how to stay focused and on target?

[H3RBSKI]

i bowl several times a week and currently i either have a really good game (high 100's - mid 200s is really good for me) or a completely terrible game where i barely hit 120, i can never seem to sit consistantly between my good and bad games.
eg in my league match last night i hit 198 in my first game then 130 in my second. I bowl right handed and bowl down the outside of the lane, i seem to suffer terribly from throwing the ball off target to the left even though i try to throw over the same spot every single time (first ball atleast)
any tips for staying on target ?

[JerseyJim]

Is it a consistent number of boards to the left that you are missing by? If so, then one eye is dominating your vision. There are a couple of ways of combating this. One is to line your head over your bowling arm. The other way is to target to the right of the board that you're aiming for. For a long time used to miss my target by two boards to the left. If I was targeting the 10 board, I would hit the 12. What I started doing was to target the 8 board in order to hit the 10. I'm over-simplifying it a bit. There is a book called "The Pro Approach" by Larry Matthews that goes into targeting and adjustments that you can make.

[H3RBSKI]

my problem is more of say im aiming at the 6 pin when i release it instanlty goes off towards the 4 pin.... some times i just cant seem to control it but others it comes out perfect and hits exactly where i want. it annoys me because i know my aim is good espeically at shooting spares but i cant figure out why sometimes i randomly throw it straight to the other side of the lane.

[Zothen]

Sounds like your aiming the ball and rushing to release. If your target is the 6 pin I find it helps to stand on the 25 board and throw over the 10 board. If your hitting the 4 pin,then your pulling the ball which may be the result of moving to fast. If you can tell us where you stand for the 6 pin conversion would help!

Zothen

[billf]

Sounds like a physical game flaw. Your timing is late hence the huge miss of the target. The why is probably happening well before the release. If you can record yourself bowling we could take a look. Take some that are good and fresh, like your first game and some where you've been bowling awhile.

[scottymoney]

Sounds like an inconsistent arm swing and follow through.

[GeoLes]

In my game, I usually suffer two points, Eiter my focus lapses or my swing is faulty. I remedy by focusing on my mark. I push the ball right at it and swing it away and back to the mark as I walk forward. Is I get closer I try to see more and more detail in the wood grain until the ball passes over the mark. If the ball fails to roll over the mark, it means that I failed to keep my elbow close to my torso.

During private practice, I then go back to the drawing board and isolate on swing slot drills.

[AZBowla]

I don't know if it's just me or what, but if I stare at my target long enough (usually a few seconds is all it takes), the board it's sitting on starts to "stand out" to my eyes and then I just look right at it until the ball passes over it. I used to (and still do at times) watch the ball after I release it rather than stay focused on that target, but for the most part I've found I'm more accurate when I can successfully fight the urge to watch the ball come off my hand and instead remain fixated on the target board. You can try it and see if that helps...

[e-tank]

I dont focus on gunning it down there, just a nice controlled swing. No strike? no problem, it just gives me a chance to work on my spares :)

[noeymc]

i put 2 cones on the lane over my mark and just try to hit in between the cones over and over i dont even try for spares just hit that spot i havn't done it in a while i think i should lol ( check with your ally before doing this tho

also never move ur eyes off your mark

[Tampabaybob]

my problem is more of say im aiming at the 6 pin when i release it instanlty goes off towards the 4 pin.... some times i just cant seem to control it but others it comes out perfect and hits exactly where i want. it annoys me because i know my aim is good espeically at shooting spares but i cant figure out why sometimes i randomly throw it straight to the other side of the lane.

This could be a very easy fix. What I hear you're doing is lifting your head a split second before you're releasing the ball. Here's one thing to remember...if you look up from your target a micro second early (BEFORE you release the ball) you'll end up pulling the ball across the front of your body and missing your spot to the left. "YOUR HAND WILL ALWAYS FOLLOW YOUR EYES"
You must see your ball roll over your target on every shot. You can't hit what you don't see !! Right ??

Try this and watch the improvement immediately.

Bob