Speed and Angle into the POCKET

[MICHAEL]

I read about ball reviews that say,,, "it keeps the pins low" ect ect. Has a machine ever been used to test the theory that a certain SPEED actually is best for keeping them low, and thus less 7 and 10 pins. I have seen bowlers that throw very relatively high speeds, resulting in 10/7 leaves!

Can speed be an enemy to a good, or 300 game? It makes sense to me that a lower speed, might actually keep the pins lower!

I know this must have been tested, anyone know the optimal speed?

[e-tank]

dont most pros throw around 18-22 mph?

from watching them it looks like they just make a ball change to get carry on those pins

[Eternal Bowler]

I'm pretty sure it's not that there's a special SPEED by itself that crushes the pins. I think what would be more important is the the speed-to-revs ratio, which is even enough for the ball to get into a roll shortly before hitting the pocket. There are many variables though that contribute though, not just that.

[JaMau24]

dont most pros throw around 18-22 mph?

from watching them it looks like they just make a ball change to get carry on those pins

Eh, not really. Just like anywhere, there are guys who throw hard and guys who throw soft.

[dnhoffman]

All above matching speed and revs I think

[bowl1820]

I read about ball reviews that say,,, "it keeps the pins low" ect ect. Has a machine ever been used to test the theory that a certain SPEED actually is best for keeping them low, and thus less 7 and 10 pins. I have seen bowlers that throw very relatively high speeds, resulting in 10/7 leaves!

Can speed be an enemy to a good, or 300 game? It makes sense to me that a lower speed, might actually keep the pins lower!

I know this must have been tested, anyone know the optimal speed?

"Keeps the pins low" I've seen this many times and wondered just how the ball "Keeps the pins low". So did some looking and asked that question.

I got the answer and it is.......... GRAVITY! The ball doesn't keep the pins low, it's gravity.

It's just a marketing term like "Continuous through the pins" If that was the case that would mean zero deflection! That would mean every pocket hit would result in a solid 9-pin!

The main thing is matching up bowler and ball to the conditions.

Yes speed can be a enemy to a good game, A 17 mph ball speed at impact is considered about the optimum speed.

[Mike White]

"Keeps the pins low" I've seen this many times and wondered just how the ball "Keeps the pins low". So did some looking and asked that question.

I got the answer and it is.......... GRAVITY! The ball doesn't keep the pins low, it's gravity.

It's just a marketing term like "Continuous through the pins" If that was the case that would mean zero deflection! That would mean every pocket hit would result in a solid 9-pin!

The main thing is matching up bowler and ball to the conditions.

Yes speed can be a enemy to a good game, A 17 mph ball speed at impact is considered about the optimum speed.

The answer of GRAVITY is complete crap. If gravity kept the pins low, then how does a rocket make it to the moon? Does gravity go on break?

At the point of impact between a ball and a pin, some of the ball's energy is transfered to the pin.

As long as the energy isn't sufficient to cause a vertical velocity allowing the pin to reach a height over 15 inches.

The ball impacts the pin at approximately 4 1/4" above the bottom of the pin, while the pin's center of gravity is 5 15/16" from the bottom.

[MICHAEL]

The answer of GRAVITY is complete crap. If gravity kept the pins low, then how does a rocket make it to the moon? Does gravity go on break?

At the point of impact between a ball and a pin, some of the ball's energy is transfered to the pin.

As long as the energy isn't sufficient to cause a vertical velocity allowing the pin to reach a height over 15 inches.

The ball impacts the pin at approximately 4 1/4" above the bottom of the pin, while the pin's center of gravity is 5 15/16" from the bottom.

A rockets thrust is what makes it rise, with the force of that, it will be able to defy gravity, once it leaves the atmosphere, there is no gravity for it to defy.
believe it or not mike gravity is what keeps all of us here on the ground! There is NO WEIGHT without it! Thus weightlessness in space....
On the moon as I remember its 1/4 the size of earth, thus, a person weighting 200 lbs, would weigh only 50lbs on the moon! ( Pins are kept low, in fact stay put due to one thing, gradational pull! I know some have said that the Earth sucks, that's what keeps ever thing in place..... but then some believe in the tooth fairy!! LOL So to say gravity has nothing to do with keeping pins low is totally inaccurate.

[bowl1820]

The answer of GRAVITY is complete crap. If gravity kept the pins low, then how does a rocket make it to the moon? Does gravity go on break?

Well the rocket engine has to fight against GRAVITY which is keeping it against the ground (Keeping it low in other words) to get away from the earth, Then it falls towards the moon because of the Moons Gravity, ( in other words gravity is pulling it down, getting it closer/lower to the ground . The engine is not pushing it to the moon.

At the point of impact between a ball and a pin, some of the ball's energy is transfered to the pin.

Sure enough

As long as the energy isn't sufficient to cause a vertical velocity allowing the pin to reach a height over 15 inches.

So what your saying here is the ball didn't impart sufficient energy for the pin to over come the force of GRAVITY (in other words the ball didn't hit the pins too hard). So GRAVITY was what kept the pins low to the lane! Not the ball.

The ball impacts the pin at approximately 4 1/4" above the bottom of the pin, while the pin's center of gravity is 5 15/16" from the bottom.

So what? all of you just said is what would make a ball goes up, not how a ball keeps the pins low.


I asked this same question over on Bowlingchat:
"How does the ball keep the pins low?
What is suppose to be keeping the pins low? is it some property of the ball? or the angle, speed of the ball as it hits? Or is it just marketing?"

Here's Mo Pinels answer:
The balls doesn't keep the pins low; GRAVITY DOES!!! The rest is BULL PUCKY!!!!!

Here's the thread:
http://forum.bowlingchat.net/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=6804

[sprocket]

Entry angle is everything. You can set a ramp in front of the pins roll a ball down it at the right entry angle and carry the ten pin every time. Some would say, no the ball has to be in a good roll or it will deflect and leave the ten pin. That's true but what happens when the ball hits the headpin and deflects? ENTRY ANGLE CHANGES. The ball needs to enter the pocket at the right angle and have sufficient forward roll and speed to maintain that angle to carry the ten pin every time. Eugene McCune set the 8 game PBA record throwing darts up the first arrow at about 24MPH. Speed didn't prevent him from carrying because he had entry angle and forward roll.

Low speed can have a negative effect but only because the ball doesn't have enough momentum to keep from deflecting off the headpin, so entry angle changes.