Time to tinker around a bit!

The biggest advantage to having a mediocre amount of talent is that you can feel free to tinker around with different things without having to fear messing up the finley-honed skills you already had. That is the case with me. My physical game has always had its share of limitations. As such, from time to time I've been compelled to attempt some radical changes in the hopes of unlocking potential that has failed to surface while trying things the conventional way.

A few years back, I spent a year trying to emulate Jason Belmonte and others using a two-handed delivery. It was eye-opening, but I never had enough flexibility to truly pull that one off. As such, now, I'm trying a more Tom Daugherty-esque no-thumb approach. In doing so, I had my driller punch up a Brunswick Melee using a no-thumb layout I saw referenced at the Masters. Basically, the ball is drilled with three holes arranged in a triangle around the CG, which allows me to orient the pin in six different positions, which, obviously, changes the reaction. Well, here is how night one of league went while using that ball and that approach:

Game 1

71 X X 8- X 9/ 7/ X 63 X7- - 164

Well, nothing like shooting your lowest game of the season right out of the gate! Obviously, the score was terrible, but I deserved exactly what I got here. I threw the ball just about everywhere during this game, so it was a shot-making issue, not a reaction or lane-play issue. The opens in the first and fourth came as a result of the ball rocketing off the lane to the right with my spare ball. I'm not sure if this was a product of releasing the ball differently since I've grown accustomed to throwing my first ball without the thumb or if it was due to more oil than normal; nevertheless, from that point forward, I moved right and played less angle through the front on right-side spares, and I was far more successful.

Game 2

X X 9/ X 9/ 9/ X X 81 XX7 - 211

Okay, as the scoreboard indicates, things looked and felt a lot better here. Other than two solid 9s and a 2-pin on a missed release, the first eight shots were all pretty solid. I spun the ball again in the ninth, resulting in a 4-8, which I chopped while trying to hook the ball to the left of the 4-pin. Clearly, spare shooting is still going to be a work in progress. Still, I made much better shots this game, and I was content with the low 200 finish.

Game 3

7/ 9/ 9/ X 81 9/ X 9/ X X9/ - 195

In four words, not great, not terrible. My shot-making wasn't as good here as it was during Game 2, yet it wasn't nearly as bad as it was during Game 1. This may be a clear example of how I need to experiment more with the orientation of the ball in order to avoid coming in too steep because I banged another pair of solid 9s in the second and third here. Still, for the most part, I stayed in and around the pocket, and my spare shooting was much better.

All in all, I'm not too terribly disappointed with my showing here. It was a bummer to give up pins to a pair of easy spares in Game 1, but, again, it's going to be a work in progress. I've already ordered two new balls to add to the no-thumb arsenal, a DV8 Thug Unruly and a Black Hammer Urethane. Considering the fact that each of those balls can technically be thrown six different ways, I'll basically have 18 different options in my hands for oily, medium, and dry. If I need anything more than that, I don't think bowling balls alone can help me!

The long and short of it is that I'm having fun throwing the ball this way, and I am seeing some benefits of doing so. First, I'm able to get under and inside the ball much better with no thumb than I ever could using my traditional delivery. Also, my balance at the foul line is better this way than it typically was as well. Obviously, my rev rate goes up with the thumb out, which also leads to some crazy hitting power when I execute properly. I'm really excited because this approach basically gives me two-handed power without forcing my body into the uncomfortable positions that I never quite got the hang of bowling two handed. I'm not saying that I'm planning to bowl this way from now until eternity, but it's something I'm going to give an honest attempt at for a while just to keep things fun and fresh. Isn't that what the game is all about?

As always, thanks for reading. I'll be sure to get some pics posted of these no-thumb balls as soon as all three are drilled and ready.