Help with ordering and layouts for sons bowling balls

[jeff]

Alittle about my son hes 12 yrs old throws 14lb equipment tends to drift 5 boards left (hes right handed) and likes to hook the lane when he can,but can also move right and walk and play straight when he needs to.He is averaging 214 in his youth league that changes oil patterns every two weeks between a modified HS to one of the Kegal challenge patterns.He also has both a certified 300 game and 800 series.He throws the ball with a lot of hand, speed 15-16 mph and revs mid 300s-400.Where we live there is very little access to coaching or knowledgable ball drillers.So now here is the problem...... he has a very low track his PAP is 3 13/16" right and 2" up which puts his track very close to his thumb hole.Is there a way to drill his balls to get the track away from his thumb hole? Do I need to order balls with certain pin length?Everyone that I have tried to get some information from assumes he throws a spinner with his track being that low,not the case.He has bowled with the Pros a couple of times and they all say his track and bowling style is very similar to Micheal Fagins if that will give anyone a visual.Any info would be helpful as I am a recreational bowler at best and alot of this ball terminology sometimes sounds like rocket science to me.

[J Anderson]

Alittle about my son hes 12 yrs old throws 14lb equipment tends to drift 5 boards left (hes right handed) and likes to hook the lane when he can,but can also move right and walk and play straight when he needs to.He is averaging 214 in his youth league that changes oil patterns every two weeks between a modified HS to one of the Kegal challenge patterns.He also has both a certified 300 game and 800 series.He throws the ball with a lot of hand, speed 15-16 mph and revs mid 300s-400.Where we live there is very little access to coaching or knowledgable ball drillers.So now here is the problem...... he has a very low track his PAP is 3 13/16" right and 2" up which puts his track very close to his thumb hole.Is there a way to drill his balls to get the track away from his thumb hole? Do I need to order balls with certain pin length?Everyone that I have tried to get some information from assumes he throws a spinner with his track being that low,not the case.He has bowled with the Pros a couple of times and they all say his track and bowling style is very similar to Micheal Fagins if that will give anyone a visual.Any info would be helpful as I am a recreational bowler at best and alot of this ball terminology sometimes sounds like rocket science to me.

Disclaimer: I am not a ball driller.
First, if your son's track is close to the thumb hole it is a high track not low.
Second, I think that the track is a function the release. Drilling can modify the way the travels down the lane, making it hook sooner or later. It may change the flare, but not the position of the track relative to the thumb hole.
Your son is, as Randy Pederson would say, " Playing up the back of the ball", a very professional release that works well on challenging lane conditions. Given his age and the average he is carrying on challenging lane conditions, I would not recommend having him change anything with out consulting a bronze level USBC certified coach.

[DanielMareina]

The last response is very much correct on most of that. I am a ball driller, a certified coach, and a Storm staff member. If a player flares over the fingers and thumb, there is something we can do about that. The problem is that a right hander's track line that is closest to the thumb and fingers is the determined off of the release only. I would suggest getting a coach to help work on the release. Having a high track isn't a bad thing as long as he doesn't run over the holes. The release that it takes to get that axis point isn't up the back of the ball. It is because the bowler gets up their wrist too far to the side of the ball. A coach should be able to correct that pretty quickly. If you can't find a coach, I recommend watching video tips online that will help demonstrate a good release. Obviously, your son is a very good bowler, but a little correction of the release will help him get even better ball reaction. If you can get a video of him bowling, I would be more than happy to try and help through email or these forums.

[oregonbowler]

Hey Daniel where in Oregon are you from? out of curiosity only

[DanielMareina]

Hey Daniel where in Oregon are you from? out of curiosity only

My bowling center is in downtown Hillsboro. Four Seasons Bowling Center is the name of it.

[oregonbowler]

My bowling center is in downtown Hillsboro. Four Seasons Bowling Center is the name of it.

Oh very nice i know several youth bowlers from in that area

[Stormed1]

the vertical measurement of his axis indicates he may be close to the thumb but he is quite a bit away from his fingers.Layouts are all relative to your axis measurement. This is one reason why there is no generic layout that will work for everyone ( such as the Ebonite recomended layout on the One series) Look at the balls intent before purchasing and mach that up with your desired reaction. Layout only helps to fine tune that reaction. You can't make a smoothy ball turn sideways or a flippy ball smooth. The basic characterisitics will still come out

[jeff]

I want to thank you (John,Daniel and Bill ) for your responses and insights.Tried to send you Daniel a private response but Im new to this,guess you didnt get it.My son "knows you" from Youtube as he has seenyour storm videos,he has the gravity,prodigy and natural.I think he may be receptive to any suggestive help you may offer him as you are a "video star".Will try to post a video of him bowling soon. Thanks again for your thoughts. Jeff