UNCOVENTIONAL INSTRUCTION
by Tom Kouros

In the normal course of giving a lesson, the qualified instructor doles out advice and methodology "by the book." That is, he adheres to the principle of teaching only technique and methodology that have proven themselves time and again. Yet, a knowing and experienced instructor also realizes there are times when improvisation and the unorthodox must necessarily be introduced in order to garner the optimum result. Such things as unique physiology, age and physical impairment are usually what prompt this deviation from the norm.

Indeed, veteran bowling instructors could relate many incidents where the "bizarre" has won out over conventional wisdom. Listed here, then, are some odd (and intriguing) applications to which I have resorted in my teaching experience.

The Stiff Knee: A gentleman who had injured his knee in a skiing accident found that he was no longer able to bend it after surgery. You guessed it; the injured knee was on his sliding leg. Formerly a 200-plus average bowler, he shortened his 15-foot approach to 13 feet in order to allow for the fact that he could not bend his knee and slide on the last step. As a result, his average dropped to 180, which he attributed to the appreciably reduced ball speed caused by taking a shorter approach. "I've tried everything to get more ball speed," he said. "I've held the ball higher in the stance. I've tried to follow through more strongly. I even tried elevating the height of my backswing. Nothing seems to work."

After watching him roll five or six balls, I told him to trymoving up on the approach another two feet. With disbelief he replied, "But I'm a five-step bowler! That would give me only an 11-foot approach." With an assuring smile, I said, "Try it, and let's see how you feel." Moving up on the approach, he executed a shot; amazed, he turned to me and said, "That felt pretty good." What I had noticed was that in spite of his shortened approach (13 feet), he was still ending up about three feet behind the foul line with his last step. In consequence of this, he was reaching for the foul line in his downswing, thus causing him to lose swing leverage and 2- or 3-mph in ball speed as well. With this change, he once again went on to average 200-plus. And while his ball speed, though improved, was not up to the rate it had been with a 15-foot approach, he compensated somewhat by using equipment with a lower "grab factor."

Swinging on a Star: A few years ago, a rather portly right-handed bowler came up to me. He had averaged 190 or better for about ten seasons straight. "And I was doing fine this year," he said, "when, all of a sudden, I went into this slump and am now struggling to average 170." After watching him roll about 15 shots, I was stumped. This bowler's swing was so bad (because his hip bulged out so far) that it seemed a mighty feat just getting the backswing to move behind it, much less average 190. So I began to ask him about his game. After 10 minutes of probing, I inquired, "Have you made any major changes recently?" After some thought, he replied, "Not really, unless you consider holding the ball more to the right in the stance, as opposed to between the shoulders (in the center), a major change."

Bingo! The light went on. "Let's try holding the ball in the middle again," I suggested. Within four or five shots, a miraculous transformation took place. Instead of a backswing that "looped" around the hip, his swing now flared unobstructed away from the hip (to the right). Once reaching the height of the backswing, he instinctively tucked the ball inward about a foot-and-a-half and, after clearing the hip to the left, proceeded to execute a straight and formidable downswing. Evidently, this bowler had devised a self-made method through trial and error to overcome the limitation his broad hips provided. So, rather than improving his game, the introduction of a conventional method had served to severely limit it.

Coping with Arthritis: An elderly couple came to me with the following dilemma. "My wife and I would like to bowl in a neighborhood mixed league," the man said, "but she only averages around 35, and the league handicap system is limited to bowlers who average 80 or better." Putting her on the lanes, I quickly came to grips with the problem. This little woman's hands were severely arthritic, as were other parts of her body. Standing 12 feet from the foul line, she held the ball above the waist in the stance, using a conventionally drilled 10-lb. ball, and took a fundamental four-step approach. This resulted in a very slow and unsteady step cadence, and a wobbling, erratic swing that lacked any pendulum, all of which culminated in her "dumping" the ball onto the lane in misguided directions.

Realizing this bowler would never be a threat to Wendy Macpherson, I considered drilling her a 6-lb. ball because of her strength factor, but felt her pin carry would suffer too much. Instead, I opted for an 8-lb. ball... but shortened her span 1/4", changed her thumb pitch from 1/4 reverse to 1/8 forward, and drilled holes for all four of her fingers. In other words, I drilled her a five-finger ball ("claw" fashion) to compensate for her arthritis. Next, I moved her to within five feet of the foul line, told her to hold the ball down around the knees, and take just three steps to the foul line (to get her to upswing the ball before she took her first step). All of this found her exhibiting better step cadence, rolling the ball instead of dumping it, introducing more pendulum into her swing, and producing better extension and swing direction. Her game now had a new consistency, and to the surprise of many, this bowler went on to average 116 for the season, with a high game of 163 and a high series of 406... achievements that far from threatened any records, but sure made one little lady very happy.