Getting the Tournament Team Lined Up – Part 2

Since last month’s article, I’m sure you have shared the magazine with your teammates. You’ve been paying a little more attention to the other team warming up in league and maybe you even tried different assignments for your team members to test the theory and you have a whole new interest in other-handers. Here are more suggestions for you:

Iiittt’s practice time

The strategy for getting the team lined up will involve different people throwing the ball in different areas of the lane, using the Six Shot System™. You’ll want to know how far down the lane the oil is, as well as where it is side-to-side on the lane. Remember that there is a lot of information you must glean from these efforts. Here’s a review to help you know what the team must figure out:

• What core configuration you need
• Which surface will work best (urethane, resin, particle)
• What surface preparation you should have (shiny, dull, pearl, solid, compound, wax, polish, what grit and for how long)
• Which drill pattern will put the pin, CG, and balance hole in the right place
• The right ball speed
• The proper axis rotation
• The best axis tilt
• The correct angle through the heads
• The right midlane read
• The proper entry angle into the pocket
• The best exit angle off the deck.

Other than that, you can just stand any ol’ place and hit the hole.

Remember in the Six Shot System™ that you are throwing your medium ball with your normal release. When the team is getting lined up, you’ll have to consider who will be throwing what coverstock and, if you don’t use the same veneer, what their ball reaction means to your game.

If you are a subscriber to this magazine, then you are familiar with this formula: pattern length – 31. It means that in certain cases if you know the distance the oil is down the lane, you can also know the best place for your ball to be when it leaves the pattern. It’s called the exit board. This formula has only a limited function as you’ve probably noticed. It’s unlikely it will work for ...