Help please

[JAyres]

I'll start off by giving a little background: I'm 18 years old and have recently began bowling regularly for the past few months. After bowling for about a month using house balls, I decided I would buy my own ball. The guy at the pro shop sold me the ebonite cyclone. Some regulars (older men) at the bowling alley have really been helping me to learn to hook my ball. I'm getting some pretty high scores, but a majority of my strikes will be Brooklyn strikes. (I'm right handed). For instance, the other night I bowled a 192 but all across the board were 9 spares ( left the ten pin) because I'm hitting Brooklyn. This is on dry lanes. When I go to my junior league, I do good to break 100s. This is because my ball shoots left before reaching the pins. No matter what I do, my ball always goes left.
I guess my real question is: did the pro shop employee take advantage of me by not finding my pap? At that particular time i didnt really understand what a pap was. I paid for a performance drilling. I know the cyclone isnt made for heavy oil and I plan on buying a new ball soon. Probaby the warning sign or game changer. Should I make him watch me throw and find my pap? Should I make him adjust my cyclone? Would getting a ball made for heavier oil prevent my shots from shooting left so much?

My average Speed is 17-17.50 mph. I can slow it down a little and manage a little better. I place my ball over the third arrow from the middle.

I would appreciate any advice. Thanks for the help. And sorry if this seems like a pointless question, just a little confused.

[tumblebug1949]

Hi JAyres,

The ebonite Cyclone is not a real aggressive ball. The lanes must be very dry there or you develop a lot of revs. I can only give some thoughts and I am sure the more experienced bowlers will give better help later.

Shifting on the lane to find more oil would let it get farther down the lane before it starts the hook. If that can't be done, rolling faster will help move the hook further down the lane also just by causing more skid. It may be that getting a less aggressive ball is what you will need to do to work with those dry lanes. Generally the less aggressive balls are also less expensive so it may not be real expensive to try another ball.

I just had a ball drilled also and was not checked for my PAP. I will say that my release is evolving and because of that, I don't have a stable PAP. That may be why the Pro-Shop didn't bother to check for the PAP. Once I get my release more consistent, I will measure and determine my PAP. There are a couple of methods shown on youtube for finding the PAP.

Good luck with your game and Happy Holidays

Tom

[JAyres]

Hi JAyres,

The ebonite Cyclone is not a real aggressive ball. The lanes must be very dry there or you develop a lot of revs. I can only give some thoughts and I am sure the more experienced bowlers will give better help later.

Shifting on the lane to find more oil would let it get farther down the lane before it starts the hook. If that can't be done, rolling faster will help move the hook further down the lane also just by causing more skid. It may be that getting a less aggressive ball is what you will need to do to work with those dry lanes. Generally the less aggressive balls are also less expensive so it may not be real expensive to try another ball.

I just had a ball drilled also and was not checked for my PAP. I will say that my release is evolving and because of that, I don't have a stable PAP. That may be why the Pro-Shop didn't bother to check for the PAP. Once I get my release more consistent, I will measure and determine my PAP. There are a couple of methods shown on youtube for finding the PAP.

Good luck with your game and Happy Holidays

Tom

Thanks Tom, I appreciate the advice. While it does usually go a little to Brooklyn on the dry, the heavy oil is what really kills me.
I appreciate the help. I'll just ask the proshop about the pap when I go to purchase my next ball later on this week. Merry Christmas, and thank you again, I'll be sure to try those things out and let you know how it works.

[10-in-the-pit]

My guess is that you are aiming at the 3rd arrow which may not be the best angle for you to hit the pocket. You will need to experiment on different parts of the lane like the 1st or 2nd arrow. A basic rule though is that if you miss to the left, you should move left which means you should move to your left on your starting position. There could be many things affecting your shot like your approach and release so it would be good if someone were to coach you a bit or post a video of your shot if you want some pointers. For dry lanes (normally dry on the outside parts of the lanes), many people move to a deep inside shot, standing far left and throwing it out right to adjust for the big hook.

[DanielMareina]

First of all, you were not taken advantage of. There is no way to check for a PAP that doesn't exist yet. Without having a ball drilled to your hand, you do not have a PAP. Also, the Cyclone is a decent starting ball, so they talked you into an entry level ball for an entry level bowler.
Now, if your ball is going brooklyn, that means that your line is not working. I would move around and find something that keeps you in the 1,3 pocket. It will greatly increase your chances for strikes. You may want to find your axis tilt, and make some adjustments there. Youtube will definately help you there.
I recommend getting your league average up a bit before you invest in a new ball. As you get better, you will have many changes to your style, and to what kind of ball would maximize your game. Good luck!

[littlelegs]

Just to add to Daniel's post after reading the original a couple of times...he mentioned the axis tilt and I wanted to expand on that. It could be you have no more room to move left. If that is the case it's certainly where should be looking i.e. either adjusting the axis tilt and/or increasing the speed a little. Just because you can hook the whole lane and miss left doesn't mean you should be doing so and certainly keeping your hand behind the ball a little more, increasing speed a little or tilting less would probably produce less hook (hard to say without a video).

Obviously Daniel's the pro shop/coach guy so everything he's said is spot on but it seems that there's a chance you're simply trying to hard with the hook. Why not post a quick video in the video section as there are enough very experienced bowlers and coaches around here that would be able to spot stuff like that straight away and advise accordingly. The problem with league bowler advice is they may simply be giving you their bad habits however well intentioned.