Is two-handed bowling unfair?
Been reading some articles from Mike Machuga and Brian Voss. Both seem to dislike the two-handed style to the point of wanting it abolished. Voss also wants modern bowling balls outlawed and a return to plastic only. Choogs runs a tournament in Erie, PA that specifies plastic balls only, two balls per bowler max, and all balls are checked before being allowed for use.
I have no problem with two-handers myself. I bowled with plastic and the early urethane balls. The original Hammers from Faball, the AMF Angles, Ebonite Thunderbolt, to name a few. I watched as balls were introduced with "cores" that seemingly hooked by themselves being used on TV. The game is always evolving and it's easy to see that if you don't keep up with things, the game passes you by and you're done.
Any thoughts on these guys? Go back to plastic balls, long oil , strokers winning everything and no two-handers?
No issues with two handers. It's not against the rules, so why not? Can you imagine if they try to do away with it after everything Belmo has done for bowling. Belmo alone has done so much for bowling with regards to bringing in the youth and more. If bowling stayed plastic balls same oil patterns etc, bowling would be far less popular. Every sport changes.
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I don't have a problem with it. For me it's just innovation, 2 handers found another way to bowl which executed properly has some inherent advantages. I think people who have a problem with it would have also had problems back in the day with the forward pass in football and pitching overhand in baseball.
What they probably would be ok with is going back to pre resin. What we have to understand is they are primarily talking about competition at the highest levels. Many many pros would be ok with it as well. If you watch qualifying and even on the telecasts you will see that the majority of players most of the time try to create a ball motion that really mirrors urethane reactions of the 80's. That is unless the conditions are there for the taking like this week at the players with some miss area. But what happens then? People start complaining about the shot being to easy. I guarantee if you asked Walter Ray Williams about the conditions this week he would say it is to easy.
Many people point to some of the larger high level junior tournaments for the future growth of the sport. Consider this: the Teen Masters allows 2 bowling balls for competition: a plastic ball and a urethane ball. By all accounts the kids love it. What does that tell you? It tells me the future higher level bowlers want to learn the skills that have always been required for success in our sport. Unfortunately those skills don't have to be present in many houses and that bothers some.
ABC/USBC membership has declined EVERY year since 1981. The first urethane ball The AMF Angle came out that year and ball technology has continued to evolve since. That is not the main reason for participation decline and would probably be down fairly far on a big list i could make. But, we can't ignore some contribution to that decline. The modern game just requires so much more technical equipment knowledge now it is really not even worth comparing.
I could write a ton more about all of this and be considered stuck in the past but i kept bowling and will forever no matter the changes.
Last edited by fortheloveofbowling; 02-16-2016 at 08:19 PM.
Find it amazing the similarities between golf and bowling when discussing equipment. Over-sized drivers that average 350 yard drives, endless putter choices, hybrid clubs, golf balls that go for miles then stop on a dime. Yet nowhere near the claims that its ruining the sport.
The difference is that if you buy the same clubs as Rory Mcilroy you won't go out and shoot 65 and every golfer knows that. Then throw in the thought of some bowlers that when they shoot 750 they are ready to compete at the next tour stop.Originally Posted by foreverincamo
Last edited by fortheloveofbowling; 02-16-2016 at 08:26 PM.
Perhaps, but only on THS, not on a heavy volume 47' pattern the pros play on.
Yes ban 2 handers.
Why not rubber too not just plastic?
If you ban 2 handlers then you need two separate divisions: Right Handed and Left Handed
One in the same
Does it occur to anyone here that bowling's main sponsors are ball manufacturers? Go back to plastic or rubber and you go back to one ball per bowler and the death of the little bit that's left of the sport.
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