How to "Practice" Lofting The Gutter Cap
Erik VermilyeaNewer, more aggressive bowling balls paired with ever-changing lane conditions make today’s game, in some ways, more difficult than the game of years past.
Adding loft into your bag of tricks will reward you at some point in time throughout a league season or tournament. Coach Erik Vermilyea with Track demonstrates how to practice lofting the gutter cap, when you only have fresh oil to bowl on.
Why do bowlers loft the gutter cap?
Lane conditions break down. When you’re bowling a three-game set at league night with 10 players on the pair who are using weak to strong coverstock balls, it’s likely that the house shot will get ripped up halfway through the set.
Learning to loft the gutter cap gives you another trick in your skillset bag, allowing you one more option to stay ahead of the moves. When you know how to loft the gutter cap, you’ll find fresh oil that will allow you to match up and create proper ball motion; ultimately giving you a competitive advantage when the lanes get overplayed.
Practicing on Fresh Oil Conditions
With all of that said, how can you practice lofting the gutter cap when your practice time usually has fresh oil out there? Start by standing in front of the ball return but near the middle of the approach.
Now that you’re closer to the middle of the approach, target between the 2nd and 3rd arrows.
From here you mimic all of the motions you ordinarily would when lofting over the gutter cap, except you are doing it in the middle of the lane.
Remember to stand tall on the approach. The momentum needed to create loft comes from your legs, not your arm. Keep a straight arm swing, a relaxed grip, and release later than usual and you’ll create proper loft, preparing you for when the lane conditions get a little crazy out there.
Watch “Adding Loft to Your Game” and “More on Bowling Loft” to discover other helpful tips and tricks from the National Bowling Academy.
I do have a little trick for you, as far as something I can share with how to practice lofting the gutter cap. People always ask me, you know how do I really work on practicing lofting the gutter cap when I can really only do that when the lanes are broken down, late in the block when there's been some play on the lanes. But when I go to practice, but not really broken down that much. or it's still fresh. Well, one trick I like to tell people is simply do the same motions you would for lofting.
You know, you still stand further up on the approach and you still use your same targeting only do it from further right on the lane. It seems a little awkward at first, but when you get up there you're taking the position on the approach but still making sure you're in front of the ball return And instead of targeting you know, deeper on the lane six seventh arrow is you would ordinarily pick out a target between that second and third arrow and then simply make your angles match to hit the pocket from there. So you mimic all the motions as though you're lofting the gutter cap. As far as your approach, standing taller releasing the ball later, getting it up into the air onto the lane only instead of doing it from far deep inside of the lane, over the gutter cap do it from more of the middle of the lane and actually still try to hit like a second or third arrow and still try to throw strikes. This will still be all the same motions and get you at least familiar with how to get the ball up in the air.
How to use that shorter approach and throw strikes without having to do it so deep on the way.
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