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The man who broke bowling
- rajnathani 3y agoI can’t believe this is new to me: > If you’re not impressed, if you happen to think that because you can fire a 250 at your local Bowlero, you can compete on the PBA Tour, let’s make one thing clear. Your local lanes are oiled in a way that helps turn misses into strikes, and when coupled with recent advances in bowling ball technology, have produced an abundance of 300 games among amateurs. But the oil patterns on the tour, unlike those at your local house, are devilishly difficult: the comparison is akin to logging a hole in one at your local putt-putt course, the contours guiding the ball toward the hole, versus sinking a downhill double breaker at Augusta. In other words, there is no comparison.
- bb88 3y agohttps://archive.fo/BncEg https://archive.fo/BncEg
- stephenitis 3y agoI had to look up the technique. So cool! https://youtu.be/11da-YAOXBI https://youtu.be/11da-YAOXBI
- erik 3y agoThere is a slow motion view from the side at 4:13. https://youtu.be/11da-YAOXBI?t=253 https://youtu.be/11da-YAOXBI?t=253
- Neil44 3y agoThe way he gets tha ball to swerve at the last second every time is incredible.
- dtgriscom 3y agoPart of that is the pattern of oil on the alley. There's oil spread on the first half or so of the lane; when the ball comes out of the oil, the traction greatly increases and the ball hooks. https://starrcards.com/cheetah-bear-or-shark-playing-hidden-oil-patterns-on-bowling-lanes-with-pba-great-parker-bohn-iii/ https://starrcards.com/cheetah-bear-or-shark-playing-hidden-...
- perlgeek 3y agoWhy in the world would an online article not include a short gif or an embedded video showing the bowling technique? Is gq.com primarily a print medium?
- firstlink 3y agoPrimary sources are anathema to mainstream media. It's not just political articles, it's the whole damn profession. If you can watch ten seconds of him bowling you don't need to spend ten minutes on the article.
- erfgh 3y agoMaybe because it's not so different from the usual technique as the article wants you to believe. Unless you're a bowling expert you wouldn't even notice it.
- 000ooo000 3y ago>Unless you're a bowling expert you wouldn't even notice it. Having just watched a clip of it, I'm very skeptical of this remark.
- soligern 3y agoI’m a good control. I watched the video linked in the comments and couldn’t tell the difference until I read the article and rewatched it again.
- darrenf 3y agoBelmo is a beast. Ten Pin Life did a great interview with him last year: https://youtu.be/p3RWN86W8Cw https://youtu.be/p3RWN86W8Cw
- test1235 3y agoXtra Slow Motion - Jason Belmonte's Bowling Release https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEI69YFm9uo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEI69YFm9uo
- haunter 3y agoWikipedia is actual more clear about this technique >The two-handed approach should not be confused with the two-handed delivery. Just prior to the release of the ball, a bowler using a two-handed approach removes their supporting hand, effectively delivering the ball with only one hand. They are considered a one-handed bowler by governing bodies … >An actual two-handed delivery involves using both hands simultaneously to give force to the ball and is extremely rare in adult competition; it is mostly seen with young children first learning the game.
- wingerlang 3y agoThe article mentions this: > Belmonte’s technique is, technically, a one hander—his left hand leaves the ball a split second before he releases it with his right.
- carscache 3y ago[flagged]
- hindsightbias 3y agoHistory today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11da-YAOXBI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11da-YAOXBI the inertia on that curve is crazy
- noduerme 3y ago>> Your local lanes are oiled in a way that helps turn misses into strikes, and when coupled with recent advances in bowling ball technology, have produced an abundance of 300 games among amateurs Sorry, is this real? I haven't gone bowling since I broke my wrist in an accident 20 years ago. I was never a great bowler before that, but it never crossed my mind that the bowling alley would somehow conspire to help me get a high score. If anything, bad shoes and too much wax would send me sliding. I know most of the good old bowling alleys died, and got replaced by these new urban work/life/bowling/sushi places that charge $50 a game, but are they really putting special grease patterns down to let the sensitive children walk away happy for instafucking more strikes? Is that a real fucking thing?
- 2-718-281-828 3y agoyou'll find more about it if you google "oil pattern bowling". it's obviously though a micro optimization only professional players will be able to utilize.
- gnopgnip 3y agoYes, it’s not a uniform layer. Most of them have less grease near the edges, but there are different grease patterns
- masklinn 3y agoThe wax is on the lane, only way you’d get it on your shoes is if you walk on the lane which you don’t. The pattern thing is a bit more complicated, veritasium has a video on it (and on bowling balls). Wax was introduced to protect the lanes, however players fairly quickly learned to use the wax, as it allows hooking more easily and severely, which makes hitting the right location at the right angle much easier. Bowling alleys will then use different patterns for different purposes e.g. a local alley will use a more forgiving pattern, while pro alleys will use a “sport pattern” from a variety of standard patterns (or possibly in-house) to tune the difficulty and for more interesting shots. House patterns are actually a lot simpler than pro patterns, usually it’s a simple sideways gradient (more in the center, less on the sides) going straight down to halfway to 2/3rds the lane. Aside from player satisfaction (it punishes mistakes less), a factor of them was simply saving oil. This is not new, complex patterns were first experimented with by the PBA in the 90s (spraying lanes by hand) to make shots harder, as the balls had advanced too much. Though it only became an official feature in the 2000s as machines became capable enough to print specific patterns, reliably. This means reading wax patterns has become an important skill of pro bowl. In essence it’s the opposite of what you think, sport lanes and events use patterns specifically designed to be more difficult on purpose.
- d--b 3y agoWouldn't it make sense at some point to add more pins or make the alley longer, or something? Right now the only “excitement” one get from watching bowling is when one of the player fails at performing a strike.
- xattt 3y agoSwitch Sports has the right idea by including moving elements, ramps and cliffs.
- unnamed76ri 3y agoI thought you were referencing a real world thing for a moment…
- Karellen 3y agoIs that a show on ESPN The Ocho?
- SudoAlex 3y agoThey already do something - the oil patterns they use on the lanes is considerably different for open/league bowlers compared to competitive bowlers. However the professional bowlers will have the skill, experience and equipment to deal with all the different oil patterns.
- d--b 3y agoThey do the oil thing because that's one thing that doesn't require a change in rules. But strikes should happen less than 10% of the time for the sport to be enjoyable to watch. It's way more interesting to see a professional bowler strike 2 pins than 10.
- SudoAlex 3y agoThere have been rule changes to equipment at different levels to help counteract some of the issues with two handed bowlers, and modern bowling balls. (Note: I bowl in leagues in the UK, so definitely not at a competitive level). Back in August 2020 balance holes were banned by the USBC (and therefore applied internationally), which would have a greater impact on two handed bowlers - as they don't insert a thumb in the ball, it gave them the potential for two balance holes instead of one. Currently every hole drilled into the ball must be used during the release of the ball. More recently certain competitions (PBA mostly) are restricting the use of urethane balls to ban any balls which don't meet a minimum level of hardness. This hasn't been applied at a wider level yet, although it may have an impact over time. https://www.pba.com/2023/june/2023-pba-hardness-report https://www.pba.com/2023/june/2023-pba-hardness-report So things are changing, but it's mostly reactionary rule changes as new problems are being discovered.
- rkachowski 3y agoIt's really interesting to contrast this with this old article on software developers, "expert beginners" and skill plateaus ( https://daedtech.com/how-developers-stop-learning-rise-of-the-expert-beginner/ https://daedtech.com/how-developers-stop-learning-rise-of-th... ) Bowling technique is used as an example of something you can abuse in order to get quick wins and easy improvement on bowling ability, yet quickly hit a skill ceiling and you must relearn correct technique from the beginning (actively get worse at bowling) if you wish to reach an advanced level. From TFA there also seems to be a third path of "this isn't wrong, it's actually a better technique", and the article does outline the whole journey of self-coaching, being called a cheater and ultimately being validated via a string of victories and imitators.
- abhaynayar 3y ago> you must relearn correct technique from the beginning (actively get worse at bowling) Yeah that's what's happening with me in tennis. As a kid I never really took any formal coaching, just learnt from my brother and started rallying with people. Recently, I decided to start playing again, so I went to a coach and I am learning the correct technique from the beginning. Have to constantly correct and rewire my automatic reactions. It feels really good to learn something you're bad at, and then seeing your brain slowly automating the new stuff over time.
- yowzadave 3y agoYes, this pattern is extremely obvious in tennis--you'll often encounter rec-level players who manage to win a lot of matches against players of lower ability by hitting nothing but slow floaters/moonballs/chip shots. Because they use those shots exclusively (because they're often effective at lower levels!), they plateau, and never develop the full range of tennis skills they need to compete against more well-rounded players.
- jdechko 3y agoSee also swimming. A lot of people, myself included, know how to “swim” freestyle. But the difference in technique between trained and untrained is stark if you know what to look for. It takes a lot of effort to unlearn the improper technique and learn what to do. At the same time, it’s difficult doing longer distances because of muscle memory.
- treyfitty 3y agoWow, just watched a clip and was reminded of my time on my high schools varsity bowling team in 2001. Long story short, I was cut from the team because I used this exact technique of not putting my thumb in the hole. The coach’s verdict was “I couldn’t develop to a meaningful player who refused to learn the proper technique” and ultimately cut. Now, I wasn’t an exceptional bowler, and I swore off bowling after that, but this article and YouTube clips bring back memories. Note: for people with small hands like myself, it’s difficult to thumb a bowling ball in a manner that is conducive to curving the ball. As an adaptation, the “two handed approach” is a side effect of keeping the ball steady before delivery.
- windowsworkstoo 3y agobowling is fucken weird..I was a junior almost pro bowler and I know Belmo, being around the same age, coming up at the same time and in the same area as him…he’s a freak in the best sense of the word. I remember some other kids who would bowl with a bigger hook (and their thumbs) but Belmo was just super consistent…knew he would do great and very glad he has, despite all the haters
- evandale 3y agoAs a serious bowler I wouldn't say Belmo broke bowling - he's saving it. Two handed bowling isn't unfair and it's not easier than one handed bowling. I've tried it on multiple occasions but it's really hard to generate the speed required to throw 500+ revs. Furthermore, if it was so easy everyone would switch it to because it's clear that it won't get banned.
- SkeuomorphicBee 3y agoThat is so interesting for amateur play, it will be a revolution for casual players with low grip strength. The way he performs the whole swing while holding the ball with the palm of both hands, instead of just gripping with your dominant hand's fingers, means he is using arm strength during the heaviest part of the swing. I mean, it is the full strength of both arms vs the grip strength of only one hand, it should be an order of magnitude difference, so weaker players will be able to focus more on technique instead of being 100% dedicated to just not dropping the ball mid swing.
- SkeuomorphicBee 3y agoI find it super interesting when a new efficient technique breaks into professional sports. As it is described in the article, there is always push back from the establishment, with even accusations that the new technique is cheating, then in some cases the rules are changed to ban the new technique and in some cases the technique makes its way into mainstream. Some interesting examples from the top of my head: - V-style in ski jumping: when it appeared in professional ski jumping in the 80s it was considered inappropriate by judges, and athletes had to avoid it to not be penalized with low style points. But at some point in the 90s it became so much superior in distances achieved that athletes started winning with that even after penalties, so it became recognized as valid by judges and took over. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ski_jumping_techniques#V-style https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ski_jumping_techniques#V-style - Fosbury flop in high jump: this one didn't receive much push back, it was kind of a Columbus egg, once Dick Fosbury won the gold in the 1968 Mexico Olympics, it spread quickly and in no time all major athletes were using the technique. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fosbury_flop https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fosbury_flop - front flip on long jump: this one was quickly banned from competition, due to safety concerns. It is theoretically more mechanically efficient and has potential to produce longer jumps, but since it was never allowed to be perfected in high level competition we will never know how far it could go. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_jump#Action_in_the_air_and_landing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_jump#Action_in_the_air_an... - dunking free throws in basketball: this is other one that was quickly banned. Once a young Wilt Chamberlain demonstrated he could in fact dunk from behind the free throw line in a low league sort-of demonstration game, a rule banning it was created in the low leagues, and when Chamberlain made into the NBA the rule soon followed. https://www.sbnation.com/2022/3/26/22996516/wilt-chamberlain-dunked-from-the-free-throw-line-and-terrified-the-rule-makers https://www.sbnation.com/2022/3/26/22996516/wilt-chamberlain...
- AlbertCory 3y agoI don't see this one here yet: the two-handed, underhand free throw in basketball. I'm happy to have a more knowledgeable person correct me (not having been a player, ever), but AFAIK this is a known-good technique. It's perfectly legal, but players feel it makes them look like a sissy.
- nh23423fefe 3y agoI don't think its good technique. the release point is low, its harder to put the correct spin on the ball, harder to use your legs correctly.
- AlbertCory 3y agoSome NBA players beg to differ: https://www.sportscasting.com/rick-barrys-underhand-free-throws-and-why-nba-players-today-dont-follow-suit/ https://www.sportscasting.com/rick-barrys-underhand-free-thr... https://detroitjockcity.com/2017/05/31/underhanded-free-throws-work-dont-players-shoot/ https://detroitjockcity.com/2017/05/31/underhanded-free-thro...
- lbrindze 3y agoDid anyone else click this link hoping it was an article about Pete Weber’s incoherent yelling?
- MisterBastahrd 3y agoI have never been able to "bowl legitimately." I've had holes drilled into multiple balls which were supposed to allow me to bowl comfortably with thumb inserted. I always ended up taking my thumb out of the ball and palm it instead, with my hand positioned in the opposite direction from normal. My latest ball is a bit lighter than the average one... 13 pounds... and there are only two holes which are drilled slightly deeper than normal. I don't know how many RPMs I'm putting on it, but it's definitely spinning faster than most people I've bowled with. After having watched a video, this guy looks to be doing much the same thing except he's stabilizing the ball with his other hand. I learned to bowl this way from a friend of mine over 25 years ago and it's been a favorite ever since. My mom was a member of a bowling league at one point and I absolutely wore out her 11 pound ball when she stopped playing competitively.