How accurate are you aiming at the arrows?

[NewToBowling]

After watching Richard Shockleys video on drilling got me thinking about accuracy at the arrows. Say you aim for middle arrow (20 board). For 10 rolls how close do you get to your target. I'm talking exactly at the 20 board. Or do you sometimes hit 19 or 18 or 17 arrow.

I'm getting better but I'm off 2-3 boards each way on average. Sometimes hit the mark, other times 2-3 boards off.

[Amyers]

On my good days I would be willing to say +- 1 board on my bad days not so much where I tend to struggle even on my more accurate days is the angle the ball passes the target by.

[mc_runner]

If my timing is on, +/- 1 board at most. If my timing is off, and badly, I can miss by almost 5 boards either way. Luckily those are usually one off throws that dont' occur with any regularity (might be a couple in a bad night).

[RobLV1]

There is a reason that elite level bowlers refer to where they stand with their feet and where they look with their eyes. Nowhere do you see the word "target." Many elite bowlers never hit the board where they are looking at the arrows, but they miss it by the same amount each time. What is important is where your ball is when it exits the pattern, and at the breakpoint.

If you get the chance to watch last night's telecast of the Queen's, check out the first game between Maria Rodriguez and Liz Kuhlkin. Both players are playing very similar lines. Watch what happens based on where each ball is at the far tracer. In both cases, every single ball that hit eleven board at the end of the tracer was a strike. Most balls that hit nine or ten left a corner pin standing, and balls that hit right of nine barely hit the head pin. This is the point where accuracy is paramount. Shannon Pluhoski actually targets her breakpoint, but is one of the most accurate bowlers at the arrows on the planet, despite the fact that she never looks there.

[vdubtx]

Rob is so correct. Not saying I am elite bowler by any stretch, but anymore, I don't target at the arrows. My eyes are focused further down lane or at a reflection from pins etc. I think I am pretty accurate when I need to be and can be within a board of where I want to hit with my eyes.

[Amyers]

Rob is exactly correct and stated the point I was trying to make much better than I did. I wish my eye site was good enough to pick out the individual boards that far down the lane but it's just not and none of my houses have tracer boards

[NewToBowling]

There is a reason that elite level bowlers refer to where they stand with their feet and where they look with their eyes. Nowhere do you see the word "target." Many elite bowlers never hit the board where they are looking at the arrows, but they miss it by the same amount each time. What is important is where your ball is when it exits the pattern, and at the breakpoint.

If you get the chance to watch last night's telecast of the Queen's, check out the first game between Maria Rodriguez and Liz Kuhlkin. Both players are playing very similar lines. Watch what happens based on where each ball is at the far tracer. In both cases, every single ball that hit eleven board at the end of the tracer was a strike. Most balls that hit nine or ten left a corner pin standing, and balls that hit right of nine barely hit the head pin. This is the point where accuracy is paramount. Shannon Pluhoski actually targets her breakpoint, but is one of the most accurate bowlers at the arrows on the planet, despite the fact that she never looks there.

I have it recorded. Plan on watching it tonight. By tracer are you referring to the off colored boards down lane usually at the break point. I would love to aim for those but like Amyers said they are harder to see and sometimes with overhead lights the reflection takes over.

But maybe I should look downlane more. I've only been targeting the arrows. Since I'm new to this might as well try something different.

[Aslan]

I'm +/- 2-3 boards at the arrows. Most of the time I'm within a board. My struggles are less accuracy-based and more based on other approach related variations like timing, and footwork, and ball speed.

[mc_runner]

Same, Amyers - tracer boards would be great! I do watch where the ball begins it's break but it is also tough to tell what distance that is at without a reference mark.

[RobLV1]

I have it recorded. Plan on watching it tonight. By tracer are you referring to the off colored boards down lane usually at the break point. I would love to aim for those but like Amyers said they are harder to see and sometimes with overhead lights the reflection takes over.

But maybe I should look downlane more. I've only been targeting the arrows. Since I'm new to this might as well try something different.

While you're watching, note the last two games. Liz Johnson obviously targets at her laydown point as her eyes looking straight down at the foul line!

[SRB57]

I started targeting at the arrows after looking down at the foul line the first 40 years of bowling and can hit + or - a board when bowling good. Steve

[ChuckR]

While you're watching, note the last two games. Liz Johnson obviously targets at her laydown point as her eyes looking straight down at the foul line!
I am sure that many of us in our early days, I am 72, used to aim at the arrows. When I came back after a 25 year layoff, there was NO WAY I could control anything.
I started to move my eyes down the lane. That helped. After cataract surgery on both eyes, I had an even better picture of what was down lane, there are pins and not a block of wood. Anyway, looking down lane at tracer or pin shadow forced me to reach and follow through.
I tried Liz's approach once and it seemed the ball never made it down the alley with any action.
Bottom line is WHATEVER WORKS.

[Average200someday]

Up to 3 boards left. But since I'm just using a plastic ball, straight up board 10 over 2nd arrow, that amount of miss can send the ball all the way left to the 4 and 7 pins!

One coach says try to keep your head level, instead of dipping down at the bottom of the swing which causes the arm to go out of alignment and causes the severe pull to the left! :(

[HowDoIHookAgain]

You'll find that as you get more and more comfortable with aiming at the arrows, you will become more and more consistent at hitting your mark (your mark is the place where your ball should be if you don't know. For me, my mark is the 2nd arrow [10 board]). Missing your mark with a plastic ball really is not detrimental to your game, because you really don't get much hook off of plastic, if you are hooking at all. But once you start cranking the revs, missing by even half a board can be the difference between a strike and a 7-10 split.

[Average200someday]

But once you start cranking the revs, missing by even half a board can be the difference between a strike and a 7-10 split.

Thanks, that makes a lot of sense. Since the arrows are around 15' away, and the pins 60', it seems that every missed inch can be multiplied by at least 4!

[JerseyJim]

It depends on the dominant eye. In order for me to hit the 10 board, I have to look at the 8 board. There was a book called "The Pro Approach" which explained how to find your offset. Also on Bowlingknowlege.Info. Joe Slowinski published a series on the "Quiet" eye. Check them out http://bowlingknowledge.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=section&id=24&Itemid=64

[Ishkabibble]

I bowled years ago (before resin balls) with a guy who didn't look at anything except his feet. He bowled more of a swing. I didn't believe him at first so after he stood where he wanted I blindfolded him. He hit the pocket everytime.

Remember you need to have 2 points to create a line. One at the arrows(or dots or whatever you use) and one further down the lane where the ball starts to break out of the oil.

[Aslan]

I've tried targeting pretty much anywhere in the first 20ft of the lane...and haven't figured out the ideal system just yet.

Wes Mallott is famous for targeting the foul line...kinda like the discussion about Liz Johnson. I've found that targeting that close gives you the advantage of getting the ball DOWN on the lane (rather than lofting/tossing it)...especially for us taller guys. The DISadvantage to targeting that early is that if your timing is off...even a little...every centimeter you miss by gets multiplied. Example;

Lets say you throw it towards the arrows and miss by 3 boards right. It MAY or MAY not hit the pocket depending on how dry it is outside. If you miss 3 boards left...you're gonna miss at MOST by 12 boards at the pindeck. However...because a miss left is in the heavier oil volumes...the ball will HOLD...until just before the pin deck...and you'll likely miss by about 5-8 boards.

NOW...lets say you target the foul line...and you miss by 1 board. By the time the ball gets to the arrows...you're off by about 3-4 boards. So, see above.

The bottom line is...a miss of 2-3 boards at the arrows is = a miss of < 1 board at the foul line.

The reason why there is not "RIGHT" place to target is because the further out you target...the more you'll miss...but the more room you HAVE to miss. Targeting closer you're more likely to hit your mark...but every slight miss is magnified. The simplest way to think of it is to compare a rifle to a revolver pistol. I used to target shoot and it was really easy to hit a target at 100-200 yards with a rifle. But a pistol...once you got past 50 yards...you were in trouble. Why? Because the bullet isn't affected by anything as long as it's being fired through the barrel. But once it leaves the barrel...it starts to move. Wind, gravity, etc... The longer the barrel....the more accurate the projectile. Same thing with a bowling ball. The longer it can stay in the air...the less impact the lanes have on it's path. The sooner the ball comes into contact with the lanes...the more the lanes will affect it's movement.

I struggle targeting close primarily because I have the tendency to abruptly shorten my swing/follow-through. I also struggle getting my shoulders square when targeting close. I've been targeting the "dots" lately as I'm trying to get the ball down and overcome my tendency to loft it...but I make better shots, more in time, when I target the arrows. I've never targeted the break point except when I've thrown balls thumbless. With my thumb in the ball, and my current arsenal, I just don't have the RPMs or ideal ball to bowl to an "area".

[bubba809]

Don't aim. Just throw it as hard as you can to the outside right.

[NewToBowling]

Or just play with bumpers :)

[djp1080]

Thanks, that makes a lot of sense. Since the arrows are around 15' away, and the pins 60', it seems that every missed inch can be multiplied by at least 4!

Pretty close! If you think about the lane and break it into four quarters, you have the arrows at about 15 feet, the mids at around 30 feet, the breakpoint close to 45 feet away and the headpin at 60 feet from the foul line. If you target board 10 (2nd arrow) and miss it by one board while throwing a straight ball, the ball will be off by three boards at 60 feet. On the other hand if you walk at an angle (one board to the left or right) and hit your target (2nd arrow), the ball will be off by four boards at 60 feet. So hit your target more often and slide on the right board while you're at it... :)

[John Anderson]

Or just play with bumpers :)

Honestly I find playing with bumpers to be harder since I can't go as far outside and it makes hitting the 10 pin kind of hard to do. Well, not that difficult, just harder than it should be to hit one pin.

[Average200someday]

Rob is so correct. Not saying I am elite bowler by any stretch, but anymore, I don't target at the arrows. My eyes are focused further down lane or at a reflection from pins etc. I think I am pretty accurate when I need to be and can be within a board of where I want to hit with my eyes.

So many ways to target: the arrows, the dots, a line between the dots and arrows, and I just tried something different but similar: a line between the arrow and pins. The result during the last group class: 4 strikes in a row followed by a spare. 1st time a 4 bagger!:D And 1st time a turkey too!:D Looking down this target line seemed to help with better follow through and accuracy.