I feel that practicing helps only if you are working on a specific area of your game. If my spare game needs practice, I practice spares. If I need more accuracy, I practice targeting and so on and so forth.

I don't think practice is effective you are practicing to score. One should practice all of the additional elements that help your score go up.

On a side note, if I happen to practice and am wanting to strike, I try to strike from different parts of the lane on each shot. My favorite as of late is playing over 5 and using the 2 board as my breakpoint.
--------------------
www.bowlingkingdom.com
www.trackbowling.com
www.startarevolution.com

"The Revolution" has begun!!!

I agree that when you practice alonoe, you don't get the same type of transitions that you might get in a league.  But when was the last time that your practice conditions started out the same as a league condition?  For me, that is hardly the case.  Usually when I go to practice it might be after open bowling, after a league or who knows what.  Going to practice "scoring high" is not always the goal.  Most of my practice sessions deal more with foot work, hand variations, balance, timing, and lane play.  I can pretty much do all this with a plastic ball, some tape, and a video camera.  I rarely worry about what happens when the ball gets to the pin area, I worry more about getting the ball from point A to point B, or what is happening on the approach.

If you are interested in practicing for what will happen in a league environment, then you will have to duplicate that environment as well as possible.  This would include getting your entire team to join you in your practice session and possibly invite another team to join you to play as the opposing team.  Most people don't want to practice that long or it is just impossible to get that many people together.  If you can get that done, then I am sure the comraderie is great.
--------------------
I am not a pro-bowler, but I do play one on BallReviews.com

When I practice alone, I work/concentrate entirely on my mechanics and faults of same and ignore scoring altogeather, so what the lanes do or don't do doesn't matter as I don't care if I bowl 120 at the time. The only exception to this for me is fried lanes, but other than that, I con't care if heads are worn a bit or there is carry down or etc.

Now, if I practice with others, then for me, the practice doesn't do much good as it is difficult to keep from being competitive with the people that I am bowling with.

--------------------
Brick

at least for me, it is easier to practice alone.  like others have said, i usually work on specific skills.  also, if i had to wait for a group of people to practice, it would never happen.  most of my friends consider practice to be a chore to be avoided at all costs or they just can't be bothered.

I have not practiced for score in a few years...always working on repeating shots and being consistant with my timing and feet....

Clint
--------------------
Clint Daley-Owner
Lets Go Bowling Daley
Inside Hunt Club Lanes
Salem, Ohio 44460

Track Pro Shop staff
www.trackbowling.com
www.letsgobowlingdaley.com

I NOW ACCEPT ALL CREDIT CARDS, NO MORE NEED FOR PAYPAL OR MONEY ORDERS IF WE DON'T HAVE TO....JUST PM ME TO GET MY SHOP NUMBER TO COMPLETE THE TRANSACTION!