Changing start position by....

[TheSheibs]

So if your ball isn't curving into the pocket, do you:

A- change ball?
B- move sideways X number of boards?
C- move ever so slight towards the foul line or away from the foul line but keep your start position?

The only reason I ask this is becuase I was having problems with my ball curving as much as it had in the past. When talking to my grandfather, who researches the hell out of anything he does, he mentioned that I should move a 1/2-1/4 inch away from the pins but start in the same position only with this slight change. I noticed that my ball would curve more and I use this to pick up the 5 pin. Just wondering if anyone else does this or do you just do one of the aboved mentioned things? I beleive that what I described has to do with giving the ball a little bit more length down the lame to curve more.

[bowl1820]

Just what do mean by "move a 1/2-1/4 inch away from the pins"?

Are you talking making a 1/2 or a 1/4 board adjustment left or right of your mark on the lane?
Because that's pretty hard to do for a amateur bowler, your talking bowler's with a skill level like Walter Ray Williams.

As for the choices above , all three are legitimate adjustment options and would depend on the situation at the time.

[TheSheibs]

Perhapse I didn't explain it well enough. You stand at your usual start position. Then you slide your feet forward or back from that position 1/2-1/4 inch. Maybe less than that. It's not a side adjustment. I hope this helps you understand what I'm talking about.


Yeah for my 100th post.

[bowl1820]

Perhapse I didn't explain it well enough. You stand at your usual start position. Then you slide your feet forward or back from that position 1/2-1/4 inch. Maybe less than that. It's not a side adjustment. I hope this helps you understand what I'm talking about.
Yeah for my 100th post.

Okay your using "c" from above "move ever so slight towards the foul line or away from the foul line but keep your start position"

That's the move I try first when I start coming in light "leaving tens" (I move back) or if I'm coming in to heavy (I move forward) some. It's a perfectly fine adjustment.

But a 1/4"-1/2" or less! move forward or back on the approach would be meaningless, given the the variation's in a persons swing, the stride even the slide from shot to shot. They would negate any change that tiny adjustment made.

I've read articles where they talk about bowlers who lose the line, then waste valuable frames making small adjustments trying to find it again. They say the bowler would be better served making a bigger adjustment sooner, see what happens and then adjust accordingly.

[Florida Bowler]

I don't understand moving forward or back. Is it meant to speed up or slow down?

The 3 choices I go with are move left or right, add or reduce speed, and add loft. If the lanes are really dry, I will change balls.

[billf]

Usually front and back moves are more along the lines of a half step. Not to change speed but rather change where the ball contacts the lane. Most people loft around a foot without realizing it and this little bit can change the angle enough to get the needed entry angle.

[Florida Bowler]

Oh, ok. So I think I make the same adjustment, just not by moving my feet. I may try moving my feet next time. Thanks!

[TheSheibs]

I'm really happy to see that this isn't something my grandfather made up but is an actual thing. I beleive that it does change how much of lane that the ball actually contacts. So if you give the ball a shorter lane to travel down it will have less time to "bit" and curve in to the head pin. By giving it a longer lane to role down you are giving the ball more time to curve in. I noticed that a very small change like this causes a 2-6 inch difference down the lane. This is just how it works for me. I understand that you would want to make a large adjust,ent and then fine tune it from there. You can also narrow down how much you move but it takes time.

[billf]

Lofting has it's place but it is difficult to consistently loft the same distance once you get past two or three feet.

[Florida Bowler]

My biggest loft may get to about 4 or 5 feet. I'll usually move my feet before I loft that far.