(by appointment only)
Contact Dean (503) 642-2161 ext. #3

Cost
$25.00 (1/2 hour lesson)
Group rates available

• Over 35 years of bowling experience
• Past PBA Tour member
• Worked with the late hall-of-fame bowler, Earl Anthony
  
• One-on-one expertise
• Customized learning program for all skill levels

This month I am going to talk about ball speed. Many people think that by throwing the ball harder you will see better pin action. This is not totally true, the average miles per hour or MPH is between 12 and 14 MPH. This is the speed that most bowlers should be throwing. If you throw the ball slower than 12 MPH there is a good chance that the ball will “roll out” which means the ball will be entering the 1-3 pocket at a straight or “flat” angle. The proper movement the ball should have when it hits the 1-3 pocket is from right to left. This movement causes the ball to drive harder through the pins and creates much more pin-action. If you throw the ball harder than 14 MPH the ball won’t have time to grip the service of the lane.   As a result of this the ball will not be turning at all from right to left when it reaches the 1-3 pocket.

With this said, if you are a high revolution bowler, one that has a lot of rotation on the ball you will have to throw the ball slightly harder in order to get the ball down the lane before the ball starts to hook. This is the main reason why you see some of the higher average bowlers throwing the ball harder. These bowlers tend to have more rotation on the ball and subsequently must throw the ball harder to keep the ball from hooking too much. The main key to remember here is no matter how soft or hard you throw the ball, the ball needs to be gripping the lane and turning from right to left as it hits the 1-3 pocket. If the ball is hooking early and rolling flat towards the pocket you may need more speed. If the ball has no hook then you may need to slow the ball down.