Expert: Russ King - 1/11/2007

Question
Lately my pins seem to fly up and over the taps, 10, 7, 9 pin.  How do I get the pins to lay down on the lane and roll around, be a messenger?  I throw a varity of hi-performance balls.  Brunswick Ultimate Inferno, MoRich Total Shock and Awe, Ebonite Big One and Hammer Vicious.

Answer
Either move a few boards inside the strong line that you are throwing to weaken the shot a bit. Or maybe try hitting the 1/2,1/3 or 1/4 pocket to swish the pins around.Another way is to spread out your pinkie in your grip. This will take off about 10% of the hit/drive in the pocket.
Different Seasons of the year & humidity have a big effect in reaction on how pins react on the deck.A pin has its best life at about 50-100 games thrown on them.Thats about a month or so on open & league play.They fly at their best at this time. Maybe your home house put in new pins in December?Or it could be just the Mechanic did a good cleaning in the pit removing all the junk that would keep the pins from skidding accross the deck.
Other ways are new kickbacks(the boards on each side of the pindecks).Or adjusting the flatgutters. The flatgutters are the gutters on each side of the pindecks. Their flat & if you raise the decks to the highest legal point, you get pins jumping out of the gutters accross the decks & a higher flyer over the 7 & 10.One last thing is tipping the pindecks up a few degrees up in the back. This suppose to keep the pind longer on the deck but, those pins are on weak light pocket hits.Moving in your pinkie & hitting 1/2 pocket are the best ways to counter the taps.