PROFESSIONAL BOWLERS AND TOP COACHES long have disagreed over the many subtle manifestations that can take place in the downswing. It is understandable why this aspect of the game provokes such controversy, because it is the backswing that’s often modified to accommodate the specific physiology of the bowler. Continue reading ‘The Upside of Getting Your Downswing Down’ »
It’s no secret: A good ball fit is the key to execution.
ROLLING A STRIKE IN BOWLING IS MUCH EASIER than hitting a home run, and does not require big muscle prowess. Unlike baseball, what is required of a skilled bowler is a much higher percentage in realizing the ultimate result. Most professional bowlers today exceed the average of seven strikes per game. Doing so requires repetition; i.e., being able to repeat positive technique at a high percentage. This pertains to all aspects of the game, but where it is most often overlooked by the average bowler concerns the ball grip. Continue reading ‘The Tricks to Getting a Good Grip’ »
Contemplating a number of timely tenpin topics.
WITH NO APOLOGIES FOR THE PUN, YOU COULD SAY that bowling is a sport that provides plenty of spare opportunities for reflection. It was in one of those contemplative periods that this column was written.
RECENTLY, I WAS THINKING…
…That there is too much said about two-handed bowlers and what impact this technique will have on future teaching curriculums. I believe expectations in this regard by the media are exaggerations at best and inadvertently detrimental to the sport, which is not to demean the accomplishments by those who successfully employ this method. On the contrary, I heartily congratulate these innovators and marvel at their success while, at the same time, acknowledging that the unorthodox has always existed in sports. I recall a bowler who electrified the bowling world in the early 1950s with a severely bent elbow, a flared backswing and a knee- and back-bend that almost had his chin resting on the knee of his sliding step. Maybe you’ve heard of him — Don Carter. I recall many bowlers trying to emulate this technique, but to my knowledge, nary a one succeeded.
It’s not exactly news that individual sports are in
decline, but for bowling, the solution is obvious.
John Chapman was born about 1775 in Massachusetts. As an adult, he said he was “called” on a mission, so he navigated a boatload of seeds down the Ohio River, then planted them over hundreds of miles of country. Many eyewitness accounts exist of this lonely recluse traversing down desolate back roads, randomly disbursing handsful of seeds. The country folk considered him “crack-brained,” beset with lunacy; the more forgiving labeled him an eccentric. Continue reading ‘The Drooping of Golf and Tennis, ET AL’ »
Loading ...
