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Author Topic: what exercises do you use in practice to help you know when to switch to a new ball?  (Read 1096 times)

bowlerstyle

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hey I was bowling league last night and I am a stubborn person. I was bowling and I was bowling decent, and I was using the same ball the entire time and at the last game I started bowling bad.  I tried to change my line and speed with the same ball and I finally changed balls in the 9th frame and struck out from there.  Now my question is how do you know when you change bowling balls or what do you do to help you know which ball is best?  I use different bowling balls for different lane conditions but when one balls starts to fail I notice that I become stubborn with switching to a new bowling ball.  are there any routines/exercises that you use during practice that help you develop a skill to be able to change bowling balls more frequently according to the changes of the lane?

 

WiscBowler

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I, too, would like help with this.  One problem I have trying something new in the 10th is that often times our team is in a close game and I usually stick with what's comfortable at the moment rather than switch.

HamPster

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Line up with a ball in practice that gives you the best combination of a good line and versatility and stick with it all night.  If the track burns, move left.  If the backends carry down, move right.  If you can predict that if you start out with one ball that you'll have to switch balls during the set, don't use it.  This is just for a house shot, if you're bowling on something else, you've gotta have an answer for everything BEFORE you get into a bad situation.
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TheBowlingKid25

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If Im doing well, one sign I look for is throwing 2 or 3 bad balls, or more, even if Im doing everything the same, and hit my mark and all.
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bowlerstyle

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everything about my bowling equipment is exactly the same, I'm the one who drills them so they have to be.  But I do know my equipment inside and out, but if your ball starts to hit just a little bit high, I want to switch to another ball but not sure if it will hit a little high again, after all, my game isn't Precise to the millimeter but it's pretty good.  sometimes i question myself thinking, was something off or was it just the ball, and I never really find out until it's too late.

Doc Hollywood

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Often times it is not you who is bowling bad.  The lanes oil pattern is changing and transitioning.  Watch how other bowlers on your pair are bowling and see what happens the ones that are light in the pocket in the beginning are gonna be right on usually as the lane breaks down.  those that start out well begin to have problems.  look at todays bowling.  Voss was lined up and then the lanes transitioned he needed to jump and find the oil line again and thenhe could strike again.  Same with PDW.  Often times the ones who find it the fastest is the winner.  All of these pros are very good at their bowling.  What makes them better is recognizing the lane is changing and they make the best moves.

Okay now what to do.  What you need to do is to watch what your ball is doing when you are bowling well.  When you practice try this.  When you are hitting the pocket well and hitting your marks.  Move your feet two boards right and throw the shot and also do this two boards left without moving your target.  Watch the reaction.  Also do this without moving your feet just change your target 2 left and 2 right.  Remember the reactions that you see.  In league the pattern is going to change faster than when you practice by yourself.  So you will need to recognize what others are doing.  If they are beginning to go high then you will need to move left to catch more oil.  If they are going light or wash out then move right to catch the dry.

Now it can be more complicated than this.  This is just a begining to help you out to begin understanding what to do.  Often times most bowlers who do not do this change the speed that they throw and this screws up the timing and release and so they feel all messed up by the end of the night.  I know that I have more than my share of the time do this.  I continue to work on this myself.  Trust what you see on the lanes and make a change and stroke the ball the way you normally do it.

Like the saying goes.  Trust is a must or else your game is a bust.

One more thing,  Most of the time you do not have to be super accurate.  How many times do you see a bll carry light or heavy.  How many times do you throw a ball and miss your mark by a mile and it comes back and you get a strike.  This is area.  This is what all good bowlers look for.  Places on the lane where if you miss right the ball hooks back harder and if you miss left tug room and it holds the line.  If you tug the ball alot you need more room inside.  If you miss right then you need more room on the right.  

I hope this helps you out.

Message me if you need some more assistance.


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Edited on 2/8/2004 5:50 PM