You'd probably have to draw a line from where the pocket is all the way back to the foul line where you're setting the ball down.  Then the easiest way is to make a triangle tracing a line that equals 6 degrees from the pocket.  Extend that line until it hits the board you want the breakpoint on.  Then complete the triangle by tracing a line from the breakpoint back to the release point.  This should give you some sort of idea on the distance at the breakpoint.

Repeat the steps for every line you would like to play.

This is a very crude example, since the ball path is obviously going to be a curve instead of a straight angle.

Don't ask me about calculations, I'm not a math guru.
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It's not Ez bein' Cheezy

Where is Bill Taylor when you need him, this is the type of stuff he quotes from the top of his head, Ron Clifton probably knows this too, that guy is scary smart. I think I have seen it written some where, but it is simple trigonometry, you know the angle is 6 degrees, and the distance you need to hit the pocket from what ever board you are aiming at ie 7 inches (if each board is an inch wide please corect me if I am wrong) with the pocket being on the 17 board and the break point being on the 10. Just don't ask me to figure it out

Edited on 8/27/2003 4:45 AM

OmegaBowler
You had a good idea but it will never work. As some of the guys already stated you can't figure that angle because you will have different break point distances with different balls and different oil patterns. The test the ABC did is very misleading. They tested using a ball placed on a ramp just a few feet from the pins. The ball rolls down the ramp and gets a strike at 6 degrees. That does not translate to real bowling for several reasons. I will give you a few.

#1 A ball rolled down a ramp will not have any axis rotation. ( Axis rotation is the side turn that you put on a ball which causes it to hook )Meaning the ball will have a dead end over end roll and be rolling dead straight from the time it leaves the ramp until it hits the head pin. I don't know any bowlers that bowl that way.

#2 The ball did not roll through any oil on the way to the pocket. Since the ramp is placed down near the pins the ball did not encounter changes in friction between the ball's surface and the lane. So unless they let you move the foul line 10 feet from the pins the ABC test is not going to help you all that much.

#3 The ball's cover stock and weight block would make no difference on the ramp. An 8 pound house ball will get ABOUT the same number of strikes as a 16 lb super high tech wonder ball. ( I expect to get some arguments on that one....step up boys take your best shot )

As I said before you had a good idea based on the information you were given by the ABC's testing. They just didn't give you enough information.
Ron Clifton

Though these breakpoints can not be EXACTLY played it is a great guideline to use as a focal point / projection point down the lane.  The key is that some folks just hook way to early and this idea induces one to project the ball down lane.  Many will refute this idea but it works.

Article I printed in my league notes last year.

TIP OF THE WEEK: ENTRY ANGLE
A recent article in American Bowler Magazine had an article titled “The Perfect Strike”.  The article stated that the optimum entry angle for striking at the highest percentage is 6 degrees.  That may not seem like much but to achieve an entry angel of 6 degrees is more difficult than it seems.  When you have less entry angle you begin to leave week 10’s for righties and 7’s for lefties.  More than 6 degrees hard fours and even nines, lefties 6’s and 8’s.  After reading the article I calculated the angle and here is what the break point is for a right hander.  Lefties flip the data for your side.  Going straight up the lane at board 15 the distance the ball needs to travel before hitting the pocket is 57 feet.  At board 10-52feet, and at board 5- 47 feet.  That is farther down the lane than moist people use for a breakpoint but it works and after thousands and thousand of test ABC has data to prove it.  So the logical thought is for one to evaluate what they are doing.  A straight ball from the right gutter at the foul line to the pocket is about 1.6 degree.  Not striking enough, that corner won’t fall.  It is probably not the houses fault, not the balls fault etc etc etc.  Maybe you are just hooking to early and hitting flat.  Check the data and see where you lie.

Nod

Edited on 8/27/2003 9:58 AM

Thanks Nod,

That's what I wanted.

Since a ball arcs and the line is straight the ball would have to break well before that line. so a ball that breaks at 38 feet would have to have an arc of "x" radius to follow that angle path into the pocket.

so as a guideline I know that whatever breakpoint I'm playing I can tell before it hits the pins if I overshot my breakpoint. of course I can see the ball reaction and not have to know the line to know when to grab a stronger ball for an earlier breakpoint.


here is the real kicker. since we all have different ball speeds and axis,tilt,revs stec...

and if were all playing with the same ball with the same drill we would all have to hit different break points to get to that 6 deg. line.


It would be good to know how your style compare to anothers style. so if a high rev guy hit 5 at 45 feet and my ball is going a little longer. I would be able to get a better decision on where to move in by watching his reaction and mine.

In some tournaments I have been to, you move lanes and only get 2 balls of practice. sometimes these are high scoring shots and that way I may save a frame or 2 adjusting and get me to the money!

I know a few practice rituals and watch the other pair while you are bowling etc..etc.. I just think this would be a useful tool when my style doesn't have as good as look as someone else because just playing a breakpoint isn't enough if you can't carry because you can't get to the other bowlers breakpoint.

I have watched 4 210+ blowers all play different lines and breakpoints so there is always more than one place to play on the lane.

so if a stroker is going up 10 and breaking at 42' I know that I can go in or out side of him and I know my breakpoint needs to be sooner but how much?

that referrerence line will tell me after one ball.

of course I may be nuts but I take medication for it!
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"deserves got nothing to do with it."
-- William Munny