Expert: Chip Aki - 3/10/2006

Question
I have been bowling for 20+ years.  I currently average between 215-220.  I play fairly deep with a lot of hand in the ball.  My strikes are very powerful but at times, my ball seems to lay down or roll out.  Off my hand it feels good, but it just won't make it to the hole.  Soft tens pins, buckets, and wash outs are the results of shots like these.  It probably happens 1-2 times per game.  If seems as though I'm not getting around the side of the ball enough and hitting it too hard straight up the back.  I have tried many different hand positions, sometimes they work, sometimes they don't.  Does this make sense?  Is there a certain hand position I need to change to get get more and consistant side roll on the ball?  Is there a certain pitch I need to have in my thumg hole?  I'm just very frustrated with this re-occuring problem.  Any ideas?

Thanks,
Scott

Answer
To get the ball to delay, you need to get around it more to create skid.  
You dont say what kind of ball that you are using.  If the ball's cover is too strong, it will roll out.  It may be due to the layout or the core design as well.

Conditions change so fast with some of these balls that just changing hand position may not be enough.

Good luck,
Chip