League night transition

[baker]

As another league season begins I find myself continually struggling with transitions. My first game average is typically the highest, then I struggle with over/under reaction. I have two lower rev bowlers on my team that always play right of me drying up the outside while the puddle in the middle remains untouched.

When running into over/under reaction on a THS do you typically ball up and move in, ball down and move out, or something else? Pros and cons of each option?

[1VegasBowler]

For me, it depends on the transition.

I start with my Ultimate Nirvana and go down the 10 board. If other bowlers are in my target area, I can move left and go 15 to 10. If they continue to follow my target I switch to my Vandal or my Fanatic BTU, and go right back to the 10 board or I can go down the middle (straight at the 15).

Depending on the length of the THS, I may have to make a ball change because of my own targeting track. Thankfully, I have an arsenal that allows me to do many different things.

[RobLV1]

Think about this logically. A typical house shot is what it is because there is fairly heavy oil from ten to ten. Once it starts to dry up, why would you ever move right into the dirt? The move is always to the left unless there is someone using plastic, urethane, or a very old, oil-soaked ball to cause carry down.

[billf]

I move further inside and bank it off their breakpoint. Untouched puddle in the middle for hold on misses inside and dry on the outside for misses there sounds like heaven to me.
Your style and versatility will dictate what to do in the end though.

[ep1977]

I keep moving left until I get as far as I'm comfortable playing and then if I still need to adjust I'll ball down.

[baker]

Thanks for the advice. This week I'll try bumping left with my feet and breakpoint, and go to a stronger ball once I start to see some over under.

I don't think I've ever balled up as the lanes transition so it'll be fun to try. The ratios on this shot seem really high. It might start out 10:1 but by the end of the first game it feels way higher. Hopefully I don't hurt the hold area of my lower rev teammates too much.

[JaxBowlingGuy]

Get you some "that wow factor " transition reducer

[Hot_pocket]

Also remember, it may be a strategy for the other team to play in your line as well to make the shot funky for you. So don't be afraid to watch and then copy what your opponents are doing. They sometimes will show you the way depending on if they have the same style as yourself. I have done that plenty of nights last season and plan to when I bowl the high rev rate bowlers. Develop a strategy based off the lanes, such as a certain order of which balls to use, I.E. polished to dull or vice versa.

[billf]

Also remember, it may be a strategy for the other team to play in your line as well to make the shot funky for you. So don't be afraid to watch and then copy what your opponents are doing. They sometimes will show you the way depending on if they have the same style as yourself. I have done that plenty of nights last season and plan to when I bowl the high rev rate bowlers.

Win or lose I love it when game 3 comes down to who is more accurate lofting the left gutter and who can get around the ball return the easiest (weak point for me).

[baker]

I do need to be better about watching the other team and playing off everyone on the lane. My biggest concern last week was my teammates had such a great look playing right that I didn't want to ruin their hold area. It would have been interesting if I had balled down, flattened my wrist, and moved right to where they were.

To your point I need to develop a better strategy for transition and not be afraid to make changes when I see little signs. I'd rather make the wrong move and know instead of guessing after the fact like I am now. We'll see how it goes next week, ultimately league is more of a practice session for what I might see in tournaments so I'll try some different things.

[Stormed1]

As mentioned above, my opponents and team mates will dictate my move. Nomally it is move in either with the same ball or a stronger one depending on lane play

[got_a_300]

Usually well almost always the other team will watch to see where I'm playing
and then they will move in on top of my line and destroy my shot. I think they
do it on purpose most of the time which I can't blame them for doing so because
I'd do it to them too. LOL!!!!!!!!

[JaxBowlingGuy]

I do need to be better about watching the other team and playing off everyone on the lane. My biggest concern last week was my teammates had such a great look playing right that I didn't want to ruin their hold area. It would have been interesting if I had balled down, flattened my wrist, and moved right to where they were.

To your point I need to develop a better strategy for transition and not be afraid to make changes when I see little signs. I'd rather make the wrong move and know instead of guessing after the fact like I am now. We'll see how it goes next week, ultimately league is more of a practice session for what I might see in tournaments so I'll try some different things.

You're a better teammate than me lol of I'm not scoring and my teammate is, he better be prepared for me to play his line lol

[fordman1]

I find it doubtful that anyone is purposefully messing with your shot unless you are a 220+ bowler. Under that why bother. Just go out and out bowl them.

Everyone has to decide what works best for them. Moving in or out balling up or down has more to do with your physical game and what balls you own than opinions of people who have never seen you bowl.

[baker]

I know it does happen, usually by the better teams and towards the end of the quarter. I'm guilty of it myself at times, if someone on the other team is doing well and we need points I'll try to play just inside of them and ruin their hold area. It's a competitive scratch league so about half the bowlers are 220+.

Gamesmanship between teams keeps things interesting on easy house shots. It makes for a fun night when you blow up the pattern trying the mess with each other and it comes down to true shot making the final game!

[fordman1]

Scratch leagues are very rare and hard to find. I was referring to all the posters who gave opinions and average under 190.

[billf]

Scratch leagues are very rare and hard to find. I was referring to all the posters who gave opinions and average under 190.


As popular as bowling is in that area I'm surprised scratch leagues are rare. We only have one scratch league in the county and it's men only. We had a woman move down from Columbus with a 238 average and they wouldn't let her bowl in it citing the league rule from 1958. I've brought it up at every league meeting since and it still gets voted down. Both Dayton and Columbus have travel scratch leagues on Sundays if one wanted to drive a few hours to bowl every Sunday morning.

[ep1977]

Scratch leagues are very rare and hard to find. I was referring to all the posters who gave opinions and average under 190.

There are many scratch leagues around here.

[fordman1]

I keep reading about all the scratch leagues and wonder are they capped? Like no one over 210 etc? If that is the kind of scratch league you might as well have a H\C league. Around here most leagues are H\C but we do have a few scratch leagues but they are open no cap and usually not enough pot money to keep them going. Bowlers go to where they can make the most money. My league has no avg. limit except on teams. 1050 is max. If you have 3 230 bowlers you must have a couple of 180 and under. It is H\C 90% from 1100.

[Amyers]

I keep reading about all the scratch leagues and wonder are they capped? Like no one over 210 etc? If that is the kind of scratch league you might as well have a H\C league. Around here most leagues are H\C but we do have a few scratch leagues but they are open no cap and usually not enough pot money to keep them going. Bowlers go to where they can make the most money. My league has no avg. limit except on teams. 1050 is max. If you have 3 230 bowlers you must have a couple of 180 and under. It is H\C 90% from 1100.

We have 3 scratch leagues in my area (I do consider about 60 miles my area) and there are two handicap leagues that for all intensive purposes might as well be scratch as they are high money high end bowlers leagues with the handicap at 80% of 210 where most of the bowlers on the league average 200+. I've only seen an advertisement for 1 league with a cap here so I guess that's not popular in this area. Two of the scratch leagues are good money for the area and both the above mentioned handicap leagues are big money now the other scratch league is a holdover from another alley that shut down and serves more of a senior citizens club. I subbed on that league and I swear I was the youngest person in the building by almost double and I'm not a kid.

[ep1977]

I keep reading about all the scratch leagues and wonder are they capped? Like no one over 210 etc? If that is the kind of scratch league you might as well have a H\C league. Around here most leagues are H\C but we do have a few scratch leagues but they are open no cap and usually not enough pot money to keep them going. Bowlers go to where they can make the most money. My league has no avg. limit except on teams. 1050 is max. If you have 3 230 bowlers you must have a couple of 180 and under. It is H\C 90% from 1100.

I've never seen a league around here with a cap. That doesn't mean there are none I just haven't seen them.

[1VegasBowler]

Every house here has a league with a cap somewhere in the mix.

[billf]

Our scratch league has no high end cap. Minimum to sign up is 180. The top twelve averages are captains and draft their teams every year. Usually about 75 sign up but only have room for 60

[baker]

Our scratch league has no high end cap. Minimum to sign up is 180. The top twelve averages are captains and draft their teams every year. Usually about 75 sign up but only have room for 60

I'd love a draft scratch league, we have a couple teams that are stacked and a couple that really aren't competitive, but it's pretty even.

Quick update, read the transition much better making parallel moves left. The biggest difference was observing other people's lines/reactions and having better focus.

[Hot_pocket]

I find it doubtful that anyone is purposefully messing with your shot unless you are a 220+ bowler. Under that why bother. Just go out and out bowl them.

Everyone has to decide what works best for them. Moving in or out balling up or down has more to do with your physical game and what balls you own than opinions of people who have never seen you bowl.

Iv'e never done it but, if someone is shooting lights why not mess up their line? Ive seen 190 bowlers shoot high, hell had a 150 avg bowler shoot 30-50 pins over average, on the same night, against me last year. average wouldn't dictate if you should get in there line, how they are bowling will.

[ep1977]

There's a bowler in my league that is a 220+ average and can play more left with success than anyone else in the league. During warm-ups he uses a really dull ball and hits it with a coarse abrolon pad after every shot and shoots all warm up shots down the 2nd arrow trying to destroy the line that most bowlers use. By the second game his opponents are going high on every shot.

[RobLV1]

I guess his opponents should learn to adjust!

[bowl1820]

There's a bowler in my league that is a 220+ average and can play more left with success than anyone else in the league. During warm-ups he uses a really dull ball and hits it with a coarse abrolon pad after every shot and shoots all warm up shots down the 2nd arrow trying to destroy the line that most bowlers use. By the second game his opponents are going high on every shot.

He might not be trying to destroy their line, he might be trying to build some area for himself. If any of his teammates play there though, he's not helping them much.

But if you want to use a little gamesmanship, if you know your bowling him next time. Bring a old ball that's sanded as rough as a corncob and start firing it down his normal line. Even if you don't destroy the line, it might just freak him out enough to start making mistakes or take the hint to stop.

That or just have your team all line up on the left during warmup and start blasting his line. You can mess him up maybe and you'll leave more oil on your normal line for later.

[billf]

OK this is funny but embarassing.
About two or three years ago my job on my scratch league was to ruin the line of a bowler of the captain's choosing. One of the other captains told him "I hope you try that to me." Being as he is a lefty my captain thought he was just being smart. So the next time we played him I was told to mess up his line. 180 grit ball straight down the left side all practice long. This guy goes out to his truck and comes back with another ball. Nobody had ever seen him throw anything other than what was in the return for at least four years. He never moved more than a board. He jumps 20 right, swings the snot out of it and shot triplicate 279s. Obviously we don't do that with him anymore.

[fordman1]

Sounds like the practice time is too long. Give everyone 2 ball on each lane and start scoring.

[ep1977]

Sounds like the practice time is too long. Give everyone 2 ball on each lane and start scoring.

We get 10 minutes of practice and it all depends on how fast or slow the other team is or if they insist on resetting for a full rack on every shot. This week I only got 4 practice shots in 10 minutes because 2 guys had to only shoot on a full rack.

[RobLV1]

Sounds like the practice time is too long. Give everyone 2 ball on each lane and start scoring.

Make sure you quit bowling before you're 65!

[RobLV1]

We get 10 minutes of practice and it all depends on how fast or slow the other team is or if they insist on resetting for a full rack on every shot. This week I only got 4 practice shots in 10 minutes because 2 guys had to only shoot on a full rack.

Depending on the lane condition, I often use the reflections of the pins to target for my strike ball. If I don't have a full rack in practice on those occasions, I don't get a chance to line up.