Catching Up
It’s been over a month since the completion of Part 15. The weather here in Maryland is slowly getting colder, but, most days I can get in a couple of hours of practice. There has been a major change in my setup, grip and release during this month. I am extremely excited about the coming season. Below is a synopsis of the highlights of the past month.
The HP Pro Tour has added a second division. Division II permits membership if you’ve never achieved a 50% ringer average. The website mentioned above provides answers to questions regarding the new division and an application for joining.
From the age of 5 to 16 I bowled duckpins at the Old Alexandria Bowling Lanes in Alexandria, Virginia. I was a pin bowler, which meant I threw the ball at the headpin with a slight clockwise rotation. I mention this because I decided to use my old bowling stance and approach with a single flip using the Imperial Stinger. It worked immediately. I also discovered that if I grip the shoe with my thumb slightly left of the thumb indentation, the shoe arrives at the stake slightly open. Held slightly right of the indentation, the shoe arrives at the stake slightly closed. This has become important when trying to retard bounceback.
A little mathematical evaluation, indicates that the standard horseshoe with an opening of 3-1/2 inches can be rotated at impact, up to 30 degrees to the left or right and only reduce the opening by 1/2 inch. If the shoe is thrown from the left approach and opens squarely at the stake, you run the risk of bouncing the shoe directly back off the stake. A tree root keeps me from using the right side approach.
My setup now is standing back about 2-1/2 feet, left foot pointing parallel to the line of flight, right foot touching the left. Tilt my body slightly rightward, to clear my arm from my lat, swing the shoe up with my arm extended and aligning the left shank on the stake, start the downswing and step forward as if I’m slideing to the foul line and release the shoe directly at the stake with a balanced finish. It feels just like throwing a duckpin ball directly at the headpin.