Why Is Jason Belmonte the Best?

This weekend, I had the privilege of sitting down with a couple of great bowlers, great friends, and great bowling minds.

We had some good food, strong drinks, and a lot of interesting conversations.

Of those conversations, we got into a discussion about the best bowlers in the world today. So, of course, we got on the topic of Belmonte, as some of you may or may not have seen the picture circulating around Facebook of a bowler using a crutch as his second arm/hand — obviously mocking the two-handed style.

Despite that, though, everyone at dinner had the same general thought: Belmonte is the best — by a lot.

And I know this probably doesn’t surprise anyone, but I want to talk about why he’s the best.

It isn’t because he uses two hands.

It isn’t just because his rev rate is higher than everyone else’s.

It isn’t because he can overpower the lane.

It is a combination of a lot of factors. A lot of factors that he puts together better than anyone else on the planet.

His mechanics are sound. In fact, as sound as anyone. He has a steady head, he uses his lower body to his advantage perhaps better than anyone, and his lines are perfect.

Therefore, thanks to the quiet nature of his physical game, he’s able to repeat shots at a very high level.

In fact, I’d argue he’s actually one of the best shot makers in the world.

Another overlooked quality of his game is his touch. Typically when you think of two-handers you think of raw power and a ton of rev rate.

And obviously Belmonte has all of that, but, on top of that, he has a level of touch that very few in the world have.

Belmonte is able to soften up his hand and his speed at will. He’s able to subtly change his ball roll in a way that you don’t typically see from two-handers. He’s able to do things that no one — including other two-handers — can do. That’s what makes him the best.

That’s what makes him special. That’s what puts him leaps and bounds ahead of his competition.

If you think him using two-hands is what has him at the top of the top of the game, you’re wrong. Talent is what has him there. And, last I checked, that’s usually what gets you there — regardless of what hand you use or how many you use.