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I think Michael is the perfect player to feature this week because I might actually have some photos of him available this week. Michael missed last years photo shoot so I have had a year with no quality photos of him. When we were in Vernon Hills we had a staff photo shoot and I am hoping to get some of those this week to use. I will take the time to describe Michaels unique release as well as the benefits and challenges it creates.

No pictures as of yet but lets talk about Michael. The most noticeable aspect of Michaels game is the effortless rev rate he is able to create. The type of rev rate Michael is able to create is an example of the new breed of bowlers. Michael is not a big strong arm. He uses tremendous timing, gravity, body position, elbow and wrist motion to create ball rotation that is even unique compared to many of the high rev players of today. This uniqueness becomes very evident when you take a look at this ball track. The circumference is similar to other high rev rates but the axis it rotates around is very unique.

Michael's Positive Axis Point is 3 1/2 inches over and 1 1/2 inches up. This may not seem to be much of a problem until you are the one who has to layout balls for him. A rev rate that high usually has a bowler needing pin to axis distances in the 5 to 6 inch range. At the same time a bowler with his ball speed (high), it is advantageous to have the availability of weight holes to aide in creating ball reactions to match up to the slicker surfaces and conditions of today. Weight holes require off setting the static balances in the direction of the desired wt. hole position and then placing a hole to counter the offset. Now lets try and picture doing this with Michael's axis point.

Placing the pin 5 inches from Michael's positive axis point has the pin approximately 1 1/2 inches left of his grip center. Now offsetting the statics to allow the use of a balance hole will require a static shift in the opposite direction. That will place the CG somewhere in the range of 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches right of the grip line. You can see that this will require pin to CG distances greater than the normal bowler. Then you have to consider newer ball technologies that include primary pin locations, secondary pin locations (mass bias) and the use of balance holes where statics are very important considerations. There are those of you that are following what I am saying and can understand the complications. Those that don't understand these considerations just understand it isn't easy going to the inventory shelf and finding the right orientation of  all three to fit the uniqueness of Michael's positive axis point.

Beyond the challenges of ball layout options, Michael has been adapting to the PBA conditions at a time when coaching is not allowed. When developing players, much of it is about the decision making times during competition. An extra set of eyes and experience can clear up pictures and speed up this process. Michael is doing fine during qualifying because of the way the lanes break down with that large of a field. Once he gets to match-play things are not as good. Match-play conditions usually break down entirely different than they do during qualifying. All too often I see Michael trying to get the same look he had during qualifying. There has been progress but developing speed control and having the ability to repeat shots with his ball in a different location in his hand to follow transitions is the next step to progressing.

I am confident that Michael has progressed enough that making the exempt field is not as big of a concern. The pressure of making exempt status makes it difficult to spend time learning new tricks. I will be asking Michael to spend a little more time on the practice range developing more transition tools. Learning new tools is more than just being able to do it on the practice range. It can be confusing to a bowler as to when to put these tools in action. This will take confidence and restraint during the process but I am confident that now is the time for this to happen.