Hey guys,

I ran into this video this morning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSf2acUXuNc
There are lots of different thought about this point of view in the comment of the video. What do you think about it?

It seems to me it's all about working with heavy oil patterns, and playing the line your most comfortable with.
I.E. rather than moving far left, tossing over the gutter and going over the 5th arrow, go Straighter,
(less hook)in a line that you can deal with.
I think this is more about sport patterns than house patterns(THS).
JOE

it is about fitting your physical style and capabilities to your ball and then to the lane.

Last night, I went straight (which is really just down-and-in, not straight) and could not get success so moved left, changed balls, and swung it a bit and got success. Those who played the outside struggled, those who swung it (even just a bit) had more success.

We had a lot of friction outside so a down-and-in shot would over-hook if you missed right even a touch; but had a good bit of oil inside so if you missed left, nothing happened. Was strange. Couldn't get it to work. Straighter wasn't greater.

But when I used the oil and the dry, it did.


I didn't like the video. First, he actually had clips of SIGNIFICANT hook under the "straight" examples. Norm's first shot was really the only really straight shot I saw - almost lofting the right gutter, thrown pretty much directly at the pocket and a little hook at the end to drive through.

Everything else was straight, at first, but had a pretty good amount of hook; OR was just a lesser amount of hook.


But as one of the comments to the video pointed out, Belmonte has been Player of the Year three times in the past three years and his game is all over the lane. If it's really true that straighter is greater, then how is the most dominant player in the game today the swing guy that he is?

And looking back some more, Sean Rash - big power swinger. Mika - down-and-in. Walter Ray - down -and-in. Wes Malott - "King of Swing". Chris Barnes - anything that he needs to do. So that's seven years and only two "straighter" players.

Sorry I don't see that as playing straight thats a strokers line, not alot of movement then hooks at the end. Watch the top players bowl a spare ball in the last frame when they know they've closed the other player out, hard and fast down 18th board , when it don't matter if they strike or not, thats straight bowling no hook at all.

"Straighter hook?" Is that a new bowling term?

As with the others, I'm not seeing straight bowling here. I consider straight bowling as having to stand far right (left for lefties) and angling the ball towards the pocket.

I also agree, I mostly see lines played straight up the boards and then hooking as opposed to swinging the lane from inside to out. These are not "straight" shots, a decent # of them had breakpoints close to the gutter. Additionally, the person who posts the video in a later comment uses an example of Belmonte playing on the Badger as an example of a bowler with a lot of revs playing a very direct line to the pocket. Since probably everyone was playing around that line on that pattern, I don't consider Belmonte on the Badger as a good example of the point that the poster is trying to prove.

Mark

Where did the video go? Watched the other day and went back to watch again. GONE.

I don't think the suggestion straighter is greater is in reference to a straight line shot but one where by decreasing your amount of hook or REVS will result in better accuracy and/or carry.

Is this some kind of slam on the L.G.T.B.Q.M.N.O.P.X.T.
community?

I would certainty hope not as the age of political correctness is not over yet


.But soon

straighter does not equal straight. It means less hook, not no hook. House shots almost never require a straighter is greater approach. Tough sport and PBA patterns that penalize slightly errant shots force bowlers to play a straighter line, one in which they don't throw the ball away from the headpin. Carry may not be great, but if you can stay in the pocket and make single pin spares on these tough patterns, you'll cash in a lot of tournaments.
Just a couple of years before the two-handed revolution, the guys winning the most on tour were Walter Ray , Norm Duke, Parker Bohn, Brian Voss, and a host of other guys who could throw it straighter if necessary.

Yes, it's like Jumbo Shrimp.