jason_doust
The Bowling Geek
Very good question, as some of these guys can blur the lines especially if you take the angle they play on the day into account. The determining factor is their rev rate.I'm probably going to get flamed but hey, you don't ask, you'll never know right?Here's the question:
What are these bowlers classified as (stroker or cranker):
1. Chris Barnes
2. Pete Weber
3. Wes Malott
4. Tommy Jones
5. Mika Koivuniemi
What determines that, their rev rate or the line they are playing.
My first thought is “These guys can do a lot of different things with a bowling ball so they're difficult to pigeon-hole.” So I'll give you my best estimate in reply.
- Chris Barnes – He's probably more a cranker than a power stroker. The interesting thing is that he can keep it really straight when he needs to, despite his high rev rate. (He uses some pretty mild ball layouts.)
- Pete Weber – Power Stroker. Don't take my word for it. PBA Hall of Fame Coach John Jowdy said so and that's good enough for me. Pete uses slower ball speed and high axis rotation with his glorious timing and unparalleled clean release to cover a lot of lane, but he's won throwing it slow, fast, inside, outside, pretty straight and coast to coast. So he can fit into most release categories depending on when you see him and what he's seeing on the lane at the time.
- Wes Malott – Cranker – When you see where his hand position is before and after his ankle, there's no debate. The guy has over 90° of rotation and a lot of revolutions to boot. He looks almost stroker-like in his action, but that's Wes using his height and subsequent leverage to his advantage.
- Tommy Jones – Cranker – See Wes above. Tommy Jones has a magnificent cranker's game. He doesn't have Wes's height, so makes up with faster feet, a big open backswing and a snap at the release point that is lovely to watch.
- Mika Koivuniemi – Power Stroker. Mika gets plenty on the ball and can change his axis rotation to play any angle. His height gives him a mechanical advantage to project over the heads and throw the ball really hard when he needs to, allowing him to keep it even straighter than Chris Barnes. Note that when Mika is really projecting the ball, it can travel 8-10 feet through the air, but makes no great thud when it hits the lane. The last guy I saw who could pull that trick off was my personal bowling hero and 34 time PBA Titleist, Mark Roth.
