I've thought about this for a while on whether or not I should put this topic on the forums, because well, I thought I might get laughed or something, I don't know, but here's my five cents.
Have you ever wondered how easy the game really is? I mean, besides the figuring out what ball drillings, coverstock preparations, and different lane conditions to actually get that @#$%! ball to strike. In all my years of actually bowling from the time I was around 11 to the present, I actually thought I knew HOW to bowl.
It wasn't to the end of last year and the beginning of this year that I "mentally" had a true understanding and breakthrough of how I should actually let the ball come off my hand. Now this may sound trivial and some of you are probably thinking, "...and your point is?". For me, I realized that my entire purpouse in life as it relates to bowling is to R-O-L-L the ball to the target I'm aiming for. Yeah, I know, it sounds stupid...or does it?
Do you actually, physically and mentally try to roll your ball to it's intended target? I mean, to the point where you don't feel your thumb in the ball, but you F-E-E-L your wrist locked and loaded thru your entire swing, from the original position you planned for it to be in? Do you have your thumb so relaxed that you can't even feel it, because your transfering every inch of your energy into your fingers coming T-H-R-O-U-G-H the ball? Are you so fixed to the target that you can not only see and aim at one board, but you notice a spot on that board to throw at? Do you follow through to the target like you're throwing a fierce uppercut to someone's jaw?
Now, as complicated as this may seem, it's relatively very easy, because you see, I've actually experienced this and this is what I was seeing and feeling in my dome...go figure. Now mind you, when it happended, the ball was no where near the pocket, but I realized something. The ball rolled so damn hard that that I've never...never, never, never seen any ball I've thrown do what it did. I was seriously a night and day revelation.
So all this time while I was "trying" to make the ball get to it's breaking point and turn the corner, all I had to do was throw the ball in a "straight" line to hit my target and the ball will do the rest. That's why balls are drilled differently to begin with in the first place. The drilling and cover prep is to help the ball to do "its" job better on the condition you need to use it on. All you need to do is give it the direction and the energy to send it on it's way; however, you have to send it on it's way correctly or else it won't perform at it's best.
So in a way, your ball is like your teammate and in order for it to help ya'll win, you need to give it the right encouragement and then trust that it'll hold up its end of the deal. Sounds crazy, but I hope you get my point. I'm no coach and I'm definitely no pro either. I just wanted to share with you, from one bowler to few hundred that I have a better understanding of the game and how I'm supposed to play it...thanks.
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When you've moved up, moved back, adjusted left and right, cupped, flattened out, have thrown everyting in your arsenal, and the pins still don't cooperate, just say, "Aw to HELL with it!", and throw the ball!Edited on 2/8/2005 9:41 AM
Edited on 2/8/2005 9:44 AM
