As a coach who visits different countries, I encounter bowlers from beginners to elite national team players. At all levels, few bowlers are prepared to be their best for competition play. The objective of this month’s article is to raise awareness and provide an opportunity to self-assess your preparations as a player or coach. You must be both aware and actually do the work before the tournament. Greatness is in the details. Don’t forget to change your inserts periodically as well!
One of the most frequent issues I encounter on the coaching road is a bowler who has not changed their tape. As dirt, residue, and oil build up on the tape, a player will increase their thumb pressure without awareness. This leads to unnecessary tension not only when the ball moves into the swing, but throughout the swing, impacting the fluidity of the physical game and negatively affecting biomechanical efficiency. Due to this strain, the exit of the thumb will be slowed, leading to reduced ball motion.
Recommendation: Change the layer of tape touching your thumb every three games. If you sweat a lot, change it every one to two games.
The rate of oil absorbency of today’s cover materials is one of the fundamental reasons bowling balls hook more. This added value becomes a liability when the cover becomes saturated and oil-soaked. This is one of the reasons a ball loses reaction. According to a study by Brunswick, after 60 games a ball will lose reaction, requiring a 1-and-0 or a 2-and-1 adjustment to the outside. After 90 games, it took as much as a 3-and-1 move to hit the ...
This article is only available to Bowling This Month subscribers. Click below to get instant access to this article and all of our other premium instructional content.
Subscribe to Bowling This Month
Already a Bowling This Month subscriber? Click here to log in.
Image Credits: Rocket illustration (©iStock.com/aleksei-veprev) is licensed for use by BTM and is the copyrighted property of its original creator.
