CNC’s 2013 – The Patterns

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Tye

Wednesday afternoon, one of the factors that will eventually determine who is on Team Canada 2014 (and 2013 for the seniors) was decided.  The pattern draw.

As per the new procedures this year, one long, one medium, and one short pattern were selected at random.  This was done to ensure that no one had a perceived advantage knowing the patterns ahead of time.  Even the tournaments official lane maintenance provider, Buffa Distribution, didn’t know what was to be done which was frustrating for them, I’m sure.  However, the process worked well, and with 3 witnesses, tournament director Sherry Hobson oversaw the selection.  And the winners are: Stockholm (34), Athens (40) and Paris (47).

Stockholm:

This 34′ pattern is actually the same pattern as the one used last year.  It is one of the WTBA’s higher scoring patterns, and like most short patterns really favors bowlers you can control the breakpoint from the outside part of the lane.  Last year, it was the highest scoring pattern of the 3 that were used, which came with some criticism.  Because of the scoring pace, bowlers specializing in the outside part of the lane could beef up their pinfall at a higher level than those who had to wait for their specialty on longer patterns.  Despite this, I much prefer to see a short oil pattern that rewards bowlers who play it properly from the outside over other short patterns that provide more forgiveness for open angles.

Athens:

Athens is a 40′ medium pattern, and one I’ve written blogs about before, because it was used in my sport pattern league a couple of years ago.  This will most likely be the lowest scoring pattern of the 3 this year, and it will also offer the most diverse angles of attack.  Most bowlers will be fooled into chasing it left quickly, because the pattern does provide a fair amount of hook.  Realistically though, a pattern that plays ‘short’ due to the amount of hook it provides should be played further outside.  Also, the shape of this pattern is completely flat from 15 to 15, so laying the ball down too far left of that will actually take you away from what little forgiveness is built into the pattern.  Add to this the fact that we are using Kegel’s new “Fire” oil, which is a ‘hooking’ oil, and moving left just makes the ball hook earlier. Until the lanes break down, going left (for righties) will be a very bad idea.

Paris:

This is the longest and lowest volume pattern in the entire WTBA bank.  The length fools people into believing they need something strong, when the reality is that too much surface on this pattern will result in some pretty awful ball motion.  For higher rev rates, the volume also fools you into thinking this pattern is shorter than it is, but the wall of oil in the middle is what makes this pattern extremely playable from inside.  Playing that oil line from inside, and targeting the end of the pattern as the left part of your target window will be good.  Pin up balls without too much surface will provide the response needed at the backend of this 47 footer, depending on the bowler’s style.  Then just chase it left and use balls and hand positions to get the ball to face up properly.

All in all, I think the fact that Paris is in the mix this year creates 2 realities:

First, Stockholm no longer provides an ‘advantage’ to short oil specialists, because Paris is easy enough for those who can play inside to really whack it.  It will be the bowlers who can do both that will wind up in the top 10.

Second, there will probably be a higher overall scoring pace this weekend.  Bowlers who are able to focus on their own games and control their emotions without looking around and stressing out because of strikes around them will do the best.  Also those who aren’t afraid to string strikes (a very real condition for some people) will be able to take most advantage of the 2 more scoreable patterns.

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Building an Effective Arsenal – Part 3

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Tye

Just like having a variety of core types and layouts, having a variety of surfaces is essential to covering your bases when it comes to adjusting to different lane conditions.  In this case, I’m not talking about the roughness of the surface, because that can be changed easily back and forth, rougher and smoother, with abrasives and polishes.

What I’m referring to here is the 3 basic surface types: Solid, Pearl and Hybrid.

It used to be very simple.  Solid balls were sold dull, pearl balls were sold polished.  End of story.  Nowadays, it’s harder to just look at a ball and know for sure if it’s solid or pearl.  Pearlized balls are being sold sanded, solid balls are sold polished, and hybrid balls make a mockery of everyone by having one colour pearlized and the other colour solid.

All other things equal, solid balls are smoother rolling and earlier that their pearlized counterparts.  Pearlized balls tend to store energy longer and to make more of a sharp movement in the backend.  Hybrids fit in the middle when looking at the shape the ball makes.  Here is where much of the misconception lies: Pearlized balls are for dry lanes and solid balls, specifically sanded solids, are for oily lanes.

It’s simply not correct.

In fact, because of the pearlized coverstock’s tendency to be stronger on the backend, pearlized covers, when sanded, will tend to outhook solid balls.  Again, all other things being equal.  Alternatively, polished solids will be smoother on the backend and therefore hook less than polished pearls, more often than not.  It’s not necessarily a large difference, but serves to illustrate the point that if all you’re doing is looking at lateral hook, and not hook shape, you are confining yourself to a very narrow view of ball reaction.  To be able to adapt to lots of different patterns, understanding shape, and the coverstock’s influence on it is important.

Like core types, bowlers might find that they prefer a certain type of coverstock, and even a specific coverstock like the R2S from Storm.  It would be a good idea to have a few balls with that cover, and then make sure you’ve got some variety with other coverstocks and core combinations in your bag.

To talk about surface preparation briefly, it’s important to remember influence on shape here as well as lateral hook.  Generally bowlers looking for more hook will sand the ball, but that can sometimes be counter productive.  The rougher a ball’s surface, the earlier it will lose energy, the slower it will respond to friction, and the less backend you will see.  Sometimes the ‘lack of hook’ that people are seeing in the backend is actually because the ball is losing too much energy and sanding the ball more is actually making the problem worse.  By focusing on the front to back hook, you can decipher if you need earlier hook, or later hook, and adjust the surface accordingly.

With so many variables in this game, it’s no wonder that the majority of bowlers reach their peak in their later twenties.  The combination of knowledge and maturity required to integrate this much information into the decision-making process, coupled with the importance of physical execution, makes this one of the most challenging and also rewarding sports out there.

If nothing else is gained from reading these blogs, remember that variety is the important part of setting up an arsenal of bowling equipment.  If you don’t have at least one each of the different core types, layout types and coverstock types mixed in there, the odds are that you have a hole in your bag that needs filling.  Don’t fall into the comfortable trap of getting all your balls to make the same motion because when that motion doesn’t work, you will have lots of bowling balls that are better off as paper-weights.

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Practice and Pattern Integrity

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Tye

There seems to be a controversy brewing related to Montreal bowlers having access to WTBA patterns for practice, prior to the CNC’s.  There are 2 levels to this controversy.  1) That somehow people in Montreal already know what patterns will be used and are putting them out for practice.  2) That even without exact pattern knowledge, it is an unfair advantage for bowlers in Montreal, since not everyone across Canada is able to do this.

1)  Let’s talk about the reality of oil patterns.  Maybe it will put a few minds at ease.  The reality is this: Even if I know what pattern is going to be used, and even if I’m putting it down in the same center, this is not what we’ll be playing on come tournament time.  Why?  The pattern itself is only one element of the playing environment.  You can’t even guarantee that a pattern will play the same from shift to shift, let alone on different days. Anyone who has travelled to an international or PBA event can tell you that.

Factors like temperature, humidity and lane memory affect this.  The fact that it’s cold one day affects how the pattern plays, compared to a day that is 10 to 15 degrees hotter later in the week, not to mention the ambient temperature of the bowling center because of the different number of people.  Speaking of number of people, practising alone is nothing like crossing with 3, 4 or 5 people, so transition is completely different.

Even more important, the lanes for CNC’s are being oiled with a different machine and different oil from that used by the house machine, seriously affecting how the pattern will play and transition.  Even if no other variable changed, the different oil can dramatically alter scoring pace.  Any laneman worth a tablespoon of lane oil, and pretty much every elite-level bowler or coach will all tell you that this is true.

Conclusion: even if I visited a psychic who could tell me which patterns were going to be drawn from the hat a week ahead of time, practising on them tells me almost nothing about how the pattern will play in competition.  If anything, forming conclusions from poor information puts you at a disadvantage compared to those with an open mind towards what they are facing.

2)  First, it’s not just bowlers in Montreal with access to the WTBA patterns.  The pattern information is available online at the WTBA website, and any laneman should be able to enter the information into whatever machine they use, in order to put something out that is ‘sport’.  Centers across the country are doing this, and for the few that are unwilling or unable to do it, the problem lies with the management of that center, not with those organizing these practices for their local bowlers.

Telling people that they can’t practice on a pattern because a few people don’t have access to it, is like telling people that they can’t practice more than 5 games a week because that’s all another bowler has time for.  Sure, the ones who can put in more work have an advantage, but isn’t that kind of the point?  Work harder to achieve your goals?  It would suck if all anyone could do was work and achieve at the level of the lowest common denominator.

Internationally, there’s a reason the best in the world are the best in the world.  They work hard.  They have good coaching. Traditionally, Canada is at a disadvantage compared to some of the better funded countries who have their teams together year round bowling in these types of conditions every day.  Should we, as a group, lobby the WTBA to stop these countries from training so well, or should we do everything we can to emulate their training so we can compete with them when given the opportunity?  I think the answer is pretty obvious.  It’s the same answer at the national level for those looking to break into Team Canada.

In all, I understand when there is confusion out there related to lane patterns.  Bowling is a complicated sport, and the variables involved are many.  Confusion can lead to panic or anger, but it’s better to reduce the confusion than to assume that fairness is being compromised.  I feel for bowlers left without the opportunity to practice on sport patterns because of uncooperative or incompetent centers.  I really do.  But I grew up (along with many people) without long oil, short oil, sport shots or patterns named after animals.  I had my house shot and my imagination and countless hours on the lanes, and they took me farther than most, so I have very little time for excuses when it comes to practice.  Shoe up and get better.

Does everyone have an equal chance at winning CNC’s, or making the Youth Team?  Of course not.  To think so would invalidate the hours, days and years of work that some people put in compared to others.  Will everyone be bowling on the same conditions, asked to solve the same puzzle, and left to try to be among the best and smartest bowlers who find the solution and end up representing Canada?  Yes.  You can’t ask for much more.

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Building an Effective Arsenal – Part 2

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Tye

The other half of the equation of ball dynamics is the core type itself.  Different layouts do different things, but having the right variety of core types is also important in making sure you can handle whatever is thrown at you.

Without going into too much detail, bowling ball cores boil down to 3 different measures affecting their dynamic impact on ball motion:

  1. RG: How fast the core spins along its X Axis
  2. Differential: The difference between how fast a core spins on its X and Y axes.
  3. Asymmetry: The difference between how fast a core spins on its Y and Z axes.

As technical as that sounds, it basically all refers to how much wobble a core will create, which creates flare, and influences ball motion.  Think of a football rolled along its tall pointy end.  It will eventually ‘lie down’ on its round side.  At its most basic, differential is a measure of the difference between these two ‘sides’.  The lower the number, the ’rounder’ the core, and therefore the less wobble it creates inside.  Cores with less wobble = less flare potential and generally less hook.

All this is to say that when looking at bowling balls to cover all your bases, you want to make sure you have a variety of core types. You want to have a mix of low to higher RG’s, low to high diffs, and some symmetrical and asymmetrical balls.  Most bowlers will tend to match up well to a certain core type.  For example, some bowlers are better off with asymmetrical equipment.  That being said, you still need to complement your arsenal with other balls to give different shapes. So bowlers with a style preference will want maybe 50-60% of their balls in one basic type, and have one of each other type.

If the core of a bowling ball is an engine, and they’re all Ferarri engines, it really doesn’t matter if you throw them into different bodies and tires (aka coverstocks), the engine will still try to do what it is designed to do.  An engine set up for championship drag racing will not do much in a Nascar race even if you put it into a stock car.  Same thing with bowling balls.  What you want have is several different engines, so that if one isn’t doing what you need, you have an option that goes beyond changing tires.

Generally, the price of the ball you’re getting relates directly to these numbers as well, so you don’t need a physics degree to buy a ball.  Most ‘High-End’ balls are Low RG, High Diff, Asymmetrical balls.  Mid-range stuff will generally be symmetrical, lower RG and High Diff balls.  Balls with higher RG’s, and low to medium Diff’s will generally be found between the mid-range and entry level price points.

People who spend all their money on the latest high end release from a company are actually limiting themselves to only one or two core types and relying on the surface to do everything for them.  While I do not argue that surface plays a huge role in ball reaction, you can’t ignore the dynamics inside the ball, and their effect on creating the ideal amount of skid, hook and roll in order to carry.  Variety is the key to adaptability.

Next up – Surface types and preparation in Part 3.

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Building an effective arsenal – Part 1

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Tye

With CNC’s just around the corner, and several conversations relating to this topic in the last few days, I felt like it would be a good idea to put down in writing a lot of what I say when it comes to selecting equipment.  Of course, not everyone is a pro shop owner or sponsored by a ball company with (almost) unlimited balls to choose from, but that’s when this type of decision-making is even more important.  With limited budget to buy bowling balls, you need to be smart about your decisions.

First, the dominant thought that ball surface dictates reaction.  It does.  Ball surface will account for between 50 and 80% of ball motion, depending who you talk to.  That being said, ball surface really has 2 different characteristics: its chemical composition and its surface roughness.  You can’t change its composition, but you can change its surface with abralon, polishes, etc. That makes ball surface a variable.  What is constant after you drill a bowling ball is its core dynamics, which are dictated by the original numbers and the layout used.  For this reason, it’s more important to pay attention to dynamics inside the ball, than the out of box (OOB) surface when looking for a bowling ball.  What you want is a variety of ball motions dictated by core and layout, and then use surface to fine tune.

The core and layout helps determine the shape. Strong early revving cores and layouts will want to create an arcing motion versus cores and layouts designed to lope and respond more quickly to friction.  Since left-to-right hook is greatly affected by the surface, what you want to pay more attention to is ball shape.  Granted, some balls with similar shapes will hook too much for certain patterns, because of the surface composition, which you’ll remember is constant.  This is why it’s a good idea to get a few similar shapes, with different hook potentials, to give you the most possible coverage of conditions.  This all sounds very theoretical, but I promise I’ll clear it up.  Let’s start with fresh oil.

Typically fresh oil has a very defined back end motion.  The ball goes from being on oil to being off it and will generally respond accordingly.  For this reason, smoother, early rolling shapes are usually better on fresh conditions.  They will smooth out the backend motion and create control on patterns when they are at their most volatile.  Then you consider volumes.  Obviously a smooth shape that hooks too much or too little isn’t much help to you.  This is where you should make a decision to have at least 2 balls with this shape.  If you are playing on short oil as well, then a third (probably urethane) should also be considered.  The key once you achieve this shape is to match up the left-to-right hook on the pattern.

For example, bowling on a medium pattern with a strong revving, big-hooking ball, might look good to start.  But it will only look good from inside.  The problem here is that your angles are open and you are forcing yourself in to the flat part of the oil pattern, where the shape is undefined and you will actually be hurting yourself in the long run.  It’s a mistake most young bowlers make, especially higher-rev guys.  Using a ball that gives a good shape and allows you to stay right (and straight) in the slope of the pattern will both give you better area and more favorable transition.  Staighter is greater, in more ways than one.

As the lanes transition, you start to need balls that respond later and quicker.  This sounds funny, but it is true.  Later implies having more skid in the front part of the lane, and then a faster transition from skidding to roll, which we refer to as being ‘quick’ off the spot.  Faster response balls are better when you are trying to get the ball to create a good shape on longer patterns, and especially from inside angles.  As patterns that break down and force you left, and even on some fresher long patterns, you will require pin-up type drillings. Again, the idea here is to set up your bag with an eye to what the core wants the ball to do, and then adjust surface to match up to the lanes.  A pin up ball doesn’t need to be shiny, so pin up tanks are what I’m referring to for an option on fresher long patterns.

Before going any further, it’s important to note that you can have higher pin layouts and relatively smooth shapes because of a strong cover and dull surface (These are generally good on fresh long patterns). The idea here is that all other things being equal, these general rules apply.  If you take two of the same ball and drill them differently, you’ll see the differences I’ve described.  In an effort to keep this relatively brief, we’ll talk about core types and surfaces later, but for now, the basics on getting shapes from layouts is this:

Early Rolling (slow response) - lower core angles, and higher VAL angles, AKA pin down, cg kicked out.

‘Skid-Flip’ (quicker response) – higher core angles, lower VAL angles, AKA pin up.

Finally, the key thing to always remember: Shape is more important than Hook.

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CNC’s start Thursday

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Tye

It’s been a long time since I’ve written anything. Being on the road and wrapping up the bowling season will do that to a guy.  It’s time to get back into the flow and there’s no time like the present.  Thursday is the official practice day and opening ceremonies for the Canadian National Championships, hosted at Laurentian Lanes in Montreal.  It’s times like this, I really miss being a competitor.

It’s probably the question I get asked most: Do you miss bowling?  Of course, I don’t miss it in the sense that I’m always around bowling, and more involved in it than I ever was as a player.  Sometimes I’d just like to escape bowling.  In the competitive sense though, it’s these days that I miss.  Strangely enough, looking back on when I bowled 4, 5 and even 6 times a week, it’s not really even the tournaments that I miss.  Of course I miss the winning, and the clutch performances, but more than that I miss the anticipation of a big event.  I miss the practice and the preparation, the hours spent alone in the bowling center, trying to be as sharp as possible.  I miss the nerves and the excitement.

With only 4 days until the most important tournament of the year for most Canadian High Performance bowlers, I know that most of them are feeling those emotions, and I’m not.  So I envy them.

The CNC’s for me were always the litmus test of my skills. They were always a learning experience and a test simultaneously, and a difficult one to pass on the first try.  As a coach now, I try to help people prepare for this weekend as best they can, in hopes of being at their best for these 4 days.  Even a very good weekend might not result in the ultimate goal of representing this country, because there are lots of people to beat and what they do is beyond your control.  The anticipation in the days leading up to the event are always filled with thoughts of victory, success, strategy, maybe some fear, excitement about seeing old friends, and a desire to just get the damn thing started.  The first ball always feels the best, even if your first ball is memorable for all the wrong reasons.

My very first frame at the Canadian National Championships, at an age I don’t even remember, was epic.  Having to deal with a lot of nerves, and conditions I’d never even seen before, I sailed the ball right into the out of bounds and took out the 6-9.  My spare attempt didn’t get as far right, but I still didn’t get the ball back to the headpin so I took out the 3-5-8.  Yup.  2-3 for a first frame score of 5.  How’s that for deflating some ego of a cocky teenager?

Whether you are an existing member of the 2013 team, in search of your first ever team, or a veteran that has represented this country before, there are nerves prior to competing.  Good nerves.  A few butterflies to remind you you’re alive, competing at what you love, and working hard to accomplish big goals and big dreams.  As a coach it is not the same and those butterflies are what I miss most.

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Monday Night Recap – 22/04/13

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Tye

It’s the last Monday Night Recap of the 2012-13 season.  I won’t be there next week for the last week of regular season and, well, playoffs aren’t really important enough to recap.  Last night there was really only one thing on my mind going in: Am I going to be able to bowl?

Taking it easy in practice, I was pleased with how my groin felt, but was still not confident.  Each shot was focused more on not hurting myself than on actual execution, but despite this I was pleased with my ball reaction.  Ball speed was down, but so was the rev-rate so things matched up ok to create a decent motion.  Now I just had to survive the night.

Game one started ok, but I was already feeling some tightening up in my legs and new I’d be in pain by the end of the night.  It was just a matter of trying to keep my footspeed down and not let my posture get forward. Unfortunately, my lower footspeed translated to turtle-paced ball speed, especially when you take into account that my normal ballspeed isn’t very high to begin with.  To start the night, this was fine because there was plenty of oil in the middle of the lane. I could just move left and let the ball float through the oil.  As a result, game one was good.

As the lanes burned up and I was forced more and more left, it started to become a problem.  With my rev-rate holding steady, and my ball speed low I faced two problems:  more angle through the front, and midlane burn.  I was really struggling to get the ball to make the turn down lane, so instinctively started to get a little more aggressive.  Bad Idea. I was instantly reminded why I was throwing it so slow to begin with.

By the end of the night, it was really just a balancing act of trying to throw the best shot I could while not doing more damage to myself and trying to avoid pain.  Most shots were ok. Several were painful, off-line, and bad.  Should I have stopped?  Probably.  But it was my last week of bowling for 2 weeks and I honestly believed I could fight through it and have a good night.  The last game hurt me, both physically and on the score sheet, but overall it was an ok night.

It wasn’t a good night for the team, but it didn’t matter.  We locked up the 2nd half and the overall title.  I have been bowling with the same basic group of guys for years now, and with a couple of new additions to the team this year, it has been fantastic.  I don’t know if I’ve ever had a better time with my team, even during the first half when things weren’t going so well for me.  The chemistry has proved favourable as each of us has taken turns being ‘that guy’, bowling great and leading the team to points for weeks at a time.  Simon and Mike helped us in our first section push, I had my hot streak for about 10 weeks after Christmas, and Louis has probably been the best bowler in the league for the last 4 or 5 weeks.

I’d be leaving someone out if I didn’t mention Tim Brown.  Our 2-hole bowler the last several years, he’s been our regular spare this year.  Filling in constantly, he almost had 2/3 of the season, and without a doubt has been the best 2-hole bowler in the league.  Averaging 214 and taking over 74% of his points for the season, he’s not only been our go-to replacement, but an incredible contributor to our success.

It’s been a good year.  Look out for my first ever Season Recap coming soon.  Gutaszewski out.

267-221-197

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Coaching in the 21st Century

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Tye

There really is no excuse.  None whatsoever.

Any bowler wishing to improve their game, and any coach wishing to help, should be able to do so.  In today’s hyper-communication reality, two people’s ability to work together is limited only by their commitment to that process.  With Twitter, Facebook, innumerable gadgets capable of taking video, and free apps to put on said gadgets, it’s a no-brainer.  Did I mention text messages, emails and the most out-dated method of long-distance communication: a phone call?

I can only speak from the standpoint of a coach, but geographical distance no longer applies to working with athletes.  Of course, face-to-face and one-on-one time on at least an occasional basis would really help things along, but there’s no reason to let distance stop us any more.  Video analysis is a few screen touches and some wi-fi away.  There are more ways to ‘talk’ to someone than I care to list.  There is simply no excuse not to.

For example, this week I’ve given advice to a bowler on ball selection and surface preparation for a tournament, discussed layout advice on a new ball, and given physical game analysis to another bowler and had an in depth conversation about the mental game with a third.  3 different bowlers, and not a single one is even in my time zone.  All of it done by text message.  All of it done instantly, conveniently, and with no cost but time.

It’s a wonderful time to be alive.  At no point have we had more ways to connect without being physically close to each other.  While I don’t believe all of this wonderful technology can fully replace face-to-face interaction and coaching, it certainly makes following up and constant contact an almost certainty compared to years ago when it was practically impossible.  All it takes is the will and the commitment of people on both end.

There is a bit of a drawback.  It means that the possibility of being asked to work is a 24/7 reality.  Texts at midnight asking about strategy for the second day of a tournament aren’t out of the question and have happened more than once.  While it puts more pressure on those involved, it’s not as though learning isn’t a lifelong non-stop process.  Why should it be limited by being side by side, or in the same building, or even on the same side of the continent?

Coaches these days can and should be available to those who want their services beyond the lanes.  At a certain point in development, and even throughout all stages, there is a lot more that can be learned away from the lanes than on them, so why do we limit ourselves to on-lane lessons and clinics as the periods of learning?  We shouldn’t.  There’s no reason to; if you are committed to being a coach, and working with athletes.  Granted, you can’t be awake 24 hours a day, or coach every single bowler that is out there, but every coach has the crop of bowlers that need their attention, that deserve their attention, and there’s no excuse not to give it to them.

Coaching in the 21st century is both harder and easier than it has ever been.  It’s an exciting time, and it’s a time that demands your commitment whether you are a bowler, or a coach.  It isn’t easy.  It’s hard work and it should be.  Are you doing everything you can?  What’s your excuse?  There really isn’t one.

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