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.
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Avg: 206
Season High Gm: 279 / Lifetime: 290
Season High Ser: 762 / Lifetime: 762
16# IQ Tour Pearl/16# Crux/16# Marvel S/15#White Dot
"Gotta kick at the darkness 'till it bleeds daylight"