PBA TECH TALK - Jason Couch

PBA TECH TALK by Ted Thompson
BOWLING Magazine January 2002
Reprinted with permission from the USBC

Forward Thumb Pitch helps Couch get a Better Grip on his Power

The grip of choice among most Professional Bowlers Association touring pros is a “relaxed fingertip grip,” one that lets the player release the ball in a number of ways. Release flexibility, in turn, allows them to fine tune their ball reactions to maximize scoring potential not only from week to week, but from pair to pair and even lane to lane.

Jason Couch is one of those “relaxed fingertip” players, but with an unusual twist. Couch incorporates what many bowlers would consider to be “excessive” forward pitch in his thumbhole. In the good old days, forward pitch in the thumbhole — where the hole is tilted toward the palm of the hand — was unheard of in most finger tip grips. Traditionally, most bowlers would use at least 1/4" to 3/8" reverse pitch to allow the thumb to exit the ball as fast as possible. The longer the span, the more reverse pitch was needed to enable the thumb to exit cleanly and impart “lift.”

The concept is simple: the earlier the thumb exits the ball, the longer it hangs on the fingers, creating lift which makes the ball react earlier. That trend has changed. Most top PBA players today use relaxed fingertip grips — typically 1/8" to 1/4" shorter than a full-tension fingertip — with zero or moderate forward pitch in the thumbhole. More lift is not a commodity today’s top pros want. Thus the trend is to get less lift from the fingers and in doing so helps the ball retain energy as it travels down the lane.

Jason Couch however, exceeds the norm. Up until the fall of 2000, he was using 7/16" forward pitch in his thumbhole. Because of his extremely high back swing, he creates a tremendous amount of gravitational force at the bottom of the swing and this amount of forward pitch was his way of not releasing the ball too early. Or in Jason’s words “dropping it at my toe.”

During the fall of 2000, some new irritation to his thumb began to develop and he felt a decrease in flexibility in his hand might be the cause. Another byproduct to his unusual amount of forward pitch was that he had to “pop” the ball off his hand at the bottom, making it hard for him to vary his rev rate which is a tool many of today’s pros use to combat the extreme variety of lane conditions.

Working with Couch, the PBA Player Services staff reduced his forward pitch to 3/16" and at the same time increased his span 1/8" on both fingers. By doing this, Couch still has that “locked on” feeling in the ball.

The end result was that he alleviated the irritation to his thumb, was able to roll out of the ball smoother at the release point and, at the same time, stay behind the ball a little more.

Layouts and ball choices

For the sake of simplicity, the PBA Tour uses three different lengths of oil patterns — short (less than 36 feet), medium (37-42 feet) and long (43 feet or more). Within these three patterns lie specific characteristics requiring any given player to make specific ball choices.

In 2001, Couch qualified second behind Parker Bohn III on a very short pattern at the Parker Bohn III Empire State Open in Albany, N.Y. It was a milestone accomplishment for Couch because shorter patterns (36 feet and less) have been his biggest challenge. His powerful release and high rev rate make his ball reaction violent and it’s difficult for him to control the pocket under those conditions. Compounding this was the fact that when he missed the pocket, the spares he had to try to convert were very difficult.

On shorter patterns the optimal place to play is usually the extreme outside line. A player must find a way to stay towards the outside portion of the lane and control their break point.

Couch did this during the PBIII Empire State Open by using a three-piece ball (pancake-shaped weight block) from game one. This type of ball has a very low differential value which means it has very little flare potential. In fact, during that tournament the PBA staff drilled him an identical ball later in the week because the first one became too “tracked up.” By using this type of ball, Couch was able to create a very consistent, controllable ball reaction throughout the whole week.

The medium-length patterns (37-42 feet) are the trickiest to play. Usually there is no defined place to play so the options vary greatly. Couch likes to attack these patterns with stronger reactive balls. He will also use layouts that put the pin in the ring finger area and depending on the amount of oil; he may or may not use an extra hole.

This enables Couch to create a breakpoint farther to the left than most other left-handers and therefore create area for himself by using the straighter players’ “carrydown” as hold area and fresher back ends to the left of that for swing area. His great shot-making ability is also a key in taking advantage of his power.

The longer patterns (43 feet and greater) tend to be Couch’s favorite. At the 2000 Brunswick World Tournament of Champions, the pattern was 50 feet long and played against the PBA Gold “Pro Pins” which weigh 3 lb. 10 oz. each. On such patterns, the ball simply doesn’t have enough time to hook a lot, so the place to play is usually more to the inside part of the lane. Couch plays the deep inside line as well as any left-hander since the powerful Steve Cook. With the heavier pins in play, it was no wonder Couch was victorious.

Couch’s ball of choice for this type of pattern is usually either a mild particle or strong reactive cover stock with the pin again around the ring finger area. The change he makes here is the extra hole placement, which is usually one to two inches below his positive axis point on his vertical axis line. This makes the ball react a little earlier and straighter into the pocket, which is imperative on these types of conditions.

Another advantage Couch creates on this type of pattern is that his lay down area is usually to the right of the right-handed players. He is then able to use the drier portion on the front part of the lane created by the right-handers as his “swing” area. Again because of his powerful release, Couch creates a much higher carry percentage than most players on this type of condition.

With the new “best-of-five” single-elimination match play format now being used on the PBA Tour, many of the high rev players struggled during the fall segment of 2001. The tour now bowls on freshly oiled lanes every round of the tournament, which historically has favored the medium to lower rev rate players. These types of players usually get a much smoother and more predictable ball reaction when the back ends are fresh (no oil carrydown).

Couch was one of those who struggled, but with his enormous talent and dedication to practice, you can bet it’s just a matter of time until he figures it out. When the tour resumes in January, don’t be surprised if Jason Couch becomes a major factor again. BOWLING January 2002

PBA TECH TALK - Chris Barnes

PBA TECH TALK by Ted Thompson
BOWLING Magazine November 2001
Reprinted with permission from the USBC

Barnes uses different grips on strike, spare balls to achieve a unique level of versatility

One of the most versatile players on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour today is 1998 Rookie of the Year, 2000 points and average champion and former TEAM USA member Chris Barnes. Barnes arrived on tour with a very impressive amateur resume. His start on the PBA Tour however, was more like a turbine engine. It started a little slow, but now appears to have kicked into full gear.

The reason for Barnes’ success is because he’s applying his full bag of versatile tricks. Barnes has demonstrated he can compete by playing the lanes very straight when needed, by hooking the ball a lot when needed, and by doing almost anything in between. It’s no wonder he made more PBA TV finals than anyone else in 2000.

Unfortunately, PBA history suggests that to become a consistent winner, a player must do something unique to gain that edge that results in many victories. It isn’t always advantageous to do a number of things well versus one thing great to be a star on the PBA Tour. However, if anybody can make versatility his friend, and start winning consistently in today’s environment, it’s Barnes.

Chris Barnes does one thing unique with his choice of grips. Yes, grips. He uses a certain grip for his strike balls and a different grip for his spare balls. His strike ball grip is tailored to be released in a number of ways. By using a semi-finger tip grip, he is able to roll out of it, hit it hard, or even spin it when the conditions call for it. Barnes uses 1⁄16" forward thumb pitch, which allows him to stay very relaxed with his grip pressure. This enables him to have great feel at the release point so he can throw the ball any way he sees fit.

Barnes’ spare ball is actually 5⁄16" longer in span (relaxed fingertip grip) and he increases his reverse pitch in his thumb. This allows him to break his wrist back to “kill” the amount of revolutions and allows him to stay behind it to make the ball roll more end-over-end. This grip and release technique limits the chance for the ball to change direction, which eliminates the chance of the lane coming into play. In shooting at most spares, that’s what the game is all about.

Barnes’ favorite layouts are much like most of today’s power players, leaning toward weaker pin placements and/or weaker weight blocks to control flair potential for maximum control. In PBA competition, hitting the pocket is never a given. The name of the game is control. Barnes has learned this philosophy very well over the last couple of years and the proof has been in his results.

One trick Barnes has used on occasion is trying to get his ball to “burn up” to control the pocket. This is done by using a ball with a strong core and strong cover stock so it will actually hook less on the backend to control the pocket. This combination takes a lot of knowledge and talent to work, and the player needs to know when to put it to rest.

One of Barnes’ strengths is playing the deep inside line. Barnes plays this line as well as anybody on the planet. His layout choice for a deep inside line is usually a 6" pin placement from his positive axis point (PAP) with the center of gravity “kicked out” just a bit, and no extra balance hole. Barnes also will choose balls with higher flare potentials and slightly weaker cover stocks. He uses this layout when there is a defined hook spot on the lanes, or when the lanes are a little more forgiving.

On very short patterns, or conditions where he has to play the extreme outside line, Barnes will also use a very weak pin placement and vary the strength of the cover stock depending on the amount of oil; the more oil, the stronger the cover stock.

When Barnes won his second PBA title in the 1998 Portland Open playing the 2 board (the original Cheetah pattern developed by Kegel), he used a pin 6 3/4" from his positive axis point, basically in his track. This put the weight block in a very stable position and took away all flare potential. This created a very predictable ball reaction and a straighter move into the pocket.

Barnes’ favorite layouts are much like most of today’s power players, leaning toward weaker pin placements and/or weaker weight blocks to control flair potential for maximum control.

On tougher lane conditions, or when there less of a defined hook spot, Barnes will choose equipment that has less flare potential. The differential Rg in these balls are usually .035 or less. He then strengthens the pin placements to 4 1⁄2" from his PAP and places an extra hole usually either on or slightly off his PAP. This, Barnes said, “creates more mid-lane reaction and makes the adjustment process more predictable.”

If the lanes have a lot of oil, he will choose a higher load particle ball and use a pin placement 5" from his PAP. Barnes likes to use larger extra holes in many layouts for balls for tougher lane patterns, lowering the RG (radius of gyration) value of a ball, which helps it rev up sooner. He can then be more aggressive with his ball speed. Since Barnes is one of the most intense competitors on tour, he can tend to get a little pumped up. That personality trait lends itself to higher ball speeds so the extra holes help keep the ball from over skidding and therefore reading the lane at a point that is more comfortable to his eye.

With his victory in the PBA Greater Nashville Open in October 2001, Barnes has now won three National Tour titles on three distinctively different lane conditions. His first title was in Erie Pa, on one of the highest PBA scoring environments ever. His second was in Portland Oregon playing the extreme outside line. In Nashville, he won on the challenging ABC 2:1 Ratio Sport Bowling condition under a new tournament format.

In my book, that’s the definition of versatility at the highest level and its talent that should keep Barnes on our picture tubes for years to come. ■ Bowling November 2001

PBA TECH TALK - Robert Smith

PBA TECH TALK by Ted Thompson
BOWLING Magazine September 2001
Reprinted with permission from the USBC

Welcome to the first “PBA Tech Talk,” a new series of columns by Professional Bowlers Association Players Services Director Ted Thompson. PBA Tech Talk will feature some of the PBA’s top stars and their tools of the trade — their grips, preferred ball layouts and types of ball decisions they make to combat the wide variety of lane conditions and environments they encounter on the PBA Tour.

How the ‘Sarge Easter Grip’ helped Robert Smith become a PBA champion

Robert Smith has one of the most explosive physical games ever seen in bowling. Walking through a bowling center, it isn’t uncommon to hear someone say, “Wow, did you see that?” If you’ve been around the Professional Bowlers Association Tour very much, you know the chances are pretty good that someone has just watched Smith destroy another rack of pins like only he can. Smith, who packs 215 pounds of muscle on his 5-foot-11 frame, creates a revolutions-per-minute rate and an entry angle that most bowlers can’t even dream of.

Early in his bowling career, when bowling balls were nothing like they are today, weight blocks with very little flare potential and cover stocks that weren’t nearly as aggressive as today’s served Smith well. The rapid advancement in bowling ball technology that has helped so many people around the world bowl higher scores, however, began to turn Smith’s bowling career into a nightmare.

Considered by many to be a blossoming superstar when he came out on tour in 1998, Smith finally headed home to California in late 1999 after two less-than-satisfactory tour seasons to search for answers. When the 2000 PBA season began, Smith returned to the tour with a new weapon, a grip known as the “Sarge Easter Grip.”

The Sarge Easter Grip — named for one used by the late American Bowling Congress Hall of Famer in the 1950s — is a conventional span on the ring finger and a fingertip span on the middle finger. Trying the grip was ABC Hall of Famer Barry Asher’s idea. Asher, who was recruited to bowl with Easter when he was 11, saw a photo of Smith on a Vise Inserts promotional poster and noticed Smith’s hand wasn’t open as much as other players.

Asher thought using the Sarge Easter Grip might weaken Smith’s grip, giving him more control. Ironically, Asher said Easter used to throw a backup ball, so he tried the grip to get a bit of side turn on the ball and wound up learning to hook it. Asher, who threw a spinner as an 11-year-old, used the grip to learn to stay behind the ball. Using this type of grip will greatly decrease the effect of the ring finger in the release. You’re really getting all the power from the middle finger, with the ring finger along for the ride.

The impact of Smith’s grip change was quickly apparent. He came back in a big way to win the 2000 U.S. Open followed by the Flagship Open in the fall. With his power harnessed by his modified grip, Smith believes he’s on his way to filling all those lofty expectations.

What was the change all about? With a full fingertip grip on both fingers, Smith created an extreme amount of revolutions and axis rotation. He felt as if his old grip was only allowing him to throw it one way — maximum hit.

The type of roll that was once such a huge advantage was now too difficult to control. “The original idea behind the grip change was to significantly cut the rev rate down,” Smith said, only to learn in CATS (Computer Aided Tracking System) testing that his rev rate dropped only 20 rpms, from 560 to 540.

Storm Products technical representative Steve Kloempken said the original goal wasn’t achieved, but the net objective was accomplished. “Robert’s ‘Sarge Easter’ grip has affected only one thing, his axis rotation,” Kloempken said. “His axis tilt has stayed the same. However, Robert’s direction of roll is unquestionably more forward.”

LAYOUT BASICS

On the PBA Tour, players face an infinite combination of ball reaction characteristics. Because of the different types of lane surfaces, amounts of oil, distances of oil, topography of individual lanes, temperature and humidity fluctuations players face on tour, they need to know when and how to use all their skills to compete at this highest of levels.

With the product line that most companies have today, a player can vary his/her reaction tremendously by using one “favorite layout” and drilling balls with different cover stock and/or weight block combination.

Smith’s benchmark drilling is a 6" pin from his positive axis point (PAP) with a strong mass bias and no extra hole. This layout places the pin over Smith’s middle finger and the center of gravity around the centerline of his grip. This layout cuts down on the flare potential of today’s highly dynamic bowling balls, giving him a much more controllable motion at the breakpoint as well as length.

On shorter oiled patterns, Smith will tweak the pin placement slightly toward the weaker side (6 1⁄4" from PAP) and use a ball that has less flare potential and weaker cover stock. For very long oil patterns, he will slightly strengthen the layout and often use a pin placement of 5 1⁄2" from his PAP. He will also select a ball with a more aggressive cover stock and higher flare potential core/weight block.

Technology and physical changes in the sport over the years have caused the end of many promising pro careers. To have a long and successful PBA career requires many skills. One of the most important is the ability to adapt to an ever-changing game.

Smith has proven he has the talent and mental toughness to adapt and become a champion. He spent part of the long summer break dominating the PBA Western Region, winning three titles in April alone. Only time will tell how many National titles are in his future. One thing’s for sure: he’s fun to watch. Bowling September 2001