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I am not a believer in teaching
unorthodox technique, though I respect and acknowledge its merit when I see it demonstrated with success.
For instance, Don Carter's "bent elbow" and Mark Roth's "fast feet" are not in my playbook, but who can honestly
question the greatness of those techniques as they applied them?
Indeed, in all sports, we occasionally witness an outstanding performance exhibited by an athlete who
seems to flout consideration for that game's fundamentals. I attribute this abnormal success to unique
physiology and/or the law of counter balance: "two negatives make a positive." For example, drifting to
the left with your first step and then countering with a drift to the right with your next step.
Furthermore, teaching the unorthodox is difficult (if not impossible) for two reasons: first, we don't
fully understand it; and second, we are most often not fully predisposed physiologically to properly carry
it out. For these reasons, most of us rely on intelligence, diligent practice and a strong dedication to
mastering the game's accepted fundamentals in order to be successful in bowling.
During my fifty-some years of teaching the game, I have worked with some very talented bowlers… professional,
as well as outstanding amateurs. I feel a great sense of satisfaction in having been able to help most of them.
For the most part, this was done by teaching and stressing the sound axioms of the game. As one would expect,
there are a number of fundamentals in this fascinating game, but in this column I have chosen to list what I
consider to be the four most important. Even more, I have listed them in what I believe to be their rightful priority.
- My strongest conviction about bowling fundamentals concerns the ball grip. From the very beginning of my teaching career,
I have consistently related this basic fundamental to my students: "Everything in your bowling performance depends to some
appreciable degree on what you feel through the gripping of the ball." Let me now add one more: "Don't expend any significant
time and effort to improve your game until you have been properly screened and fitted by a qualified ball technician."
Today, there are a great number of proficient ball technicians to be found. Still, before I take on a new student, I check
out his or her bowling ball. Most often, I am pleased with the fitting. But when I do find a bad ball fit, it is usually
because the thumb is not properly pitched toward the index finger, or the span is too stretched or slack with regard to the ring finger.
- Fifty years ago, I came up with a synonym for the push-away: I called it ball placement. My reasoning was that "push-away"
implied a forceful pushing of the ball away from the body... when, in reality, the ball should be placed into the swing in a
concise and simple manner. I feel stronger than ever that ball placement is a more accurate term for describing this aspect
of the game today even though "push-away" is still the prevalent use. About the same time, I likened the swing and footwork
to two separate gears, which are engaged when the ball is placed. Carrying this a bit further, I advocated that the ball
be placed in an arc which, though often very slight, is important for consistency, affording better compensation and garnering
better pendulum effect. In this same regard, ideal swing and feet relationship finds the body's position throughout the
approach (as determined by the position of the feet) slightly ahead of the swing itself, this brought on by a slightly delayed
ball placement resulting in stronger leverage within the swing. To reinforce the importance of this principle, I coined the
phrase, "Leverage plus hand position equals ball power."
- With little exception, good footwork is required in order to become an accomplished player. After all, your feet are the
only things that come in contact with your environment. In this regard, consider the five digits of your hand and, beginning
with the thumb, list them as the number of steps, the direction of the steps, the spacing of the steps, the incline of the
steps and the cadence of the steps. And there you have it. That's what footwork is all about… taking four or five steps,
walking straight, not taking your steps too long or too short, taking each step heel-toe (with the exception of the last step
or a "power step"), and developing an ideal cadence. Because of different styles and physiology, some deviation to the norm
may prove beneficial here, but one must be careful not to rationalize and accept that which is negative.
- Finally, work hard to build a swing that you can depend on to serve you well in all kinds of pressure situations, as well
as on all types of lane conditions. Swings will vary because of a bowler's physiology, especially the direction of the backswing.
But when all is said and done, the direction of the last half of the downswing should be slightly inside-out while passing close
to the ankle of the sliding foot.
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