How to Find PAP(Positive Axis Point) in Bowling?

How many times have you heard of the term “PAP”? PAP is short for “Positive Axis Point”. I know many bowlers who have been bowling for years, and still have no idea about PAP in a bowling ball.

This article is for them and the new bowlers learning about bowling on a different level. A bowling ball’s hooking motion, skid phase, and overall roll depend on the PAP of a bowling ball. So yes, it is a big deal. Without the right PAP, you won’t get the desired performance from your bowling ball. So what PAP has to do with bowling? Allow me to elaborate.

How to find your PAP?

PAP is short for Positive Axis Point. So what is it? Look at a bowling ball’s revolution when it rolls down the lane. It revolves around a particular axis, doesn’t it? PAP is the axis point that a bowling ball uses t roll down the lane. To understand it better, I would like you to picture how the earth spins on its own axis. A bowling ball’s movement is pretty much the same when it rolls on its axis. 

These axis points can be of 2 types— Positive axis point (PAP) and Negative axis point (NAP). So how do you determine the PAP of your bowling ball? Well, it is determined based on how you roll the ball on the lane because it is different for everyone. If you want your ball to deliver the best results possible, it’s time you found out your PAP. 

Knowing your PAP is essential once you find that out, it will be easier to drill your bowling ball using the right layout and method to drill the holes. Here’s how you know how to find your PAP. 

Step 1

First of all, grab a white tape and cut a piece of square out of it that is 1″ on each side. 

Step 2

Now, grab your bowling ball and place that piece of square white tape on the side of your ball. But what side is that? Well, it is the opposite side of your bowling ball’s track. Simply put, place the tape on the right side of the ball if you’re a right-handed bowler, and my fellow lefties, just place it on the ball’s left side. 

Step 3

The next task is simple. Just pick up your bowling ball and roll it on the lane as you always do. Now, if you think that the tape is not creating a stable dot, you have to do some adjusting. The tape has to create a nice dot on the selected side of the ball when it rolls through the front lane.

Step 4

Okay, now you have to face bigger tasks. In this fourth step, you gotta figure out the vertical and horizontal measurements according to your grip’s center point. And, before you do that, you have to find out the center of your grip. But how do you do that? Well, it is the point between your thumb and finger holes, as simple as that.

Step 5

Hope you have written down the mentioned measurements from step 4. Now, draw a horizontal line intersecting that point you have just found. Next, enhance that horizontal line toward and all the way to the piece of tape attached to your bowling ball. Now, just measure the distance of the line you just drew.

Step 6

Here comes my favorite part! First, observe the bowling ball carefully. Do you see the tape being on the line? Well, if the white tape is not directly on the line, time for you to draw a vertical line intersecting the horizontal line you drew earlier. And how long this line will go? Extend the vertical line down or up to the center of the tape. Now, measure the distance again.

And, there you go, fellas! That’s how you get the job done! This is how you should measure and find your PAP!  

Layouts

PAP helps you determine which bowling ball drilling layout is best for you. After you’re done finding out your PAP, time to measure the Pin to PAP distance. This is what pro shop operators will use to sort some layouts for you. After that, based on your bowling style (stroker, tweener, or cranker), your bowling ball features, and your Pin to PAP measurements, you should choose a bowling ball layout.

PAP (Positive Axis Point): You Fingerprint On A Bowling Ball

Generally, your bowling ball’s track is used by pro shop operators in reference to determining how you release your ball and which drilling layout would fit you best. It is a very important factor to locate your PAP. Honestly, this is crucial to fine-tune a ball layout for you. This is why many bowlers and pro shop operators consider this a “bowling fingerprint’. PAP can vary a lot from bowler to bowler. And because your PAP is going to be unique, PAP is often denoted as your fingerprint on the bowling ball. 

This truly helps with your PSO in the long run. Your bowling ball’s track is not the most necessary thing to draw onto your new ball when you take it to drill. However, your PAP is unavoidable. It is the most important piece when it comes to choosing a new layout for your undrilled bowling ball as it is used by shop operators to map out your ball accordingly.

Does changing your release change your PAP?

Your PAP never changes. Let me clarify. PAP is like a human’s fingerprint. Everyone has their own unique one and it remains the same their whole life. You may change your release any way you want, but changing the axis tilt during the ball throw is not going to change the PAP location on your ball. The only way you can possibly change your PAP a little is by changing the amount of tilt you add to the ball, but not the ball’s rotation. This will impact the track and it may increase or decrease in size. But as I said, it will depend on how much you will spin the ball and keep doing that consistently. 

Conclusion

There are many different ways bowlers can release their bowling balls. On top of that, there are so many different types of ball drilling layouts and configurations. If you want to see the best reaction out of your bowling ball, PAP is something you can’t ignore. Pro shop operators measure your PAP carefully before drilling the holes in your bowling ball. That is just amazing! Once you combine PAP and bowling ball layout perfectly, you can have all the fun you want with your bowling ball. So I hope that you understand the ins and outs of PAP in bowling. Use that knowledge to do better. See you later and good luck!