My Lack Of versatility has not always served me well. Historically in the past when stroking it up the 2nd arrow, when that went away, rather than moving in with the feet and swinging the ball out, I would either ball down and keep the same line or I would move outside around the 1st arrow and be fine. That strategy served me well, at least for league bowling. I was averaging in the 190's for a number of years..and over time gaining knowledge about equipment and discovering what balls matched up best with me I had finally became a 200 average bowler. I was really hitting my stride. around 2006/2007 or so I averaged 218 in a shorter summer league...During the 2008 -2009 fall season I was throwing 700's left and right. By the 2nd half of that season around Jan 2009, my home center was sold and changed hands twice within a very very short time and the new regime totally changed everything. The Lanes had been very heavily oiled before the sale---there were some weeks where I was using my Visionary Midnight Scorcher first out of the bag, but now there was very little oil being put out and I struggled terribly.
If I had been proficient at moving inside and swinging the ball out , that would have helped, but me being me I didn't go that direction. I focused on the equipment --taming surfaces and getting other milder equipment to combat the lesser volume of oil. What happened that season was I went from a 219 average at the end of Jan 2009 and finished the season at 197..I dropped 22 pins in the last few months, it was ugly. For the next few seasons, I was focusing on the equipment and adjusting it, or buying a more compatible piece, rather than on "me" and in those few years after instead of averaging 219, it was a rare event for me to even have a game that high---I said I was stubborn--so much so that even after my average dropped to the high 170's I wouldn't touch myself. This Past season I did make a change the past few months of the season. I effectively upped my ball speed approx. 1mph, from 14 - 14.5 mph to 15-15.5 mph average, and just that extra 1 mph made a huge difference in equipment I could use and how I could still play the lanes successfully.
I did not use the textbook classical way to get more speed--faster feet or a higher pushaway---I was simply coming through the ball better at the bottom of the swing and end of the shot without muscling the shot. Now it is becoming very natural for me now to have the extra mile of speed, however the way I did it, I didn't achieve accuracy right off the bat, but that is coming---I guess for me I could say like the moon astronauts "One small step in adjusting, but one giant leap in my production".
I definatly feel it coming back to me. Can I go further in being able to adjust me when the situation dictates it, sure, but this is a good start for me, and I am pretty excited about the fall season believing my average will get back to where it used to be. This is just where I am at right now. I do understand and appreciate the spirit and the heart behind many of the responses, good stuff.
Brad
