Why ask Why? Evaluating Internet Bowling Resources

Intended Audience: All readers

The only thing worse than bad information is wrong information.

As I become more aware of the number of bowling resources available on the Internet today, I'm constantly surprised and frustrated by the amount of information available that is:

• Confusing
• Incomplete
• Directed at the wrong audience
• Incorrect - often blatantly

Disclaimer: I have not posted any links to the Internet resources discussed in this topic because my goal is not to single out any one person. Most of these people have good intentions and do what they do only to help others.


Confusing Information

Earlier today, I was watching an instructional bowling video that was published on the Internet via YouTube. On it the instructor is speaking about timing. He notes that timing is a "major thing" in bowling. This is true. However, he says it is a "major thing once you get set in your stance". He then goes on to say that it is the "timing of the ball to the approach and the swing".

Huh?

Once you're "set in your stance" you're just standing there, hopefully with nothing moving, otherwise you're not "set". There's no timing involved with one's stance.

"Approach" is not explained as the bowler's movement to the foul line or the physical area of the lane under the bowler's feet behind the foul line. It would have been better to say "footwork" or "movement to the foul line".

I would certainly hope the ball is somehow involved in the swing, since the ball moves with the hand, wrist, elbow, arm, and shoulder. How does that relate to timing, which is stated as a "major thing"? There are no clarifying remarks later in the video which gets even more confusing as it goes on.

I think coaches are great especially coaches like this one who are willing to impart their knowledge free of charge and for no reason other than helping others to become better bowlers. However, if your message is confusing, it isn't going to help anyone and you've wasted your time and potentially wasted the time of the aspiring bowler.

In defense of the author of this video, it appears that he's attempting to keep his lessons short and to the point. That's a good goal, but it leads to another problem.

Incomplete Information

On many bowling sites there is well-worn and often posted equipment advice for competing on sport conditions. To paraphrase much of the advice available:

"You want something controllable"
"Use control equipment, not league equipment."
"Don't use any skid-flip or skid-snap equipment."

Ok. Great. But why?

I seldom see the explanation of why attached. Also, if the bowler is an intermediate bowler, there are also more unanswered questions. What is control equipment? What is league equipment? What is skid-flip or skid-snap equipment? Why wouldn't I be able to control the ball I'm throwing, am I not the one throwing it?

Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a life time.

I'll admit to being a "why person" and I understand that not everyone is like me. However, there are going to be enough "why people" reading the general Internet that it is best to include the explanation whenever possible. If one does not truly understand the why and/or can not explain the why, they shouldn't be posting any advice on that topic until they do. Teachers need to be at a higher level of understanding than their students at the beginning of the teaching process.

If the article or post or video clearly states that the article or advice is geared towards advanced bowlers who presumably know the answers to these latter questions, that's one thing. Otherwise, we have another problem.

Information Directed at the Wrong Audience

When I stop to think about it, there is a huge amount of bowling slang and technical jargon in common use today. We bowlers tend to throw that slang and jargon around without a second thought and often times without regard for our listeners. People are often afraid to ask "what do you mean by slang-term?" or in the case of Internet sites, people often aren't given the tools/options to ask the question.

Web-based bowling sites are rife with slang and advice full of terminology that means nothing to the beginning bowler. This is often true even when the advice is written "for beginners". While one may want to lump this into the "Confusing Information" category, there's a subtle difference that is important. When a group of people are using language we don't understand, it can cause us to feel like an outsider, like we don't belong. That's hardly an environment we want to create for new bowlers especially if we're trying to help them.

The same can be said for advanced concepts addressed to intermediate bowlers. Trust me, there are advanced bowlers who don't understand the concept of a PSA (preferred spin axis) and spin time, let alone the intermediate bowlers.

If we consistently speak "above" our target audience's level of knowledge, we should expect that audience to go elsewhere for the information or worse, give up seeking the information. At that point, we've once again wasted our time and our target audience's time.

Bowlers are generally not astro-physicists or rocket scientists. The business adage to write at the sixth grade level is a good idea. It virtually ensures that every audience will understand you.

But wait, there's more... I'm violating my own rules!

I apologize to my english-speaking audience residing outside of the United States and Canada. I'm not sure how the sixth grade level in the United States equates to the school systems in other countries. Roughly speaking, it is 3 school years of english after basic phonics.

Incorrect Information

As the saying goes, the way to hell is paved with good intentions.

There is much information out there on the Internet that is just incorrect, simply wrong. For example, the other day on a bowling site I saw advice on how to make a bowling ball go longer down the lane and hook harder on the back end (the part of the lane closer to the pins). The advice said to use a dull particle ball.

**buzzer** Nope, try again.

It is possible that the person offering the advice was trying to give bad advice, but for the sake of this discussion I will assume that is never the case. People who purposely give incorrect information are outside the scope of this topic.

Some people mean well but just don't know any better. People looking for help certainly don't know any better or else they wouldn't be looking for help! Unfortunately, for many information seekers, they can't distinguish between the people who mean well but don't have the correct information and the people who mean well and who do have the correct information.

I've even experienced "certified" coaches giving out incorrect information. Am I saying that I know more than they do? Most of the time, no, but I can read the USBC rule book to find out what constitutes a legal delivery. If it is at odds with the instructor, who is correct, the instructor or the governing body of bowling in the United States? At other times yes, I do know more than a "certified" coash. I have the first-hand experience that the some coaches do not have or I have the knowledge imparted to me by others who have the hands-on experience. At still other times, I have and understand the science.

As previously mentioned, it is the understanding of the why and the ability to effectively communicate the why that is so important.

Who to Believe?

Earlier I mentioned YouTube as a source of an instructional bowling video. It should be noted that just because YouTube is not a bowling site and contains many silly videos, that doesn't automatically disqualify YouTube as a source for good instructional bowling videos. Each piece of information should be evaluated based on its content, not the web site on which the content is posted.

On the flip side of that coin, just because a piece of advice or an instructional article is posted on a reputable bowling site doesn't mean that the information is clear, concise, and correct. Again, each piece of information should be evaluated based on its content. It is true that reputable sites dedicated to bowling will generally have better content, but that doesn't mean every article is a good article.

The same is true for people. Beware of evaluating advice solely on the person giving the advice. That's known as an ad hominem logic fallacy. Just because a bowler has a low average doesn't mean they don't understand bowling concepts and certainly doesn't mean that low average bowlers can't teach you anything. The reverse is also true. Just because a "big name" or a high average bowler says something is so, doesn't make it true. Ask them to explain the why in terms you can understand. If they can't do so, you can and should seek other opinions.

Moving Forward

By all means, you can and should use the comment section of this site to call me out when I violate my own rules. I'm human and make mistakes just like everyone else. I welcome the opportunity to learn and improve from you. I firmly believe that any two human beings of roughly the same age have the same amount or sum of knowledge. It is the areas of knowledge that are different. We can all learn from one another if we just take the time to do so.

How do you make a ball hook?

Intended Audience: Beginner through intermediate bowlers

How do you make the ball hook/curve/spin?

This is one of the most common questions asked by novice bowlers.

As with many aspects of bowling, there isn't one correct answer. One of the best answers I've ever heard to this question is "practice, practice, practice". Ok, that's a bit smart-alecky, but it is also true. It takes some practice and patience to learn how to hook a ball correctly.

By "correctly" I mean without risk of physical injury and in a fashion that will help improve your scores.

Before discussing how to make a ball hook, let's understand a little about why a ball hooks.

Think about a front-wheel drive car driving in slick, rainy conditions. When you stomp the gas the car moves forward. You get going fast, say, 60 miles per hour (roughly 100 kilometers per hour for my international friends) When you turn the wheel sharply, what happens? Remember, we're on an extremely wet, slick road.

At first nothing is going to happen because even though the wheels are turned to the side, they can't create enough friction to "grab" the road and change the car's direction. Eventually, the tires will create enough friction or you'll slow down enough that the car will slowly (the gradually faster) begin to move in a new direction: the direction in which you've turned the tires. Eventually the tires will stop spinning/slipping and start rolling in the new direction in which you want to travel.

Bowlers who throw the ball straight usually roll it straight. The ball rolls in the same direction in which the ball is travelling. It's like when the wheels of the car are not turned.

Some bowlers who throw the ball straight do impart some spin on the tires, but not enough for the ball to create enough friction to "grab" the lane so that the ball can change direction. Or, they throw the ball too fast for the spin to create enough friction to grab the lane and change direction.

So to get a ball to hook, like getting a car to turn, we need the rotation of the ball to be in a different direction than the direction in which the ball is travelling and we need to have enough rotation on the ball to get it to create friction and "grab" the lane.

Method 1: The Suitcase Technique

One of the easiest and oldest ways to learn to throw a hook is the suitcase method. This was how my father taught me and how my father's father taught him.

Stand up. Go ahead it's ok. Let your bowling arm hang straight down at your side with your thumb touching your leg and your fingers be furthest away from your leg. Now look at the angle between the outside of your forearm and the back of your hand. Curl your wrist slightly so that the outside of your forearm and the back of your hand form a straight line/flat plain. Now imagine a heavy briefcase that you will hold with that hand, but imagine holding it with your fingers only (not connecting your fingers to thumb).

Now pick up your bowling ball, insert your hand, and duplicate the above process. If you've done it correctly, you should feel some strain in the muscles of your fingers and your forearm.

Throw a bowling ball with your hand and fingers in this position. The trick is to maintain that arm position (back of hand and forearm form a flat plain) and finger position (like holding a suitcase with fingers only) throughout your entire swing. Let go of the ball slightly in front of your ankle. Don't twist your arm or your hand. You should feel more pressure on your fingers and less on your thumb just before the ball leaves your hand. Just like holding the heavy suitcase, but only using your fingers. It is the fingers that impart the curve on the ball.

It takes a little muscle in the forearm and the fingers to impart rotation on a bowling ball.

If this isn't working for you, start again at the beginning and think of the suitcase. The suitcase should stay in the same position through your swing. If you were throwing the suitcase down the lane, the suitcase shouldn't fall over or turn sideways. Try throwing the ball half your normal speed at first. Slowing things down will help you feel what you're doing a little better. Also, if you're throwing it too fast, it may not hook until after it leaves the lane. Remember, too much speed and you run the risk of not creating enough friction for the ball to hook.

Method 2: The Football Method

Advanced bowlers will understand the suitcase method (above) but will likely be quick to point out that you can't create a large hook that way while using a "normal" ball speed. While my father and his father taught the suitcase method, the modern method of hooking a bowling ball has changed. There are a number of reasons why this is true and all of them are outside the scope of this discussion.

Another method that can be used to learn to hook the ball is the (American) football method. Henceforth, when I say "football" I'm referring to the American version which is oblong and pointed on both ends. You know, the "pigskin".

If you can pick up a football with your bowling hand and throw that football in an underhanded spiral, you can hook a bowling ball. Mind you, it isn't as easy to impart revolutions on a heavy bowling ball as it is to impart revolutions on a light piece of air-filled leather. You'll need some muscles in your wrist and forearm.

Go ahead and stand up again with your bowling arm at your side and your thumb touching your leg. If you have a football (if you don't you'll need to use your imagination) hold it in that hand with your thumb touching your leg. The nose of the football is pointed away from you. If you were standing on a bowling alley, it would be pointed at the pins. Remember this position.

Now if you pay close attention to the motions of your body when you throw a football in an underhanded spiral, you'll notice that at first you cup your wrist, meaning, you curl your wrist in towards your forarm. When you spiral the football underhand, you un-cup or collapse your wrist. That's actually the technical terminology for this type of bowling method: cup and collapse.

There are three things that make this technique difficult:
1. Bowling balls are heavier than footballs
2. The arm's natural motion in a bowling swing tends to over-rotate
3. Timing is crucial

The first is easy to understand. Put your hand in a bowling ball and try throwing it into a couch or bean-bag underhand-spiral-like the same way you do with a football.

The second challenge is to avoid over-rotation. A car's tires are limited in how much they can rotate left or right. Your wrist and arm can rotate more than your car tires. Imagine a car that allowed you to turn the wheel almost 180 degrees (so it is near pointing "backwards"). That's not much help in turning a car. The same thing is true of your arm.

Remember holding the football at your side with your thumb touching your leg. The nose of the football is pointed in front of you. When you attempt to use a normal bowling swing and throw the bowling ball in an underhanded spiral like the footbal, your hand and arm will tend to keep rotating beyond this point. Hold your bowling arm in front of you at shoulder height with your palm pointed towards the floor. Now put a football in your hand. Where is the nose of the football pointed? Now throw a spiral with the football from that position. Watch the rotation of the football when you do that. If it was a car tire instead of a footbal, which direction would it be travelling in? It would be coming right at you! We want to make the bowling ball hook, not rotate backwards.

So when using this technique, throw the underhand spiral, but don't let your arm rotate around. Keep the palm of your bowling hand pointed towards the pins. Think of throwing an underhand spiral with the football where your palm (not the back of your hand) and the belly of the footbal is pointed towards the pins. Nose towards the pins, belly towards the pins. Halfway between is the goal. I'll try to get some pictures of this to help.

Finally, timing. The quicker you can move from cup to un-cup, the faster the ball will rotate. This is true for a football as well as a bowling ball. The bowling ball must be cupped through almost the entire bowling swing. So think of waiting until the ball is almost right next to your leg, almost at the bottom of the swing, before trying to throw the spiral. If you begin the spiral too soon, you won't get any rotation on the ball. It is better to be too late. The better the timing and the quicker the uncupping motion, the more rotation.

How do the pros do it?

The pros don't use any one specific method because different lane conditions require different types and amounts of hook. That's a lesson for another day. However, all include a firm wrist, strong fingers, and good timing.

I don't know how long this link will last but the Discovery Channel show "Time Warp" did a nice piece that explains some of what is going on. Maybe more importantly, it shows in very slow, clear detail what is happening. It could be better, but it's the best video I've seen that I can share with you via the Internet.

News Story: http://www.pba.com/news/feature.asp?ID=1020
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr5SBkoyxtk

Better Bowling from Better Answers

Blog on.

Any endeavor should have a clear purpose or goal. The same is true for a blog. Otherwise, there is little to distinguish it from so much rambling. Magazines have articles related by some common theme. The same can be said for stores, with "general" stores being the exception. However, people will visit general stores to purchase a variety of goods. People don't generally use the Internet in that way. Did you catch the pun? Sorry for that.

So before continuing, what is the purpose of this blog?

Simply put: bowler education, specifically in the realm of 10-pin bowling as both a recreational activity and as a sport. A secondary goal will be to act as a sort of hoax-buster or "Snopes" for bowling.

While there are a growing number of good, informational web sites on the Internet dedicated to bowling, it is amazing how much misleading, misinformed, and at times plain wrong information those sites contain. Certainly there is no single expert (myself included) who knows all. Where possible, authoritative sources will be cited, links to authoritative sites will be included, directions for better and more information will be used.

Hopefully, an environment can be created where questions are encouraged and answered. Too often beginners are soured on bowling because the so-called experts snub them, disdain to answer beginners' questions, or treat novices as if they should already know. Worse yet are situations where the so-called experts provide answers that are inaccurate.

So enjoy the ride. Have a question? Don't be afraid to ask. I'll be glad you did. If I can't answer your question - I certainly don't know everything - I'll find someone who can.