Author Topic: Trap average bowlers... (Read 1462 times)

stopncrank · « **on:** June 27, 2011, 04:28:49 AM »

For the most part Ive been stuck in the 207-215 average range for about 5 years now. Before that I was high 2-teens for several years. Much of the drop can be attributed to problems with my grip due to weight loss, and now im going through a tendon injury on my ring finger of my bowling hand.

I wanted to get some ideas from observations others on here see as to what in general keeps low to mid range 200 average bowlers from being 220+ average bowlers...what is the differences in what they do different? Keep in mind im talking straight house bowlers on house conditions-tournament 220 and house 220 averages are totally different, as we all know.

For me, from my end I hit the pocket pretty much as much as anyone, it just seems my strike percentage is way lower than the 220 guys. Transition seems to hit me hard as well, and I find that for my mid range balls tend to work better than high end stuff.

So what else do you guys see in your areas??

Still taking your lunch money one strike at a time, just without a Mission in my bag....

Pinbuster · « **Reply #1 on:** June 27, 2011, 02:46:02 PM »

Without seeing you bowl and knowing what you bowl on it is hard to say what might be holding you back.

Around here I would say one of several things for bowlers who carry high averages in different houses.

Lane Play.

Knowing how to adjust to get carry.

Noticing the small signs of the lane breaking down and knowing what adjustment to make without having to search for a new line.

The top bowlers around here seldom switch balls for adjustments once lined up but adjust lines, speed, and releases.

Versatility.

The top bowlers can play multiple areas of the lane. Different lanes have a different sweet spots for carry. Sometimes that might not be in the area that gives you the most margin of error in getting to the pocket.

Consistency.

Is your speed consistent, launch angle, ability to hit a target? On todays lanes you can get to the same breakpoint a variety of different ways but only one or two of those will carry consistently. Just because the lane lets you spray paint it and still get to the breakpoint doesn't mean they will all carry and that they are all good shots.

It is not the high sets that define an average as much as the low sets. The top averages figure out a way to score decent sets even on the weeks they are off or the lanes are off.

You can't just take a week off. You need to scrap for every pin, every game.

This generally means you have to be a good spare shooter and don't care if your carry percentage is in the dumpster.

T C 300 · « **Reply #2 on:** June 29, 2011, 01:30:30 AM »

waaaaaaaayyyyy too many variables to give a good answer.... maybe your not 220 capable bowler.?!?!

who knows??!!!

*** i did catch something you said.... you say you hit the pocket as much as everyone else (assuming you mean the "better" bowlers in your area..) sounds like your using the wrong equipment for the shot/house..??

i have a few balls i can throw and hit the pocket for D A Y S and shot 637.. grab something more fitting and 713.. by more fitting i mean surface and layout wise.

remember what works some1 else may not work for you!! dont be scared to change something drastic either!

stopncrank · « **Reply #3 on:** June 29, 2011, 05:14:07 AM »

Where do I start....Last season the strongest ball I used all year was a Track 607A, and it was at 2000 polished. The shot was just too over/under for anything stronger ball wise for me. Others in the league with similar rev rates are using Cell Pearls, balls like that with polish.

TC- I have considered punching a Tropical Storm or something in the range to see if it helps with the transition any better.

As far as my carry comment, that was based on an observation made by my team mate who booked 230 on the same league. We compared several games for several weeks and it seemed to go back to transition of the lanes, I generally outscored him the first game, but my carry went south in games 2 and 3 even though the majority of the time we hit the pocket pretty much the same percentage.

I know without a doubt there are things I need to work on to get better, thats the whole reason for this post. Im getting in shape again, and trying to sort out my grip issues is a whole other subject, but the point is im making and effort to learn what I need to do to get better. Once my grip get sorted out, I'm gonna get with a local coach to see what he thinks I can work on.

Thanks for the replies fellas...

Still taking your lunch money one strike at a time, just without a Mission in my bag....

CPA · « **Reply #4 on:** June 29, 2011, 06:01:47 AM »

As the transition occurs, it is better to make a move sooner rather that later.

However a lot of the carry issues comes down to concentration. Striking our in the tenth vs strike and spare has a huge impact on your average. It is easy to lose concentration when you are up in the tenth and the outcome of the game has already been decided.

USBC Silver Level Coach

DON DRAPER · « **Reply #5 on:** June 29, 2011, 04:33:54 PM »

I'm a firm believer that bowlers who REALLY want to improve need to spend less time in the pro shop and more time practicing. Once you've got a correct fit on a medium condition ball with a stable drilling pattern and a versatile surface then you spend most of your time practicing.

ksucat · « **Reply #6 on:** June 30, 2011, 10:02:29 AM »

You sound like you are sincerely trying to improve and not look for easy fix. That's a big first step.

During competition, keep track of what you leave each game and why you think you left it. For example, you leave a weak 10 because your ball burned up too early and hit soft. Show that to your coach and/or pro shop person and ask for suggestions. By now, you need another set of eyes as you are not likely to suddenly come up with the answer on your own.

Also look at your average for each game to see if you can identify a trend. Do you drop 10-20 pins between game 1 and 2, then you obviously have found an area to focus on.

stopncrank · « **Reply #7 on:** June 30, 2011, 10:43:03 AM »

KSU, i'd say 90% of the time I had my high game for the night the 1st game on the fresh. 2nd and 3rd games for me in this particular house are a crap shoot at best because of transition. An earlier comment in this post was made about people getting lined up and not having to change balls for a whole set, looking back on that, my teammate booked 230 in this house and he hardly ever got to stay with one ball all three games so I think I can throw that idea out the window.

For instance, most of the time he would start with a Cell Pearl, and eventually ball down to a 505a or a Hammer raw acid. He hardly ever got to stay with the Cell pearl all 3 games, if ever.

One trend I did notice is that on particular pairs I scored better than others, meaning from lanes 17-24 seemed to play signifigantly tighter compared to 25-32.

ksucat wrote on 6/30/2011 10:02 AM:
You sound like you are sincerely trying to improve and not look for easy fix. That's a big first step.

During competition, keep track of what you leave each game and why you think you left it. For example, you leave a weak 10 because your ball burned up too early and hit soft. Show that to your coach and/or pro shop person and ask for suggestions. By now, you need another set of eyes as you are not likely to suddenly come up with the answer on your own.

Also look at your average for each game to see if you can identify a trend. Do you drop 10-20 pins between game 1 and 2, then you obviously have found an area to focus on.

Still taking your lunch money one strike at a time, just without a Mission in my bag....

dizzyfugu · « **Reply #8 on:** July 01, 2011, 01:17:10 AM »

Agree with the sound game as a foundation, and the "enlightenment" that more or stronger equipment does not make you a better bowler - at least when your release is so "good" that you can actually influence the ball reaction and control the breakpoint instead of just tossing the orb and moaning that it does not hook.

Lane intelligence - reading the lane and ball recation as well as staying ahead of transition - is IMO the biggest asset you need once you actually know what you are doing and what you can do with your own game and the equipment at hand. It is something I frequently encounter myself - lack of oil and quickly drying lanes are a big issue for me and my game. I already "accepted" that I can get along with pretty weak balls and still "hook it" and score well, but being able to adjust correctly and esp. quickly is still something I need to work on. This situation is hard to simulate in training, unless you have a couple of players "destroy" the oil, but it is IMHO the scenario in which you can actually excel in league play or in tournaments, when you have multiple players in action.

DizzyFugu - Reporting from Germany
2010/11 Benrather BC Club Champion
Confused by bowling? Check out BR.com's vault of wisdom: the unofficial FAQ section

stopncrank · « **Reply #9 on:** July 01, 2011, 05:19:00 AM »

Agreed Dizzy, and recognition of the phases of ball motion is an area I am definitely. One thing I have done is I recently bought a ball spinner and rejuvenator. In the next couple of week Im gonna be experimenting with different surface preps to see how it affect my ball roll and carry.

Also take into consideration that I found out that my PAP has migrated from 5 over and 1/2 up, to 4" straight across. While it had been probably 5 years or so, still thats a big difference when all of my stuff was laid out assuming it was still 5 over. I take the blame for not having it checked, that was my fault. So im taking the brunt of all this on my shoulders this summer. If I dont improve this fall, it will not be because I didnt put work in, no more excuses here for me!

dizzyfugu wrote on 7/1/2011 1:17 AM:
Agree with the sound game as a foundation, and the "enlightenment" that more or stronger equipment does not make you a better bowler - at least when your release is so "good" that you can actually influence the ball reaction and control the breakpoint instead of just tossing the orb and moaning that it does not hook.

Lane intelligence - reading the lane and ball recation as well as staying ahead of transition - is IMO the biggest asset you need once you actually know what you are doing and what you can do with your own game and the equipment at hand. It is something I frequently encounter myself - lack of oil and quickly drying lanes are a big issue for me and my game. I already "accepted" that I can get along with pretty weak balls and still "hook it" and score well, but being able to adjust correctly and esp. quickly is still something I need to work on. This situation is hard to simulate in training, unless you have a couple of players "destroy" the oil, but it is IMHO the scenario in which you can actually excel in league play or in tournaments, when you have multiple players in action.

DizzyFugu - Reporting from Germany
2010/11 Benrather BC Club Champion
Confused by bowling? Check out BR.com's vault of wisdom: the unofficial FAQ section

Still taking your lunch money one strike at a time, just without a Mission in my bag....

dizzyfugu · « **Reply #10 on:** July 01, 2011, 06:44:21 AM »

Yeah, having a spinner at hand is one of the best things you can have as an enthusiast. Not only is ball maintenance much more comfortable, you learn a lot about ball reaction and the effects of surface preps and the various coverstock's properties!

DizzyFugu - Reporting from Germany
2010/11 Benrather BC Club Champion
Confused by bowling? Check out BR.com's vault of wisdom: the unofficial FAQ section

ksucat · « **Reply #11 on:** July 01, 2011, 10:19:41 AM »

Several years ago when I first moved to Wichita, I bowled in an older house that was notorious for harsh transition between games. One of the average leaders in the league ran the pro shop and I was fortunate enough that he liked to talk. He watched everyone's ball reaction and learned which guys he could rely on to make good enough shots to read the lanes from.

The biggest lesson I learned from him those many years ago was to simple pay attention to the lanes all the time. For example, if I just witnessed a good player go through the nose and come back with a confused look on his face, I knew that I better move on that lane a few boards even if I was in the pocket the frame before.

stop, it really sounds like you are making lots of correct adjustments, but still missing some fine tuning to carry. At least you realize it will take some work to meet your goals. You will likely get there.

Author Topic: Trap average bowlers... (Read 1462 times)

stopncrank

Trap average bowlers...

Pinbuster

Re: Trap average bowlers...

T C 300

Re: Trap average bowlers...

stopncrank

Re: Trap average bowlers...

CPA

Re: Trap average bowlers...

DON DRAPER

Re: Trap average bowlers...

ksucat

Re: Trap average bowlers...

stopncrank

Re: Trap average bowlers...

dizzyfugu

Re: Trap average bowlers...

stopncrank

Re: Trap average bowlers...

dizzyfugu

Re: Trap average bowlers...

ksucat

Re: Trap average bowlers...