Bowling Purists Need To Get Off My Lawn.

I read so many posts about modern bowling that it is inevitable that at least two or three of the “bowling purists” will comment about two-handed bowlers. There will usually be some negative comments about the equipment being used, or something else just as silly. They need to get off my lawn for sure.

Sports evolve, and bowling is evolving too.

Throughout the history of sports, they have evolved. They use newer better equipment, the athletes are better, stronger, and faster. Today’s athletes put in hours upon hours of work to be the best they can be and to be the best in their chosen field. That statement holds whether the sport is football, basketball, or one of the individual sports like golf, tennis, or gymnastics.

With bowling on the professional level you only need to look at bowlers like A.J. Johnson, E.J. Tackett, or Chris Via. They all are what you would call “gym rats”. That is obvious by their appearances. Professionals just 30 years ago did not possess this type of physical structure. The current crop of professionals take the game very seriously and work not only on their games but also on their health, physical appearances, and abilities.

Two-handed cheaters?

The purists like to complain about the revs that two-handers get on their bowling balls. While it is true that higher revs can translate into more strikes and bigger hooking balls, that is not all there is to bowling. To be a higher average bowler one must possess other skills as well. There is great hand-eye coordination, consistently hitting the proper mark on the lanes, as well as using proper ball speed. You must be able to repeat shots.

To take your game to the professional level you must be able to do this to the tune of a 220 average or more, consistently. Now you have to add that to bowling 56 or more games a week, not counting practice or qualifying rounds. I’m going to add to that some of the toughest lane conditions you could imagine.

Just because someone uses two hands to get a higher rev rate does not automatically translate into a higher average. The two-handed bowler must also be able to do all the things listed above and navigate the harder professional oil patterns.

Game changers

Just like how Tiger Woods changed the game of golf, modern bowlers have changed the game of bowling. The website Medium.com explains how Tiger changed the game. “Tiger Woods has altered how we see golf by introducing discipline, athleticism, and charisma into the world of golf. These features prompted him to be the modern-day golf idol, inspiring new generations and innovations. Golf has had plenty of stars rise throughout its time as a sport.“

Modern professional bowlers have done many of the same things. I believe some of the first game-changers in bowling were Mark Roth, Amletto Monacelli, and of course Pete Weber. More modern players would be Jason Belmonte and E.J. Tackett, They all use their athleticism, lower body strength, and ability to consistently perform to be huge successes in the game.

As many styles as players.

On the PBA Tour, there are almost as many styles as there are players on the tour. Just look at the differences between Pete Weber, Kris Prather, Tom Smallwood, E.J. Tackett, Jakub Butturff, and many other one-handers. You add the two-handed styles in there and you begin to see that the game is not a “do it this way” game.

You can see the many styles used on the PBA tour. They do have one thing in common though. They do them consistently. The bowlers work on their styles repeatedly. Even though they are all unique styles, they all follow the mantra of it’s not how it’s how many. That is the name of the game when it comes to bowling.

Hate me or love me, you watched. That’s all you could do.

Pete Weber

Charisma and fan participation

Many of the current top professionals also have introduced charisma and personality into the game. You have Kyle Troup, whose colorful wardrobe and flamboyant style on the lanes have introduced a myriad of new and younger fans to the game. Another player who has brought interest to the game was the “bad boy of bowling” Pete Weber. Pete said it best himself when he said “Hate me or love me, you watched. That’s all you could do.” There is a new bad boy now. that is Anthony Simonsen. His antics, attitude, and anger have gotten him into a lot of trouble on the lanes. However, he is loved by his fans. They see his passion and admire it.

Others who do that are Packy Hanrahan, who wants the fans to cheer and inject energy into the game. It helps him concentrate as he does not have to worry about the sudden noise that affects other bowlers.

Many other professional bowlers interact with the fans in much the same way. They feed off the energy that a rowdy crowd gives off. They want it. The purists also don’t like that either. They prefer the old “golf crowd” type audience. Where they sit quietly, give off a little soft clap, and then watch again. The way it was “back in my day.”

Get off my lawn with your attitude.

The purists love to hate on two-handed bowlers. I don’t know why, but they do. I have just explained how there are many styles on the tour and why it does not matter how they roll the ball. But the traditionalists just can’t leave that one topic alone.

I don’t understand though. A good friend of mine reminded me of something that I always knew but had forgotten. During the past season, I had lost my timing and other portions of my game. I was aggravated by how poor I was doing and started getting mad at someone who did not have my abilities but was doing better. My friend reminded me that bowling is an individual game and it is about encouraging and not discouraging. That is so true when it comes to this game.

My attitude was short-lived and once my friend smacked me in the head I realized that I had to change my attitude towards my game, not other people’s games. Bowling is a great individual sport. That simply means if you want to be the man, you have to beat the man. To do that you have to work at it. To work at timing, hand-eye coordination, hand positioning, release, and all of it. You have to keep working at it.

So the ones who are doing well at this game, whether it is two-handed, one-handed, or kicking the ball down the approach with their foot, all have one thing in common. They work at their game.