3 Basic Adjustments, Part 2: Axis Rotation

Welcome to part 2 of the “3 Basic Adjustments” series. Today, we are going to look at adjusting axis rotation. What is axis rotation? Axis rotation is the difference between the direction the ball is spinning and the direction that it is traveling down the lane, and is determined by how far around the side of the ball your fingers get during the release. During the skid phase, axis rotation remains relatively constant. As the ball enters the hook phase of its roll, the direction the ball is traveling starts to change as the ball grabs the lane – it moves left for a right-hander. At the same time, the friction causes the rotation of the ball to start moving to the right. Picture turning the steering wheel of your car, and then relaxing your hands. The car turns in the direction of your wheel, but your wheel also straightens out. Once the ball is traveling in the same direction it is rotating, it is in the roll phase, and its axis rotation is 0 degrees.

While the most versatile pros can change their axis rotation to virtually any angle between 0 and 90 degrees, we are going to work on learning 4 different release keys that will give us a pretty broad range of axis rotations to work with. What we are going to do to change our axis rotation is concentrate on driving towards the target with a certain finger. To give this the best chance to work, follow-through has to be long and low. You will need to reach out to the target, letting the ball roll off your hand. In addition to driving with a specific finger at the release point, I will provide different finger positions that can be used in the setup, which will help tweak some of these releases further.

No Rotation (0-5°)

To kill the axis rotation on your shot, you will want to use your pinkie finger to drive towards the target. The corresponding starting finger position for this type of shot is to have the pinkie finger spread out from the ring finger a bit, and have the index finger in a bit closer to the middle finger. Pulling the index finger all the way in may result in some instability at the release point, so experiment with this and find what makes you comfortable. This release is best for shooting straight at spares.

Minimal Rotation (15-30°)

To achieve a minimal amount of axis rotation, concentrate on driving to your target with the ring finger. This will lead to more of an end-over-end roll. A good finger position for this release is to have both the index and pinkie fingers pulled in. You don’t need to have them touching the ring and middle fingers, but getting them in close will help your hand get to the right position in the release. This is the type of roll that Walter Ray Williams Jr. and Norm Duke are famous for using on TV, and is usually a good starting point on flatter patterns.

Moderate Rotation (~45°)

This release is a pretty good starting point on a typical house shot. The driving finger for this one is the middle finger. The finger position that matches best with this release is to have the pinkie in near the ring finger, with the index finger spread out a bit from the middle finger. You may also find you like to keep both the index and pinkie fingers spread out a bit. Try both, and note the difference in feel and reaction.

Maximum Rotation (up to 90°)

This release has the maximum amount of side rotation. Think Pete Weber. For this release, you want to concentrate on driving through your target with your index finger. It will help to spread your index finger out as far as possible from your middle finger. You should also get your pinkie in tight against your ring finger. You may wish to try tucking your pinkie finger as well. Some people will find this very easy, and some will find it difficult or impossible to do pain free. If tucking your pinkie hurts, don’t do it.

A note of caution with this release. It is common to try too hard to get your hand around the side of the ball when performing this release, which can cause several bad habits – turning the hand early, grabbing and lofting the ball, or hitting up on it. It is essential that you stay behind the ball until the release point. It may take several rounds of practice before your wrist is trained to get a high amount of axis rotation while still using proper technique. Don’t worry, and don’t rush it. This release, while being very impressive (Look at all that hook!), is the hardest to control, and it will very rarely be the best way to play the lanes. To get the maximum benefit for your game, it is best to master the first 3 release techniques first, then come back to this one once you are comfortable with the others.

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Ok, Great! Now When Do I Use Them?

The No Rotation release is good for shooting straight at spares. It might also come in handy if you find yourself in a position where you have to point the ball at the pocket, but even then, the Minimal Rotation release might be better suited that type of shot.

The Minimal Rotation release is a great starting release on tighter/sport conditions. This release will give you a much more even response at the breakpoint. It is also good on a house shot when you are experiencing an over/under reaction with a higher axis rotation release. Finally, on heavier oil, this release will promote an earlier read of the lane, which is generally what is needed, at least until the pattern starts to breakdown.

The Moderate Rotation release is often times a good starting point on a house shot. Usually, with these types of shots, you will start out playing a moderate angle, and you will need a bit more rotation to make it back to the pocket from the breakpoint. Also, when you start moving in from an outside line with a lower axis rotation release, you may need to start increasing your axis rotation to get the ball to turn the corner.

As you find yourself moving farther and farther inside, you may need to move to a Maximum Rotation release. This release will provide you with the most skid downlane, but it will also react most violently to dry boards.

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Where Do We Go From Here?

Well, one way to fine-tune these adjustments is to mix the driving fingers with different finger positions. For instance, if you are using the Minimal Rotation release, but the ball is coming in a little too flat, you might try spreading your index finger away from the middle finger. This will result in just a little more axis rotation, and it might be all you need to kick out the 10. Likewise, if you are using the Moderate Rotation release, and the ball is reacting a little too sharply at the breakpoint, you might try bringing your index finger in a bit closer to your middle finger, or spreading your pinkie a bit. This will keep you behind the ball just a little bit more, and can even out your reaction a bit.

Starting with the 4 ways we can drive our fingers towards our target, and then adding the different finger positions, we can fine tune our release to get just about any amount of axis rotation that we might want.

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Video!

Here is the newer video. I’m leaving the old video below, but this is much better. Medium-Light oil, but not too dry outside. Wood lanes. Using an AMF VP2, a particle pearl with a medium RG and lower differential. I have my PAP marked so you can more easily see the angle of rotation.

Minimal Rotation

Left foot 19, 11 at the arrows.

Moderate Rotation

Left foot 27, 13 at the arrows.

Maximum Rotation

Left foot 37, 17 at the arrows.

Comparison Shot

These next shots were taken on what I would call medium-heavy oil, on wood lanes. Ball is a Total Inferno, lower rg and medium-high differential.

No Rotation

For this shot, I stood with my left foot on 10, and crossed 8 at the arrows.

Minimal Rotation

For this shot, I stood with my left foot on 15, and crossed 8 at the arrows.

Moderate Rotation

For this shot, I stood with my left foot on 20, and crossed 10 at the arrows.

Maximum Rotation

For this shot, I stood with my left foot on 23, and crossed 11 at the arrows. Note that this example did not get all the way to 90 degrees. Rest assured, the next video will.

Credits/Further Reading:

The 4-Point Release System, Joe Slowinski, Bowling This Month, November 2006
The Adjustment Toolbox (Part 1), Ron Clifton, Bowling This Month, November 2006

The back issue of BTM is available here. Ron Clifton’s article is also published on his personal web page here.