Q. During the summer I practiced 3 times a week to improve my game and knowledge of lane play. The first week of September came and our first night of league, the lane condition that I practiced on all summer was gone and I struggled all evening. The harder I tried the worse things got. Now the game I worked so hard on is busted what can I do to get it back?

A. Your game is not busted just dented a little. What happened is that you were out of your comfort zone. When you are in the comfort zone you are relaxed the arm-swing is loose and you get the feeling you can't be beat. When you are not in that comfort zone your swing gets tight you start aiming and things get worse, sometimes much worse. Remember you haven't forgotten the things you learned during the summer. Next league night during practice try a couple of different lines, watch those who were scoring last week see if they are playing the lanes different than you. Try to remain loose with a free arm-swing. It is not easy to maintain a free arm-swing when you are not comfortable but it is absolutely necessary. The tighter you get the more you aim, the more you aim the tighter you get. You need to trust your shot no matter what in order to regain your normal swing. Until you do it is difficult to line up properly because you are not throwing the ball in your normal way. Once you determine in practice what line you need to be playing then throw your shot with conviction, then if you were wrong you could trust the lane read that you got and make your moves accordingly. Remember the old saying " trust is a must or your game is a BUST."

Q. I throw a full roller the track goes between the thumb and fingers. I wanted to get more hook so I had my new $200.00 ball drilled according to the layouts for a ¾ roller. The ball hooks a bit more but is always rolling over the finger holes. So I now have a $200.00 ball that thumps. My question is there anything I can do to create more hook?

A. If you want to continue with the full roller and not learn a 3/4 then you have to stay with the full roller drilling patterns provided with the ball. This will keep it from thumping. To get the ball to hook more the only thing you can do is to buy the most aggressive ball you can find, both in cover stock and weight block. You may also be able to help carry by using the finger squeeze or triggering the ball. This is accomplished by snapping your fingers hard toward the palm of your hand at release; this will help the ball to drive harder into the pins.

Q. I read somewhere in the past that you use a product called thumb
carpets. I would like to try them I asked at our pro shop and they had never heard of them. What do they do and where can I get them?

A. Thumb Carpets are the width of bowler's tape they are made of a carpet product. They are placed in the back of the thumbhole just like tape. One piece takes up the space of 3 pieces of white tape. The idea of them is to give a tight fit but a clean release. Because of the fibers in the carpet no suction is created between your thumb and hole. This also cuts down on swelling so it is easier to maintain a consistent feel. If more tape is necessary you can put extra tape behind the thumb carpet or add some tape to the front of the hole. I have been using this since 1997 and have bowled more consistently at a high level because of having a better more comfortable feel. They are not generally available in pro shops the gentleman who makes them just markets them himself and through a few friends. I have them available to all who want them just send me a self-stamped, self addressed envelope #10 (2 stamps please) and $20.00 for each 10. Ten piece minimum order. If you want more than 10 write to me for a price list and freight quote. My email address is askbob@clearwire.net. My mailing address is Bob Korth 750 Hemlock Ave. Central Point, Or. 97502.

To ask a question email askbob@clearwire.net