I Just Wanna Bowl!

When did bowling become so complex?

I Just Wanna Bowl!

With all the talk today of EVERY possible variable needed to strike – the right ball, the right layout, the right surface, AND the ability to read an invisible environment – you’ve really got to wonder how anyone EVER strikes!

In the big scheme of things and, taking a simplified view of the bowling world, our sport really hasn’t changed significantly for the masses. All that is required is understanding what YOUR bowling ball is doing on YOUR lanes, watching YOUR ball’s reaction, and responding to it appropriately. In short, your bowling ball tells you what the lane is doing. The pins tell you what the bowling ball is doing.

What bowling ball do I need? What layout do I use? How do I play this pattern?

A funny analogy comes to my mind when I hear bowlers asking these questions:

Question: Why was the man (bowler) banging his head into the wall?
Answer: Because it felt good when he stopped!

I think bowlers need to simplify. Let’s start by simplifying ball motion. We’ll do this by talking about the driver (you the bowler) of a car (your bowling ball) traveling down a road (the lane) and the effects of varying weather conditions (the oil pattern).

The driver: the bowler

The first factor in bowling is YOU, the driver. The bowling ball only does what you tell it to do – direction, ball speed, rev rate, axis tilt, and axis rotation are ALL predicated by how you deliver the ball. Drivers come in all shapes and sizes in today’s game. In addition to throwing the bowling ball, the bowler also needs to be aware of what the ...



Ric Hamlin

About Ric Hamlin

Ric Hamlin is a bowling industry veteran with many years of experience as an elite bowler, pro shop operator, and coach. He started as a junior bowler in the prestigious So-Cal junior bowling programs, and then went on to become a PBA member. Ric was the assistant manager of the Storm / Dexter / KR booth at the 1995 ABC National Tournament, the Director of Pro Shop Operations for the Coast Casinos / The Orleans from 2000 to 2003, Brunswick’s Northwest Product Specialist from 2003 to 2008, and he was a Pro Shop Sales Specialist for Steve Cook’s Bowling Supply from 2008 to 2020. Since 2005, Ric has been the Assistant Coach of the Fresno State Bulldogs, who won the national championship in 2011. He is the co-author of Head Games: the Mental Approach of Bowling and Sports, (r)eVolve, and End Games. Ric is currently the founder of BowlTecX.