I was watching a recent professional bowling telecast and was unable to tell what balls were used. Is there anyone I can contact to get this information?
Just about any pro shop will be able to tell you what brands of balls were used on the telecast. Currently, there is no listed information dealing with that subject; however, it would be a good idea for area centers and pro shops to provide an updated list of the most popular balls on TV.
There is one catch to this, though. What many people do not know is that the professionals are paid big money to use certain products, including balls, shirts, wrist devices, etc.
For instance, during the first few weeks of the 1994 PBA Winter Tour, Columbia offered a several-thousand-dollar incentive for anyone using their new Piranha on TV. If that professional won the tournament, the incentive was increased to $20,000.
The professionals are paid big money
to use certain products.
Mike Aulby and Johnny Petraglia were both reported to have received a six-figure bonus for rolling perfect games on TV with the Rhino RE and Green Quantum, respectively. Considering the paltry prize funds these professional athletes compete for, it is easy to see why they take advantage of these offerings.
Many of the top professionals are also on "staff." They are under contract to use a particular company's equipment and, depending on their contract, will receive extra incentive money when they make the top 24 match-play finals or top five stepladder.
Because of these incentives, it is important for the viewer to realize that the balls used on TV aren't always a good representation of the equipment used during qualifying and match play.
The Columbia Beast and the Red Sun-storm are good examples of this. Both balls are used extensively during qualifying and match play, however, excluding a few telecasts, neither has made a big impact on TV. This is due to the relatively low incentive money offered on these fantastic balls.
The moral of the story is clear: You can't always believe what you see.
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I am an avid bowler and take the game very seriously. My current average is 203 and I have always thrown a lot of strikes. Lately, however, I've been missing many single-pin spares. I practice as often as I can, but nothing seems to help. Any advice?
Generally speaking, good spare shooting is nothing more than proper alignment, providing you have a solid physical game. The majority of missed spares are caused by a lack of understanding regarding the "mathematics" of bowling.
Bowling is a game of angles that are produced by the relationship of four things:
Becoming a successful spare shooter is as simple as observing the trajectory your ball takes after release, as determined by the preceding factors.
For example, when I shoot a 2-pin spare, given my natural swing plane, I line up on the 20th board and slide on the 25th board. My ball contacts the lane on about the 19th board, and if I make a quality shot, I hit the 2-pin dead on.
You will notice that I have purposely made no mention of a target board on the lane. That is because I know, through many hours of practice, that given my natural swing plane and proper alignment, the ball will automatically start on the proper trajectory to make that particular spare. It may seem unbelievable, but trust me, it works. (There are two excellent books on this subject: Target Lines by Bill Taylor and Final Phase by Lon Marshall.)
The first thing you must do is contact a qualified instructor who can analyze your strengths and weaknesses and determine your natural swing plane. Once that is accomplished, a few simple math calculations will start you on your way to becoming a top-notch spare shooter.