A check list can be a very good thing. And since this seems, from your description of your bowling buddies, that this is not a serious league(although you are very serious about your bowling), this is as safe an environment to have a check list. Normally I'd only suggest it in practice or if you're totally lost. Looking at a list can be distracting. Experience and practice will solidify some of your technique and keys and reduce the need in certain areas, but that will come in time.

Not sure how follow through differs from posting the shot.

One key that 99% of the inexperienced players violate is their pushaway step: they fail to even know at what point is the roght point for them to pushway the ball in coordination with the right phase of the step (beginnign, middle, end?). You only see that they are not doing it correctly when they continually pull the ball and leave a 4 pin or worse.

A 2nd vital one is to pushaway towards your target, while walking towards your target abd keeping your shoulders perpendicular to the line you are walking. (not talking about when you open you shoulders and close them again)

As far as your coming up the back of the ball, you'll get to the point where that is (or should be) not a concern. Other than knowing how you want to release the ball, which can change from night to night depending on the lanes, for the most part that should not be a point of focus. Until you solidify your "A" game, you'll have only one release anyway, and that must become ingrained through practice.

Realize that while doing your appraoch and delivery, there are only so many things your brain can focus on at one time. You've got to pick your 2 or 3, one of which must be your target, which your eyes and brain have to lock on from pushaway to post.

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"...for advice is a dangerous gift, even from the wise to the wise...."
J. R. R. Tolkien

No, the V2 did not work last night, but that was user error.    I was coming up the back most of the night for whatever reason, and so I couldn't turn anything over.  The shot was also heavier than usual last night, as I saw many of the even better bowlers in the league coming in light or not at all.  So I was not the only one having that kind of a problem, but what I was doing with my release was making it worse.  Sometimes I really wish I had a really good bowler on my team that could point out something like that to me, rather than have me not really know what was going on.  I think I was doing this because last week the lanes were much drier, and in order to keep it on the right side I had to come up the back of the ball.  I'm also calling my coach today to set up a lesson for next week and then another a month or so after that.    It's been pretty irritating because I KNOW I'm doing many things so much better than I ever did, but I'm still not getting results due to stuff like what happened last night, one stupid little thing that was making all the difference.  Once I figured it out I shot really well with the Smokin.

splendorlex,

Funny, kidnapping your own thread. Talking about ideas and focusing and keys, and then you post about balls and drilling.
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"...for advice is a dangerous gift, even from the wise to the wise...."
J. R. R. Tolkien

Eyes on your target until the ball has rolled over it.  I work with a lot of bowlers that look up, so they never know whether or not they actually hit their target.  --  JohnP

Thanks for the advice, all.  I've put together my final list:

Pushaway towards target?
Eyes locked on Target?
Staying down?
Clean release?  (Turning the doorknob?)
Following through/posting?

On an equipment note, I took the smokin to the new driller I've been using to plug and redrill to a standard label leverage, and he noted that the polish had mostly been knocked off, so he recommended I hit it with the factory finish polish, make it like a mirror, and try that first.  I was very happy, as he thought about what might be best for ME and not for his profit.    Bonus points for the new guy!  Oh, and anyone who is in Northern IL, Lake/Cook area, I recommend Mark at Bowler's Universe in the Brunswick Zone in Deer Park.

Thanks all!  I'll keep you updated on how my checklist works out!

(One final note, in putting together this list I think I already see at least two things I have NOT been doing!)

"If you're thinkin', you're stinkin'"

Based on some of the best advice I ever got; you should NEVER have more than two things on your mind when you get up on the approach.  One is better.  Basically a version of "Just throw the .... ball."
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Will Jesus bring the pork chops?

"I do desire that we may be better strangers."
(Willie the Shake, As You Like It(III,ii)