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Author Topic: Are we too good for lessons?  (Read 2090 times)

Doc Hollywood

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Are we too good for lessons?
« on: February 17, 2004, 07:22:32 PM »
I don't know why so many people want to buy more equipment when their bowling style does not improve to the level of their equipment.

Are we so ego driven that we feel that the lessons are beneath us?

I admit that I buy a lot of bowling balls.  Not to have them but for testing purposes.

I do take lessons and videotape myself bowling.  I continue to work on improving my game.

Not to brag but I can take just about any ball and make it work on just about any condition.  Not that the ball will be the best ball but I can make it work when I need to.  I by far don't consider myself a great bowler nor do I desire to be a great one.  But I try to be the best that I can.

The pro's continue to take lessons and they are the best.  This part is for Sawbones. Golfers like Tiger Woods take lessons and he is the best golfer out there right now.  If it's good enough for the pro's why don't more amateurs take advantage of it as well?

Why is it that most bowlers won't take lessons to make the right moves on the lanes.  Then when they are as good as their equipment make purchases.

I know Sawbones keeps bringing up posts about using only one ball.  He is an accomplished bowler that has bowled great with old equipment.  There are many others on this site as well.

Can we bring back the ability of making it the bowler and not the ball again?

How many of you spend the money on lessons and has it paid off?

It has been written that if you give a starving man a fish he will eat for one day.  If you teach him how to fish he will eat for a lifetime.

Does the same hold true about bowling?  Give an average bowler a good ball and he will bowl okay for awhile.  Teach an average bowler to be great and he will bowl great for a lifetime.





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Doc
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Jeffrevs

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Re: Are we too good for lessons?
« Reply #1 on: February 18, 2004, 10:25:42 AM »
lessons, yes !  have they paid off, ...yes!  in my scores....no, not yet, because I'm in transition of the changes, but, my game is better no doubt !
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JEFF
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Juggernaut

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Re: Are we too good for lessons?
« Reply #2 on: February 18, 2004, 10:37:04 AM »
Doc,

 Would lessons help? Yea, probably. Would I pay for them? Only if I needed them to accomplish a goal that was un-reachable by any other means.

 I started bowling as a personal challenge to be as good as I possibly could and that is what I am doing. If I were going to try to make a living at it, I would definitely get lessons because my family's well being would be riding on my ability, however, as just a personal challenge, I find it rewarding to learn the process by myself by watching the best bowlers, trying to figure out myself what it is that makes them so successful and trying to incorporate that into my game.

 The first league I ever bowled in, i averaged 103 with a house ball in 1980 but since then I have achieved the level of 216 average scratch league bowler.

  I know I could be better, but I have the satisfaction of knowing that what I have achieved has been through my own personal efforts and I am not through yet!
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Hamburglar

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Re: Are we too good for lessons?
« Reply #3 on: February 18, 2004, 10:37:14 AM »
Lessons are the ONLY way to improve your game on a consistant basis!

Granted, equipment may help some but not always is it the "high-tech, top of the line" stuff...we had this discussion the other day.

I have had a couple of lessons since my "comeback" and plan on taking more...things are getting much better with my mechanics even though the scoring is a bit slower to improve...but that is still mostly "user error", slipping back into the old bad habits.

I've always said its the player not the equipment, regardless of the sport...my boss, the head golf pro, has this saying, "A good golfer can take a swamp root and an orange and score just as well as he can with the most expensive equipment."  That is a bit of an exaggeration but it holds true that if you've got the "stroke" it doesn't matter what equipment you use.

Still learning and always will be...
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omegabowler

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Re: Are we too good for lessons?
« Reply #4 on: February 18, 2004, 10:39:21 AM »
You have reached an epiphany only those that have an open mind about there game and have seen a good coach can have.

Most everyone under 210 on a house shot can benefit more from the lessons on dealing with there form ,timing, lane reading and the other 4 major adjustments before fishing through 12 balls.

Matching up equipment is part of the game today, but only if your skillset can allow for this to be factor in winning.

A 130 to 190 bowler needs more help than any game in the box ball can provide.
1 med. ball drilled to suite there style of lane play and one plastic ball for spares is all 80 % of league bowler ever need.



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"deserves got nothing to do with it."
-- William Munny
"deserves got nothing to do with it."
-- William Munny

Phillip Marlowe

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Re: Are we too good for lessons?
« Reply #5 on: February 18, 2004, 10:56:02 AM »
Lessons yes.  Lessons from most pros and coaches I have seen...no.  Would I pay for a couple of hours a week with John Jowdy for a month or two.  Yep, about $100 per hour or more if he asked.
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Mr Track

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Re: Are we too good for lessons?
« Reply #6 on: February 18, 2004, 11:34:36 AM »
Taking lessons is the EASIEST way to improve.

I shot a high series last month and a bunch of people were asking me all sorts of questions.  One guy stated in the crowd that I dont need lessons if I bowl that good.  I told him and the rest of the crowd that I bowled that high series BECAUSE of the coaching that I undergo every week!

It's not questionable that lessons are important.  Sports constantly upgrade it's nature...just like computers/electronics.  The only way to be on top, is to update at every chance you get!

people buy sooo many bowling balls SIMPLY because they are looking for a MIRACLE BALL!(btw, if you find one, let me know )
people who buy bowling balls to test them have too much money to spend..go invest your disposable income into something profitable(knowledge is key, but not when you busting approx. $130 per ball)...or call up a manufacturer and try to get on their staff for testing...


Im not where im am at now, and where I will be going, if it wasnt for my coach!
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it doesn't take an average to win in match play!

Edited on 2/18/2004 12:31 PM

Edited on 2/18/2004 1:08 PM

JOE FALCO

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Re: Are we too good for lessons?
« Reply #7 on: February 18, 2004, 11:56:12 AM »
jAbBeRwOcKy .. STAN .. Agree with you 100%!

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Ernie McCracken

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Re: Are we too good for lessons?
« Reply #8 on: February 18, 2004, 12:02:22 PM »
I'm a 220 average player and am in the process of taking lessons to improve my game that much more.  Nothing wrong with that!

guzmand19

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Re: Are we too good for lessons?
« Reply #9 on: February 18, 2004, 12:20:21 PM »
Every time I am sure I am too good and don't need any lessons, the lanes beg to differ and teach me one anyways


<--------- Still mine and WhiteDot's favorite face
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Edited on 2/18/2004 1:16 PM

kalannar

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Re: Are we too good for lessons?
« Reply #10 on: February 18, 2004, 12:45:38 PM »
I have not taken lessons in a long time (can you say youth league). But, I am looking into them now. I had posted a while back about what part of the approach and release was the most important. Almost unanimously it was said that the pushaway was most important. I have been working on this for the past month. My weekly series didn't improve any over the last month but my average per game equalized at my average. Instead of one good, one mediocre, and one bad. They became very similar and consistent. Well once I felt comfortable with my pushaway becoming more consistent, I threw in a deeper knee bend on my slide. I have been working on that for the last 2 weeks. Well, everything worked well last night. I shot my first 700 since this time last year (202, 245, 255) the second had 2 opens and the third was clean. Out of 16 strikes in the last 2 games, only five didn't end as ten in the pit.

But even as good as I did last night I know I have more subtly problems that creep up that i need to work on and our house just hired a regional pro to work in the pro shop. I talked with him last night and asked him how much for lessons. He told me that the house manager wanted him to charge $15/hour but said that if he was there working or around that he would work with me for free. So starting next week I'll start getting in person coaching. My average is down 20 pins from last year supposedly the shot is easier now than last year.

One last thing about last nights games. I didn't have to move a single board all night with my Cherry Pearl. All I had to do was increase my speed a little to keep it in the pocket (I went from 17 to a little over 18 by the end of the night.)

I have to agree with Doc and Sawbones that coaching goes a lot farther than new balls.

Kalannar
P.s. Sorry this was so long.
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mumzie

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Re: Are we too good for lessons?
« Reply #11 on: February 18, 2004, 01:44:57 PM »
I too am the bowler I am because of lessons.

Although I had decent mechanics, and awesome accuracy, I had nothing else before I went to the first Ritger camp. (I know - there she goes again...)

I have improved greatly from where I was at that point in time. Now I can't wait till my next session with my coach - every time we meet, he "cranks my game up a notch", making me work on the next level of game.

I definitely owe most of my success to lessons (and hard work following the lessons - it doesn't happen overnight!)
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