MORE AND more, as the game is being played and taught today, adjusting to the lane condition has come to mean changing to a ball with a different coverstock, or to a ball with a different weight balance or imbalance.

Unfortunately, many bowlers who are obsessed with this belief are usually prone to forego the fundamental adjustment factor for accommodating the lane condition, which is adjusting the nature of the release.

Indeed, adjusting the release is an ongoing process among the top players in the game. Understanding that the bowling release is basically the application of a torque (twisting force) to the ball (which includes lift, turn and extension), advanced bowlers adjust their release with a specific purpose in mind, such as changing the degree of roll, spin, revolutions and extension in order to optimally match the release to the lane condition.

Furthermore, this release adjustment is not always made with the hand. Sometimes a change in the release will result from a change at some other point in a player's game. For instance, leverage, which is derived from the quality of total technique used as a player goes to the foul line, is a major contributor to the effectiveness of a release. Obviously, then, when leverage is lacking - or enhanced - it is reflected proportionately in the nature of the release, which, in turn, has some effect on the ball track.

As a rule, a bowler's track will not change its basic classification despite what might seem to be substantial alterations in hand position and release characteristics. A possible exception is the bowler who borders between a semi-roller and a semi-spinner and is able to alternate from one track classification to the other with relative ease. Normally, however, the adjustments a bowler makes in the release will not cause the ball track to radically depart from its original classification.

The ball track classification itself does not even have the final say as to how effective the ball will be. Indeed, a semi-roller track may provide very little rotational inertia or outstanding ball action. A semi-spinner may be pitiful in its hitting impact, or have a devastating affect on the pins. Even a full-roller track can range from providing admirable pin-carry to one that deflects strongly when hitting the pins.

Therefore, within each of these track groupings there is the potential for effective or inadequate ball action and pin response. And, as implied, a given degree of adjustment in lift, turn, or extension can reap huge benefits for the bowler, this without having a major effect on the normal measure and location of the track. Nevertheless, bowlers should keep a sharp eye on the specifics of their ball track so as to quickly note possible variations and make necessary adjustments. Indeed, if the ball track begins to creep away from its most productive position, it should be immediately noticed and promptly corrected.

Another very important adjustment when playing a lane condition involves the "breaking point" of the ball. Let's explain. First, I've heard the term "skid, roll, hook" to describe how a ball moves down the lane, and frankly, I don't understand it. In the process of rolling down the lane, a ball actually goes through these three stages: 1) skid; 2) side-roll; 3) forward roll. In other words, it begins by skidding down the lane, then it starts to hook (side-roll stage), and finally it begins to straighten out when the rotational motion (side-roll) of the ball begins to closely align with its translational motion (forward roll stage). It is no coincidence that a ball makes its sharpest hook just as it is going into the dominant forward roll stage, a.k.a. the "breaking point." After all, at this time the skid force has severely lessened, which allows the ball's rate of revolutions to realize maximum potential.

The breaking point of a bowling ball occurs not at the point when the ball starts hooking, as some would believe, but at a point on the lane where the ball hooks the sharpest. Ideally, this should be approximately 6 feet from the pocket. For this reason, a bowler does not want to see the ball start to hook until it is well past the arrows, usually at a point somewhere around 30 feet from the foul line. If the skid effect is being overtaken by the force of friction before that point, the ball most likely will realize its breaking point too soon, thus adversely affecting both accuracy and action (roll-out).

To prevent this from happening, a bowler has the option of four strategies, which are 1) change to another ball; 2) increase overall speed; 3) increase lift; 4) increase the degree of turn. As alluded to earlier, the popular strategy today is to change to another bowling ball. And in this regard, I have noticed that many current players tend to use too much ball (hook) for the lane condition. For this reason, I recommend you start bowling on a condition with harder (low friction) balls, and begrudgingly work down to "softer" shell balls if you have to.

The result of these changes may offer you more than a pleasant surprise... like a big leap in your average.