This is a continuation of my Blog Posts from 1/3/22 and 1/10/22. 

    There are generally three types of Bowling Styles previously discussed in my Blog Post from last week, 1/10/22. They are "Cranker", "Stroker", and "Tweener" Styles. How a bowler walks on the approach, the amount of revs placed on the ball, the balls' speed, and a bowlers arm swing, will all determine the kind of bowling style a player has. Today I'll be discussing the style of a "TWEENER".

    This name "TWEENER" almost sounds like "In-Betweener" which is exactly what it is. It's a bowling style that's not quite a "Cranker" or a "Stroker", but a combination of the two. Because of this, this style can vary quite a bit from Tweener to Tweener.

 
Steps 1-5:  The majority of Tweeners play a little more towards the center of the lane and walk fairly straight on the approach, but occasionally you will see one walking at a slight angle toward their target. They have a nice slide on their last step and the shoulders are usually square to the target (but like the other styles a bowler may open up the shoulders at times for a little extra power when needed). The backswing is usually shoulder height which will produce an average ball speed.


Hand & Wrist Position:
                   
​Tweeners 

1. Insert all three fingers into the bowling ball.
2. Will use a straight wrist position with or without a wrist device.
3. Thumb position can be anywhere from a 4:00-11:00 at the stance for a right handed bowler (8:00-2:00 position for the lefty).
4. At the release, they use a small wrist rotation. A modest axis tilt is applied which allows the thumb to exit the ball first followed by the fingers. Then the fingers apply the rotating action from the side of the ball which creates a moderate amount of revs with a moderate hook. The ball speed will be about 20 mph and the thumb will finish at the 10:00 or 11:00 position.

   Tweeners have a controllable and very effective ball motion which allows them to be able to play well on different lane conditions. They can crank when necessary to get some extra power, or they can tune down the larger hook when more accuracy is needed.

​    To sum things up: Parts 1-3

    CRANKERS give the ball a lot of side rotation which causes the ball to break and hook very sharply at the pins. They tend to start more to the left side of the lane. The professional bowler, Mark Roth had this Cranker Style.

    The STROKER rolls the ball more forward and smoothly without a lot of spin, which creates a gradual small hook that is easier to control and they tend to start on the right side of the lane. The professional bowler, Walter Ray Williams has this Stroker style.

    The TWEENER is a hybrid of these other two styles which gives you several options to choose from. The professional bowler, Jason Belmonte has a Tweener style.

   I developed and learned the Stroker style and averaged over 200 for several of my bowling seasons. If you are just starting out, I advise taking a few lessons from a professional coach or pro at the pro shop and let him help you decide which one you should develop to get the most out of your games. If you are very athletic, you may have the strength to develop the Cranker Style for example, but learn from someone who has mastered that style to help you get over the problems more quickly so your scores will be high.  

    There are two other styles that aren't used as often but they are the "Straight Ball and Back-Up Ball styles which I'll be discussing at a later time.   

Check out my ebook available on Amazon/Kindle--"Let's Rev Up Those Bowling Scores"!
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Join me here next week when I'll be discussing "How do you get out of a Bowling Slump"?

Good Luck and High Scoring!!

    There are generally three types of Bowling Styles previously discussed in my Blog Post from 1/10/22. They are "CRANKER", "STROKER", and "TWEENER" styles. How a bowler walks on the approach, the amount of revs placed on the ball, the balls' speed, and a bowlers arm swing, will all determine the kind of bowling style a player has. Today I'll be discussing the style of a "STROKER".

    The most common of the bowling styles is that of the "STROKER" and there are several reasons why. First, there is only a small AXIS TILT at the release, which creates a smaller more gradual hook that's easy to control. This helps a player get a higher percentage of good pocket hits and more spare conversions. Second, this style is very versatile, allowing a bowler to do well on different lane conditions and being able to play from different angles. 

Steps: For a four step approach:

    1-4- Most Strokers start with their stance between the edge of the lane and the 15th board. They walk fairly straight along the approach with a nice slide followed by the release. Unlike the Cranker, the shoulders will be more square to the foul line at all times (although some may open up the shoulders slightly for a little more power if needed), and the backswing is usually no more than shoulder height.

Wrist and Hand Position:

    1. Strokers insert all three fingers into the bowling ball.
    2. Use a straight or only a slight broken wrist position (where the hand is tilted slightly down at the stance). If you
            aren't sure of what these positions look like, check out my Blog Post from 10/4/21.
    3. The THUMB is at the 3:00 position (on the face of a clock) with the fingers at the 12:00 position.
    4. The thumb leaves the ball first followed by the fingers which create a rotating action from behind the ball or from the 
            side of it, and the fingers will have a pulling motion toward the palm.
    5. The thumb finishes up at the 10:00 or 11:00 position at the release and the hand rotation and the lifting of the
            fingers toward the palm, gives the ball low to medium revolutions with an average ball speed of about 17-19 mph.

  
     Strokers depend more on a smooth swing, smooth delivery, and accuracy and the placement of the ball over the
same target, rather than the power of more revolutions doing most the work. They walk straighter along the approach, and the release is at the end of the slide on the last step. Strokers have a more controlled, and consistent style and tend to begin their stance more to the right side of the lane as compared to the Cranker which starts on the left.


    Meet me back here next week when I'll be discussing What are the Different Types of Bowling Styles"-Part 3, the
    "Tweener Style"


Don't forget to do your bowling exercises if you've slacked off a bit.

​Good Luck and High Scoring!!

​    

​    

    There are basically THREE types of Bowling Styles that a bowler may have-"CRANKER, STROKER, or TWEENER". Today I''ll be discussing the "CRANKER" style of bowling.
    
    Lately there is another FOURTH style where bowlers do NOT insert their fingers into the ball at all.! They throw the ball with both hands and get a tremendous amount of Revs on the ball. This style is very hard to master though and I don't really recommend it because it is difficult to maintain accuracy which is a crucial factor needed to convert spares.

    Have you ever seen a bowler that throws a very large hook, and then when their ball hits the pins, they look like they are dancing around all over the pin deck or just exploding off the pin deck? These are the big power players who are labeled as "Crankers". It's very interesting to watch someone with this style because they need to be very flexible, and have to be quite athletic.
    Cranking requires a lot of strength and skill to be able to get many more revolutions on the ball which does give a higher chance of achieving strikes. A stronger releasing action helps the fingers quickly rotate the ball about 45-70 degrees giving a greater Axis Tilt and a much larger hook. Axis Tilt is the spin that is put on the ball by the way a player throws it. A lower axis tilt creates a smaller more gradual hook that is easier to control. A higher axis tilt gets the ball farther down the lane before it begins to hook which creates a larger hook. It's difficult to control a large hook and there is a higher chance of cutting into the pins in such a way that the bowler may leave some nasty splits because of the larger angle the ball is coming in at with this Cranker Style.

Steps a Cranker Takes:  They usually start on the left side of the lane and aim between the center and third arrow to accommodate the large hook.
​
    1st- For a four step approach, the first step begins with the right foot (for a right handed bowler) going straight out in 
          front of the body.
    2nd- Left foot actually steps 4-5" to the left of the body (does not walk in a straight line).
    3rd- The third step is slightly to the right and towards the center of the body, opening up the shoulders with a very high    
          back swing (the shoulders are turned slightly to the right and Not square to the target).
     4th-The last step has very little slide and the left foot is planted solidly and the ball is pulled upward on the
         release.The left foot arrives at the foul line before the ball, giving the body a solid foundation to assist in the 
​         stronger releasing action.   

​Wrist and Hand Positions:

    1. Some Crankers  don't insert the thumb into the ball and may also hold the ball up higher at the stance for extra
         power.

    2. Some may over rotate the thumb to the 5:00 position at the stance to help get extra revs on the ball at the release.

    3. Crankers keep the wrist under the ball in a CUPPED position and move the elbow out slightly from the body. If you're not sure what a cupped position looks like, you can check out my Blog Post from 10/4/21.

    4. Keep a tilted wrist position just before the release.

​    5. Pull the fingers quickly to rotate the ball with the thumb finishing straight up. 

    
    To feel what it's like, at your next practice session, try bowling without your thumb in the hole. It forces you to keep your hand under the ball so you don't drop it.
     If you think you may want to give this style a chance, I recommend taking lessons from a pro who specializes in it so he can give you the best advice in developing it properly. 


​Check out my ebook available on Amazon/Kindle--"Let's Rev Up Those Bowling Scores"!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09ZSMB99G/ref=sr_1_2?crid=P3PQWHFB1WYS&keywords=lets+rev+up+those+bowling+scores&qid=1652035291&sprefix=lets+rev+up+those+bowling+scores%2Caps%2C76&sr=8-2
   

​Join me in 2 WEEKS when I'll be discussing "What Are The Different Types of Bowling Styles?-Part 2

    
​Good Luck and High Scoring!!

    
    

    

    

​    

FIRSTLY, I WANT TO WISH ALL MY FOLLOWERS A VERY HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR !!!

This is a continuation of my Blog Post from 12/20/21:
​
    There are several problems one can encounter in the game of bowling. I've listed some below to help you be more aware of what may be happening if your bowling is NOT up to par:


6. LOFTING:

    When lofting the ball, you need to land it ONTO the lane smoothly like landing an airplane, and in the same area on the lane. If you don't use much loft, you may get a "FOUL" because your release was too close to the foul line. If you loft only a little, the ball will have more lane to travel on and hook too much by the time it reaches the pins, causing the ball to come up high on the headpin. If you loft the ball out more the next time than you did in the previous frame, the ball will have less lane to travel on and you'll come up short missing the pocket area. Doing this routinely will cause you to be inconsistent! You need to loft the ball out about 6-10 feet in order for the ball to get onto the oil that is applied on the lane so it can skid first and then be able to roll effectively when it reaches the pocket.
   
     In practice, you can put a piece of painters tape on the lane (it doesn't leave a sticky residue on the lane) and practice lofting the ball out to that spot each time. The lanes are slippery, so first ask if you can do it and if the mechanic isn't busy, he may be able to do it for you. You can also put an old washcloth on the lane instead. Doing this exercise often will help you get a FEEL of how far to loft the ball out and onto the lane to help you to get more consistent. Over time, your muscle memory will just do it without you having to even think about it.
   
    If you notice that you are holding onto the ball too long and lofting the ball out too far, your bowling grip may be the problem. The fingers need to fit into the ball just right. The opposite also holds true, if your grip is too loose, you may drop the ball short. Go to the pro shop and have him check your grip for you, just don't go immediately after bowling a few games because your fingers may swell a little and he may end up sanding too much causing the hole to become too large.


7. STANDING IN THE WRONG PLACE:

    You may know from your league practice time before the bowling begins, where you should stand for the strike shot on the pair of lanes you are bowling on and you stick with this until the lanes begin to change a bit. If you are standing on the wrong board, you may not get the strike that you were getting when you were on the correct board because you will be coming in at a slightly different angle.

    But what if you forget what board or dot you need to stand on, or what if you are in a deep conversation with another bowler and you rush to the lane because it's your turn? All these things can affect our focus and concentration, so if you are new to the game, I suggest writing down (on a piece of paper or in your notebook) which board you are standing on and what arrow or board you are aiming for. As you make adjustments to your game, don't forget to change the info on that little piece of paper.

8. OVERTURNING THE HAND:

    This can happen to many bowlers. "TOPPING THE BALL" means you did NOT finish with your FINGERS in that 12:00  position I spoke about in an earlier blog post. You have turned the ball too much to the left (for right handed bowlers) and finished with your FINGERS in the 10 or 9:00 position instead.  It can also happen if you turn your entire arm instead of just the wrist. Overturning will cause a low AXIS TILT which leads to a poor delivery and loss of ball power by the time it reaches the pins. On the backswing your hand should be flat (thumb in the 3 o'clock position) and then as you begin the downswing, you can rotate the hand so the thumb can finish in the 10 or 11:00 position on the release. Some bowlers will turn the hand even more to get more revs. It's crucial to have the thumb leave the ball first so the fingers can do that lifting as I have previously mentioned and rotate the ball properly so it can hook. 


Join me back here next week when I'll be discussing "What Are The Different Bowling Styles"? The first one I'll be discussing is the style of the "CRANKER".

​  
Good Luck and High Scoring!!