Okay, I want to be a good bowler. What now?

[RushedLotus]

Hello all!

I just signed up for my first league and have been trying to practice as much as I can. I've scoured the Internet and I think I'm starting to review TOO much information and its getting confusing. I've only bowled my league games this week and a couple practices, and right now I can only rely on scoring 110-125. Does anyone have any recommended study plans? I'd like to have a gameplay for the next few months/year, but am not sure what to focus on during practice. All feedback welcome, thanks!

[billf]

The most important thing is to have fun. You don't want games or practices to feel like work. The second most important: accuracy. If you can't hit the mark you're aiming at, nothing else will matter. Even if you throw a hook or a straight ball, learn to stand at different spots and hit different boards. As your abilities increase being accurate will only help.

[Zothen]

Do you bowl with fingertips or conventional?

Zothen

[75lockwood]

If you want material online that's more directed towards beginners and not an overload of information, watch the videos here: http://www.youtube.com/user/rsvirtualbowling?feature=results_main


Like Bill Said, accuracy is the most important thing you can learn, maybe if you could post a video of yourself bowling we can take a look at what you could work on.

Remember, Have Fun!


Also, Welcome to the forums!!

[GeorgiaStroker]

Everybody differs in the way they learn. What works for me might not be for everybody. That's why there is no one way to bowl. I can tell you that I learned a great deal from the Dick Ritger series of DVDs. I had heard most of it before but he put it in a way that just clicked with me. He also includes several drills to practice with. You can order the DVDs from the bowling bookstore's website.

[bowl1820]

Hello all!

I just signed up for my first league and have been trying to practice as much as I can. I've scoured the Internet and I think I'm starting to review TOO much information and its getting confusing. I've only bowled my league games this week and a couple practices, and right now I can only rely on scoring 110-125. Does anyone have any recommended study plans? I'd like to have a gameplay for the next few months/year, but am not sure what to focus on during practice. All feedback welcome, thanks!

When you go practice, for the first game don't worry about doing anything but throwing the ball. Use it as a warm up to loosen your arm and get the feel of the approach for that day.

You should shoot 7-pins and 10-pins on your first shot. And, on your second shot, throw a strike shot. This ensures that you will take two shots in each frame and maximize your investment in lane fees.

Be sure to practice throwing to the pocket from different angles.

[RushedLotus]

Thank you for all of the great responses! I feel like I have a little more confidence with my game plan now. To respond to some of the posts above, I am currently just using a standard alley ball. I'm setting my pennies aside and have been told I should look for a fingertip ball (would welcome any further recommendations on a specific ball as well).

To sum up what I've read above, I plan to: Stay loose and enjoy the process. Focus first and foremost on accuracy (maintained from various positions). Also include practice targeting the 7/10 pins.

This looks like a good place to start for me. Once I start feeling comfortable with the ability to hit my target I will start investigating other aspects of the game. Thanks again for the help everybody, I know this is probably pretty basic...but I'm trying to make sure I at least focus my attention in the correct areas so I'm not learning incorrectly (I have a feeling whatever I learn now will be hard to shake later on!!). :D

[Zothen]

I have a team member who is a straight bowler. His problem was looking at the pins. I told him to look between the 15 & 20 board and when he threw the ball to extend his arm and when he looks up his hand should be pointed toward the 1 3 pin. In the last 2 weeks he's increased his avg from a 130 to 150 and he's getting better.

I would recommend a Cyclone or Slingshot as a good starting ball for learning to throw a hook. Both balls are entry level and will be the most versital ball without having a lot of hook. Once you get around a consistant 140 avg then you can move up to a ball with more hook.

Good luck & good scoring!

Zothen

[75lockwood]

Regarding recommendation's on balls i wont recommend a specific company because when it comes to your first ball i don't think it really matters , take a look at a medium oil to light oil condition balls. when your first starting out you don't need to go out and buy a pro performance ball.

[Tampabaybob]

Rushed.....I'm in agreement with Zothen with the Brunswick Slingshot. I've recommended that ball twice this week to new bowlers as an excellent entry level ball at the right price. Check out http://bowlingball.com and look at their "perfect scale". It's a very good way to fit your requirements in to a numerical order of aggressiveness. The higher the number the more aggressive it'll be.
http://www.bowlingball.com/shop/brunswick/bowling-balls/?Offset=16

As far as the comments to your question...Billy is right; accuracy, accuracy, accuracy. The three most important things in bowling. Good luck, welcome to the Bowling Boards family, and give us an update. We're here to help.

Bob

[kev3inp]

A ball that actually fits your hand will be the best investment in raising your average you could make. It's awfully hard to be consistent with house equipment. Check with your local pro shop for used equipment, you can usually find a deal, and, if you can, get some coaching. All the practice in the world won't help if you're practicing bad habits.

[billf]

Don't be afraid to ask questions. Ask here, the pro shop, other bowlers. Get all the info you can but remember, not all of it will fit you. I can't imagine the progress I could have made earlier in my bowling career if I knew of a place like this. This forum is also a good place to get feed back on stuff other bowlers are telling you. example; for years all the other bowlers told me to slow my ball down. All but one. He said to move right three boards. I did and my average went up 15 pins. Learning to slow the ball down didn't help my average but did give me another tool to use at tournaments where speed control is more important.