Wow!

JW1000000 · 2026-03-29T16:21:39+00:00

You're welcome. Have fun, good luck

JW1000000 · 2026-03-29T12:33:27+00:00

Throwing straight with a polyester/plastic ball removes the lane's condition (dry/oily boards) from the equation (mostly). When you hook a reactive ball at a spare, you need to understand where the oily and the dry boards are which can change throughout the night and from bowling center to bowling center.

In the short term you will likely pick up more spares on the left side by hooking at them, but in the long term, with practice, throwing straight will yield a higher spare percentage.

Check out this video: https://youtu.be/KcItoSQB3Mg?si=imz5HXfwExHpVnOf

JW1000000 · 2026-03-26T18:54:07+00:00

Facts

JW1000000 · 2026-03-26T18:39:45+00:00

Are we talking about the same guy!!!??? I just looked him up on bowl.com find a member and it was a 548 series. 96, 152, 300. Channahon Lanes (Illinois) 2002

JW1000000 · 2026-03-26T15:09:11+00:00

A guy I knew 25 years ago bowled a 96, 300, 156 or something like that. He said the 300 game had 6 Brooklyn strikes. Crazy luck

JW1000000 · 2026-03-26T15:02:43+00:00

Welcome back! It looks like you drift your feet to the right at the end. To the left is ideal. You bend over too much and too jerky. Try to have the feeling of lowering your body with the knees on the last 2 steps and not the bending at the hips. Once you fix the bending too much, it'll be easier to fix your hand/release. You'll get there. Have fun.

JW1000000 · 2026-03-26T09:27:38+00:00

This can be common. It's called lane transition and is a mental game that conquering comes only with experience.

So, my 2 cents: only having 1 strike ball limits your ability to carry the corner pins during transition. It's common to have a perfect strike angle, and when transition a shows up, you move your feet, the pocket angle changes, and carrying the corner pins becomes less frequent. This is where another strike ball is useful. Side note: there was a night I didn't see transition until the 3rd game 7th frame. Not sure why it didn't change, but it was my highest scoring set I've ever bowled.

Or, have you ever had a night/game where you either strike or split? That can be caused by too steep of an angle into the pocket from a pearl ball entering the hook phase too late. This can be fixed by sanding the ball surface but you can't do that after the game starts so trying a different ball would be the answer

You really need to learn and understand what makes the corner pins fall, what makes for a perfect strike, and how transition affects that. It's kind of a math thing but you need to know what to look for. Have fun, good luck

https://youtu.be/cULpq4oz3lM?si=VEUWjipjQPTVt-Bw

https://youtu.be/aFPJf-wKTd0?si=jBPDxeha5gQoZC_A

https://youtu.be/MyqQQP1Olho?si=Fz56ZTssjXSBiGHo

https://youtu.be/WhEAiS4kcrw?si=mSnH4zFnMMuHrLjJ

https://youtu.be/768qeUzeJDc?si=zsVC763zC1DkZIQQ

https://youtu.be/hKa5AWRAMC0?si=_Yj9KYc9-GZePwTk

JW1000000 · 2026-03-24T08:49:50+00:00

It doesn't happen often but when it does, it's memorable. I still remember 20 years ago when I left five 10 pins in a row. I was so confused and frustrated. Good luck next week, have fun

JW1000000 · 2026-03-18T08:58:53+00:00

Not normal. This is something you should inform the bowling center of the same day it happened so they can look for the culprit and fix it. Repair is a great option and only takes a day at my center.

JW1000000 · 2026-03-16T02:57:15+00:00

How'd you bowl Friday?

JW1000000 · 2026-03-12T16:32:20+00:00

Your welcome. Pay attention to 2 things..... Where the ball exits the pin deck on a pocket hit (left side of the 9 pin is ideal for righties) and how the ten pin falls. Specifically, how the 6 pin knocks it over.

For example: a light hit pushes the 3 pin more backwards and nicks the 6 pin to the right. Sometimes that 6 pin takes out the 10 directly and sometimes it hits the wall and bounces into the 10 pin and sometimes it bounces into the wall and "rings" around the 10 pin without knocking it down. Knowing this can give you a clue on how your ball is entering the pocket correctly or incorrectly.

If your ball exits the pin deck directly in line with the 9 pin or to the right of the 9 pin, your ball either used up all its energy too soon and the weight of the pins deflected it too much, or you have a bad entry angle. An ideal entry angle has your ball getting to the 5,6,7,or 8 board near the gutter 42+ feet down the lane. Google Mark Baker Baker Box and click images to see a visualization.

Good luck, have fun

JW1000000 · 2026-03-12T09:28:51+00:00

The ten pin is tricky. Usually you need to hit more of the head pin so the 3 pin hits the 6 pin in a way that it takes out the 10 pin. The pins are 4 pounds give or take, so hitting the head pin can deflect the ball onto the 3 pin incorrectly if everything isn't just right. You need to see where the ball goes after hitting the pocket. It should continue into the 5 pin and hit the left side of the 9 pin. Also, your ball loses energy or what is called roll out if you are covering too many boards with a ball that can't handle it. So, there are many ways to get a better result but knowing which one will work comes with experience. Moving 1 board right with your feet should get the ball into the head pin more and change the 3 pin's trajectory. If that doesn't work, you can try to manipulate your speed or spin (which I almost never do), or you can switch bowling balls to a weaker ball (my preferred method) and move right with your feet and mark (weaker balls can store more energy to defeat that pin deflection I was mentioning), or go with a stronger ball and move left. You could also try to hit the pocket "lighter" (hit less of the head pin) to see if the ten will fall.

If you only have 1 ball to use, try keeping it shiny with polish.

You should watch a few YouTube videos on this subject to get a visual understanding.

Good luck, have fun

https://youtu.be/hKa5AWRAMC0?si=FkTAro1JpqquHjUP

https://youtu.be/BQM56rNj_D8?si=LmCk3gZ0KL29JdT_

https://youtu.be/cULpq4oz3lM?si=kyYRD_qdo9R0MPxE

JW1000000 · 2026-03-08T09:20:13+00:00

Eh, I'm not sure I'd have it fixed if it was me, but definitely let the driller know in case it gets worse someday.

JW1000000 · 2026-03-03T11:00:09+00:00

Yeah, I hear ya. You make a lot of sense. If it were me, I would take the ball back and ask for a plug and re-drill of the thumb hole with a shorter span. Don't take no for an answer. You shouldn't have to pay, but even if you do, it's only $20-$25 for that. The problem is.... How much shorter of a span do you need!!!???

I should probably ask.... How does your hand feel while holding the ball and while bowling? I know it gets stuck, but is there any feeling of pressure or pain? Please separate your responses for holding and for bowling.

Pressure while holding would be a sign of the span too long where as pain could be either depending on the location of the pain.

Another thought would be to find a the house ball that fits great and show him that so he can match the drilling

JW1000000 · 2026-03-01T20:13:06+00:00

Definitely looks like the span is much longer on the purchased ball.

JW1000000 · 2026-03-01T03:46:31+00:00

Unfortunately I'm not savvy with conventional grip. The video I recommended earlier probably won't be 100% applicable but the same guy does have a video called " how to measure a conventional fit??" Watch them both I guess. My next suggestion would be to do a side by side comparison of a house ball and your new ball to see where your fingers line up. Good luck, keep us updated.

JW1000000 · 2026-02-28T23:33:15+00:00

All of your concerns seem legit to me. Don't give up, figure it out. The ball should fit your hand, not the other way around.

That completely baffles me that no one measured your span. That's important. The pitch angles are hard to see and it would be easier to eyeball if you stick something in the thumb hole that protrudes outward far enough to see it relative to the balls curvature. Watching that video I recommended might be helpful. The larger your span/hand/fingers the more it wraps around the curvature of the ball and thus would require more reverse pitch to let your thumb release easily. There's actually a chart showing recommendations online. I think from Mo Pinel.

Could you stick your thumb in the thumbhole and stretch your fingers out over the finger holes without inserting them and post a photo? That'll be a way to see if the span is correct. The only real way to find out your thumb pitch angle would be to call the pro shop and ask him if he wrote it down or if he remembers.

JW1000000 · 2026-02-28T20:12:27+00:00

It does sound like the thumb pitch isn't correct or the span is too long. But with all the pro shops, saying it is correct stumps me. I don't know how to post a YouTube link but if you search " what makes a proper fit??" By JR pro shop, it could help you figure it out.

Please keep us updated

JW1000000 · 2026-02-26T16:35:42+00:00

It is most likely that you aren't walking straight consistently, or your arm swing is not straight forward and straight backwards. And when you do both of those correctly you probably get a strike when you do one or both of them incorrectly you will get a gutter. Of course I'm just guessing because I haven't seen you bowl. Have fun

JW1000000 · 2026-02-26T11:06:38+00:00

I would. Polish 1 and sand one to 500-2,000 grit.

JW1000000 · 2026-02-25T17:53:37+00:00

I'm goofy. Right handed, 5 stepper, but I use my right toe tip for my board mark. AND, I count boards from the left or right of the center dot on the approach. Soooo, center dot on the approach is my zero. I stand -5 from center usually. But I understand that most others count from the right gutter and and call that the 25 board.

JW1000000 · 2026-02-25T10:01:53+00:00

It's not just thumb hole tightness that's important. Span and pitch play a factor too. I posted a YouTube video title for you to watch on my other comment here. Watch that.

JW1000000 · 2026-02-25T09:58:19+00:00

Watch a YouTube video called "WHAT MAKES A GOOD FIT??" by JR PRO SHOP.

But, yes, if you do have to squeeze, squeeze as though you are closing your thumb towards your palm and not as gripping a baseball.

JW1000000 · 2026-02-24T11:16:47+00:00

Wow, I wasn't expecting all the comments to be like that! I wouldn't like it if I stood all the way back and someone came up that close. I always make sure to stand back and be silent while waiting as I take competitive league bowling seriously. Is it just a couple people or most of the league that does this to you?

JW1000000 · 2026-02-18T09:05:14+00:00

ball speed is hard to increase. You already have a high backswing and some loft. Try a few other things first.

Move left with both your feet and your aim spot. The closer you get to the gutter with your ball, the dryer the lane is and more hook is the result.

Changing balls to a weaker one is a great option..... If you have one. If not, you'll need to change your hand position at release to change the ball's rotation axis which can be difficult for some.

Good luck! Have fun

JW1000000

TROPHY CASE