8
- JULY 2015
Idle Bowling Thoughts
By Chuck Pezzano
(reprinted in honor of his dedication to bowling)
Helen Duval‟s Bowling Tips
Body English
Does body English really help after the ball has left your hand? Why of course it
does...it steers the ball right into the pocket for a perfect strike. We think.
Body English is probably a disguise for bad balance or rushing the foul line or
dropping the ball too soon or...you can go on and on.
I might add that it could also be the result of a bowler being so embarrassed
with a terrible delivery or direction of the ball that he/she “acts up” on the ap-
proach to distract attention.
Here are some very important checkpoints to work on. They were first given in a
previous less on help with good timing, good coordination and good balance at
the foul line and so you could deliver the ball well and have control of it.
I am going to describe a strike position on the approach, because if you can‟t
find your strike position and can‟t become consistent up to the foul line by walking
straight and coordinating your arm (ball) and feet the getting your spares become
quite a problem.
Finding your stance position on the approach as described here works 95% of
the time. Keep in mind that some bowling centers have seven dots on the ap-
proach and other centers have five dots. The second arrow (10 board) or strike
arrow is in line with the second dot in from the end of a seven-dot marking. The
second arrow (10 board) or strike arrow is in line with the end dot of a five-dot
marking.
Now the checkpoints:
Stance position for a strike. Feet pointed toward pins and slightly apart (one
or two inches). Left foot forward (for right-handers) and weight on forward foot
(sliding foot). Let your arm hang down against the body, fingers pointed to-
ward the floor. Make sure your fingers are hanging over the board that‟s lined
up with the second arrow (10 board). This puts your feet in an exact place.
Now look down at the part of your left shoe sole (not toe) that is at the base of
your big toe. Learn to use this part of your shoe instead of the toe as your
guide. Why? Because there are pointed, square and round-toed shoes and
that could puzzle a person as to where to put the foot. Remember this foot
position because you should go to this spot every time to practice strikes.
Now you are ready to put your fingers in the ball and make your approach
to...
Hit your arrow, the second one. Did you? You must know this and to concen-
trate on it, stay at the foul line and watch. Stay down with the sliding knee
bent until the ball hits the pins. If you can‟t, then your balance is bad. Now it‟s
time to...
Check your hand position after delivery. It should be in a typical handshake
position, fingers curled to feel the ball leaving the fingers and thumb at 10:00
or 11:00. Now it‟s time to...
Check your sliding foot at the foul line. If your foot is on the same board you
started on, doesn‟t that mean you walked straight? Good. Then you should
have no trouble making the ball roll over the second arrow.
Now practice this. Stand in the same place and roll the ball over the second
arrow. Do this no matter what pins are standing. This is the way to practice. For-
get what score you‟re making and just keep track of your frames on the score-
sheet for payment for your bowling. Many centers put the meter reading on your
scoresheet and charge you according to what the meter reads when you return to
it.
Try to become consistent in walking straight, hitting your spot, staying down at
the foul line until the ball hits the pins, checking that your hand is in the hand-
shake position with fingers curled.
If you become consistent doing this, your spares will become easy to hit. Re-
member, spare shooting is exactly the same as strikes on the approach, except
you face, walk, swing and follow-through in the direction of your spare.
Practice, practice, practice.
Patrick Allen didn‟t go full-time on the pro tour until he was past 30, but his pres-
ence was felt on all levels of bowling from the time he was a super star teenager.
So when it came time to select the 50 greatest players in Professional Bowlers
Association history, though 44th doesn‟t sound impressive, it is in the case of Al-
len‟s comparatively short years on the tour, less than 10. Yet, after the poll was
taken, Allen made the TV show five consecutive events and won the highly prized
Tournament Of Champions. If a survey were taken now he would move up at least
10 spots or more, and if he continues his pace he could well be in that elusive top
10 of all-time.
Though jobs seem tight in every industry there are some major openings coming
up in major integers of bowling, United States Bowling Congress and the Bowling
Proprietors Association of America, and also various other positions. Check the
net. Though a familiarity with bowling is vital in some cases, in others, a com-
pletely blank background in the sport can bring a new and fresh perspective. It
boils down to the man or woman seeking an ever challenging role.
President Obama had his problems with keeping a bowling ball on the lane
during one of his highly publicized campaign stops. Recently he mentioned
getting back on the bowling lanes in the White House complex, but also indicated
he might be interested in the bumper version of bowling. That thought was quickly
vetoed by the new first lady.
I still like the idea of different colored bowling lanes. It wouldn‟t change anything
in the game except make it more colorful. Remember, there was a day when all
bowling balls were black. Have you looked at a rack recently.
Can you imagine a tournament bowler, after tripping on a cigarette butt on the
approach, committing a foul and losing his opportunity to win the event, saying,
“Oh, the perversity of inanimate objects.” What would you have said?
Today‟s kids try almost all sports, on their own, or because of pushing parents.
Bowling has some advantages. Every kid gets to play – and plays to win. Males
and females are welcome, and various handicap systems make for fair competi-
tions. Visiting a friend‟s house I noticed his seven year old has trophies for base-
ball, soccer and bowling. I asked him what trophy he liked best and he said the
bowling one because he won it for one of the highest averages in his group, and
added that almost everyone who played baseball or soccer got a trophy just for
showing up. Bowling can also be guilty of award overkill. Everyone doesn‟t always
win so the sooner that lesson is learned the better.
The bowling campus in Texas, putting as many bowling groups as possible to-
gether at one site is a winner. With the Bowling Hall of Fame also moving there I
hope that the lure of too much high tech stuff doesn‟t do away with the down to
earth exhibits initiated by pioneer Bruce Pluckhahn, an early planner of the Hall
who came up with such simple but highly praised exhibits of the multitude of bowl-
ing shirts used over the past century.
The best job in bowling is to be the person who informs someone that they
have been elected to a Hall of Fame.
