When faced with lane transitions, or different conditions, are we better off changing our ball or our style?


Background:  I started bowling almost 5 years ago.  When first starting out, I developed my "style" based on the balls I was using.  Shortly thereafter I found this site and joined the "ball of the month" club.  

Lacking a pro shop located on the lanes, and having a pro shop that didn't care about me as a bowler, or offer any drillings other than stacked or label, I quickly began to do what was needed to get the ball to the pocket.

Sometimes I had to play straight up 10 (or inside of 10), and sometimes I had to play deeper.  Sometimes I had to throw harder and sometimes softer.  Sometimes I had to loft to the arrows to get the ball there.

I would bowl 6-12 games on the weekends, so I knew what each ball needed and how they would react.  I knew that if I was playing up 10 with Ball A, that Ball B needed to play 5 boards deeper with a different break point, or that Ball C could also play up 10, but with much more speed, less fingers, more loft, etc.

I didn't put any effort into learning to read the lanes, or the ball reactions.

I would take 4-6 balls to league (up to 8 when I would practice) and just use what I thought would work the best that night.  My "style" became based on whatever ball I was using.  Slowly walk up to the line and loft Ball X.  Almost run up the line with Ball Y.

Basically I began hurting myself because I no longer had the basics or sound fundamentals (if I had even been bowling long enough to establish them).

Now that I've restricted myself to taking just 2 balls to league - sometimes 4, but usually just 2 - I'm having a hard time remembering how to bowl.  I never really had a consistent style, so I'm all over the place.  Couple all of that with a 4 1/2 month layoff (broken foot) and home improvement projects that have reduced my practice time to zero, I'm worse now than when I first started bowling.  I'm literally all over the place - 10 board on one shot, 20 board the next, 15 board the next, etc.

I guess my point is that when we are looking at getting a new ball, or a new drilling, are we looking for something similar or something different?

Randy mentioned something during the broadcast this week that basically said that the style dictates where we play the lanes.  Let's face it, our style is our style.  Those of us that have the higher speeds and revs have a different option than those with less speed or revs.

As a slower speed and low rev player, I realize that I'm not going to play the lanes like Tommy Jones.

I also realize that the lanes are going to change.  Do I look for a ball or drilling that lets me continue to bowl the same way?  So if my current ball starts checking up early, just move to a ball (or drilling, or surface change) that gives me a little more length.  Or am I better off trying to change my style to play the lane?  Throw the ball harder, slower, etc.

I realize that the goal is to eventually become good enough to have several different styles (an A game, B games, etc), but I'm not at that point yet.  I basically have to start over and re-learn the basics and become consistent again.





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Well, I wish I could say that I'm a talented athlete, but I'm not.

I think I may have the ability to do things slightly "better than average," but I also have something that prevents me from reaching the next level.  I don't know whether I become bored, lack focus or drive, or something else.

I was the same way when I played pool.  I was better than average, but couldn't break to the next level.  I hated to practice.  I knew what needed to be done to make shots, but didn't/couldn't execute.  Playing by feel was better for me, but after studying (and playing with better players) I basically reached the wall.

Maybe you're right and I start to overanalyze.

I've never finished a season with higher than a 170 average - although I carried a 192 average for about 11 weeks until the center changed lane surfaces (and oil) and I started switching balls to find something that worked.  Never really stopped switching after that!

I attribute my low average to having a low strike percentage and poor spare shooting.  I also think that I had a false sense of a "good" pocket hit - being between the 1-3 instead of needing to hit slightly more of the 1.  The spare shooting is strictly my fault and a lack of discipline with practice.

As far as the balls, I just looked at them as a challenge.  Since my pro shop never made an effort to find my PAP or learn anything about my game, my drillings were basically "make or hook," or "drill it and I'll see what it does."  I took that as a challenge to figure out how to get the ball to the pocket.  I've found that just about every ball will work if you throw it right.

I bowled (subbed) a couple of weeks in a sports league and averaged the same as a regular league.  Several weeks I purposely threw brooklyn because that was the only way I could get consistent pinfall.  I felt bad doing it, like people thought I was getting lucky with the strikes, but it really was the only consistent shot that I could make.

I've made a couple of videos of myself - posted a few on here several years ago.  My form is horrible .  My timing is off, my knee bend is non-existant, etc.

That goes into the ever changing part of my "style."  Messed me up pretty bad for a while.  Every time I picked up a ball I heard those comments.

At some point I decided I wasn't happy with the way I was throwing the ball and needed to change.  More speed, more revs, more angle.  Had I known that I wasn't getting the carry because I wasn't hitting the right spot, I probably would be much better off.  But again, I decided to tamper with my style and start changing things.  Keep in mind that I never just changed 1 thing - it was always 2 or more things at the same time......hey, I'm no scientist!

I'm not trying to be an elite bowler, I just want to be the best that I can - if that's at a higher level, that's great.  Since I haven't been practicing, and since I've tried to limit the number of balls that I use, I really don't have a clue what my ball is going to do.  Of course it doesn't help that I'm so inconsistent with my release that I'm all over the lanes.  

It sucks coming here and reading about how easy this game is and how people should easily be averaging 200 on today's conditions.

If I start from scratch, how should I start?  Should I use an existing ball and go from there - clear my mind of any pre-existing notions of how to strike?

Should I drill a new ball?  What type of ball and how to drill it?

Should I take existing balls and just throw them "normally"?  Adjust the surface or drillings from what I see?

Right now I'm just frustrated.  I feel like I'm worse than a new bowler.  At least a new bowler will work on just getting one thing down - timing, release, hitting a mark, or whatever.  I've been playing around for so long that I'm all messed up in the head and can't get any of it right.

I would be happy if I could just hit the same mark every time I throw the bowl.

I realize that the main answer is probably going to be that I need to practice.  At this point I need to get that muscle memory going.  I've realized that people can bowl well regardless of how bad their form is - my league has lots!
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"The Founding Fathers knew a government can't control the economy without controlling people. And they knew when a government sets out to do that, it must use force and coercion to achieve its purpose."

"Government is not the solution to our problems - government is the problem."

Thanks charlest and Spider!

I know the posts are long, but sometimes you have to write things down to figure them out.

I also attributed some of my release issues to having a pro shop that managed to drill every ball differently.  I had to throw some of the balls differently in order to get out of them cleanly.  Now that I drill my own stuff, I have a consistent fit.

I'll have to make time to practice and start over.  I have too much fun bowling and have too much invested in equipment to give up now.  I'll be digging out the old books I used when I started and see if I can get back to the basics.  

My team is in last place in leagues, so it isn't like it will hurt the team if I bowl poorly.  Besides, I really can't get much worse than I am right now!


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"The Founding Fathers knew a government can't control the economy without controlling people. And they knew when a government sets out to do that, it must use force and coercion to achieve its purpose."

"Government is not the solution to our problems - government is the problem."