Need more help on playing the lane "extreme hooking backends"

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krava
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Need more help on playing the lane "extreme hooking backends"

Post by krava »

I posted before about this but this is a little different.

Here is a statement that I thought was true. If the backends are hooking like mad and you can't keep the ball on the right side of the headpin, then there are a few things you can do. #1 Instead of a cupped wrist, used more of a firm wrist and take some hand out. #2 Ball down to a less aggressive ball or a low flaring ball.

Here is what happend to me Thursday. (On past Thursdays, I could miss right almost anywhere and the ball would come back to the pocket). I threw some balls in practice and notice that the lanes seemed to be dry to me. If I missed right the ball would shoot back left and jump bad. I was using a GB3 like always at factory finish that I just did. By the end of practice, I was 3-4 boards left of where I usually stand. I stared with 3 in a row but knew I was in deep trouble from the start. I considered this "wet dry" before even starting. (if I missed left it wouldn't jump and would hold a little, but missing right (at the breakpoint) was a complete disaster making the ball just take off.) Also there was too much hook from the start. (no oil showed up on my ball at all, any time in practice)

So anyway, 1st game i combated it the best way I could. 2nd game I tried to fight the condition. I tried a hustle ink and then even balled down to my Brunswick BTU which doesn't move much at all. With the BTU i got about 1/2" of heavy oil flare on the ball. It was 1/2 in soaked around the track area of the ball. I could not keep the ball on the right side of the lane. It didn't hook much at all. It just looked like it started to move left once I laid the ball down. I hit brooklyn with it every time I threw the ball. I tried going straight up 10 and even 8. I could be wrong but lets say I put it down on 8. It probably moved to 10 about 2 feet down the lane and then moved 2 boards every 5 feet or so (bascially a slow slanting diagonal maybe 85 degrees). I tried not cupping my wrist everything. I ended up with a 146 and everyone on my team beat me and I am glad they did because they made up for the slack I did on that game. I looked at the lane and it looked like it had light oil from the start. I thought to myself, ok this has light oil on the lane, let me get a light oil ball. I grabbed the hustle ink moved left to where I was playing with the GB3 (usually when I grab the hustle, I move several boards right to use it). I started with the first 6 and ended with 220+ on the last game. I was close to the 3rd arrow with that ball as I haven't played that far left with that ball before.

Jump to today. Bowled in the dark at the AFB. I bowled on bowled on lane conditions. Same type of situation. I couldn't keep the ball to the right of the headpin and fought everything I could. Even using the BTU again and same thing happened. I never got the BTU to the pocket. I fought the lanes the first 2 games and got 140's or 150s. I was around 2nd arrow with the rocket ship and BTU. The BTu looked like it was starting way too soon. 3rd game I said to myself let me play the lanes like I do when these usually dry out. Stood 2 left of the last dot shot 15/16 out with the conspiracy and shot 242 with an open frame I believe somewhere in there. I stayed that far left and even further left the whole night. I left a lot of big 4's and 3pins of the big 4 ( 4 7 6 almost every game because of all that hook. I never leave that kind of split at the other bowling alley. not 2 big 4's per game on average. it was hard to play tonight because it was in the dark and i can't see at all how far my ball is 38-40 feet down the lane on what board. I just had to guess.

So the point is, what is the point of a low flaring ball? The experience I have is that, if I throw a low flaring ball on lanes where the back ends just shoot off to the left, the ball is going to start too early where I place the ball down. I didn't completely take my hand out of it and throw up the back of the ball though like I do with a straight ball. I didn't try that.

I think I get it, you can use a low flaring ball if you want to play a "tighter" angle to the pocket as long as the backends aren't crazy mad. For instance, if I have a GB3 and I am playing lets say 15 to 8 and in. Instead of using the GB3 and when the lanes go wet dry or something. I can grab the same type of ball with a low flare layout and then play 15 to 10-11 or maybe even 12 and then back into the pocket?

If the back ends are crazy hooking mad, the only thing you can do is move left with feet and the target until you are finally on the right side of the headpin? At least that is what I learned the past 2 days.
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Re: Need more help on playing the lane "extreme hooking backends"

Post by RobMautner »

Ron Mohr gave me some very good advice a few years ago: when the lanes are "wet/dry", you have to decide if you are going to play in the oil or in the friction. If you try to play the oil line, you'll lose 20 pins to the field each game. In practical terms, get the idea of "where I usually play" out of your head and play the lanes the way that they tell you to play.
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Re: Need more help on playing the lane "extreme hooking backends"

Post by boomer »

Krava - I think the problem is that you're still making small adjustments and then balling one way or the other. You mentioned moving 3-4 boards - if the lanes are dry on the outside and on the backends, you need to move a LOT, and 3-4 boards isn't even close to a lot. . . 10 boards is where I would immediately move. Might move 10 and 10, to be honest (although might try 10-5 to see).

I've said this many times - get yourself 3 "main lines" that you can routinely play. I typically play 25 with feet, 10 arrow out to about 5-7. I can quickly move to 15 with feet, 5 arrow and more straight on. I can also quickly move to 35 (against ball return), 15-20 at arrows. Those are the lines I routinely practice so I can deal with whatever comes. When I practice, it's not to get score, it's to be comfortable playing the twig (I'm NOT. . .) and to be comfortable playing big cross lane (I'm NOT. . .) as well as playing the oil line.

You never know what you're going to get - the LANE dictates your play. You are still trying to dictate YOUR PLAY to the lane . . . the lane will win every time.
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Re: Need more help on playing the lane "extreme hooking backends"

Post by krava »

I bowled on the same today and asked about it. I looked and my team mate agreed. I asked the lane tech and he said oily in the middle dry on outside. There iks no oil from 8 to the gutter you can see it when you start. I played 14 to 8 to start. i didnt have a ball for a tight inside line. Thurs if this happens i will try 16-14 or so out to 11 and in with a low flare ball or slow reving ball. isnt that how it needs to be played?
krava
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Re: Need more help on playing the lane "extreme hooking backends"

Post by krava »

I started at 33 at the dots to 13/14 at the arrows to somewhere 8 or right of that 15.6mph or so on the monitor I didn't look 1 time where I was at the range finders, I need to start doing that bad. ( i was more judging the distance seeing if I got it out far enough or not). I ended up standing on 37 throwing over 15/16 to 8 and in with a conspiracy at around 14.5 mph. The problem is trying to get around the ball. I missed getting around the ball a few times and ended up right of the headpin.
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Re: Need more help on playing the lane "extreme hooking backends"

Post by TomaHawk »

Krava, if you're practicing, that's one thing, if you're bowling for money, that's another.

Most effective bowlers have a comfort zone. Figure out what you do best and do it. Are you more effective on the outside, up the track, or the inside of the lane. When you figure that out, learn how to stay in that zone all day, change speed, your hand, or both, whatever it takes to stay there.

There are several very accomplished bowlers around our city who average 230 - 240. Some play in the dry. We're talking setting the ball on the 1 to 5 board on a house shot and barely hooking the ball. Then, there are the guys who are capable of playing right on the edge of the pattern. If your comfort zone is way inside you'll need to play the lane front to back, trying to keep the ball away from the dry until it reaches the backend.

All of those techniques mentioned can take advantage of a house shot. The guy who plays the dry will occasionally get the ball to freeze at the pocket when he misses inside. The person who plays the track will take advantage of both the oil and the dry. The fellow that plays inside will take advantage of the dry. They do not miss by much. Their games are based on predictability.

The point is, develop a consistent enough release so that you are not rolling the ball all over the place. Confine your mistakes to a smaller area like two or three boards, not five or ten. You'll have a lot more fun.
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Re: Need more help on playing the lane "extreme hooking backends"

Post by krava »

Thanks for the comment Tomahawk. This was not for practice. I know where I am most effective at. The problem is that the people oiled the lanes and that took away that part of the lane for me. In the past few weeks, I was able to miss right and anywhere I miss right, it would come back and hit the pocket. I can't get into the dry at all to early or the ball will shoot off through the face. Right now if I had to guess is I am playing right where the oil line is to start. When I was playing the lanes all day today, I was trying to get the ball out to the dry right where the edge of the pattern is which is around 38-40 feet and then bounce it off. I only missed left once and I turned my shoulder to the left and cut my angles off and I realized I did it and threw a perfect shot the next ball. I could be wrong since I can't see well but I think I was within 1 board accuracy at the arrows per shot today and not more then 2 or so at the breakpoint when I didn't close my shoulder off. My problem is when I do more of an inside angle, I like to come around the ball and not through the ball. Sometimes I come through the ball and the ball rolls a little funny and doesn't have the over all hook as coming around it. I never broke my wrist today but I made a lot of mistakes coming threw the ball instead of around it and got a little fast with my speed a few times.
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Re: Need more help on playing the lane "extreme hooking backends"

Post by TomaHawk »

You might be over thinking the game a little bit. Being successful at bowling is no different than having success as, let's say, a baseball pitcher. All sports are the same. There is a point in an athletic process where everything must be in the proper location. That position is the release point.

Simple is better. Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating old style, squared up all the way to the foul line technique, far from it. But, the notion that a person needs to exaggerate any part of the bowling motion is a misnomer. Remain calm, keep the eyes focused on the intended target, and roll the ball over the target.

As for, trying to bounce the ball off the dry? That's like bouncing a basketball off the cement trying to get the ball in the hoop. You would be much better off finding a straighter path down the lane.
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