OK, today I discovered that I'm a stroker...

[AZBowla]

...or at least I bowl a hell of a lot better that way.

The local AMF was running a special today - 6 bucks all you can bowl from open till 5pm, so I took advantage and threw 9 games. :) Well for the first 7 of them I was all over the place and couldn't find the pocket with both hands and a map. Tried throwing a hook ball from the center of the lane and the results were just awful. I think the best I did was 168.

I asked my girlfriend what she thought and she said that she was always taught to roll it over the 2nd arrow, so I figured hell with it, and gave it a shot. No attempts to throw any wild PBA style curve or any of that. I started out standing at the end of the approach with the second dot between my feet, took a 4 step approach and aimed for the second arrow with little to no hand in the ball whatsoever. Yahtzee, literally! 5 strikes in a row at one point. High score for the day was 211. It wasn't just a dramatic change in score, it was literally night and day. (Is this woman a keeper or what, folks? :D) I guess I was fighting it instead of doing what worked. Go figure.

I'm really looking forward to getting the new ball later this week (the Marauder arrives Thursday according to UPS) and seeing how much better I can do with a modern ball. I'm sure I'll need to adjust a bit to compensate for the more reactive ball, but if I can achieve these results or better with the new ball, I'll be a happy camper. :)

[martinezsam2495]

congrats,
A girl that likes to bowl is a keeper in my opinion. :)
haha
Well, with me I didn't have to throw less revs, but add more speed to make up for hit, so now my ball hits like a truck inside the pocket.
<3

[AZBowla]

Yeah, she's a pretty good bowler too, she used to bowl on a team in high school and even represented the whole state in a regional tournament back then. She's working on getting back into shape again and get her stamina back up so we can join a league together soon. Her advice today was right on the money. I just wish I had asked for her advice sooner so that more of those 9 games could have been 200+ games like the last one was.

[ILike2Bowl]

ha ha ha nice! I always bowl on the second arrow, since then I have gotten +30 onto my average after practicing a bit. Did they have the lights and music playing?

[billf]

Does that mean you're done with the "Hollywood hook"? Don't be afraid to rev the ball up playing outside either. There is nothing wrong with stroking it. People seem to forget that score is kept by pinfall not amount of hook. Have your driller watch you and get it drilled strong. That ball was designed for a great back end hook and goes fairly long so don't get it drilled to go too long or it will go too far past your break point.
I have a driller that likes to lay everything out long and this happens when he does it to a ball designed to go long already. The time you spend discussing all you want out of the ball and under what conditions will be paid back with great scores.

BTW, the girlfriend is a keeper so don't screw it up lol

[Ball99999]

I naturally hook it, but I think that's because of slow speed. I would rather have high speed and less hook, MUCH more kinetic energy.

I feel like this whole focus on cranker, tweener, stroker etc has been brought on by a dumb American culture of testosterone and monster trucks. It's like the people who are transitioning from football into a more of a golf-like sport want a way to make it "LOOK AT ME I'M BETTER THAN YOU BY SPINNING THE BALL FASTER".

[AZBowla]

ha ha ha nice! I always bowl on the second arrow, since then I have gotten +30 onto my average after practicing a bit. Did they have the lights and music playing?

No, it was just plain ordinary open bowling - the special deal was a coupon I got for joining their e-club. The deal's good all week so I might see about going back on Thursday after getting the new ball drilled.


Does that mean you're done with the "Hollywood hook"? Don't be afraid to rev the ball up playing outside either. There is nothing wrong with stroking it. People seem to forget that score is kept by pinfall not amount of hook. Have your driller watch you and get it drilled strong. That ball was designed for a great back end hook and goes fairly long so don't get it drilled to go too long or it will go too far past your break point.
I have a driller that likes to lay everything out long and this happens when he does it to a ball designed to go long already. The time you spend discussing all you want out of the ball and under what conditions will be paid back with great scores.

BTW, the girlfriend is a keeper so don't screw it up lol

Definitely done with the Hollywood Hook, LOL. As you said, pincount is what matters and besides it's gonna be fun to see the look on the cranker's faces when they keep missing and I keep hitting. :D I definitely plan on having the driller watch me bowl and drill the ball accordingly. Thanks for the tip on going more aggressive with it, I'll make sure to mention that as well.

As for the girlfriend, yes she's definitely a keeper, I knew that from the day we met. :cool:

[GoodGorilla]

I wouldn't abandon the hollywood hook. It should be a tool you use when you have to. Sometimes the inside lane is so dry you can't play there unless you have a ball for it. Sometimes you have to go to the left, but staying on the right is good. Also, the far right seems to be the most heavily played zone, and breaks down the fastest, if not already when you show up for open bowl. OH yeah, I forgot to mention, if you play the outside left, you can intentionally tear up the right track.

[ILike2Bowl]

Dang, I sign up for those things and its like they forget about me! I dont get any after awhile.

[AZBowla]

Dang, I sign up for those things and its like they forget about me! I dont get any after awhile.

If that's the case, go get a new email address and register again! The savings you can get are awesome at times - I can't believe I bowled all those games for six bucks.

[billf]

Learn to play the 1 through 3 boards also. Most don't have the intestinal fortitude to play there and the 'crankers' can't mess with that line :cool:
If you want to mess with a cranker, throw your plastic ball right over their breakpoint. Makes for a bad frame for you and several for them.

[Tampabaybob]

AZ ....... It's always great to see when someone has seen the light. All of the guys that feel they have to cross thirty boards to have a high average will someday come to realize that you don't have to throw a shot like that to score well. Besides, that's a whole lot more work trying to figure out where to play and how to make spares.

As Gorilla mentioned, don't forget how to play that bigger hook, mainly if you get on a long oil or flat oil pattern and find you can't get anything to hook at all from the outside. You can still throw a decent hook shooting inside, and be able to play the oil. It just takes practice as you change over to a stroker.

And I'm in agreement with the guys about your girlfriend; definitely a keeper. Been married twice, and neither was or is a bowler. Makes it hard to explain why you need new equipment or need to spend some bucks on a tournament. Enjoy having a good relationship with someone that understands the game.

Bob

[GoodGorilla]

Yesterday I played really well with the big hook with my little brother playing too. I could have done much better but there was so much carry down and burn up on the lane already. I knew moving to the right was going to bring me success, but I wanted to practice more. Those games were between 170 and 200 for 5 games. On my last game I hooked my spareball on the right and picked up a 231. I do really well throwing the spare ball for strikes. I think doing that has brought me the highest average. But it's so boring :( And funny to see the spare ball tear it up. I don't think I've mentioned this before.

[75lockwood]

If you want to mess with a cranker, throw your plastic ball right over their breakpoint. Makes for a bad frame for you and several for them.

Thats just mean bill! lol, next time i get a 7-10 in a tournament situation i think I'll try it..... mwhahaha

[Tampabaybob]

Hope I never have to shoot a tournament against Bill.....I'd worry he'd be throwing his spare ball over my line on purpose !! LOL

Bob