones springs to mind for power but...were I building the 'perfect' bowler I wouldn't want quite that much power. Same with hook. If I wanted big hook capability Jason Belmonte springs to mind, but then I wouldn't want quite that much hook either.

So....I'm going to stick with 2 or 3 bowlers simply as I probably admire them most out of modern day bowlers. There are of course many more who could be used but why complicate (I'm a simple soul at heart)?

The hook of Chris Barnes
The power of Chris Barnes
The footwork of Chris Barnes
The mindset of of a weird genetically manufactured Chris Barnes/Norm Duke hybrid
The spare work of Norm Duke (Chris Barnes works for me too there but I like Norm so wanted him in too)
The form of Chris Barnes
The character of a weird genetically manufactured Chris Barnes/Norm Duke/Jason Belmonte hybrid

I know...seems like I'm not trying by not adding more, but if I was building a bowler I'd stick with that. Combine too many ingredients and they'd clash :p I've primarily stuck with people that I enjoy watching and/or listening too and who when they're on form are almost unbeatable.

[JerseyJim]

I'll give a shot here.

The hook of Chris Barnes
The power of Wes Malott
The footwork of Pete Weber, smooth
The mindset of Earl Anthony, not only is he 2nd in career wins, he also had the record for career 2nd place finishes. The most clutch bowler I've seen
The spare work of Walter Ray Williams, no one is better
The form of Pete Weber
The character of Norm Duke

[littlelegs]

Now I thought of doing similar but my geek side stepped in and said that if you mixed all those different styles you'd get a mess which probably misses the point a little. I just couldn't bring myself to do it though. Trying to mix the style of Norm and Chris made me cringe as it was :)

...oh and I'll certainly give you Walter Ray for the spare work. I probably should have eased up and allowed a third in for that :)

[The Mayor]

The hook of Pete Weber
The power of Pete Weber
The footwork of Pete Weber
The mindset of Norm Duke
The spare work of WRW Jr.
The form of Pete Weber
The character of Norm Duke

I'll add another category: The versatility of Norm Duke

Basically, a perfect combo of Pete and Norm is what I'd want. However, WRW Jr. is the greatest to ever pick up a ball. He's not the best at anything other than spares, but he is a ferocious competitor and really good at a lot of things. It's better to be almost the best at a lot of things than the best at one thing and average at everything else.

[J Anderson]

The hook of Mark Roth
The power of Robert Smith
The footwork of Pete Weber
The mindset of Norm Duke
The spare work of Walter Ray Williams
The form of Parker Bohn III
The character of Dick Weber

[Grimthrow]

Thanks everyone! The best thing about my job is I get to now sit and study what makes these bowlers great ;)

Hope I can add a little bit of their technique to my game.

[Grimthrow]

So I've been watching bowling all day and kind of had an epiphany. Style wise I bowl incredibly similar to WRW and Norm Duke . All this time I've felt that I've needed a nice big hook to hit that sweet pocket but watching those two, and even a bit of Earl Anthony, I realized that I don't need that huge hook. If anything this gives me confidence, I thought I was doing something wrong but the way my ball goes down looks like WRW when he's set up on the right side.

As much as I like Chris Barnes and his beautiful hooks, I don't think that's in the cards, at least not for a long LONG time.

[J Anderson]

When you see Duke or Williams playing straight down the first arrow you're watching them play their A+ game, and usually because the lane condition allows it. Earlier in the tournament they may have been playing a number of other lines because that's where they had to be to stay in the hunt. If you're serious about the game, after you get the basics down pat, play around and learn how to play different parts of the lane and how to increase and decrease your hook.

[Grimthrow]

When you see Duke or Williams playing straight down the first arrow you're watching them play their A+ game, and usually because the lane condition allows it.
Yeah I definitely noticed that! I watched a game where WRW played on the other side and he just didn't seem comfortable. Still bowled a decent game though.

[strikedaddy]

The hook of Tommy Jones
The power of Robert Smith
The footwork of Pete Weber
The mindset of Norm Duke
The spare work of Walter Ray Williams Jr.
The form of Chris Barnes
The character of Parker Bohn III

[Grimthrow]

Good posts ^^

Now that I've watched PBA tournaments constantly for a full week, I'll give what I think.

The power and hook of Chris Barnes - The way his ball hits the pocket looks perfect to me.
The footwork of Walter Ray Williams Jr. - I know some may disagree, but his footwork is extremly consistent. Not that flashy, not incredible smooth, but very consistent.
The mindset of Earl Anthony - The man always seemed unfazed when someone else was up on the scoreboards. He is the definition of bowling concentration to me.
The spare work of Walter Ray Williams Jr. - No one better in my opinion.
The form of Walter Ray Williams Jr. - Like the footwork, his form seems the most consistent out of anyone.
The character of Norm Duke - I honestly don't think anyone enjoys bowling more.
The intensity of Pete Webb - I love watching him, so competitive.

[Grimthrow]

hahah intensity of Pete WEBER i mean. Won't let me edit my post for some reason.

[djswagg77]

The hook of Bob Learn Jr.
The power of (early) Mark Roth
The footwork of Pete Weber
The mindset of Earl Anthony
The spare work of Mark Roth or Walter Ray Williams Jr.
The form of Parker Bohn III
The character of Dick Weber
The pre-shot routine of Mike Aulby
The versatility of Norm Duke

(and this is a high-school kid's opinion)

[billf]

When I first started bowling I thought I needed a big hook. Then the first tv telecast I watched I saw WRW and Norm Duke. It was then that I realized that entry angle was more important than how the ball got there. I can lay it down on the 40 board and hook the crap out of it but when I want to ensure a good score (like position round) I go to a different ball and play from the 2-10 board.

Hook of Pete Weber
Power of Jason Belmonte
The footwork of Norm Duke
The mindset of Chris Barnes
The spare work of Walter Ray Williams Jr
The form of Parker Bohn III
The character of Dick Weber or Norm Duke