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Mike Fagan


Mika Koivuniemi


Once you are on the lanes, however,


selecting the right ball isn’t automatic. Throwing several balls during the practice time before a block or league session begins will give you the infor- mation you need to make a decision. Even then the choice might not


be obvious. Sometimes none of the balls seem to hit the pocket. Other times you’ll fi nd yourself striking with two or three different balls. When that happens, how do


you choose the best option? The pros are faced with that dilem-


ma occasionally, and several offered in- sight into how they come to a decision. MIKE FAGAN: It’s a process, and I


try to keep an open mind. I don’t want to come in saying, “This is the ball I have to throw.” I try to come in with a range of balls that will complement each other, but if the fi rst one I throw feels good off my hand and reacts the


16 USBOWLER FEBRUARY 2012


way I want it, I might not even go to another ball. Most importantly, I don’t want to make dramatic changes as the block goes on. I might make a few subtle changes, like using the same ball with a different drilling, or using the same drilling on a different ball. MIKA KOIVUNIEMI: I don’t like to


throw too many strikes in practice because I know the lanes are going to change. If I strike too much with one ball in practice, I’m not going to throw that ball. If I have a ball that feels good and goes through the pins, I’ll stop using it until the end of practice. BILL O’NEILL: I look for the angle


into the pins. Even if a ball is striking, if it’s defl ecting in the pocket I know it’s not going to continue to strike be- cause the angle isn’t right. And if I see a ball going too sharp into the pocket and running over the 8 pin all the time, that’s probably not the ball ei-


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