BallReviews
General Category => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: Luvswatch on August 21, 2015, 10:37:55 AM
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They tried to organize one this year...only 7 of us interested. So now I need to find a second league...disappointed.
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few years back, we tried for two years and both times less than 8 people signed up. It seems more league bowlers in my area are organized recreational bowlers. Which I label ORB's or Orb......
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It takes time and patience to grow a Sport League, Ours is up to 28 after 5 seasons. Peers have to talk about it then people start to come and see what it is about.
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We have a sweet league in Socal (Norco) that's been going on for 5+yrs.we never get less than 10 teams of 3
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We are always looking for more bowlers ,so if anyone is interested let me know
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90% of all bowlers have always been "organized recreational bowlers". Sport leagues are going to be a niche. Anyone who wants to bowl tournaments should consider sport leagues as a way to hone their game and improve their versatility.
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It'll do that if the bowler can check thier ego at the door !
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I think the ego part is not so much the issue. None of us is making a living with a bowling ball. For those who want to test their game at a higher level sport leagues are the answer. If not, why would you want to bang your head against the wall for fun. I don't know very many high average house hack who aren't aware of their limitations in tournament formats. That is why they don't bowl big money tournaments
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We've had quite a few high average house hacks crash and burn on this league. One session is more than plenty for them
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It takes time and patience to grow a Sport League, Ours is up to 28 after 5 seasons. Peers have to talk about it then people start to come and see what it is about.
What format do you run the sport league? Every sport league I have been in loses half its members because it is too hard for most people. They can't handle their ball not covering 17 boards and shooting 20 to 30 pins lower than their normal average.
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One house here has been running a sport singles winter league for two seasons. About 20 bowlers, with not much attrition. 4 or 5 real good players in the league. In the summer they draw about 12 for the league.
Bowling is such a feedback game that it is hard to hone your game for flatter patterns on a house shot. Also, getting good on a 40 foot flat patterns doesn't mean you can handle a 28 foot, or 48 foot pattern. No real substitute for experience, which is good for old codgers like me.
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We pick 5-6 patterns and run them from 3 weeks.We run the whole gamut of shots. Cheetah to Badger,which we just started yesterday. Once in a while we will do split patterns(long & short ) on the same pair of lanes.We also try to mix them up to give every style a pattern to hit on
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I know the best way of practicing for tournament shots is to get as much practice on them as well as bowling on as many tournament shots as your budget and time allows.
During the 2014-2015 bowling season, the place I've been known to practice at actually put out tournament shots on a couple of pairs occasionally on Wenesday nights since there were no leagues scheduled. I think I might have been among two or three bowlers who welcomed the opportunity. The bowling alley decided it was not worth the extra effort due to lack of interest.
That brings me to another point. Are there any alternatives?
One thing I've done in the absence of actual practice time on tournament shots is use my old school urethane equipment (i.e., Fab Blue Hammer, Fab Burgundy Hammer, Columbia Black U-Dot, Columbia Gold Dot) exclusively. But instead of coming off the corner, I'll move inside and play up the third arrow, forcing me to be accurate as hell: If I miss right by a board, washout or worse. If I miss left, head pin or Brooklyn. Even if I hit the pocket, I better have come out of the ball correctly, have the correct ball speed or I'll leave a urethane 8-10, 5-7, and dare I even say 5-10?
If nothing else, I get a lot of practice shooting spares since they're also my spare ball options.
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As far as alternatives are concerned, I am not a believer of simulating difficult conditions by throwing the wrong ball for the occasion. Sport shots demand a different approach and thus trying to get urethane to work on a shot it isn't intended will only produce bad habits.
If you don't have the opportunity to bowl on sport shots then using urethane to practice hitting targets would be better. Ignore scoring since you wouldn't be doing well, and ignore trying to hit the pocket. If I am going to Nationals, then perhaps practicing a soft hand playing in the zone I think will be where I need to be is what I would do. I might take out the 6-10 each time, but I will be throwing the ball the way I need to and in the area I need to.
This is also where putting tape on your ball to see rotation and revs is a good idea. You get immediate feedback on release consistency. You can even video tape the session and review later or during the session.
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I did enjoy the PBA league over the summer, 6 patterns over 12 weeks. Did manage a 175 avg., but still struggle on a few patters (Shark!).
Ego does get quite a few of them in this league for sure.
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It takes time and patience to grow a Sport League, Ours is up to 28 after 5 seasons. Peers have to talk about it then people start to come and see what it is about.
I've bowled in a summer sport shot league for about 6 or 7 years. We started with about 10-12 Three person teams. This year we have 4. Most people who left are frustrated or clueless.
There is also a PBA shot summer league. This is the second year. We had 12 two-man teams the first year. We have 9 this year.
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My brother shot PBA this summer and one of his teammates said he won't come back (220 house shot avg, doing 160 on PBA)...
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I think the best thing to do on house patterns to hone your game for sport patterns is to work on a more direct game with less axis rotation ( not lower revs ). I learned even as a kid that swing area is addictive. Learning a release that you can keep in front of you ( the new buzz phrase ) and still maintain a free approach and arm swing is important.
You cant over power flat patterns, or find a magic line or magic ball. That doesn't mean you cant have a roll that can give you some margin of error or give you some carry. There is more than one way to handle flat patterns. The biggest problem is that the more you want to hook the ball, the more one dimensional you become when they start varying the length of the patterns.
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I was direct in most of my PBA Patterns...only by end of game 3 or game 4, could I swing the ball on 2 of them, just a couple boards out. Everything else was direct or even pointing some to the pocket.
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I started a USBC sanctioned scratch/sport league this year. We have 21 bowlers (seven 3 man teams) and no prize fund. The lack of a prize fund is what makes things better imo. No one cares about "winning" the league and since people don't care about winning the league, you can bowl with whoever you want and have some fun. No worrying about a draft, average cap or anything other than just bowling with friends.
People of all averages do want a challenge, but the lower average bowler views scratch leagues and even more so, sport leagues, as a way for good bowlers to kick their ass and take their money. Removing that "you suck so you lose" factor seems to be attracting bowlers of all averages. The lowest average bowler we have is a 196 THS average...he's at 140 in the scratch/sport league and he's having a great time.
We do run pot games and brackets for those who want to mix things up a bit, but no one is forced or guilted into entering those.
Something else that helped bring people in was the fact that the USBC removed the extra $15 sport sanction this year.
We'll see how things go as the year progresses.
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People want to have a good time bowling in leagues. Most dont want to struggle and get frustrated with sport shots. I bowl in competitive leagues but people want it the it is...They'll bowl sport shots in tournaments but dont to do it in leagues.
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Frustration is the main reason bowlers quit competing on sport shots. I feel education is the reason for the frustration. Your average sport shot bowler knows the shot is more difficult. They may know the general layout of the pattern. But they have zero idea how to attack the pattern to optimize their success.
I used to host a sport shot tournament once a month. I would post on Facebook the pattern along with links to YouTube videos so bowlers would get an idea on how to attack the pattern. Some would come to the tournament and start off based on what they may have seen online. These bowlers would do well. Some would start with their league equipment and stand where they always stand during league and bowl just like it was league. These bowlers rarely cashed.
After everything was done, they just couldn't realize why they couldn't score. The fact they may have to throw a different ball or throw the ball on a different part of the lane or, heaven forbid, throw the ball with a different release doesn't occur to them.
If sport shot leagues are to be successful, there has to be some education for the bowlers. Visually seeing or listening to those who are successful on the conditions will hopefully give them a better understanding of what it takes to be successful, and in return have more fun. Having more fun will increase participation.
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I think synthetic lane surfaces, better lane maintenance and house shots convince less experienced players that a lane can only be played one way for their "style." Some people are going to camp out on the big dot no matter what because that's what works for them 90% of the time.
I heard a guy complaining about Cheetah not hooking on the gutter. The gutter hooked just fine but 20 was too deep for his rev rate so his ball didn't react as he expected when he got it right of 5.
There is a big difference in knowing how to score on a house shot and knowing how to bowl. The truth is once people realize there is a difference they don't have the heart to sacrifice their ego and try to get better. As long as the house shot is a fall back, sport bowling will continue to be a niche for players who want to compete in a more competitive and challenging environment.
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A small house about 40 minutes from me puts out a sport shot no tap tournament a couple times a month. Great way to work on your game for cheap.
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One thing I think anyone can do to help themselves for sport conditions is work on your spare game. Biggest thing I would suggest is get comfortable throwing your spare ball at most spares other than double wood. Also don't hook the ball at spares. Go straight. This can be practiced just as effectively on house shots