Importance of an anchor

[Blomer]

I'm on a team of Mostly older bowlers. I'm 38, the next youngest is 43 and then we have one in his mid 60's and toe in their 70's. I never really expect our team to compete too much, but I think we can surprise some teams. Our current anchor averages in the 160's. It's frustrating cause there has been several times he could win it for us, but end up 5 pins short or so and he just waves it off. Seriously, this guy usually gets 3-4 opens in the last half of games. He doesn't think where the better bowlers bowl in the line up. How can I convince him it does? Or does it?

[mishatx]

If it's just team score vs team score, then mathematically it doesn't matter who bowls where. But it certainly "feels" better if the anchor is the guy who can get 22 pins in 10th to bring it home.

[RobLV1]

The usual philosophy has the highest average bowler bowling last, the second highest first, the third fourth, etc. The one element that sometimes changes this is the anchor man's ability to perform in the tenth frame. Often the highest average bowler, when faced with converting the ten pin in the tenth to win the game, will fold like a cheap suit. In this case, this guy shouldn't be going last. He will add much more to the team by leading off.

[Tony]

Rather than highest average why not put the guy who's most reliable with punching out the 10th, yes in many cases this will be the highest avg guy. On one of the teams I'm with it's not, the highest avg guy is 3rd the 2nd high avg guy who even more often punches out games is last.
Thats a total score league.
In another league that uses head to head scoring the typical team has high ave last, 2nd high first, if you want to stay competitive you pretty much have to follow suit.

I personally don't bowl with that many teams where the highest average guy folds like a cheap suit and misses 10 pins in the 10th frame....how do those guys get to be your high avg guy bowling like that anyway ?
However we did win league a few years ago where the top guy (235 avg) needed to double to win and went up with all the confidence in the world saying "we got this guys" and threw a split .......but I've way more often seen the same guy come up and bury 3 strikes to finish a game, that's why he is a 235 avg guy.

[J Anderson]

As Mishatx put it your team score is just the sum of the individual games bowled it really shouldn't matter in what order those games are bowled. However when both teams are close in score it helps to have an anchor with the right personality. In serious team bowling, like at the college level, you want your lead bowler to be the one who can best communicatewhat he or she learned from their last throw. Your anchor should be the guy who just listens to the others about how he should adjust for his next frame.
My own preference is to put your wild card first. You know, the one who can from 30 pins over average to 40 pins under, then back to 10 overin one set. Then you put the rest in order from lowest average to highest assuming the highest average one is consistent and doesn't mind pressure.

[fordman1]

The anchor is the guy who is probably the highest avg. Not always, they could be the person who has the confidence to say give me the ball I can do it. You don't want someone who doesn't have Maple moxie. Just make sure they aren't just full of them self.

[got_a_300]

It seems like all of the teams I've ever bowled with always wanted me
to bowl anchor and I always hated to bowl in that spot because of all
the extra pressure of having to bring it home for the win for team but
I always did it and never said anything about it to them.

Well this season we had a new bowler come in mid season that wanted
to bowl in the anchor spot and I gladly gave it up and let him have as it
took a lot of pressure off of me and I moved up to bowl in the 3rd spot
and I've been bowling a lot better since the switch.

[bowl1820]

As already stated it technically doesn't really matter what position the bowler is in. If everyone is doing their best, The scores will all add up the same.

In a league setting player positioning is more about the mental part of the game and how it affects the player (and their resulting performance) in a particular position.

Now if you are talking about a Tournament or a college or world team challenge type setting, There can be a like more strategy involved in player placement. Mainly because your wanting your players to get reads off the person ahead of them and/or maybe coordinating the players so their lines help breakdown the lanes in such a way to help the others on the team that type of thing.

For example:
The Lead off would be a person who the rest of a team could get a really good read off of lane condition wise and was ultra consistent.

2nd Place would be either a lefty with the same quality or a guy who was for lack of a better term the weak link.

3rd Would be a guy who could make sure to put together a strong game and set things up for the set up and anchor bowlers. Also must be a good spare shooter.

4th would be the second strongest bowler and a bowler who could really put up some numbers. Great spare shooter an and clutch bowler for the 9th frame.

5th The most consistent and talented player who could make shots under pressure and also read what the other guys are doing and make quick adjustments.

As for how can you convince him? All you can do is talk to him.

If he's the captain, it's his decision where everyone plays and if he doesn't want to change that's it. If he's not, then you have convince the captain to change positions.

The thing is do any of the other players want the spot? also unless he bowls better in another spot, changing position probably won't help assuming the others are doing their best.

One thing to remember it is a "team" effort, Yes if your down the anchor could pull it out for a win. But if he doesn't, that doesn't necessarily mean he lost it for you either.

[foreverincamo]

I say it does matter. It doesn't have to be the highest average bowler either. And it should be fluid. Put the hottest bowler as anchor.

[Stormed1]

I've always used the theory that you put your best spare shooter anchor. More games are won/lost in the 10th off a misse spare than a strike

[fokai73]

I didn't bowl handicap leagues the last 5 years. And the league I bowl has a point system which is match play/individual and team/total pins - 3 man team 6 points per game. Every bowler in each team are "anchors" pretty much. That's kind of a mentality I guess. But almost all in this league have been an anchor at some point in their bowling life.

When I do bowl a handicap league, like this winter season, I set up the line up for the team. One of the four is heck of a bowler in tournaments. Cash, cash, cash, almost every event. But when the game is close, he had blown some away........ Next season he's our anchor. When I told him about his position in the team He was reluctant, but I believe in him. He will learn and the team has his back too.

even a 160 has the ability to mark the tenth, it's helpful if the team is behind him too. also as a team, if you allow anchor to deal with the pressure of close games, then ALL of you are not doing your job as teammates.

if I was on your team, I have no hesitation to let him know that the anchor position isn't right for him. I was removed as an anchor one year when I struggled badly and got burnt out. I took a year off after the season, but I pride myself as an anchor, yet I wasn't performing well. I moved to the first seat and finished the season as the lead off guy.

[JasonNJ]

Traditionally I always thought of the anchor as the best bowler or at least someone who is your best clutch bowler. Someone you can depend on throwing good shots and not miss makeable spares.

But now that this question was asked and I'm thinking about it, I may have to approach this differently next season. I think everyone would agree there is a mental\psychological component to bowling. The more relaxed you are, the better you'll probably bowl and vice versa, more tense the harder it is to bowl. So if you stack your lineup with the best bowlers first and they're stringing strikes together. I think this could do 2 things, it's puts pressure on the other team to match and when it gets down to your weakest bowler in the anchor position he may be more relaxed knowing the team is already up.

[LOUVIT]

I took myself out of the anchor position, my first league in 25 years I felt I wasn't ready. I was always good under pressure but needed to get back into the game. You say the anchor averages 160 what do the other team members average and who can hit the pocket under pressure.and convert but if the first 2 bowlers miss in the tenth why should all the pressure be on the anchor anyway.

[foreverincamo]

I was our anchor all of last season and half of this season. I took myself out when I started slumping. I'm now 4th, and our 4th bowler, who has climbed up from the 160's to nearly 200, has been doing quite well.

[chip82901]

Being a team captain on my men's team, before we switched to head to head format, I would put the guys who I knew could make up 30-40 pins in the 10th at the bottom. I'd actually put my weaker bowlers leading off instead of the middle. I'm in the same boat, I bowl with 60-70 year old guys, then me (29) and a kid I used to coach made the jump to men's leagues at 18. My older guys are usually pretty consistent 160-180 average guys, although from time to time you'll see em get hot and roll over deuce. I'd say put your guys that are most comfortable performing under a bit of pressure toward the bottom

[Tony]

Being a team captain on my men's team, before we switched to head to head format, I would put the guys who I knew could make up 30-40 pins in the 10th at the bottom. I'd actually put my weaker bowlers leading off instead of the middle. I'm in the same boat, I bowl with 60-70 year old guys, then me (29) and a kid I used to coach made the jump to men's leagues at 18. My older guys are usually pretty consistent 160-180 average guys, although from time to time you'll see em get hot and roll over deuce. I'd say put your guys that are most comfortable performing under a bit of pressure toward the bottom

I don't know about you but if I find guys who can score 40 pins in the 10th I'll be mighty impressed !

[chip82901]

I'm talking between 1-2 guys (4th and 5th). Those guys that are going to have a mark in the 9th frame going into the 10 that can at least get a mark in the 10th and make up some pins

[fordman1]

You want to put the person on your team who has the best chance to throw 3 strikes and put pressure on the other team. If you league isn't that strong go with the person who can get you a mark and good count. The confidence factor goes both ways you must have it in them and they have it in themselves.

[Tony]

I'm talking between 1-2 guys (4th and 5th). Those guys that are going to have a mark in the 9th frame going into the 10 that can at least get a mark in the 10th and make up some pins

Ok J/k

[chip82901]

Ok J/k

Hey, you never know with some of the people on these forums lol. Some just blow my mind (that sniper kid for instance)