Dadgum 10 pin!!

[CrimsonEncounter]

I can consistently throw a good ball that hits the pocket, but a lot of times I end up leaving the 10 pin. I've been told that if I'm leaving it, I need to move to the left one board and throw off my same spot, but when I do that, I have a worse shot and it leaves splits. Does anyone know how I can throw from my same spot and mark and not leave the 10?

[bowl1820]

Here's a diagram about leaving ten pins.

http://www.abc2bowling.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/leaving10pin2.jpg

"You are looking at the ball hitting the pocket. The ball could have struck the head pin slightly heavy (diagram A) or it could have struck the head pin slightly light (diagram B). Of course there’s always the question of the ball’s angle of entry to consider."


The typical fix is to move back 6" on the approach, keeping the same spot and mark.


Here's a couple of other threads discussing about ten pins.
http://www.bowlingboards.com/threads/8626-Adjustments-for-that-dang-cold-ten-pin?highlight=ringing

http://www.bowlingboards.com/threads/4990-Excessive-10-pin-leaves?highlight=ringing

[J Anderson]

I can consistently throw a good ball that hits the pocket, but a lot of times I end up leaving the 10 pin. I've been told that if I'm leaving it, I need to move to the left one board and throw off my same spot, but when I do that, I have a worse shot and it leaves splits. Does anyone know how I can throw from my same spot and mark and not leave the 10?

Ten pins get left for a number of reasons, and there are at least two threads about them. A ringing ten pin, where the 6 pin flies around the ten, requires a different adjustment than a flat ten, where the 6 pins falls into the gutters and lays there. There is also a chance that the pins were slightly off spot and any adjustment will just screw you up on the next frame.

My own system for making adjustments:
1. Do not adjust off a badly thrown ball. If you miss your target, lose your balance, or if the ball just didn't feel right off your hand, do not make an adjustment. Focus on executing your basic technique well.
2. Do not adjust off the first ten pin you leave, it could just be a bad break. After all, pins are shaped even funnier than footballs and we know what odd bounces footballs take.
3. What kind of ten pins are you leaving? If they are all flat tens I'll try to do some thing to make the ball hit at a better angle. If they are not consistently one or the other I don't adjust since I really don't know what adjustment to make.

One more thought: are really leaving splits when you move left or are the really washouts like the 1-2-10? If its washouts try moving slightly right. You could also try just moving part of a board since a solid ten pin leave really isn't very far from a strike it shouldn't take much of an adjustment.

[Doghouse Reilly]

That ten pen must be a demon every where. I might not mind it as much if I could just pick it up more often.

[billf]

If it's a ringing ten then I pick up the speed about .3mph and a flat ten I slow it down .5mph. If I'm having trouble controlling my speed then I moved up/back on the approach.

[CrimsonEncounter]

I made a slight adjustment last night, moved back about 3 inches and was consistently hitting strikes. Over the three games I hit the most strikes I've ever hit (18). Had a high game of 213 and had a 535 series.

I know those numbers aren't as high as some of you guys, but to me that's an awesome series. It's the second time in 2 weeks that I've bowled a 500 series. Next step...600!

[bayedup84]

billf knows his stuff, and crimson....good job on improvement

[Tampabaybob]

Crimson, good job. If you start leaving ten pins, another trick you can use is to move your target out beyond the arrows about 3 feet. Same position on the approach, same board your original target was on, just look further down the lane. It will increase the slide of the ball just a bit and "usually will help".

Bob

[EboniteKid299]

I bowled a tournament this past week, and I left 15 ten pins in 5 games, I probably tried at least one or two things different every single game and every time it was wrap 10 one after another one of the most frustrating experiences I have been through..

[Tampabaybob]

I bowled a tournament this past week, and I left 15 ten pins in 5 games, I probably tried at least one or two things different every single game and every time it was wrap 10 one after another one of the most frustrating experiences I have been through..

Ever hear that sometimes you're the windshield and sometimes you're the bug ? Sounds like that day you were the bug ! There are sooooo many variables in this great game that can and does happen, from oil dissipation, to humidity changes, to pins being a fraction of an inch off spot, that can lead to having a day like you had. We've all had those days and I know I've walked out of houses banging my head against the wall as I went. Frustrating to say the least. The only thing you can do, and it sounds like you did, is to start pulling ALL of your tricks out, and see what works.

Moving your feet up or back, looking further down the lane or even closer to the line, or changing balls and/or hand positions or a full move to another entry angle, is about all that you can do. Frustrating, YES, but as the old adage goes, "Better to have tried and failed, than to have never tried at all."

I know you'll be back for the next tournament to 'overcome' that 10 pin nemesis and that's what we bowlers do. Work on some of those tricks till the next tournament, then go out and kick some butt.

Bob

[billf]

I bowled a tournament this past week, and I left 15 ten pins in 5 games, I probably tried at least one or two things different every single game and every time it was wrap 10 one after another one of the most frustrating experiences I have been through..

15 times in 5 games, that's 3 per game. That's not very many but you said one after another. What am I misunderstanding?

[Tampabaybob]

Billf...... Yeah, I've had games where I wished I had three ten pins in a game, rather than the junk I had left. If I had, I'd at least know I was hitting the pocket !

[EboniteKid299]

Well, the last game I had shot 160 because I had to try and make a big change to try and make the cut so I started missing the pocket completely instead of leaving 10 pins so almost like 15 in 4 games

[EboniteKid299]

And it's very difficult to make cuts and win a tournament when you are bowling on house shots needing to average 220 just to make cut and you can't help leaving 3-4 ten pins a game.. =/