Expert: Chip Aki - 9/5/2008

Question
Hi Chip I have a problem that needs to be addressed by a professional. This is my second year of bowling and through the time I have been bowling I have been working on a more consistant release and worried less about power and hook. I use three balls a Storm Pyro (benchmark ball), if the lanes get spotty and go to closer to medium I change to Storm Secret Agent, then I use a Faball Purple hammer or in some cases a Storm Hot Rod Pro Stock Pearl. Now I do relatively well and am getting more consistant everynight and have been seeing my strikes double in the last couple months. All of my equipment except the Hot Rod is drilled what some would call leverage. Now I have a low track which has been debatable and I was wondering what you thought. My track starts about 4 or 5 in. away from my finger holes, but flares up to about a 1 in. from them. Everybody says "your spinning it", but I feel like I am coming rather up the back of the ball with just a little axis tilt. They say that my roll is never going to be as good as having a high track. Now the guy who runs the pro shop (he is a joke) will not listen to me about my balls being drilled. He thinks that if you put the pin at a 1 o' clock position from the ring finger and stack your cg that it is drilled leverage. Now would my lower track change the leverage drilling since most of the guys at the lanes roll higher tracks I would guess this would be considered leverage for them and not particularly me?

Answer
True leverage would be based on placing the pin and the CG 3 3/8 inches from your Positive Axis Point.  This make the layout look different for each bowler, some a little, some a lot.

How far away from your thumb is the first oil ring on the ball?  Four to five inches away from your fingers is a bit extreme.

Chip