The Cancer of Bowling

[Trex]

The guys at my local lanes are pretty good with patterns, so I don't think there are many complaints from bowlers who hook. I just want to contradict your statement on strikes throwing straight. I'm a lefty, I bowl straight. I start on the second dot from the right in the back row, and throw basically just left of the center arrow, straight down the middle. Maybe it is luck, but I can string 3-5 strikes together pretty much every game, and probably average 5 or 6 strikes a game right now. So it is possible to bowl decent and get strikes on a semi-consistent basis bowling straight down the center. Probably never be a 240 average this way, but I'm getting close to 200.

That is Great sully, No problem with your style.

There are many different styles of Bowlers....

What I was pointing out as a Trained lane man...Is that I know that any time a lane man puts out an oil pattern that favors one style...The lane man is creating an unfair playing field!!

It shuts everyone else out!! The only bowlers that will score in this situation is the few who have that style!!

As an "Honest" & very well Trained Professional lane man myself, I know that this is not the fair way to run a league or any sanctioned event.

That was my main concern & complaint...In that it is dishonest to do such a thing!!
Sadly, there are many dishonest people who work in the Bowling industry!!

To me it is the same as a Carnie who rigs games to make it unfair to the majority of the players.

Carnie meaning....
Carny or carnie is a slang term used in North America and, along with showie, in Australia for a carnival (funfair) employee who rigs games so that they are a game of chance.

When you rig the game like a Carnie...It is no longer a Sport, but rather a game of chance! If you are a lucky fair grounds Carnie game kinda winner then more power to ya I say.

But for me I take Bowling serious as a Sport with set standards that must not be broken!! And when those standards are broken to the point it turns Bowling from a Sport into an unfair Carnie Game...Then I tend to get upset as I am honest, and I believe the Sport of Bowing should have more respect & get more credit as a Sport, rather than be like a Carnie Game of chance!

If you watch the PBA Pro Bowlers, you will not see anyone throwing a straight ball unless they are throwing at a spare, or they are pissed off because the lanes are getting tough, and they are hoping for that lucky strike because there hook ball is not reacting as it should due to the pattern being so broken down.

If Pro bowling was about throwing a straight ball for striking, then the Pros would be doing so....But they learned back in the 1950's that hook balls strike more often than straight balls, and is why they the PBA Pros throw a hook.

But I am sure you know this already.

Contrary to what most in the biz say, I as a Trained lane man...Happen to know for a fact that there is such a thing as a fair oil pattern for all styles. Yes....There is one oil pattern that allows all styles to have equal chance to score!!

I will not reveal this Pattern for my own reasons but it does exist!!

I know because I use to put it out on the lanes every day.

Watch this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLt_K1xdFaI

In the above Video these Guys are getting a Rubber Bowling ball to hook so that it comes into the pocket with enough angle to carry strikes to the point one of the guys has a 244 game, and others are over 200 as well.

There ball don't hook as much as today's reactive resin, but they threw the ball down & in with enough hand to get the ball to arc into the pocket...rather than hit straight head on into the pocket.

Even though these old school Pros look like they are throwing a straight ball in comparison to today's Pro...They still had learned to hook those old Rubber balls & therefore got more strikes and higher scores.

If you stop the video at 0:52 ...you can better see the angle of the ball as it enters the pocket. It is not a straight ball, but is hooking, a mild arc, but still the ball is hooking into the pocket.

Watch the entire video, the higher scoring bowlers are getting the ball to hook & Arc into the pocket.

I know...don't laugh...LOL

It looks like straight balls compared to reactive balls we now use....lol

The first ball thrown was fairly straight, but from an angle. Many of the rest actually had a mild Arcing hook though.

The second Bowler is Don Carter.. and even his ball was hooking. The Third Bowler's ball was hooking even more!!

I have no idea who the first Bowler was, But I chose this Video because It shows that even the old school guys hooked the ball!!

These guys are throwing a Rubber bowling ball over 2nd arrow and getting it to hook into the pocket for a strike!!!

I can do this today on Synthetic lanes when the oil pattern is 40ft or less!

On Patterns longer than 40ft, I must no doubt use reactive.

Put me on an oil pattern like those old school guys are bowing on, and I will average over 230 with a Rubber Bowling Ball!! ..I have done it!!!

At 1:17 ...In the video it gets even better, as you can better see how much these guys are hooking the ball....elongated Arcing hook, but still it was a hook ball, and the scores were really up there too!

And people today say it was not possible in the old days....LOL

[Trex]

The guys at my local lanes are pretty good with patterns, so I don't think there are many complaints from bowlers who hook. I just want to contradict your statement on strikes throwing straight. I'm a lefty, I bowl straight. I start on the second dot from the right in the back row, and throw basically just left of the center arrow, straight down the middle. Maybe it is luck, but I can string 3-5 strikes together pretty much every game, and probably average 5 or 6 strikes a game right now. So it is possible to bowl decent and get strikes on a semi-consistent basis bowling straight down the center. Probably never be a 240 average this way, but I'm getting close to 200.

And this explains why:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gy7c6F0N6tM

Doesn't mean you can't average 240 this way though....Actually you should have a better chance than myself!

[sully_51]

That is interesting, good to know.

One thing that seems odd with my delivery, is that I am much more likely to strike when hitting the 1-3 side than the 1-2 side. The ball is still traveling slightly left to right across the boards (sorry, I don't really know the board numbers, I'll try and figure that out tomorrow when I go again), but if I hit the 1-2 pocket, I'm more likely to leave a 5 or 7 standing.