Two Finger Bowlers: Boy They Tear Up The Lanes

I have struggled thus far in my bowling league, not even able to carry a 200 average. however, last night I walked into the bowling alley feeling like I could grab a piece of pizza off of someone's plate and grab my golden Rhino and tear up the lanes! And then, I saw who I was bowling against. I saw the dreaded two finger bowler!!!

Now do not get me wrong, I can certainly appreciate those who bowl without the thumb in their bowling ball, only using their two fingers. Especially if you can throw it like Jason Belmonte, who throws with over 700 revs, and accurately.! However, most people who bowl in your standard USBC bowling leagues are not near as talented as Belmonte, and only end up tearing the lanes to peices. I found myself constantly adjusting to the breakdown of the house pattern, and everytime I found something, it would go away quickly.

Now be it that I am a professional bowler and not too bad, I should have been able to find a spot on the lanes where he was not playing and get a good consistent reaction, but I just had one of those nights were the only way I could carry was to play over top the line he was playing. If I could give some advice when bowling against a competitor of this nature, you have to find a bowling ball with the right surface that will allow you to play a part of the line they are not. For example, if they are playing deep, you have to find a way to play outside, or you will be chasing it all night. Despite my negative attitude at times, and making bad adjustments, I still shot a 599 which is not a terrible night for me, although I wish it could have been better. If my worst bowling series for the rest of the year is 599, I will certainly be happy. In any event, I had a great time and cannot wait for next week!

How to Properly Clean Your High Performance Bowling Ball

After throwing a few games with your bowling ball, you may notice it starts to react inconsistently, or maybe does not hook as much as the day you purchased your new bowling ball. The reason is that in order to maintain the most performance out of your high performance bowling ball, you must take care of it.

The first step in maintaining a high performance bowling ball is to know what type of bowling ball you have. Most high performance bowling balls today have an aggressive coverstock. It could be a hard plastic ball, a reactive resin ball, or a pearl coverstock. Each of these different types of coverstocks (outer core of the ball) have different characteristics that you will need to consider when cleaning your bowling ball. To maintain the highest performance of your bowling ball, you should clean the ball after every 6 - 9 games you have bowled with it (much less for a plastic spare ball).

When a bowling ball is thrown down the lane, the coverstock of the bowling ball actually absorb oil from the lane. Typically, a reactive resin coverstock will absorb oil faster than a pearl coverstock, and a plastic absorbs little or no oil as it is thrown down the lane. You can see this after throwing the ball by looking at the oil track that is left on your bowling ball. For the purpose of this article, I am going to focus on high performance bowling balls with pearl or reactive resin coverstocks. This oil is absorbed into the coverstock of the ball, which can actually affect the hook potential of the ball and could cause an inconsistent reaction. Properly cleaning your bowling ball will extend the life and help the ball maintain its highest performance potential.

To properly clean a bowling ball you will need either an oil-free terrycloth towel, or a 100% plush cotton towel. You will also need a good bowling ball cleaner. To clean the ball, you simply spray the ball with the cleaner and wipe in small circles, pressing down firmly, until the cleaner has dried. Repeat until you have cleaned the entire surface of the bowling ball.

After cleaning the ball, this will bring the ball much closer to the original state of the ball and possibly restore hook to the ball that you feel you have lost. Also, you can try different polishes and factory finishes which can alter the surface of the bowling ball, possibly giving you the better reaction you are looking for.

In closing, taking care of your bowling ball is as similar to taking care of your car. Your car has a maintenance schedule which the manufacturer recommends ensuring your vehicle lasts and runs at its optimal capabilities. This is no different in the sport of bowling. If you take care of your bowling balls, you will find they will last longer, and maintain that pin-destroying capability that it had the day you purchased it.

Why Do I Need So Many Bowling Balls In My Arsenal?

Probably the most common question I have been asked when talking about my bowling ball arsenal is why I need so many different bowling balls. The easiest way to answer this question is by firing a question back. Why do you need so many golf clubs? Why do you need different gears in your car? I could make quite an extensive list of questions that I consider relative, but for now let’s discuss the golf clubs. Obviously, you need different golf clubs to hit different distances and trajectories to give yourself the best opportunity to achieve a good score. With the gears in your car, you need multiple gears so you can safely drive at high speeds without your engine over-revving, and you save gasoline. For the same reason, I need multiple bowling balls. For one thing, when I am throwing at a spare, I do not want my bowling ball to hook, so I have a plastic bowling ball. Also, depending on what lane condition I am bowling on, I may need a bowling ball made for a high oil volume, a low oil volume, a long pattern, or a short pattern. Therefore, I have multiple bowling balls to tackle all these different “conditions”. The next time someone asks you why you have so many bowling balls, you have two options. The first would be to explain to them how the lane conditions can change. The second would be to give them a smart a** response and ask them why they need different golf clubs!

How to Pick Up the Big Four Split in Bowling

How many of us out there have stared the 4 6 7 10 big four right in the face? Leaving the big four in bowling can be a pretty tall order, but with these tips, you may get lucky every now and then and pick up this tough spare.

The first thing you must consider when you are preparing to throw your bowling ball at this difficult spare is hit just on the outside of either the 4 or the 6 pin, depending on your comfort zone. Typically for a right-handed bowler, this would mean to throw it outside the 6 pin, sliding it over towards the 4 and 7 pins and hope they fall. In most cases, the best you can cut it would be into the 7 pin and if it reacts right, maybe a stray pin will also take out the 4 pin thus converting the second hardest spare in bowling.

The second step is to throw your bowling ball really fast. Throwing the ball faster will increase the chances of getting the pin to bounce off the sidewall or off the back ball curtain and end up back on the pin deck to knock down the other pins your bowling ball did not strike. If you cannot throw your bowling ball fast, this greatly reduces your chances of picking up this incredibly difficult spare.

The final step in attempting to pick up the bi four split happens just after you release your bowling ball. You close our eyes, put your hands together, and pray that you will get lucky and pick up this spare. I just converted this spare a few weeks ago in my USBC bowling league for the first time in 20 years of bowling. There is only 1 harder spare in bowling and trust me when I say there is no way to pick this spare up 100% of the time. It requires you to have some luck or maybe a helping hand from above. Good luck!

How to Pick Up the 7 10 Split in Bowling

For many of us out there, nothing can feel worse than leaving the 7 10 split while bowling. It is the most difficult spare in bowling to pick up. Well here are some tips on how to throw your bowling ball so you can maybe get lucky and pick up the split.

The first thing you must consider when you are preparing to throw your bowling ball at this difficult spare is hit either the 7 pin or 10 pin straight on. If you try and hit one of those pins on the outside to slide the pen across the lane, you will either throw your bowling ball in the gutter or hit the pin and undercut it. If the pin is in the exact position, there is not enough space between the pin and gutter to slide the pin straight across the lane. For this reason you need to aim and try to hit the pin straight on or just to the inside.

The second step is to throw your bowling ball really fast. Throwing the ball faster will increase the chances of getting the pin to bounce off the sidewall or off the back ball curtain and end up back on the pin deck to knock down the other pin your bowling ball did not strike. If you cannot throw your bowling ball fast, this greatly reduces your chances of picking up this incredibly difficult spare.

The final step in attempting to pick up the 7 10 split happens just after you release your bowling ball. You close our eyes, put your hands together, and pray that you will get lucky and pick up this spare. There is no harder spare in bowling and no way to pick this spare up 100% of the time. It requires you to have some luck or maybe a helping hand from above. Good luck!

How to Get a Bowling Sponsor

Bowling is one of the most participated in sports in the world, and many out there may be like me and want to make a living in the sport of bowling. However, without sponsorship, this dream can be difficult to reach. Here is a few tips on how to get sponsorship for bowling.

Since I did not do so in the introduction, let me clarify that this is not an article on how to get sponsored by a major bowling manufacturer like Hammer and bowl on the tour successfully. If you did not bowl in college and make a name for yourself, now you have to prove yourself. The first step is to obtain a local sponsorship. Many local pro shops may want to sponsor a good local bowler to bowl in tournaments and try and drive business to his shop. The shop owner may not pay you, but a significant discount on bowling merchandise, or paid entries for tournaments goes a long way when all you have to do is wear a shirt that advertises his shop and tell people how great it is.

Once you have completed this step, you may want to build yourself a bowling resume. Try and document all your accomplishments in the bowling world, as well as video of yourself bowling. This will be a great way to try and get local sponsorship from a restaurant or local retail store. Most businesses biggest expenditure, other than paying their employees, is advertising. If they can get you to advertise in front of hundreds of bowlers every week for cheap, they may be interested. Just do not walk in wearing a wife beater and too short jean shorts and ask for sponsorship. Treat this as a legitimate opportunity and explain to them how you can help their business, not just how they can help your career.

Finally, in the rare case that you become a successful bowler and are winning tournaments, try your luck in the PBA. I recommend using equipment from the same manufacturer so if a bowling ball representative is at the tournament, and you succeed throwing their equipment, it could increase your chances of getting sponsored and really hitting it big. Remember, if you try hard, practice hard, and really focus, you can make your game better. The better your game, the better your chance of getting sponsored and helping yourself and the company sponsoring you!

How to Bowl a 300, the Perfect Game

Bowling a perfect game is very difficult. Many people have gotten very close, but throwing your bowling ball the last frame for your last strike can make you very nervous. However, with the right mindset you can do it.

First of all, there is no magic equation to bowling a perfect game. If there was, some touring pros would do it almost every game. Sometimes the pins do not fall, and sometimes they do. The one thing to remember is that bowling well has a lot to do with your mental game, and getting nervous or not having confidence can affect your game. So step one is to have confidence in yourself and try not to get nervous.

If you have strung out a good many strikes in a row, maintain your confidence. If you have six strikes in a row, for example, do not think you have six more to go, think one more. Then think 1 more again. Eventually, you will only have one more for the 300.

Finally, do not be superstitious. If something happens that makes you step off, then you will think about that. Try to relax and throw good shots. Remember, this article does not guarantee you will throw a 300, but if you are close, stay confident and you can succeed!

How to Reduce Stress with Bowling

Have you had a bad day at work? Bad day at home? Stress can come in many forms, but some people may not know how to cope with the stress in their life. Bowling is a great way to ease your mind whenever you are mad or feeling stress. Follow these tips to make your day and life much better.

First of all, when you need to let off some steam and relieve stress, you need to do something physical. However, not all of us are into rigorous exercise or extraneous cardiovascular activity. For this reason, bowling is great. You get to really flex some of those muscles, then immediately sit down and rest.

The next thing you need to do is drive to your local bowling alley of course. Now get yourself a lane, grab one of those cheap house bowling balls, and see how fast you can throw it! The noise alone when the ball crashes into the pins can be quite exhilarating! Not too mention the satisfaction of a strike when the pins explode in all directions.

For special situations, like if your boss made you angry, picture his face as the head pin way down the bowling alley. I would never condone violence in anyway, but this can certainly calm you down and make you feel better if you strike the head pin with speed and fury. Now you are prepared to go back to work the next day and put that smile back on your face.

Don’t forget to invite your friends or family. There are few things more fun that sharing a pitcher of beer over a game or two of bowling with close friends! Good luck!

How to Choose the Right Bowling Ball

Bowling is a sport that has been around for thousands of years. It comes as no surprise that the equipment has changed. Even today, companies are making bowling balls that hook more, go longer down the lane, strike more, heck, they might one day throw themselves. Until that day, however, how do you choose the right bowling ball for yourself? Well here is your answer.

To open up, the first type of bowling ball is a plastic ball. This is a ball without a specific core, and the coverstock is plastic. I use a plastic ball for spares as they do not hook no matter the oil pattern you are bowling on, so you do not have to make adjustments to make spares. These type bowling balls are also great for beginners who do not know how to hook and their goal is to consistently hit the head pin.

Now, for more advanced bowlers, there are high performance bowling balls. These are balls that have a weight block, or core, that is shaped to cause the ball to hook. Furthermore, they have a more aggressive coverstock, like a pearl or reactive resin. These balls are designed to go far down the lane, and then hook into the head pin. This hook creates entry angle into the pocket and yields a higher percentage of strikes.

The problem with choosing a ball is knowing your characteristics, what pattern you typically bowl on, and what type of line do you want to play. Are you a full roller and stand use the whole lane throwing a big hook? Do you throw straight with a light hook? Are you somewhere in between? Fast? Slow? All these make a difference when making your choice. The best advice I can give you is to look online and find a ball that is designed for your type of game, and make sure you get it professionally drilled to suit your game.

If you have trouble picking a ball after doing your online research, visit a pro shop. You can explain your style shot, or the pro shop owner may know your game, and he can help you make a selection. Remember, although 99% of bowling is the skill of the bowler, having the right equipment in your hands can really help. Last time I checked, Tiger Woods does not use a wooden driver. If you are interest in what I consider the best bowling balls out there, check out Hammer's Official Website

How to Alter the Surface of Your Bowling Ball and Why

Bowling balls are much more complicated these days than in the past when made of just plastic. Today’s reactive resin bowling balls require much more maintenance to maintain the overall hook potential. Other than keeping them clean, you can actually alter the surface of the bowling ball to achieve different results. Read on to learn more about altering the surface of your high performance bowling ball.

Altering the surface of your bowling ball is very easy, but knowing what grit to use can be difficult. Using a ball spinner is the easiest way to change the surface of your bowling ball, but you can use your hands and wipe vigorously all over the entire surface of the ball whatever grit you decide to use. To change the surface, you should first look and see what the factory finish your bowling ball comes with out of the box. Most come with a 2000 grit sanded, then polished factory finish. This combination should get you length and backend as the 2000 grit will smooth the surface of the bowling ball and the polish helps it get down the lane. This finish could, however, get you a strong backend as the bowling ball is retaining all its potential energy until it reaches the dry boards down the lane. This is a good starting point if you are trying to figure out what works best for you.

Another way to change the surface of your bowling ball is to use a lesser grit abralon pad, like a 500 or 1000 grit. This style will give a somewhat less smooth surface allowing the ball to read the lane earlier. This will cause the ball to hook a little earlier, and instead of snapping in the backend, have more of a smooth, arcing transition over the entire length of the lane. This style would be great if you are bowling on a long oil pattern that would require you to get your ball into its roll earlier.

The final advice I can give on altering the surface of your bowling ball is to talk to your local PBA professional or Pro Shop operator. They have extensive knowledge on ball layouts and surfaces and they can tell you what can work best on the shot you most consistently bowl on. Do not be afraid to try new polishes, different grit sandpapers, etc. Once you figure out what is best for you, the high average will follow!

Remember, DO NOT alter the surface of your bowling ball during USBC or PBA competition. This is against the rules. To clean and resurface your bowling ball, check out this bowling ball spinner:

Ball Spinner 1/2 Horse Power - $ 279.99
From: bowlingball.com, Inc.