He probably just aims to come in light enough that he leaves a 2 pin, or some combination of the bucket pins.

I still want to know how Varipapa gets the ball to hook left and then right.

Also, I think an even more skilled shot than the one you mention is the one where he spins the spare ball down the lane at a 7-10, then throws another down to bank off of it, making the split.

with regards to Andy's ball hooking left and then right, I would guess that the hall is drilled with negative side weight - maybe beyond the legal limit of 1 oz.

Well, I went out at lunch and shot 5 practice games with my "new" ball. Holy [censored]... "Straight ball" is right. I was able to get a few strikes by lining up with the third arrow and praying. It's very unforgiving as a strike ball, it rolls exactly where you point it.

I also managed to put a couple of nice dents in the ball already I need to work on my release, big time.

I can't remember if you mentioned it or not but did you get it drilled finger tip or conventional? In either case if you are going to just throw it straight, try coming off of the corner on an angle to the pocket, this will give you a better angle to get pins moving around. If you want to hook it some, you can still bring if off the corner some with a slight arc. I have used my plastic ball many times running up the five board/first arrow to 30-35 feet or so and then it would start to arc into the pocket and on various lane conditions and pattern lengths with my normal release. I like the look I get with it and the way it reacts when I do everything right. I've also "dulled" my plastic ball some. I can also throw it completely straight at spares but with a different release.

Hey Calvin. It's a 14-pounder drilled conventional. I figured that's the best way to go since I'm essentially a beginner.

I did try coming from the right side of the lane to angle into the 1-3 pocket, but there's something wrong with my release that's putting a bit of a clockwise spin on the ball so I'd end up missing right. I have a lot of things to work on.

FWIW, the place where I'm practicing has synthetic lanes and they've been very dry lately. It's not a hardcore bowler's place and they might not be aware that it's common practice to oil the lanes more than once a month

Haha I know you're kidding but if they oiled the lanes only once a month that would be awful. I think oiling once a week would be awful! Haha

Dave it sounds like your hand is coming inside the ball at release and producing a small amount of a backup hook. This is common with females due to the structure of their arms, but I have seen a few males bowl like that as well, but trying to do it. Its something I've never been able to do, its hard enough for me to get my palm facing straight forward to throw a ball straight.

I'm not sure what you can actually do to fix the release. Assuming you are right handed maybe in your stance let the ball rest in your left hand with your right hand on the "outside" of the ball and try to keep it out there throughout the swing and all the way through the release.

As for the oiling and the center, sometimes you get some that don't use much even on fresh conditions. Some centers don't oil the lanes until an hour or two before the evening leagues, some oil in the morning only, and some do both. If you are bowling a center that does it later in the afternoon the lanes will be dry if you are bowling around midday.

Yeah, I think you're right. See, I line up my stance with my arm at my side, in line with my shoulder, in an attempt to keep my armswing free and straight. I want to throw straight with my hand under the ball and my fingers at 6 o'clock, but this is an uncomfortable position to assume in the stance with my arm at my side. So I'm starting out with my fingers at 4 or 5 o'clock (a more comfortable starting grip) and then subconsciously rotating clockwise during the forward swing--and voila, there's the unintended clockwise spin. (I'm a right hander).

I guess what I need to work on is getting my wrist in the correct position right at the start and keeping it that way through the whole swing and release. Deliberate rotation for hooks or spin can come later after I've got the straight ball down. Do you agree?

I do agree. Its better to learn how to be accurate and get the basic fundamentals of the game down before progressing on to more advanced techniques. If you have good accuracy, then when you move on to hooking the ball you just need to "find" the line that allows you to get to the pocket and then adjust off of it to score well. Too many bowlers, and people in general want instant gratification without the hard work that is needed.

As for your starting position, starting the fingers at 4 or 5 o'clock is a good position and keeping them there throughout the swing and release will keep the ball pretty straight, maybe a slight turn to the left with a little counterclockwise rotation. How do you position your index and pinkie fingers? The way they are positioned can effect the way and how much your hand turns.

If you have an old couch or chair you might practice tossing the ball into the chair while attempting to put right-to-left revs on the ball. If you don't have colored inserts put a piece of tape on your ball Track to see in which direction the ball is spinning.

As a last resort, you might consider purchasing one of the heavy duty wrist supports on the market. Many years ago my son was bowling in an after-school program. He was throwing a backup and I couldn't break him of it. I bought him a Cobra (ladies) with the metal index finger. No more backup.

Some of the things that contribute to a backup is not maintaining a straight wrist. If the wrist flexes during your backswing and your fingers rotate to 7 or 8 o'clock position at the top of your backswing and stays there, a backup ball could result. A straight wrist will either prevent the latter or will cause the fingers to rotate back to 5 or 4 o'clock at the release point. Also an armswing that is too far from your body will sometimes result in a backup ball - by keeping your armswing in tight to your body(little or no daylight between your armswing and body)will help prevent a backup ball.