For instance, you're practicing or bowling league and someone suggests you should throw your ball differently.  How do you react?  What's your thought process before considering the advice?  Do you feel it's improper for someone (mainly down and in bowler) to offer/give advice as to how you should throw your ball (i.e. you're style differs a great deal)? vice versa?

Another question... how many of you ignore comments from another bowler with a lower avg. than yours?  Do you feel as though you're "above" criticism from a lower avg. bowler?

I've often said there's a thin line between confidence and conceit.  Honestly answering, which do you classify yourself?


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"The eye is blind if the mind is ABSENT!!!!

I only offer advice if it is asked for, and then it is usually based on my what my coach has told me.

As far as receiving advice, it depends on who is giving the advice and how it is presented.  If it is someone I do not know and who has never seen me bowl before, I tend to ignore their advice.  If it is a person I know and respect for their knowledge of the game, I listen.  If they also are familiar with my style, that is an added bonus.

I do tend to ask for clarification by saying what my coach has told me to work on and try to fit what they are saying into the picture.

I do not handle well someone just ripping apart my game.  For example, we had a sub one night and I was struggling.  I made the mistake of joking it was going to be another 160 night.  After having seen me bowl a game and a half, he felt it was okay to say I rolled a deadball and was lucky to be carrying what I was.  He went on to say I needed to watch him and bowl just like he did.  I basically told him I had a coach.  He continued on and I told him I didn't want to hear what he had to say at which he got ticked off.  I kept my distance the rest of the night.
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It's not that life is too short.  It's that you are dead for sooooo LONG

depends whos giving advice, and what I am working on if I am practicing. I hate when I am practicing something and people go "man, you couldnt get a strike to save your life", and I am practicing, say 10 pins. I know they mean well but gosh! If its from a person I respect, and I know that they know what they are talking about, I take it into consideration. If its just another little kid in my league, I USUALLY just say "ok thank you", and dont really pay mind to it, unless it makes sense to me that they may be right.
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....BRUNSWICK!
¡Viva la nación de Brunswick!
Nothing more to be said.
....DEATH BY CHEETOS!!!!

I'm a bit hardheaded when it comes to taking advice, I need to see it work for myself before I'll admit anything is wrong .

I do listen though, especially to the proshop guy, he always seems to come up with little gems of wisdom .

I used to listen to my EX-coach aswell, until I figured out that he was working in the exact other direction that I wanted to go :/

I did take a piece of advice to heart that I got this weekend though. Some random person at a tourney told me I needed some speed to stop my balls overreacting. I didn't change anything at the time and my score reflected that (very low, even for me). Thinking about it over the last couple of days, I realised it has been missing from my game since I hurt my back earlier this year. So I tried it today in practice, shooting the best 3 game set since before I hurt my back.

I guess advice can come from anyone, just make sure you test it before applying it during league (unless you trust the person of course), and I'll be sure to thank the guy when I see him if this improvement is permanent

It depends, I'll usually try something once.  I've been bowling bad for the last 8 months after taking about a year off.  A buddy of mine told me that I needed to slow down and that I didn't have a smooth swing or follow through.  So I worked on that and finally got my first 600 of the year last week.  Hopefully it's not too late to get my average back up to 200.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, someone told me to try an inside line (I usually bowl down and in), so I tried it wound up shooting a couple of 190's but I still wasn't throwing it well and got really lucky.  Now he keeps telling me every week to try moving inside just because I scored well that one time.  He doesn't want to understand that I've shot 190's throwing bad with my normal shot too.