PBA Xtra Another common theme in Burkett’s
conversations with O’Keefe is the need to alter the surface of the bowling ball. “He’s in here quite a bit, which is
awesome to see,” says O’Keefe. “He always brings his towel like he’s working out.” Specifically, the things Burkett works
on at the ITRC are familiar to many bowlers who also grew up learning to bowl in the plastic ball and urethane era. They include learning lane adjustments in the modern game, playing portions
want to move to the gutter; you want to move inside and keep the ball tighter in the pocket. That’s the ‘rule of 31’ type stuff where he has the most to learn.” The “rule of 31” is a principle whereby
a bowler subtracts the number 31 from the length of the oil pattern. The sum equals the portion of the lane where you want your ball to exit the pattern. On a 32-foot pattern such as the Wolf, that lands you on the one board. On a 52-foot pattern such as the Badger, that lands you inside the fourth arrow and destined
“I PREFER TO PLAY THE LANES FROM THE INSIDE ANGLE, WHICH IS PROBABLY A PRODUCT OF LEAGUE BOWLING WHERE YOU NEVER GO OUTSIDE 10 BECAUSE THEY’RE SO DRY OUT THERE.”
of the lane many bowlers tend to fear or ignore, preparing for abrupt transition, and learning how and why to manipulate ball surface.
Lane Adjustments in the Modern Era O’Keefe explains that this is a common source of confusion for bowlers who grew up bowling in the ‘70s and ‘80s. “Because Burkett is learning the
modern game, he’s used to making moves you would make in the ‘80s. Back then, when your ball hooked too much, you moved inside; if your ball didn’t hook enough, you moved outside. That’s not always the case today. Sometimes, if your ball is not hooking, it’s probably because the pattern length is longer, so you don’t
to move deeper inside as transition occurs.
Playing Portions of the Lane Bowlers Fear or Ignore Had Burkett applied the rule of 31 when bowling the 32-foot pattern, easily the shortest of the Summer Swing shots, he might have moved far outside with players such as Chris Barnes, who averaged 250 playing the gutter with a urethane ball. Like many league bowlers, Burkett rarely explores that extreme outside portion of the lane, a discomfort he struggled to overcome. “I prefer to play the lanes from the
inside angle, which is probably a product of league bowling where you never go outside 10 because they’re so dry out
JOHN BURKETT
— JOHN BURKETT
there,” Burkett explains. “On the Wolf pattern, I don’t think I ever allowed myself to get far enough right. So that kind of hurt me.” Though a typical league pattern
makes extreme outside portions of the lane difficult to play, O’Keefe advises that it still is possible—and advisable—to acquaint yourself with the gutter shot in case a local tournament condition demands it.
“Don’t be afraid to try different things
because they feel weird or off-the-wall. If you don’t care about where your ball is going, who cares if your ball is hooking across the lane and getting one off the left? You’re just practicing. But if you’re worrying about manipulating ball motion and hitting the pocket, a urethane or plastic ball will still hook from outside because there will be enough friction.”
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