Bowling form

In the sport of ten-pin bowling there are many different ways in which to deliver (known as a "throw" or "roll") the bowling ball in order to advance it toward the pins in an accurate and powerful manner. Generally, there are three basic forms and several variants. The most basic form is known as stroking, which is the most classic form. The most powerful form is known as cranking, which imparts great leverage and maximum rotation on the ball, but sacrifices accuracy. In between the two is the domain of the tweener, who has characteristics of both, but does not truly fit into either category. A well-known variant of "tweening" is the power stroker. Power stroking is often very similar to cranking and bowlers can often fit in either category, therefore bowlers that use one of these two styles are often simply known as power players. A fourth style, known as helicopter, spinning, or UFO, is a style that is used to great effect in Asia. Finally, many modern bowlers have changed to a one- or two-handed no-thumb delivery.

Most of the various forms use different wrist and hand positions and rely on different timings and body positions to accommodate the differences in each style of release.

Stroking

A stroker is a type of player in ten-pin bowling who releases his or her bowling ball in a smooth manner. Strokers often keep their shoulders square to the foul line and their backswing generally does not go much above parallel to the ground. This type of release reduces the ball's rate of revolution, thus decreasing its hook potential and hitting power. Strokers rely on finesse and accuracy, as opposed to crankers, who use speed and power. However, today's modern reactive resin bowling balls now allow strokers to hit the "pocket" at a relatively high angle. Stroking is considered the most classic of all the bowling forms and is still the most popular style of bowling in the PBA.

Although crankers are often considered to be more impressive to watch, strokers are often considered to have more repeatable and accurate shots. Strokers rely on smooth ball placement more than kinetic energy to fell pins. The all-time leader in titles and bowling earnings in the United States, Walter Ray Williams, Jr., is a stroker (though some consider his style unique and not easily classifiable). Other famous strokers include Norm Duke, David Ozio, and Dick Weber.

Several high-profile left-handed bowlers, such as Earl Anthony, Mike Aulby, Parker Bohn III and Mike Scroggins, are or were strokers, which has led to a stereotype in the bowling community that most left-handers are strokers who can only play the outside part of the lane.

Cranking

A cranker is a bowler who strives to generate revolutions using a cupped wrist or excessive wrist action. Crankers who rely on wrist action may have a high backswing and open their shoulders to generate ball speed. These bowlers often cup the wrist, but open the wrist at the top of the swing. Crankers may also muscle the ball with a bent elbow because their wrist is not strong enough to be cupped at the release. Crankers often use "late" timing, where the foot gets to the foul line before the ball; a technique known as plant and pull, hardly using any slide on their final step and pulling the ball upwards for leverage. The timing between the feet and the ball being delivered is only a fraction of a second. Even though the plant and pull bowler is sometimes used as another name for a cranker, it is rather misleading because some crankers slide more, while bowlers with other styles can also use this technique. The term "cranking" is used to describe the style of release and heavy wrist action that typifies crankers. Because of the high rev rate and power crankers have, they can throw powerful strikes even on less-than-perfect hits, but are more prone to splits rarely left by strokers or otherwise. Because many bowlers have a style that can be described as a cranker or a power stroker, the term power player is used for any bowler who can generate high revolutions or ball speed.

Crankers often stand to the extreme opposite side of the approach (relative to their target), and roll the ball over the middle lane boards out toward the gutter, using high revolutions to hook the ball back toward the pocket. Depending on the bowling ball, lane condition and bowler, the ball may exhibit either a rounded hook pattern or a later, more severe hook pattern known as skid-snap.

Some crankers use a low backswing but have a cupped wrist in order to generate high revolutions; this was the "old-fashioned" way of cranking. Notable bowlers with such a style include Jim Godman, Bob Learn, Jr., Ryan Shafer, Kelly Coffman, and Bob Vespi. Mark Roth was among the first bowlers to crank the ball using a high backswing and excessive wrist action. Other bowlers who followed this style include Amleto Monacelli and Jason Couch. Robert Smith, Michael Fagan, and Tommy Jones are often considered crankers due to their high RPM rates, but each has a smooth slide-step so they can also be classified as power strokers.

The myth that crankers are not good spare shooters is not always supported. Roth, for example, was one of the best spare shooters on tour in his day, and was the first person to convert the nearly-impossible 7-10 split on national television. Robert Smith and Jason Couch both post very high spare-conversion percentages.

"Tweening"

A tweener (a term derived from "in-between") is a bowler that delivers the ball in a manner that falls somewhere in between stroking and cranking. This modified delivery could use a higher backswing than is normally employed by a pure stroker or a less powerful wrist position than a pure cranker. Some use the term to refer to a bowler who is simply not a "picture perfect" example of either a stroker or a cranker.

Notable tweeners include Brian Voss (primarily a stroker, but not "picture perfect"), Mika Koivuniemi (primarily a stroker, but with a high backswing), and Doug Kent (considered by some to be a power stroker).

Power Stroking

A variation on tweening is used by a very successful and well-known bowler, Pete Weber, who is considered a power stroker. This term refers to a bowler who relies on a high backswing and open shoulders to generate potential ball speed and a big hook, but uses the timing of a stroker. It can also be used to describe a stroker with a high rev rate, or a cranker with an unusually smooth release. A power stroker's release is both smooth and powerful, generating many revolutions via a wrist snap or flick of the fingers, without muscling the armswing. Some other famous power strokers include Bryan Goebel, Wes Malott, Doug Kent (often considered a tweener), and Chris Barnes (often considered a stroker).

Spinning

Spinners use a style of release known variously as spinning, helicopter, or UFO. Regardless of what it's known as, a spinner releases a ball such that it is rotating along a vertical axis (the z-axis) as it moves down the lane. Because of this motion, very little of the ball's surface touches the lane, which is what the spinner intends. The aim is for the ball to proceed until it strikes the head pin, at which time it will proceed to move down the front row of pins in the direction opposite its spin. As it moves down the row, its spin and mass deflect the pins into one another in an attempt to make them fall. Even when the ball hits brooklyn, the reversal of direction allows even more ball and pin deflection (known as "mixing"), allowing a higher chance of messenger strikes.

Spinning is a popular style in Asia, especially Taiwan, where lanes are usually more oiled and present little opportunity for a ball thrown in one of the three more orthodox fashions to "grab" any non-conditioned part of the lane. It is also a common mistake made by beginner bowlers trying to hook the bowling ball, but turn their wrist and release the thumb hole and fingers at the same time. However, some hook bowlers, such as Pete Weber, Tom Baker and Ryan Shafer, have some rotation along the x-axis in order to have some ball deflection.

Because spinners do not want the ball to grab onto the lane with its surface, they often use "plastic" bowling balls - balls with the older polyester cover-stock popular in the 1970s and 1980s, and commonly used as house balls today - in comparison to the widely used polyurethane, "particle" (polyurethane with nigh-microscopic glass spheres or other hard material throughout the coverstock) and "reactive resin" balls ("reactive resin" is itself polyurethane manufactured using a process to leave microscopic pores throughout it, essentially, a hard sponge) used by bowlers who desire a ball that will grip the lane and roll strongly. Additionally, because the chances of injury are somewhat elevated with this style of bowling, as well as the advantage of ball deflection with this style, the spinner will have a tendency to use lightweight balls between ten and twelve pounds.

Shoveling

Shoveling (also called no-thumb or often two-handed) is a bowling technique whereupon the thumb is not inserted into the thumb hole. The technique produces high revolutions on the ball. The ball is often held with both hands or balanced on the forearm while the bowler executes a bent elbow backswing. The arm is never straightened; the ball is essentially pushed down the lane while the bowler rotates his arm and fingers around the ball. Due to similar ball roll and revolutions to the cranker style, it is sometimes considered a variation of cranking.

This technique is quite rare among high-level bowlers, but is commonly used to generate revolutions by casual bowlers who do not know how to hook the ball using one of the more conventional techniques.

Traditionally, in two handed bowling, two fingers are inserted and the thumb is left out. The dominant hand is then used to cradle the ball and creates extra spin on the release. Then, the opposite hand is used to guide the ball through the throwing motion. Two handed bowlers are forced to flex forward farther and rotate more than a single handed bowler. These bowlers are placing more torque through the spine in order to increase the ball speed and revolution rate. This form of bowling, if done correctly, increases force, revolutions and pin carry. A two handed bowler's revolution rate can reach up to 600 revolutions per minute, which is up to 17% more rotation than the nearest elite single handed bowler and twice what some top professional bowlers generate.^[1]

Notable bowlers with this style include Mike Miller (one-handed), Australian Jason Belmonte; Finn Osku Palermaa; and American pre-teen Chaz Dennis, the youngest person ever to bowl a 300 game. The latter three are two-handed bowlers. The bowling team of Bolivia is also noted for changing their bowlers to using the two-handed style.

Half-thumb variation

The half-thumb variation is a technique employed by Tom Smallwood, the surprise winner of the 2009 PBA World Championship, and involves putting the thumb in the ball only up to the first knuckle. Thus, the ball is thrown almost entirely with the fingers as a "no thumb" bowler would throw it, with the thumb only providing some control during the backswing. Smallwood also keeps two hands on the bowling ball until roughly midway through his backswing.

Notes

1. ^ Thompson, Adam. "Young Australian Puts a New Spin on Bowling: He Throws Two-Handed", The Wall Street Journal, 5 February 2009.

External links

• A summary of the techniques along with pictures
• Ten-pin glossary