What are the "Most Important" frames of each game to you ?

[Tampabaybob]

Sitting here reading many of these threads and recalled a conversation I had with a team mate a couple of weeks ago. Before I let you know what those "IMPORTANT" frames are to me, I'd like to hear from you folks and see what your take is.

I'll chime back in a couple days from now and let you know what I consider the "most important frames" for me.

Consider this scenario....you are bowling head-to-head against a guy that is 10 pins higher in average than you and your team rally needs these points from you. Where do you want to put the most emphasis. Do you create any other actions ? What would you do?

This should have some interesting ideas.

[I suck at bowling]

Sitting here reading many of these threads and recalled a conversation I had with a team mate a couple of weeks ago. Before I let you know what those "IMPORTANT" frames are to me, I'd like to hear from you folks and see what your take is.

I'll chime back in a couple days from now and let you know what I consider the "most important frames" for me.

Consider this scenario....you are bowling head-to-head against a guy that is 10 pins higher in average than you and your team rally needs these points from you. Where do you want to put the most emphasis. Do you create any other actions ? What would you do?

This should have some interesting ideas.

9th and 10th without a doubt.

[bowl1820]

The classic 9th and 10th frame are the most important, since that's 60 pins in two frames.

Now starting a game off with at least a double can help set a tone for the game.

[SmilingBowler]

As with many things in life, I always do my best to finish strong. That's how you're remembered. If I can set myself up to string strikes in the 7th and 8th theres no excuse in my mind why I can't roll them through the 9th and 10th.

With that said, however, there is no way to throw a perfect game without starting with a strike.
And in our local house, you can't win the strike jackpot without the first two frames being strikes in the first game.

There's incentive everywhere you look, the beauty is in staying humble and surprising yourself.

[ecub]

Yes, 9th & 10th. In a league, it's not what you score, but how you finish. That's what I tell my team. Personally, the ONLY scores I care about are 290+, 300, or 800. Other than that, it's all moot, unless we win the game/series.

[SouthpawTRK]

I definitely want to finish strong; so the 9th and 10th frame get my vote for most important. Although the first two frames are not the most important, it is a great feeling to start out with a double :)

[SmilingBowler]

Great point, ecub. When it comes to league play the team effort is what matters most.

Being anchor on 2/3 teams I'm on, I often feel the pressure when its close after 7 frames. Most of the time I can rise above and put the ball to work. Sometimes, its one of those nights that even though I'm throwing 25-40 pins over average we still can't squeak out a win.

But as I look at it, and most of the teams I'm with, look at it, as long as we're having fun we're staying competitive. What I mean by that is the moment we start to get mad at the lanes or the ball is the moment we lose control of the game we have in front of us and that leads us as a team, to lose a lot more than just that one game we're playing.

[ecub]

Great point, ecub. When it comes to league play the team effort is what matters most.

Being anchor on 2/3 teams I'm on, I often feel the pressure when its close after 7 frames. Most of the time I can rise above and put the ball to work. Sometimes, its one of those nights that even though I'm throwing 25-40 pins over average we still can't squeak out a win.

But as I look at it, and most of the teams I'm with, look at it, as long as we're having fun we're staying competitive. What I mean by that is the moment we start to get mad at the lanes or the ball is the moment we lose control of the game we have in front of us and that leads us as a team, to lose a lot more than just that one game we're playing.

Definitely. I'm the anchor on my Monday mixed league. I often get congratulated on a with a 220+ score. If our team doesn't win, I just say "eh, it doesn't matter. We didn't win." I'm also 4th man on our Men's league on Wednesday. I put myself down too hard if I don't mark or strike on the 9th or 10th frame, making it easier for our anchor.

[Zothen]

10th frame as this is where most games are won/lost!

Zothen

[Keithalw]

I always like to think that the first three and the last two freames are the most important to me

[Tampabaybob]

Still waiting for a few more replies, then I'll share my views as well. Most of you so far as I can see are right on the money, but one other question is, "Do you change your focus at all for those all important frames?

[J Anderson]

The ninth is the key frame. Unless your team is way ahead or way behind, the ninth is really where games are won or lost. An open in the ninth can make striking out in the tenth almost worthless. A strike in the ninth is the perfect set up for a strong finish.

With that said, are any of us not trying to strike in every frame? Okay, except for those shooting practice games and sandbaggers, is any one not trying to get a strike?

I find that when I start thinking about scores or potential scores instead of just executing good shots my game goes downhill rapidly.

[barcar]

9th and 10th, because my teams always seem to be tight at the end of the game.

[ArtVandelay]

Most important frame?

The next one...

Tom Brady and his old Michigan locker room guy (or whoever it was) were onto something with that.

[got_a_300]

What are the "Most Important" frames of each game to you ?

Without a doubt every frame is important to me but I'd have to say
probably the most important frames are the foundation 9th frame and
the 10th frame.

I bowl anchor so I have to consider that the 9th and 10th frames is where
I either win or loose the game for my team if it is that close.

[GeorgiaStroker]

The most important frame is your frame of mind.....and of course BEER FRAME...

[swingset]

I'll be different and say the middle frames - 4,5,6. I think about them a lot.

Why? Because they are your salvation or ruin. If you start strong but can't maintain...it's the middle that dooms you. If you start poorly and then dial it in? It's the middle that saves you. If you have a strong finish, that's good but what would make a strong finish the cap to a 279 or a 300 instead of making it a 210 would have been your performance during the middle.

I say this because I see a lot of good bowlers start with a couple strikes, and finish strong, but the 4-5-6 games are where they lost concentration or made their mistakes.

[Flyer41]

To me, the most important frame is the one you're about to shoot. I look at it like this, every time you don't strike you lose between 10-20 pins depending on prior frames. It doesn't matter if it's the 4th or 9th frame. If all your focus is on the last two frames, and you don't focus on the first 8, you're probably going to be too far behind anyway. All you can do is once you get to the approach, is follow your routine and execute each of your shots to the best of your ability.

[coachkapps]

9th and 10th obviously but also 1st for starting off well and then 5th I like to be over 100 pins. Kind of break it into 3 parts I guess. But my vote is 9th and 10th.

I like the comment about 'the next frame' being the most important. Kind of like golf where even if you hit a bad shot, you can save yourself with a good 2nd shot, chip, or putt. Bowling can be that way too. Executing 'the next shot' is important. Kind of rings true when you have a big string of strikes. If you focus on the 7 bagger, 8 bagger, etc, you might tense up. If you focus on the next 1 shot, you're more likely to execute.

[Mtownsend010]

For a very novice bowler like myself I really have to start off my first frame good or my games go down hill quick

[noeymc]

the 1st 2 frames cuz it sets the tone for the game and if u get the 1st 2 strikes your team ur playing against feel the pressure and start to try harder and do worse for the most part

[billf]

It really depends. Of course Bob, I see multiple possibilites to your question. I focus the same each and every frame or at least as focused as I can be at that moment. Every frame is important. If I suck too bad at the beginning it won't matter what my 9th and 10th frames are. On the other hand, if I start with the front 7 (like this week) and then hit split city the big lead can usually carry me through.

[SmilingBowler]

It really depends. Of course Bob, I see multiple possibilites to your question. I focus the same each and every frame or at least as focused as I can be at that moment. Every frame is important. If I suck too bad at the beginning it won't matter what my 9th and 10th frames are. On the other hand, if I start with the front 7 (like this week) and then hit split city the big lead can usually carry me through.

Haha! "Split City" - here, I thought I was the only one who called it that when you start to string splits or hit a couple on the same lane. So glad I'm not alone. First time I saw it mentioned here. Thanks Bill!

[billf]

Monday I hit the front 7 all perfect. Then the 8th I left the 7-10. Changed balls, lines and speed, left the 7-10 again. Converted then the 10th frame I left the big 4 and only got 3.

[Greenday]

They are all important in different ways. The first few (1-3) are important because if you don't start strong, you could fall behind too quickly and screw up trying to make something happen the rest of the game. The middle frames (4-8) are important because it's the tone of the game. This is where if you don't stay strong, one frame can destroy your confidence the rest of the game. It's the confidence set of frames. The final frames (9-10) are important because of the obvious. A weak finish can affect you badly for the rest of your series. I watched multiple times today as people fell behind 40-50 pins in their first game and they just seemed to give up. Even if you are behind, finish strong because it could be the difference between being 50 behind and 30 behind. 30 pins isn't super hard to overcome. 50 can be quite a lot if your opponent stays consistent.

[aussiedave]

Sitting here reading many of these threads and recalled a conversation I had with a team mate a couple of weeks ago. Before I let you know what those "IMPORTANT" frames are to me, I'd like to hear from you folks and see what your take is.

I'll chime back in a couple days from now and let you know what I consider the "most important frames" for me.

Consider this scenario....you are bowling head-to-head against a guy that is 10 pins higher in average than you and your team rally needs these points from you. Where do you want to put the most emphasis. Do you create any other actions ? What would you do?

This should have some interesting ideas.
If you are competing against someone better than you then they are all important. In this scenario, I think to myself whatever the score or situation of the game I am going to make every shot my best shot and never get discouraged - just bowl.
In normal play I do the same thing and hate to leave a frame open - especially the tenth - that's when you blow the "bonus" ball and rob yourself of a chance at ten extra pins.
ad.

[Rdmonster]

My vote is 9 and 10....ive won the most games by tearing it up in the 9 and 10 frames.

I'm not that good so I dont really get upset in bowling like I do in golf (im not very good at that either but get really mad sometimes lol). Our team is a bunch of really fun guys...we drink hard sometimes and are usually the most fun having loudest group on the lanes. Maybe this gets in some peoples heads but I know if we are having fun we are going to do well.\

If I dont hear a bunch of laughing and hollering from my team I get them pumped and that usually turns things around.

[ecub]

As I mentioned earlier, 9th & 10th. There's so many times that either my team will start of hot and then fizzle down, where the other team starts getting hot. Usually by the 8th frame, it's getting close, so the 9th & 10th are crucial. 9th being the foundation frame, to set the foundation for the 10th.

[jbeck]

As crazy as it may sound...frame 3 is the most important for me when it comes to my mental game. If I start off hot in the first 2 then the 3rd frame will determine how I feel through the rest. If I start off slow and strike in the 3rd I get more confidence down the rest of the frames. Then it's 9 and 10 because at that point I can see what I need to finish.

[Tampabaybob]

Thanx everyone for the replies. As you can see, most of us agree about the 9th and tenth as being the most important. I'll get back to those two in a second. I like to start off as strong as possible the first two or three frames. I want to put the guy I'm bowling against on notice right away in the beginning and "try" to get to him right away. Keep in mind that a big part of this game is mental, and if I can get the guy I'm bowling against to start watching my score, chances are he'll start pressing himself in those first couple of frames.

Back to the back end of the game. Let's say you're bowling on a 4 man team and it's the 8th frame and your team is behind by 100 pins. IF...bowler #1 get's a strike in the 9th and then strikes out in the tenth, he potentially has just made up 60 of those pins. (of course you have to take into consideration what the other team will be doing too !) But consider this, all 4 guys strike in the 9th and 10th, you're looking at a potential of 240 pins in the 9th and tenth. Give me a team mate that can show up in the 9th and tenth any day of the week. Those to me are "the most important ones". Starting off good is also important, but as they say, "It ain't over till the Fat Lady Sings."

By the way....last night #9 came along in the 1st game.....no not kid #9 (LOL).....#9 - 300 game. Been a while sine my last sanctioned 300, but it was pretty.

[GeoLes]

What's the most important frame of the game?

The next one. It demands all your focus. Go for it.

[Bendial]

Since I'm a newbie I would say the most important for me are the first few frames. If I don't do well on my first few, I tend to get pretty frustrated and the rest of my game goes down hill with it. I think thats my biggest challenge is learning how to get back on track when I'm bowling poorly.

[J Anderson]

Since I'm a newbie I would say the most important for me are the first few frames. If I don't do well on my first few, I tend to get pretty frustrated and the rest of my game goes down hill with it. I think thats my biggest challenge is learning how to get back on track when I'm bowling poorly.

I'm probably going slightly off topic but here are a few suggestions for when the first few frames don't go well, actually they're good anytime but then I'd really be off topic.

After each ball ask yourself: Did the ball roll over my target? Where did the ball go? If the ball was on target, where the ball wound up and what pins were left tell you what adjustment to make.

IF the ball wasn't on target, forget about it! In my experience if you worry about what you did wrong on the last shot, you will either repeat the same mistake ( oftentimes even more so ) or you will over compensate and miss the opposite way. A few frames like that and it seems like there's an invisible wall in front of your target. Instead focus on executing your basic shot. Don't take too much time. Once you get in your set up position, and your eyes focus on your target, go!

Good or bad, don't get caught up in what your score is. Seeing a bunch of strike up there may make you careless with the next shot. A pile of open frames may make you too tense.

[Tokes]

Good or bad, don't get caught up in what your score is. Seeing a bunch of strike up there may make you careless with the next shot. A pile of open frames may make you too tense.

This is what I really need to work on.

So for me my important frames are just after the start like 3-7 if I can close those it help calm me down. Like when I start off well and open the end it might help carry me through to stay reasonably over my average, or if I close those and stay strong after with the same results. But when I leave those open with some before or after I fell like I tense up from to many opens and that leads me to blow a game. That even finishing strong or starting strong without my middle frames leaves me with a below average game at times.

[martinezsam2495]

In my experience, it's the 6th~8th frame, since that's where I see most people start to lose focus, miss marks or get splits.

[Koontzy]

9th and 10th for sure. more pins, and of course most games are won in these final frames. however I also like the first 2 frames as they almost always set the tone for how well i am going to play..

[Tampabaybob]

Thanks guys for all of these answers. As you can see, most of you want to be there big time in the ninth and definitely in the tenth. A few agreed with me on the first couple or three frames as well. Again, this game is very mental and if you can get your opponent starting to think he may be in trouble early, that will work in your favor.

Focus is very important for the entire game, but what I call "bearing down" in the first two or three and then again in the last two works for me.

Good luck and kick some butt in those frames!

[Old lefty]

I would have to agree ......the first 3 frames and the 7th through the 10th

[BrandonKR]

9th and 10th. Especially 9th, an open in the 9th can really turn an good game in to a less than average one.

[Tampabaybob]

9th and 10th. Especially 9th, an open in the 9th can really turn an good game in to a less than average one.

very true ! Struck the other night in the tenth spared on that and won my match by one pin. My opponent only spared. He won the game, but I won the total point by one. He wasn't a happy camper !

[RoccoRock]

No doubt, 9th and 10th. Just this week in league alone I had one game where the 9th and 10th turned an ok game into a pretty good game, and then 2 games later I had a letdown in the 9th and 10th that turned a good game, and a very good series into bitter disappointment. First game I had an opening turkey, but started to struggle after than. I made my spares so I was able to keep a decent game going. I changed balls in the 8th, and after an adjustment struck out 9th and 10th for a 223. Second game was 256, so I needed one more good game for my first 700 of the season, and the only the second on of my life. Started good, 7th frame left a split. 8th frame was a spare. So I needed a few strikes 9 and 10 to get the 700. Either way, I was headed to another 200, which would have been my 11th in the last 12 league games (the only non 200 was a 199) and I was happy. I somehow yanked the first shot of the 9th. It went dead left, and I ended up with a miserable 3 count. I missed the spare, despite throwing the ball well. It that was my strike ball, easy 200. As it was I needed to double the 10th for the 200. I did not get it. First shot was good, but I left the 10 pin. Made it then threw the strike for 196. I was upset, and it left a bitter aftertaste to what was my best night of the season. One ball, in a bad spot cost me dearly. If it were earlier in the game I had plenty of time to recover, but pulling that 3 count off a spare in the 9th didn't give me a chance to recover.

[tommyd2107]

Easily the 9th and 10th frames to be the most important. There have been countless times this season in league play where it would come down to me. My teammates say that I have ice running through my veins when it comes down to the last 2 frames, because no matter how I am shooting, I always show up in those 2 frames.

[Tampabaybob]

Easily the 9th and 10th frames to be the most important. There have been countless times this season in league play where it would come down to me. My teammates say that I have ice running through my veins when it comes down to the last 2 frames, because no matter how I am shooting, I always show up in those 2 frames.

My kids bowler. Ice water running through your veins.....yeaaaah !!

[Hammer]

Being the anchor bowler on our team for 27 years I like to give myself more of a cushion at the end of a game. For me the important frames are the 8th, 9th and 10th. The only thing I require from my teammates when I go up to the approach in the 10th frame is to not tell me what I have to get for us to win. The only thing I want to think about when I am on the approach is what I have to do to make a good shot. That is the only thing all of us should be thinking about besides maybe saying to yourself relax and remind yourself to stay behind the ball until you are at the release point. From that point whatever happens happens.

[75lockwood]

How did i miss this thread?!?


Welp, important frames would all depend on the situation, in regular circumstances i would say first and second frames from a mental game aspect, start off strong an fod gain confidence, throw two open frames to start, and yes, well we won't talk about that lol

other situations: 10th frame, 9 strikes in a row, going for perfection. just on a math basis though, the 2nd and third shots in the 10th (3rd more than second) are the least important score wise.

Every frame!?! Every frame counts, when it comes down to it i'd rather strike in every frame rather than certain ones :)