This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
IN THE


ROTATION: Axis rotation is measured on the ball’s horizontal plane. The more your hand moves around the ball at release, the more your positive axis point (white dot) moves eastbound.


VERSATILITY THROUGH AXIS ROTATION: Click on the play button to view Team USA Assistant Head Coach Kim Terrel-Kearney explain the dymanics of axis rotation.


are possibilities). As you try differ- ent hand positions the spotter can tell you whether your PAP has moved from west to east, or vice versa. You should also preset your hand


position in your stance, more on the side of the ball or directly underneath it. And remember, your preset hand position is what you have to have at the release point. Players will some- times start with their hand under the ball, but will gravitate back to their normal hand position by the time they release the ball. Your spot- ter will be able to tell you whether you’ve maintained the desired hand position through the release. You may also notice some physi-


cal differences. When you deliver the ball with your hand up the back, you’ll feel more of the pads of your fingers come out of the ball. As you get around the side of the ball, you’ll feel the release more on the sides of your fingers. This method won’t give you the


precise range of rotation you have, but it will give you an idea of the variance in reaction your axis ro- tation alterations can generate. What you will notice is the change


in your ball’s roll, not only by the way the ball travels down the lane, but by its reaction as well. Again, up the back will produce more of an end- over-end roll, with the ball spinning


and traveling in the same direction. If you’re on the side of the ball, it will be traveling northbound, but ap- pears to be spinning east to west. How would a league bowl-


er recognize the need to change his axis rotation? If you see that the ball is getting


into its hook phase too soon, you may want to change your rotation. If the ball is hooking too early, getting on the side of it will produce more length. If it’s skidding too much, get- ting up the back of the ball will get it into the hook phase much sooner and give you a noticeably earlier roll and a much smoother backend reaction. Certainly there are other ways


17 USBOWLER DECEMBER 2011


to change your ball reaction. You can change equipment. You can change speed. But bowlers who can change their axis rotation see the most bang for their buck. If you have only one release and five


balls, that’s what you’re limited to. But if you have multiple releases and mul- tiple balls, your options are endless. That’s why other factors matter,


but being able to adjust axis rota- tion is such a potent tool to have.


— Kim Terrell-Kearney


is Assistant Head Coach of Team USA and the International Training and Research Center in Arlington, Texas.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19